Writing Skills Assessment
10 Points Total (Question #9 = 2 Points)
Assigned Readings
[1]
Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010)
“Part Three: Documentation,” Chapter 14, “Documentation I: Notes and Bibliography,”
14.1–14.29 + Figure 14.1 [pages 655–69 + 672].
+
Survey 14.56–14.317 [pages 684–784].
[2]
William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1920)
[II] “Elementary Rules of Usage,” [III] “Elementary Principles of Composition,”
and [V] “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
Take Home Assignment
Footnotes
1. Following the citation guidelines for “Notes and Bibliography” delineated in part three of
Chicago Manual of Style [14.14–14.18; and 14.19–14.29], cite the full reference for page
eight from “The Grammar of Clarity,” in Williams, Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace,
first edition, 1981 — in correct footnote form.
In an actual paper, there would be a numbered superscript in the body of your work that
corresponds to the number of each footnote. [For an example, see Chicago Manual of
Style, Figure 14.1]
2. If you were to cite the above text immediately again in a footnote, you would use the
term “Ibid.,” with a corresponding page number (if it has changed), followed by a period.
Explain why. What does the Latin word “Ibid.” mean? When do you use an “Ibid.”
reference? [See Chicago Manual of Style, 14.29.]
3. What is a “shortened citation” as used in a footnote? When do you use a shortened
reference? [See Chicago Manual of Style, 14.24–14.28].
4. Cite in correct footnote form the full reference for the journal article by Pritchard and
Holtzapple, “Responsible Engineering” — found in volume one of the course readings —
originally published in 1997 in Science and Engineering Ethics. In your citation, direct
the reader to one of the key interpretive sections of the article, entitled “Engineering a
Solution” (pages 221–22). [See Chicago Manual of Style, 14.170–98.]
“Ibid.” and “shortened citation” — mentioned in points two and three above — apply in
similar manner to journal article footnote references.
Bibliography
When you cite multiple sources in a paper or a book manuscript, a bibliography is also
used at the end. [See Chicago Manual of Style, 14.56–67.] The same five components of
a footnote citation — (1) author, (2) title, (3) where it was published, (4) who published
it, and (5) the date it was published — are used in a bibliography entry, with the author’s
last name cited first (if there are multiple authors, the other authors cited normally) and
with every entry arranged alphabetically (left justified, with inverse indentation under
each new entry). In distinction from a footnote, items (1), (2), and (3) – (5) listed above
are followed by three periods respectively, rather than being linked together sequentially
as one complete sentence. Also no page numbers are given in a bibliography, as in a
footnote.
With this understanding of the proper form of a bibliography, proceed with the following
two citations in points five and six below — from a book and a journal article
respectively — representing two of the main categories of source citation.
5. Cite the book by Williams, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, first edition, 1981 —
in correct bibliography form.
6. Cite the journal article by Pritchard and Holtzapple, “Responsible Engineering,” in its
corresponding format in a bibliography.
The Purpose and Logic of Source Citation
7. Why are clear and accurate source citations essential in research and writing? [See
Chicago Manual of Style, 14.1.]
8. What is the beauty and strength of a footnote citation? How do footnotes and a
bibliography function together? What is the logic of their interrelationship?
The Elements of Style
9. If you were to write your own book on the elements of style, what would be your three
primary — overarching, undergirding, and sustaining — principles?