1.  The introduction may be the most important part of an essay.  Its purpose is to indicate what the topic of the paper is and to excite some interest.  In short papers of the kind you are asked to write for this course, the introduction should not be very long.  Do not include substantive material in it that belongs in the body of the essay.  Instead, use the introduction to set up a problem you will resolve in the succeeding paragraphs.  Try to capture the reader’s interest by indicating why the topic is significant.  Starting with a relevant example is often an effective way to begin.

 

2.  No additional research is expected or encouraged, but do make specific references to the course readings in your paper.  Give me proof that the author actually said the things you attribute to him/her, even when you do not directly quote the text.  However, avoid long quotations from the relevant text; your job is to explain the argument to me in your own words.  Because we are all working from the same texts, the following is appropriate (Goldstone 10); referring to the Revolutions book, page 10.  Papers without references will be penalized.  NOTE THAT ANY ACT OF PLAGIARISM WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE.  FOR A DISCUSSION OF PLAGIARISM, CONSULT THE UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN. 

 

3.  Your conclusion should not simply restate what you argued in the body of the paper – that is boring and repetitious.  The conclusion should be the final stage of your argument, where you answer the question you posed in the introduction or come to some judgment about the theory or case. 

 

4.  PROOFREAD AND REVISE YOUR ROUGH DRAFT!!  Leave yourself enough time to make changes.  Spelling and grammar are important, but watch especially for awkward language.  Do your sentences sound right when read aloud?  Are they wordy and imprecise?  Sloppy writing will be penalized!

 

5. Accidents/Problems happen.  Avoid them being significant problems by backing up your work.  Always make a copy of your paper on disk (or e-mail it to yourself).  Allow yourself plenty of time to print out your paper.

 

6.  Talk over your topic with someone else in the class outside of class.  After you have written a draft, have someone else read your paper.  After another draft, read your paper aloud.  Give yourself a day (or at least the night) between revisions.

 

7. Excellent papers are well written, clear, concise, and comprehensive.  In other words, they are nearly perfect in terms of both form and content.

           

            Common Problems                             Affect on Grade

No introduction                                      1 grade

Weak or flat introduction                        ½ grade

Exceeds page limit                                 ½ grade

No references                                       1 grade

Insufficient references                           ½ grade

Incomplete exposition of material            ½ grade or more

Repetition of extraneous material            ½ grade or more

Confusing organization                           ½ grade or more

Writing errors                                        ½ grade or more

 

Grammar & Style Sheet*

1.  Spelling counts.  You should use your computer’s spell-check program, but be aware that it cannot catch all errors.  You must know when to use to/too, there/their/ and its/it’s because many computers can not tell you when each is appropriate.  Simple errors like these make it appear like you did not proofread your paper.

 

2.  People deserve a “who,” not a “that” or a “which.”  For instance, “he is the one who…” not “he is the one that…”

 

3.  In any given sentence, nouns and pronouns agree in terms of number.  For instance, it is incorrect to write “The owner should be free because it is their business.”  Instead one should write “The owner should be free because it is her business” or “The owners should be free because it is their business.”

 

4.  Avoid jargon like “in today’s society.”  You will never see phrases like this in newspapers or magazines.  It is better to say “in contemporary society,” or simply “today.”

 

5.  Like a room cluttered with too much furniture, wordy sentences spoil the aesthetic effect you want to achieve.  Less is sometimes more.  Ask yourself if any words in your sentence can be chopped out without a loss in clarity.  For instance, “This type of benefit is the one which company rules and regulations should move to foster” could be edited down to “This is the type of benefit company rules should foster.” 

 

6.  The most common type of error college students make is not incorrect grammar but awkward constructions that sound strange to the native speaker.  For instance, “there are two basic issues why he is wrong” should be revised to read “there are two basic reasons why he is wrong.”

 

7.  Think carefully about your punctuation.  Use semi-colons (;) sparingly.  Place your commas strategically; do not stick them in at random.  The commas in this sentence are out of place: “While, not a liberal she does think that freedom is necessary, and valuable.”  It should read: “While not a liberal, she does think that freedom is necessary and valuable.”

 

8.  The introduction may be the most important part of an essay.  Its purpose is to indicate what the topic of the paper is and to excite some interest.  In short papers of the kind you are asked to write for this course, the introduction should not be very long.  Do not include substantive material in it that belongs in the body of the essay.  Instead, use the introduction to set up a problem you will resolve in the succeeding paragraphs.  Try to capture the reader’s interest by indicating why the topic is significant.  Starting with a relevant example is often an effective way to begin.

 

9.  While it is useful to listen to your paper, avoid using an overly casual or informal style.  “Can’t” and “don’t” are inappropriate for writing and should be replaced with can not and do not. 

 

* advice & grammar tips were borrowed from Dr. Robert Mayer of the Political Science Department at Loyola University and Dr. David Balaam of the International Political Economy department at the University of Puget Sound.