AP Seminar: Submitting the Individual Written Argument

Summary

In this instructional video, Gerardo Gonzalez, a teacher at Lane Tech College Prep, guides students through the final steps of submitting their research papers. He emphasizes the importance of removing identifying information, ensuring consistency in citations, and checking for formatting issues before converting the document to a PDF. Gonzalez provides a step-by-step tutorial on using Google Docs and Microsoft Word to prepare the paper for submission, including tips on inserting page breaks and correcting font inconsistencies. He also explains how to submit the final paper through the College Board's digital portfolio, highlighting the process of running an originality report with Turnitin and the final submission confirmation. The video aims to ensure students understand the correct procedure for submitting their Individual Written Assignment (IWA) for AP Capstone, avoiding common mistakes and achieving a polished final product.

Takeaways

• 📚 Final Paper Submission: The video is a tutorial on submitting the final paper for a course, with a focus on the last steps before submission.
• 🔍 Revision Check: It's important to have revised your paper multiple times and had it reviewed by others to ensure it's the version you want to submit.
• 📝 Remove Identifying Information: Before submitting, ensure all personal and school names are removed from the paper to maintain anonymity.
• 📑 Title, Research Question, and Word Count: The paper should include the title, research question, and word count on the title page.
• 🔄 Consistency in Citations: Check for consistency in citations and works cited throughout the paper.
• 🖨 Formatting and Spell Check: Ensure font size, type, and other formatting elements are consistent, and run a spell check for any errors.
• 📄 Page Breaks: Use page breaks instead of multiple 'enter' key presses to ensure proper formatting when converting to PDF.
• 🔗 Turnitin Originality Report: After submitting the paper, run an originality report to check for any similarities with other works.
• 📲 Digital Portfolio Submission: The final paper should be submitted through the digital portfolio on the College Board's website.
• ✅ Final Submission Confirmation: After submitting, confirm that the paper has been officially submitted to the College Board by checking for two black checkmarks on the screen.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video?

The speaker in the video is Gerardo Gonzalez, a teacher at Lane Tech College Prep.

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to guide students through the process of submitting their final paper with the correct formatting and final touches.

What should students ensure before submitting their paper?

Students should ensure that their paper is free of any identifying information, has a title, research question, and word count, and that citations are consistent throughout the paper.

What are the three key elements that should be on the title page of the paper?

The title page should include the title of the paper, the research question, and the word count.

How can students avoid formatting issues when converting their document to a PDF?

Students can avoid formatting issues by using page breaks instead of hitting 'Enter' multiple times to get to the next page, which can be done in Google Docs by going to 'Insert' and then 'Break' and selecting 'Page Break'.

Why is it important to check the font and font size consistency in the paper?

Checking font and font size consistency is important to maintain a professional appearance and ensure that the paper adheres to the required formatting standards.

How does the speaker suggest students change the font and font size of their entire document?

The speaker suggests using the shortcut 'Ctrl + A' to select all text, then changing the font and font size to ensure consistency throughout the document.

What should students do to convert their document to a PDF on Google Docs?

Students should go to 'File', then 'Download', and choose 'PDF' to convert their document to a PDF file in Google Docs.

What is the URL for the digital portfolio where students need to submit their final paper?

The URL for the digital portfolio is digital.portfolio collegeboard.org.

How can students ensure that their final submission has been successfully sent to the College Board?

Students can ensure their final submission has been successfully sent by seeing two black checkmarks on the screen, one for the Individual Research Report (IRR) and one for the Individual Written Argument (IWA).

What should students do if they see an orange triangle after attempting to submit their paper?

If students see an orange triangle, it means they have only uploaded a draft and not the final submission. They should double-check and ensure they click 'Submit' before the deadline to officially submit their paper to the College Board.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Final Paper Submission Process

In this paragraph, Gerardo Gonzalez, a teacher at Lane Tech College Prep, introduces the topic of the video: guiding students through the final steps of submitting their papers. He emphasizes the importance of having completed drafts, revisions, and peer reviews to ensure the paper is ready for submission. The focus is on the final checks, including removing identifying information, ensuring the title page contains the paper's title, research question, and word count, and maintaining citation consistency. The teacher also touches on the importance of formatting, such as using page breaks instead of multiple enter presses to avoid formatting issues when converting to a PDF, and checking for consistent font and font size throughout the document.

