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 on the part of your audience and fail to sufficiently define terms and explain your points, it isn’t clear to the instructor that you really understand the material.
Quotations: 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 writing as possible.
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. The paper should be unified in structure rather than 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: Being exhaustive is usually excessive. Every sentence should count in a short essay, so make an effort to avoid tangents.
Style: Approach essay writing like an artist, using precise vocabulary, varying sentence structures, 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 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, and this makes grading their papers much more difficult.