Writing in Administration of Justice
The Administration of Justice Department (ADJ) at George Mason University is a multi-disciplinary unit in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. ADJ draws from multiple perspectives to explore concepts such as justice, law, crime, and policy. These include criminology, sociology, psychology, and law among others, and each of these disciplines has their own approach to writing, citation, and argumentation.
This guide is not designed to replace the requirements of ADJ course syllabi or the instructions of your professors. Instead it provides some suggestions about how to start the writing process, organize your papers, and cite your sources generally based on the American Psychological Association (APA) format. While APA is the format preferred in ADJ, some exceptions exist for title pages, bibliographies, and the citation of Web cites and legal cases. If you are enrolled in a legal course in ADJ you may be required to use the Bluebook format of legal citation.
In general papers should be double spaced, written in 12 pt. font, and use headings and subheadings to organize your paper. You should always consult the syllabus for your class, and ask your professor before you begin writing.
This online writing guide was created with grant support
from the Office of the Provost
and the Writing Across the Curriculum Program
and with the assistance of writing fellows at the University Writing Center.