05:01

🔍 Ensuring Consistency and Professionalism in Paper Formatting

The second paragraph delves into the details of maintaining a professional appearance in the final paper. It discusses the potential issues that can arise from inconsistent fonts and how to correct them by selecting all text and统一changing the font to Times New Roman. The paragraph also covers the importance of uniform font size, with a specific mention of setting it to 12. The process of converting the document to a PDF is outlined, including checking for any shifts in formatting post-conversion. Additionally, the paragraph highlights the necessity of performing a spelling and grammar check using Google Docs' tools and carefully considering the recommendations provided.

10:07

📎 Submitting the Final Paper to the Digital Portfolio

This paragraph outlines the steps for submitting the final paper to the digital portfolio. It begins with accessing the digital portfolio at the specified URL and logging in with College Board credentials. The focus then shifts to navigating the digital portfolio interface, selecting the appropriate assignment category for the Individual Written Argument (IWA), and uploading the final document. The paragraph also explains the process of running an originality report using Turnitin and clarifies that multiple uploads are allowed for revisions. It advises against submitting until the final version is ready and emphasizes the importance of reviewing the document before clicking the 'submit final' button.

15:08

✅ Final Submission Confirmation and Next Steps

The final paragraph details the process of confirming the final submission of the IWA to the College Board. It describes the steps to verify the final version of the paper, including opening the file and doing a final read-through. The paragraph also explains the affirmation process, where students must agree to statements regarding the originality of their work, understanding of plagiarism policies, and adherence to AP Capstone guidelines. The goal is to receive two black checkmarks, one for the IRR and one for the IWA, indicating successful submission. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to double-check the submission status and a congratulatory note for completing the IWA, with a teaser for an upcoming recap video by Mrs. Molloy on the Individual Research Report.

Keywords

💡Final Paper

The term 'Final Paper' refers to the completed academic document that a student intends to submit as their final work for a course or assignment. In the video's context, it is the culmination of several drafts and revisions, signifying the end product of a student's research and writing efforts. The script emphasizes the importance of careful formatting, proofreading, and ensuring that it meets all the requirements before submission.

💡Identifying Information

Identifying Information pertains to any data that can be used to identify an individual, such as their name or school. The video stresses the need to remove such information from the final paper to maintain anonymity during the grading process. This is crucial for standardized assessments like the one described in the script, where papers are often reviewed by external examiners.

💡Consistency

Consistency in a document refers to maintaining uniformity in elements such as citations, fonts, font sizes, and formatting throughout the paper. The video emphasizes the importance of consistency to ensure that the final paper looks professional and meets academic standards. For example, the script mentions checking for consistent font usage and citation styles to avoid discrepancies.

💡Citations

Citations are the formal acknowledgments given to the sources from which information is borrowed in an academic paper. The video highlights the need for consistency and accuracy in citations, ensuring that all sources are properly referenced in both the body of the paper and the works cited page. This is a critical aspect of academic integrity and is necessary for avoiding plagiarism.

💡Formatting

Formatting refers to the arrangement and style of a document, including aspects such as margins, headings, font types, and spacing. The video script provides specific instructions on how to format a paper correctly, such as using page breaks and ensuring consistent indentations, to prepare it for submission as a PDF file.

💡PDF

PDF stands for Portable Document Format, which is a file format used to present documents in a manner that is independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. The video script explains the process of converting a document to a PDF to ensure that it retains its formatting and can be easily submitted and viewed by the recipient.

💡Turnitin

Turnitin is a plagiarism detection service that checks the originality of student papers by comparing them against a vast database of academic papers, articles, and websites. The video mentions using Turnitin to run an originality report on the final paper, which helps ensure that the work is free from plagiarism and is the student's own.

💡Digital Portfolio

A Digital Portfolio is an online platform where students can submit their work, often used for assessments in educational settings. In the script, the Digital Portfolio is the platform where students upload their final papers for the Individual Written Assignment (IWA) and run an originality report through Turnitin.

