• Recopying and organizing helps clarify and organize the material in your mind.
• Neat and organized homework can be extremely helpful when studying for exams.
  

  If the problem is summarized beforehand, and if your solution is clear, sensible and easy to read, you can easily study from it. If it is messy, not detailed, or illogical, it is not a useful studying tool. Even if it neat and logically presented, if you haven't summarized the question, studying from it becomes considerably more time-consuming.

• When you've put a lot of effort into something, you should show that you're proud of it.
• The schmooze factor! You want the grader (if there is one) and me to recognize the effort you're putting into the class, and you of course want the person grading your work to be in a good mood when grading homework.
  

  Presenting your problem sets in such a fashion does take more time in the short run, but it is not a waste of time! It helps you internalize the material now, and makes studying for exams easier. The more you practice presenting your ideas in an organized fashion, the better prepared for life after college you are, no matter what field you choose!

Save each problem set once it has been returned to you! It can be an invaluable study tool.

• Follow the Honor Code:
  • If you work with another student or group, cite that on the front of your problem set or on individual problems.
  • If you get help from a tutor (or friend), also cite that on the front of your problem set or on individual problems.
  • While working with others is fine, you are accountable for everything you have written down: it must be in your own words, and you must understand it.
  • If you use graphing technology, or any technology beyond just using a calculator to do basic arithmetic, say so at the step that you used it.
  • Remember to write the pledge on every problem set.
• Recopy your work.
  
  • Your solutions should make sense, and have no scratch-outs. Let a good eraser or white-out pen be your friend.
• State or summarize the question, before giving the solution.
  
  • When you include a summary, and any given data, your problem set becomes a very useful study tool. Without this, your homework is virtually useless for studying.
• The point is not just the answer, the point is the solution process. Because of that:
  • Don't just state answers, explain your work, using a combination of notation and complete sentences.
  • Your solution should flow logically. A solution is not just several snapshots of what you were thinking, ending up with your conclusion. It should consist of enough so that anyone reading it who's at the same point in the class as you are can follow it. If you are using variables (for instance, in a word problem) clearly define them before using them. If two things are equal, say so. If you are doing a calculation that involves a string of things that are equal, there should be equal signs between each piece. If you are taking a limit (for example), that should show up in several places. If you use a graphing calculator, Wolfram Alpha, or Maple to reach a conclusion, say so.
• Make your homework handsome and readable.
  
  • One way to do this is to use pencil rather than pen.
  • If you must use pen, only use one side of the paper. (Feel free to use the clean side of paper that's been once through the printer. )
• Leave space between the problems, and within each problem, leave space between ideas.
  • This not only looks neater, but at least as importantly, it gives the grader room to respond.
  • Do not try to cram your entire problem set onto only a single page. While the trees would undoubtedly benefit from your economy, my eyes do not. Use however many pages are necessary for a spacious and relaxed presentation.
• Remove "frills".
  • If you are using paper from a spiral notebook, remove all the ruffles. They get snagged on other assignments.
• Staple your papers together.
  • Please do not use paperclips, or fold over the corners, or tape the pages together in the vain hope that this will keep your assignment together. It will only get caught up with other assignments.
• You put a lot of effort into your homework, make it look like you did!
  • (Even if you don't put alot of effort into your homework, I'm sure you can still see the benefit in making it look like you did.)