MTH120.02: Elementary Statistics

Ripon College, Fall 2008

Karl Albert Beres, Instructor

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Guidelines for Written Work

Organize your work before you start writing. It should be presented step-by-step, with each step based on the previous ones.

Consider who your audience is. For this course, unless otherwise specified, assume that your audience is other students in the class. You are NOT simply trying to convince your instructor that you know how to solve a problem or carry out a procedure; you're trying to show what you did to other members of the class in a way that will make each step understandable to them.

Write legibly and clearly. Use complete sentences and correct grammar. Neatness counts. And spelling counts, especially of technical terms.

Use mathematical notation properly. For example, don't put equals signs between things that aren't equal and don't use equals signs as punctuation marks between steps. If you use a formula, write the generic formula first, then plug numbers into it in the next step. If you use a calculator, show clearly what numbers (not variables) and operations you entered into the calculator. If you get a number from a table, cite the table. Any notation you add to the problem should be explained.

Remember that pictures and diagrams and graphs are very useful. They should be drawn carefully and labeled clearly.

Where appropriate, conclude with a statement that answers the original question, using the terminology of the original question (not technical jargon, or any notation you introduced while solving the problem).