💡Individual Written Argument (IWA)

The Individual Written Argument (IWA) is a specific type of assignment that requires students to conduct research and present a well-reasoned argument. The video script provides a step-by-step guide on how to prepare and submit an IWA, including the correct section within the Digital Portfolio where it should be uploaded.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else's work or ideas without proper attribution and presenting them as one's own, which is considered academic dishonesty. The video script discusses the importance of understanding the AP Capstone policy on plagiarism and ensuring that the submitted work is original.

Highlights

Introduction to the video by Gerardo Gonzalez, a teacher at Lane Tech College Prep.

Explanation of the process for submitting the final paper.

Importance of having completed drafts, revisions, and peer reviews before submission.

Final check for removing identifying information from the paper.

Ensuring the paper includes the title, research question, and word count.

Consistency in citations and works cited throughout the paper.

Running a spell check and maintaining font and size consistency.

Demonstration of inserting page breaks for proper formatting in Google Docs.

Avoiding the use of multiple enter keys to create new pages.

Ensuring font consistency across the entire document.

Using Ctrl+A to select all text and change the font easily.

Instructions on converting the document to a PDF for submission.

Checking the PDF for any formatting issues after conversion.

Guidance on accessing and submitting the final paper to the digital portfolio.

Emphasis on submitting the Individual Written Argument (IWA) under the correct category.

Instructions for uploading the final document and running an originality report with Turnitin.

Clarification on the use of Turnitin as a similarity checker, not a plagiarism checker.

Process of submitting the final version and the importance of reviewing before submission.

Confirmation of submission success indicated by two black checkmarks on the digital portfolio.

Warning about the consequences of not submitting the final version before the deadline.

Final congratulations and reminder to watch the next video for a recap on the Individual Research Report.

