Student Affairs Office
Faculty of Law
SENIOR ESSAY AUTHORIZATION FORM
WRIT 400
STUDENT NAME
MCGILL ID #
PHONE
YEAR
MCGILL EMAIL
TERM
DATE DUE
1.
The six-credit Senior Essay must have a scope and ambition sufficient to contribute a major element in the student’s legal
education. It must therefore be a substantial project, typically resulting in a text of about 18,000 to 20,000 words in an area
in which the student has already acquired significant training. A bibliography must be attached; footnotes and citations must
conform to accepted styles of legal citation.
2.
To be eligible to write a senior essay, you must have completed a minimum of four terms in the Faculty. You will normally
have written at least one independent term essay before undertaking to write a senior essay.
3.
This form must be completed and returned to the SAO prior to the end of the Course Add period of the designated term.
(Please consult the SAO Website for form submission deadlines: http://www.mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses/).
4.
At the end of the 1st term, a Progress Tracking form, signed by both the student and supervisor, must be submitted to the
SAO.
5.
Essays must be submitted to the SAO by the fifth working day prior to the last working day of the examination period for
which they are being written. No extensions will be granted without the permission of the Student Affairs Officer. Students
and Faculty are reminded that Article 27 of the Faculty's Academic Regulations governs the granting of extensions. It states,
in part:
a. In the absence of a medical certificate or analogous circumstances, any required paper or essay submitted
after its due date shall be assessed a penalty of one grading unit per day late.
6.
The Supervisor must return the essay, together with the Supervisor's recommended marks and a completed evaluation sheet
for the assistance of the student, to the SAO prior to the deadline for submission of marks for the designated term.
7.
You are reminded that plagiarism is a very serious academic offence. McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore,
you must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of
Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).
Essay Title:
Essay Supervisor:
Essay Proposal, Table of Contents and Bibliography: A detailed research proposal of 750-1000 words, table of contents and
bibliography must be approved by the essay Supervisor, and submitted with this form.
Meeting Dates: The student and supervisor agree to meet to discuss the student’s research and writing progress on the following
dates:
(1) ____________________________ (2) ____________________________ (3) ____________________________
List courses taken which are related to the proposed area of study:
Name of Course
Faculty or Department
Grade Obtained
Name of Supervisor
Grade Obtained
List all independent term essays written in the Faculty of Law:
Title of Essay
___________________________________________________
Signature of Student
Date
APPROVAL GRANTED/REFUSED:
Signature of Supervisor
Date
Associate Dean (Academic)
Date
O:\Groups\SAO\FORMS\ALL FORMS\Updated Forms 2010\Senior Essay Authorization Form (2010).docx