Remember: These notes are relevant to working with me as your merit badge counselor. Another counselor may prefer something different!
For work that requires a write-up (plans, reports, etc.), please type up your work in your choice of word processing software, loosely following MLA format guidelines and the guidance below.
For MLA format guidelines, the parts I care most about are: The Header, General Paper Formatting, Running Head and Page Numbers, and Edits and Proofreading. If you need to include quotes, please follow Quotations. If you need to cite your sources, please follow the MLA Works Cited Format.
Extra guidelines:
Submit one requirement per document. It's much easier for me to give feedback per document than commenting on multiple requirements per document.
Be clear about the requirement you're submitting work for. Copy (or screenshot) the requirement, and answer underneath it.
Following these standards makes your paper easier to read overall!
For example, here is a document that shows some of the format I'm referring to above.
Unless you like doing work twice (or three times, or four times), before sending your work, ask yourself the following:
Did you read the section in the Merit Badge Booklet pertaining to this requirement?
Does the work above satisfy the entire requirement? Is there an example in the Merit Badge booklet you could have used as a guide? If there was an example you could have used as a guide, did you?
Did you follow all of the instructions I gave you?
If you answer 'No' to any of these questions, you're not ready to submit your work!
This is a general template for a single Merit Badge requirement.
How to use:
Open the link, click "File" - "Create a Copy." A copy of this file is now in your Google Drive home folder.
Move the file to the appropriate folder and rename it as needed (see "Organizing Your Files").
Replace any [ BRACKETS ] with the indicated information (i.e., fill in your name, the merit badge and requirement number, date, requirement text, your work, etc.). All of the information indicated by [ REQUIRED_INFO_DESCRIPTION ] should be included with the final document.
When you finish, submit your work for review by downloading the document as a PDF and attaching it to your email.
Apple Pages - General Merit Badge Work Template
OpenOffice/LibreOffice - General MB Work Template
Word template available. Other formats coming soon.
This is a general template for a single Merit Badge requirement in Word, Pages, or Open/LibreOffice file format.
How to use:
Download the file.
Move the file to the appropriate folder and rename it as needed (see "Organizing Your Files").
Replace any [ BRACKETS ] with the indicated information (i.e., fill in your name, the merit badge and requirement number, date, requirement text, your work, etc.). All of the information indicated by [ DESCRIPTION ] should be included with the final document.
When you finish, submit your work for review by converting the document as a PDF and attaching it to your email.
I do not provide badge / requirement specific templates as I expect you to read the booklet and understand the material enough to generate your own.