Transcripts

okay welcome back everybody

short video today for me this is my

final video my name is Gerardo Gonzalez

and I teach at Lane tech college prep

and today I'll be going through how to

submit your response along with just

some final some final touch-ups that you

should do before completing your paper

so I'll be walking you through the

process through the step-by-step process

to submit your final paper today okay so

by this point hopefully you have

completed your paper so you've had a

couple of drafts you have revised your

paper a few times and you have had

someone else read your paper a couple of

times to ensure that this is the version

of the paper that you want to submit so

just as a final check of your document

before submitting these are some of the

things that you should that you should

be doing to ensure that the version of

the paper that you submit is actually

ends up looking what you want it to look

like so most importantly we want to make

sure that you're removing any

identifying information from your paper

so your name the name of your school

anything like that should be removed

from your paper okay so we don't want to

see your name or school on your title

page we want to make sure that your

paper has three things the title of your

paper your research question and your

word count okay and then throughout your

paper we want to ensure that you have

consistency on your citations all of

your citations are in your works cited

and vice versa so we went over this in

the previous video running a spell check

consistency of fonts font size etc and

I'll be walking you through that in a

bit for our works cited page or a

reference page insurance enough about

order and making sure everything is

consistent and then finally making sure

that the formatting of your PDF is

correct so I'm going to walk you through

that in

a second so on my screen right now I

have a sample paper that one of my

students wrote earlier in this year and

so hopefully this is what your paper

ends up looking like the formatting of

it is dependent on your style so if

you're using MLA or APA it's gonna look

a little bit different so just follow

the directions of your teacher but in

this case this is what a final paper

might end up looking like and so you've

been working on the same document for a

while so sometimes we have a few

different formatting things that come up

one of the one of the first things that

I want to make a reference to is how did

you get from one page to the next so if

we have our cover page most of you

probably just hit enter enter enter

enter enter enter enter enter like 30

times to get to the next page right to

get here and unfortunately when we save

documents as a PDF sometimes that messes

up our formatting so I want to show you

a different way to get to a different

page so instead of hitting Enter 30

different times to get to the next page

what we're gonna do we're gonna start

inserting page breaks so to insert a

page break if you're working off of

Google Docs you just go to insert break

and then page break you can also use

ctrl enter to do it as well as a

shortcut so doing a page break would

just makes the formatting a lot easier

and a lot more manageable when we

convert everything over as a PDF we

don't necessarily need these spaces here

so you can just erase those remember

we're just focusing on word count we're

not really focusing on page count here

we want to make sure that your

indentations are all consistent so we're

just looking to make your paper look

pretty okay and so again you can see

here that based off of all of those

different enter keys that we've been

doing it really messes with our

formatting here so I just want to enter

another page break this time I'm just

gonna hit ctrl enter and that will give

me a nice page break here okay and so

sometimes and these are just paying

attention to detail if you see here my

font is Times New Roman and then when I

get down to my reference page all of a

sudden it turned into Arial and

sometimes that happens because maybe we

were working on two different documents

and the two different documents had two

different fonts that were selected or

maybe we're just copying and pasting

stuff over that was in a different font

so I just want to make sure that

everyone is submitting their papers just

to make sure that everything looks

consistent because it just makes it look

a lot more professional so to do that

easily you just select all of your text

so as a shortcut its ctrl a and then you

can just change the font to make it all

the same okay so now I've changed

everything over to a Times New Roman and

I want to make sure that everything is

the same font size so I'm gonna put

whatever I want myself font size to be

let's just say it's gonna be 12 and then

once it's like that

now our paper is ready to convert over

to a PDF so mind you by this point and

you should be doing this on your own you

are going and just doing a double check

to make sure that all of your citations

are in order

okay and then there's just one here okay

so if you see here sometimes this this

just happens

instead of there's just like an

unnecessary letter here okay

or Kennedy here

and then if you see here Kennedy is

spelled incorrectly so I want to just

change that okay and then you should

always do this on your own

you should do this on your own even

before having someone else take a look

at your paper we want to do a spelling

and grammar check okay so on Google Docs

you just go to tools spelling and

grammar and then you would go through

this process on your own here okay so

it's gonna give you Google is gonna give

you a bunch of different recommendations

for you and sometimes you want to take

these and sometimes you don't okay so it

just sort of depends on the type of

writer that you are but many times it's

going to make it make your paper make

your sentence structure a lot a lot

better okay and it might also save you a

couple of words so if you're pressed for

words that might be something for you to

to consider here okay so everyone should

make sure that they are doing this

because there are certainly certainly

issues that sometimes we overlook as

writers okay so I won't go through all

of that okay once you're done and once

you've gone through all of these steps

that I had up on the screen earlier

you're ready to download your paper as a

PDF and so to download your paper as a

PDF you're just gonna go to if you're

working on Google file download

PDF gram so on the digital portfolio and

I'll show you this in a second you can

only upload your file as a PDF so this

is how I want you to download it and

then once it downloads it should open up

and then you just want to make sure that

you're checking to make sure that

everything is nothing got shifted over

as a result of it

transferring to a PDF okay so I checked

this over before and this looks good

and so I had my name of my file up here

so his dummy IWA okay and if you're

working on word I'll show you how to

download that as a PDF as well same file

word document you're also just going to

go to file and here you're gonna save as

Word document you're just going to

change that to a PDF and then you're

just gonna save that and it'll save it

