Tips on Essay Writing
Philosophy Papers: For specific advice on writing a philosophy paper, see www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/humanities/philosophy.shtml or www.princeton.edu/~jimpryor/general/writing.html.
Philosophy papers usually take the form of (1) developing and defending a position on a particular issue, (2) an explication of a particular philosopher’s views, or (3) a combination of the two.
Audience: Your intended audience should not be the instructor but rather another student at your level who hasn’t taken this class. When you assume too much familiarity with the material on the part of your audience and fail to sufficiently define terms and explain your points, it isn’t apparent to the instructor that you really understand the material. Despite popular belief, there isn’t any relevant difference between the ability to think and the ability to clearly express what you think: You only understand something if you can state it clearly.
Quotations and Citations: Similarly, when students rely on quotations to explain key points for them, it isn’t clear that they understand the material. After each quotation, restate the main point in your own words unless the quotation is very brief (only a few words) or the meaning is obvious in the context of the paper. Another way that students rely too heavily on quotations is to use too many of them or to use very long ones. It is clear to the reader that the author is trying to do as little original writing as possible. Indent and single space quotes longer than 4 lines. Any method of citation is acceptable as long as all of the relevant information is included. Use endnotes or a work cited page in order to avoid artificially inflating the length of your paper.
Exposition: Make sure that you have already explained a claim in detail before you criticize it.
Organization: Stay focused on the central theme of the paper and how the various points you are making fit into it. Writing an outline can help. The paper should be unified in structure and not a random collection of points from your notes. Use clear transitions so that ideas flow smoothly and logically into one another. The amount of space you devote to each issue should depend on how closely it is related to the central theme: Make sure to adequately develop the main ideas, though being exhaustive is usually excessive. Every sentence should count in a short essay, so make an effort to avoid tangents. If a secondary point can’t be adequately stated in a few sentences, it should probably be left out.
Style: Approach essay writing like an artist, varying word choice, sentence structures, and paragraph length, using precise vocabulary, an interesting organization and style, and elements like suspense when appropriate. You may find it hard to believe, but essay writing can be fun and original – it is a revealing expression of your own unique style of thinking and personality.
Editing:
Carefully reread and edit your papers before turning them in. Avoid making the
same errors that I have pointed out in previous papers. Correcting writing
errors is the most labor intensive and least enjoyable part of teaching, and I
find it very annoying when students ignore my comments and make the same basic
errors over and over again. If you have significant problems with grammar,
organization, etc., I strongly recommend that you take drafts of your papers to
the Campus Writing Center in EN A012 <http://www.southernct.edu/services/stsupport/index.php?file=writingcenter.html>.
Students who turn in sloppy work will be required to submit proof of having
visited the
Following Directions: Make sure to carefully read and follow the instructions and formatting guidelines. Although this may seem obvious, a high percentage of students don’t follow the instructions, which makes grading their papers much more difficult and significantly lowers their grades.