Advice on Writing Papers

The main characteristic of a good paper is that it should be clear in both thought and expression. Such clarity is manifested in several ways.

Organization

The paper should have a single, focused, overarching theme that encapsulates the overall argument and is laid out in the introductory paragraph (which should not include any irrelevant generalizations). It is best to indicate in the introductory paragraph the course that the argument will take in the successive paragraphs. Each paragraph should then discuss a single topic that serves to develop and demonstrate the general theme, and it is best to lay out this topic in the opening sentence of the paragraph.

Composition

Generally speaking, the procedure used in coming up with the ideas for the paper and the procedure used in composing it work in the opposite order. First, read the text keeping in mind the question you have been asked and noting relevant passages in the text. After having read the text once, you should try to formulate the overall interpretation that you wish to make and then examine the text again with an eye to finding suitable evidence (and modifying the interpretation as necessary). In effect, whereas in formulating the paper you go from the specific observations to the interpretation, in actually composing the paper you start from the interpretation that you have formulated and then demonstrate it on the basis of the observations.

Diction

By all means use appropriate technical language, but as far as possible express yourself in normal English words. Do not use words with which you are not familiar, and do not under any circumstances use the "thesaurus" functions unhappily provided with word-processing programs. Also, make sure that the words and phrases that you do use are used idiomatically (that is, that you use the regular constructions associated with those words). For example, you "show interest in something" not "with something." If in doubt, read the sentence out loud and see if it sounds natural and is readily understandable. If it isn't, rewrite it on the basis of what does sound natural.

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