as a PDF there as well okay so we're

just making sure that you're saving your

document as a PDF you're making sure

that you remember where you have that

file so once you have everything

downloaded and once you have everything

ready to go you are going to be ready to

submit your final submission up to the

digital portfolio so most of you should

have logged in to the digital portfolio

already as this is where you get access

to EPS Co so if in case you have

forgotten where to go its digital

portfolio dot collegeboard dot org and

once you log into that URL now it's

going to take you to the sign-in screen

you're gonna use your assignment your

college board information if you forgot

your username or if you forgot your

password there are spaces for you to to

look at here okay so you can just click

and go through the steps to retrieve

your information

everyone should already have an account

okay so

this shouldn't be an issue for you but

if it is you can also sign up for an

account here and once you log in with

your information it's going to take you

to the sort of the home page of the

digital portfolio and this is what it's

going to end up looking like I want to

point here I want to point you to the

left hand side where my mouse is sort of

circling right here we have our two

performance tasks assessment titles we

have our team project and presentation

and we have our individual

research-based

essay and presentation for the IWA and I

like I really really want to emphasize

it for the IWA you will submit your

paper under individual research-based

essay and presentation do not

accidentally submit your IRR into this

assignment it's kind of a headache to

return the paper back to you so if we

just do it correctly the first time you

won't run into these issues so submit

your IWA to the individual

research-based essay and presentation

I'm gonna take you there in a bit so

once we log in what you're gonna see is

this screen okay so once you're logged

in you're gonna click on individual

research-based essay and presentation

and then that'll have a little drop down

menu and it'll bring you to this

individual you're gonna click on

individual written argument and it'll

take you down to this page once you're

here you're going to be able to upload

your final document so you've edited

everything down and you're ready to

submit your final version to upload a

document you're just going to click on

upload new select your file and then

you're just going to click Submit

and once you submit the file it'll

upload and then you'll have access

you'll have the ability to run an

originality report with turnitin.com so

if you click on run originality right

away you're probably gonna get a message

that's that says that your file is being

processed by Turnitin if this is what

you see just check back in a few minutes

it usually just takes a few minutes so

you can just come back afterwards to

look at that originality I know that

there are many schools that have their

own turnitin.com account that's separate

from the one that the College Board

offers to students so if you have a

turnitin.com account with your with your

school and if your teacher has had you

upload your paper to that turn it in

account and then you come in and you

submit it to this Turnitin account the

paper here is gonna come up as 100%

similar to another paper if that if that

happens that isn't that's nothing that

you should be concerned about okay so

it's just flagging your paper as being

similar to your other paper but Turnitin

doesn't know that you're the same person

so this is nothing to be concerned about

this happens a lot Turnitin is not a

plagiarism checker

it's a similarity checker so it's just

checking to see how similar your paper

is to another paper you can't you can

upload as many versions of your paper to

the digital portfolio as you want and

the only paper that ends up getting sent

to the College Board is the final paper

that you upload so if you upload it and

if you accidentally realize that hey

there are a couple of things that are

coming up as similar that I didn't know

we're gonna come up as similar you can

you can make edits to that document

before you before you click on this

submit final button so don't click on

submit final until you know that you're

absolutely ready to submit your final

version in this case let's say that I am

ready I'm ready to submit my paper I'm

gonna click on submit final

once you click on submit final you're

gonna this box is going to appear and

it's gonna have you click on view file

before you can click on any of these

boxes here so you're gonna want to open

the file and then do a final final check

maybe a final read of what this final

paper is actually gonna end up looking

like once you have viewed the file you

have verified this is absolutely the

final version that I want to submit

you're going to go through each of these

statements to ensure that you agree with

them so you reviewed and the uploaded

file to ensure that it's the correct

version yes we have we have confirmed

that the file does not contain my name

or any other person personally

identifying the information you

understand that you won't be able to

make any changes once you complete the

final submission process click on next

you affirm that the work you're

submitting is your own and that you have

read and understood the AP capstone

policy on plagiarism and falsification

or fabrication of information and you

can click on this link and it'll take

you to what that looks like in case your

teacher hasn't gone through this with

you

and then you affirm that you have read

the overview and directions for the AP

capsule and performance tasks you will

click Submit I'm not going to do that

here since this is not the actual

version that my student wants to submit

you're going to click on submit and then

it'll take you to this page so

on this page once you actually submit

your final you're going to see this

screen appear on the first end what we

want to see when you submit our two

black checkmarks kram two black

checkmarks one for the IRR one for the

IWA once you see this this means that

your paper has been officially submitted

to the College Board so congratulations

you are done if you end up seeing an

orange triangle what this means is that

you have only uploaded a draft to the

digital portfolio and that nothing is

actually getting sent to the College

Board the only thing that will be graded

will be that final submission so if you

accidentally forget to click Submit

before the new deadline nothing is going

to get sent to the College Board and you

won't receive a score for that piece of

the assessment so please please please

make sure that you are double checking

to ensure that your paper has actually

been submitted to the College Board so

we don't want to see this we want to see

this - black checkmarks okay so our goal

today was to learn the steps required to

submit a properly formatted paper next

steps go through the steps on your own

if you haven't done so already submit

your paper and then congratulations you

are done with the IWA so well done one

more video though mrs. Molloy is going

to do a recap of the individual research

report so be sure to check that out

that's all for me thanks

you