The WSU School of Architecture and Construction Management is dedicated to professional education. Therefore great emphasis is placed on the attainment of appropriate standards in all academic endeavors. One of the most important keys to professional success is the ability to write well. To be taken seriously by clients, building officials, associates, and members of the public, architects and construction managers need to convey information clearly and express their ideas in a lucid and effective manner. They must be capable of composing well-conceived proposals, reports and memos, as well as more imaginative and philosophical writings. They should demonstrate analytical skills and be able to arouse interest in their topic.

It is the policy of the School to require students to submit written assignments in a professional way. Papers and other written work should be organized with a well-planned sequence of information and analysis. They should involve the use of appropriate vocabulary, be free of grammatical errors and mistakes in spelling or punctuation. While the content of a paper is obviously the most important aspect of it, the standard of writing will affect the grade the student receives. Faculty and teaching assistants do not usually correct errors, but they will normally indicate them by underlining and comment on the quality of the writing.

You should feel encouraged by the fact that anyone who is determined to do so can learn to write reasonably well. Not everyone can be a great literary genius, but if you take care, you will improve quickly and begin to enjoy the process of writing. If you are insecure about your writing skills, you should ask your professor for advice, or take your work to the WSU Writing Lab (451 Avery Hall) for help before submitting it. The University can also offer substantial assistance to those with reading or writing disabilities. Always complete writing assignments well ahead of the due date so that you can read them over carefully. Good papers require several drafts.

Inclusive Language:
Since architecture and construction management are professions that serve the public, it is important to be sensitive to all members of our society and to use language in an inclusive or "gender free" way. For example, avoid using "man" and "his" when referring to people of both genders. Use "humankind" instead of "mankind".

Academic and Professional Integrity:
All writing submitted in the School must be free of plagiarism. Copying from previously published material (including internet sources) or even paraphrasing with a few changes is unacceptable. Plagiarism is likely to be detected and, when found, it will result in an automatic "F" for the item of work submitted. Quotations, web sites and figures must always be acknowledged and cited in footnotes.

Suggestions for Editing Papers:
It is a good idea to read your paper out aloud so that you can catch poorly structured sentences, avoid work repetition and improve the rhythm of your writing. Check your paper for spelling, hyphenation, and grammatical accuracy. When in doubt, use your dictionary. (Remember that spell check on your computer will not distinguish between words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings, for example there and their). The best key to good writing is to do a lot of writing and to do it conscientiously, seeking advice from other writers, from professors, from professionals, from the writing lab and from anyone who will give your writing a careful, critical reading constant reading. There is also truth to the adage that the more you read the work of excellent writers the sooner you will become one of them.

Please aim to join the many students in the School of Architecture and Construction Management who have won awards for their writing portfolios.