Communication Guidelines

Unit/Assignment Submissions

You cannot submit multiple units/assignments at one time. You can only submit one unit/assignment at a time.

Science and Mathematics Course Communication Requirements

This document outlines general guidelines for communicating your solutions in ILC math and science courses. It is important to clearly communicate your solutions using technology as it ensures that your work can be evaluated quickly and fairly, as well as prepare you for future pursuits in science and mathematics.

All work that can be typed, must be typed
When the course suggests a method of reporting your answer that is different from the guidelines, follow the instructions within the course.
If your submission does not follow the course communication requirements found in this document, it will not be graded, marked as incomplete, and returned to you for resubmission.
If you require help with any concepts or requirements, please email your teacher with your name, student number, course code, and question number or concern.

Equations

Typing equations using the equation editor is strongly suggested for all courses and mandatory for Grade 11 and 12 M or U level courses.

Please watch the tutorial video here on how to use equation editor.
Simple exponents can be indicated with the superscript function (X²) or with equation editor.
In Grade 9 and 10 courses, as well as 11 and 12 E and C level courses, you may submit scanned work, but it is not preferred. Please refer to the “Diagrams and Scanned Work” section for more information on scanning your work.
Consider using alternative equation editors in Google Docs, OpenOffice, etc. Please note that the ILC does not endorse any of the above products nor does it provide support for their use. You can find a plethora of tutorials on how to use these tools by searching online.
Note that the ILC does not endorse or provide support for any technology tools mentioned in this document

Graphs

Graphs can be completed by hand or by using graphing software ( Example: Geogebra, Desmos, etc.). It is strongly recommended that students in grade 11 or 12 U or M courses use graphing software. Please follow the guidelines below unless otherwise stated in your course material.

Graphs must be cropped and inserted into your document.
Hand-drawn graphs must be clearly drawn on grid paper using a ruler (You can download and print grid paper or purchase some).
The x and y axes must be labeled with appropriate increments that are evenly spaced, with a sensible progression.
The graph should fill the grid and include all relevant data points
The graph must have an overall title. Both axes must be labeled and include units (e.g. distance (m) vs time (s))
If the relationship is linear, use a ruler to draw a line of best fit.
If the relationship is non-linear, draw a smooth curve of best fit
The x and y intercepts, asymptotes and key points should be clearly labeled (if applicable)

Diagrams and Scanned Work

Scanned images of diagrams or work must be inserted into your document. They cannot be included as separate attachments or external links. You may use your phone or a camera to take a picture of your work. All images of your work must be readable in the image:

Images must be crisp, clear, and bright (minimize shadows and bleed through)
Handwriting must be dark enough to be seen
Writing must be large enough to read
Scans must only include the information related to the question being answered and cropped appropriately
If you are taking a picture with a camera, ensure the picture is taken straight and sufficiently bright
If a question has a diagram, and a written component, the written component must be typed

Chemical Equations and Chemical Formulas

For Grade 11 and 12 M or U level courses, chemical equations and formulas must be typed in a word processor. This means the proper use of subscripts, superscripts, and reaction arrows.

Proper Format	Improper Format
Ba₃(PO₄)₂	Ba3(PO4)2
PO₄^3-	PO4 3- or PO4^3-

To create a reaction arrow in Microsoft Word, type in --> (hyphen, hyphen, greater than) and word will automatically change the characters to an arrow →

To quickly format equations with subscripts and superscripts:

Type out the reaction or equation without formatting for subscripts or superscripts. i.e. AlPO4 + 3AgNO3 → Al(NO3)3 + Ag3PO4
Hold down CTRL on your keyboard and select/highlight the numbers that you would like to format as subscripts (The process must be done again if doing both subscripts and superscripts.
Now click on the subscript (or superscript) icon and all of the characters selected will be come subscripts (or superscripts). You can also use the shortcut for subscript ( “CTRL” + “=” ) or superscript ( “CTRL” + “Shift” + “=” ).

Citing Sources used for Research

Some Key Questions within our Science courses require that you research information outside of the course material provided by the ILC. In some of these questions, marks are allocated for properly citing the sources that you used for research purposes.

Bibliographies

In questions where you will need to do research, all sources must be cited using APA format in a bibliography at the end of the question.

A complete APA style guide can be found here:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html(Opens in new window)

Bibliographic entries can be generated using APA style using a tool at the following website:
http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-website(Opens in new window)

In-Text Citation

When writing a research based question, the source of the information you use must be referenced within the body of your answer. The source of information does not need to be referenced if...

the information is common knowledge.
the information is a part of the course material and you answered the question in your own words. Please do not copy and paste word for word answers from the course.

Examples and rules of proper in-text citations can be found at the following web site:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_the_basics.html(Opens in new window)

Reliable Sources

Websites like Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers, or About.com are not considered reliable sources of information. However, these websites can serve as a good starting point for research, as the sources they cite are often reliable. The following checklist can be used to decide if you should use a source for your research. If the answer to any of the following questions is no, the website may not be a reliable source.

Does the website identify its author?	Yes	No	Unsure
Is the website’s author reliable?	Yes	No	Unsure
Is the website published by, or attached to, a reliable institution?	Yes	No	Unsure
Does the website cite its resources?	Yes	No	Unsure
Does the website have an obvious bias or is it attempting to promote a specific product?	Yes	No	Unsure