Definition
These guidelines apply to original student projects that can include the following components: writing, painting/drawing, photography, sculpture, architecture, videotape, film, or other creative works. Because SCC Honors Projects are housed in the Library and Honors Room, any original creative project is automatically considered as one for public presentation. The narrative portion of the Creative Project will be bound and archived in the library; furthermore, the original work or digital copies of the work are desirable for archival purposes in the library.
Rationale for These Guidelines
Any creative project goes through a process before the completed project is presented to the public. The Honors Program, with its mission of furthering Honors students’ critical thinking abilities, is just as concerned-if not most concerned-with students’ ability to learn through the creative process as with the product itself.
Guidelines for Creative Projects
Any original creative project submitted for Honors credit must also be accompanied by a journal and narrative component that detail the process the student went through to complete the project. This process should be summarized in a written component accompanying the student’s project.
Students are required to keep regular journal entries that mentors are allowed to read in their “raw” state in order to give advice about which portions should be included for the public record that becomes the narrative component of the project.
Guidelines for the Narrative Component of Creative Projects
Honors students completing an original creative project should submit to the Honors Advisory Council-written in such a way that it could also be read by the public at large-a narrative that includes the following:
- Objective: why the student is pursuing this creative project.
- Methodology: how the student is pursuing this project; in other words, how does the student understand and document creative influences.
- Resources: what resources the student has pursued in order to produce this project for a public audience (e.g., investigating copyright principles for reproduced materials; investigating printing/production costs; finding funding for equipment or technology; determining a process by which creative pieces best exemplify the purpose of the project, learning new software, etc.).
- Significance: how does the student hope the public will be changed by the viewing/sharing of this creative project, and what value is gained through this project.
- Evaluation: critical analysis/reflection of what the student learned through the creative process including how the student came to choose the particular works that are included in the project.
Most importantly, this narrative should include the following:
- The process that the student went through to produce the creative project.
- The documentation/reflection of the impact this process has made on the student while pursuing this project.
Of course, some of these categories may overlap; however, the student is required to keep a journal that addresses the above mentioned concepts. Mentors are required to review the journal before the student composes them into the process narrative for approval by the Honors Advisory Council. The written component must be of sufficient length to offer a critical analysis and reflection on the process. The written component is complementary to the creative project and should be a minimum of four pages in length.
Formatting the Final Draft
- Provide a title page that includes:
- the title of the paper
- student’s name
- mentor’s name
- semester and year
- Use the appropriate system’s guidelines for citing research sources throughout the paper if needed.
- Double-space the manuscript, indenting five spaces for new paragraphs. (Note: To increase the readability of the paper, include headings and page numbers.)
- Follow the appropriate system’s formatting guidelines for setting margins; number all pages at top right or bottom center.
- Label and title all visuals, citing sources in-text where appropriate.
- Provide a List of Works Cited, Bibliography or List of References at the end of the paper, or footnotes within the paper, formatted according to the documentation system appropriate to the project’s discipline if needed.
Submitting the Final Draft
- Prepare two clean copies of the completed paper.
- For copying and binding purposes
- Do NOT staple the pages
- Make the last page of the research paper a blank sheet of paper.
- If you include pictures in the project, they should be color copies rather than photographs. (Note: using color in projects adds to their overall appearance and is therefore encouraged, but not required. However, the students’ work will be published so color copies are desired for a more professional appearance.)
- Provide a disc or electronic copy of the project in addition to the two paper copies. NOTE: We prefer that you provide your work in Microsoft WORD document format.)
- Abstract.
REV 1/05
REV 6/09
REV 5/16
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