HOW TO WRITE A PAPER FOR PROFESSOR EASTMAN
Do you have a thesis statement? The thesis should be arguable, not a simple fact or an unsubstantiated statement of personal opinion. Your thesis is the purpose of the essay; it is what you are trying to convince your reader to believe. As you study your material, develop a position about it. This should be clearly presented in the Introduction, or first paragraph. The Introduction should present a map of what you will argue; ideally, it should also intrigue the reader.
Is your argument consistent? Compare the beginning of the paper with the end. Make sure that you make the same argument all the way through. Often, a paper will develop in an unexpected direction as you write, usually producing a more interesting or sophisticated idea than the one with which you began – if this happens, go back to the beginning edit appropriately: alter your thesis statement to conform to your new idea and make sure all of the paragraphs are in harmony with the new idea.
Do you have a counter-argument? After presenting your argument, suggest one or more ways that a reader might dispute your overall argument. Do so in the form of
an alternative explanation to your argument. The counter-argument needs to be logical, clearly presented, and strongly supported with evidence. After presenting the possible objection(s) to your argument as a counter-argument, you will need to make a case
for how and/or why your original argument still holds true and is
a better answer to the original question than the counter-argument.
Do you have evidence for your argument? As you read, find the best, most relevant passages that will support your argument and counter-argument. In your essay, only use quotations that you can discuss; in a short paper, this means that you will have to select only the very best of a lot of great evidence. When rereading your paper, make sure it is your voice and your arguments that are clearest in each paragraph, and not the voices and arguments of the authors you are quoting.
Do you always analyze the quotations you use? Never use more than THREE quotations in a single paragraph (preferably fewer) – and always follow the quote with an explanation of how it relates to your argument, rather than assume that its meaning is self-evident. AVOID big block quotes (extensive quotes that are indented in the middle of a paragraph), and never end a paragraph with an un-analyzed quote.
Have you cited the source of all quotations, as well as ideas that are not common knowledge? Parenthetical citations are accepted for this course, followed at the end with a bibliography. For example: “In the
Eighteenth Brumaire, Karl Marx observes that ‘men may make their own history, but not just as they please.’” (23) [or (Marx, 23)] If you fail to acknowledge the source of your information or ideas, you are guilty of
PLAGIARISM, a serious academic offense. You also cannot put another writer’s thoughts into your own words without citing the source.
Does each paragraph develop a single point? Think of a paragraph as a mini-paper. In the first sentence or two of each paragraph, tell the reader what the point is, making sure it ties back to your larger argument. In the following sentences, examine that point and back it up with data from your sources. It is never enough to simply state a point without analyzing it. Explain why that point is important, and why it is linked to the rest of the paper.
Do you use active verbs? Avoid overuse of the verb “to be” (was, were, is, etc.). Write in the active voice as much as possible; not only does this make your writing more dynamic, but it makes clear who is responsible for what, and it makes the agent the subject of the sentence. For example, change “India was colonized in the 18th century...” to “The British colonized India....” Change “High death rates were caused by...” to “War, poor diets, and inadequate medical care caused high death rates....”
Did you write a conclusion? Sometimes students get tired when they reach the suggested length of the paper, and they just stop. Don’t. Re-assert your thesis, summarize your points, and exit gracefully.
Don’t forget to do a spell-check and number the pages.
