Multiple programs and services are available to help you adjust to the rigors of graduate level writing and research. We encourage you to review the information below designed help you to make a smooth transition:
Writing Resources
Proper Citations and Responsible Research
Avoiding Plagiarism
Library Tools and Tutorials
New Voices in Public Policy
Writing Resources
- Dr. Brien Benson's Guidelines for
Effective Writing
- A one-semester professional writing course is offered by SPP which can be taken by you as an elective toward your program. All SPP master's students are eligible to take this course. Please note that some MPP students will be required to take this course as one of their electives based on the assessment of their PUBP 700 instructor:
PUBP 709 Professional Writing for Policy (3 credits) Professional Writing teaches effective writing for the professions. The course includes the fundamentals of writing -- grammar, word usage and paragraphing – and instruction in selected genres, including news stories, editorials, and research writing.
Avoiding Plagiarism
The Honor Code and SPP Policy on Plagiarism
The profession of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university, as well as the field of public policy inquiry, depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus, any act of plagiarism strikes at the heart of the meaning of the University and the purpose of the School of Public Policy. It constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and it is unacceptable.
Plagiarism is the use of another's words or ideas presented as one's own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another's work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources is essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined.
Plagiarism is wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are stolen. But it is also wrong because it constitutes lying to one's professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career.
The faculty of the School of Public Policy takes plagiarism seriously and has adopted a zero tolerance policy. Any plagiarized assignment will receive an automatic grade of "F." This may lead to failure for the course, resulting in termination from the program and possible dismissal from the University. This dismissal will be noted on the student's transcript. For foreign students who are on a university-sponsored visa (e.g. F-1, J-1 or J-2), dismissal also results in the revocation of their visa.
To help enforce the SPP policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as submitted to commercial services to which the School subscribes. Faculty may at any time submit a student's work without prior permission from the student. Individual instructors may require that written work be submitted in electronic as well as printed form. The SPP policy on plagiarism is supplementary to the George Mason University Honor Code; it is not intended to replace it or substitute for it.
Please be sure to review the Mason Honor Code in its entirety at: http://academicintegrity.gmu.edu/honorcode/
Library Tools and Tutorials
New Voices in Public Policy
New Voices in Public Policy is a student-run journal published by SPP master's students that features outstanding work by students in all SPP programs. This journal is student- and faculty-reviewed.
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