Tips for Writing a Better Paper

Dear Students,

I had an e-mail exchange with a student today, in regard to how she might improve her essay-writing for the next round of submissions.

Allow me to quote from the e-mail, as I think that my advice to her may prove pertinent to others of you:

"...The short answer would be that for a better grade, some use of primary sources should be exhibited. In other words, the paper should be more than a rehearsal of what is in the textbook.

Secondly, the paper should be free of all but the most minute of grammatical errors, and give evidence of having been rigorously proofread; asking a peer to do this would be best, as others will pick up on things that you miss.

Finally, I am looking for some "sparkle": a sign that the material has been engaged on a personal level, with your own thoughts and experience being brought to bear upon the topic at hand. It should be YOUR essay, not one substitutable for that of another student, while still focussed on the information gleaned from the textbook and other sources."

As I mentioned in class, both style and substance are of import in the humanities. To keep yourself on track with respect to content, I highly recommend making an outline that incorporates the desiderata itemized in this document, to which a link was also given in an earlier post. Another helpful practice is to make your thesis statement your first statement. This will ensure that both you and your reader know where you are going with your paper.