Writing tips, May 2020
Here are a few tips for writing your final papers that I gleaned from reading the book essays. Pay
attention – these can help improve your grade!
1) Paragraphing. Virtually all of you need a lesson in how to use paragraphs to make your
argument! Paragraphing is not just stylistic. It helps distinguish one idea from another,
delineate between specific pieces of evidence on the same point, and draws attention to
transitions in the argument. Do NOT have paragraphs longer than a page, if that!
2) Organization. Your paper should flow in a way that helps your reader understand your
argument. Do not underestimate the extent to which organization can aid the
effectiveness of your argument. Assume I do not know anything about this topic. How
are you going to make your case that the theory you propose is most persuasive? Don’t
skip around, moving from your argument to counter-arguments, to other countries and
then back to your argument again. Lay out your argument clearly and persuasively first.
Then you can provide an illustration by comparing the U.S. to somewhere else, and then
provide a counter-argument and your rebuttal. You can put these into sections if it helps
you stay organized and on track.
3) Language. Many of you seem to think that more words are better than fewer and that
longer words are better than shorter ones. You need to get rid of this idea! I read some
very, very tortured sentences using words that were very odd for the context but which
I’m sure made the writer feel smart. I can assure you that this is not how it comes across
to the reader. Choose your words deliberately but do not artificially inflate them.
4) Page numbering. NUMBER YOUR PAGES!!!!!!
5) Quoting. Do use quotes unless the author wrote something that is a perfect encapsulation
of what you want to summarize. Too many quotes just looks like you don’t really know
the reading, you just thumbed through it to grab a few eye-catching sentences.
Paraphrasing is a much more persuasive way to show that you know the material (though
you will still need to have a citation for the author you are paraphrasing, of course).
6) Citation format. Use in-text citations (Miller 2016) and a page number if you are quoting
(Miller 2016, 37). If you are saying “Miller argues that…” you need to include the date,
as in “Miller (2016) argues that.” If you cannot find a date on one of the readings, let me
know.