General Essay Guidelines

1.      General Expectations for Essays

a)      Clear and explicit thesis statement (what's the main point of the paper?)

b)      Explain reasons for each major claim (Because Why? How?).  DO NOT assume your reader already knows the logic behind the arguments you discuss; you need to explain it for them clearly and explicitly.

c)      Provide evidence to support major claims (examples, statistics) drawn from course readings

d)      Back up reasons & evidence with specific page number references (e.g., Lairson and Skidmore, pp. 253-54) showing where the arguments or evidence came from

e)      AVOID summarizing lecture notes instead of using course readings as your primary reference material

f)        For more on How to Write a Persuasive Essay, and How to Use Sources, see the writing guidelines section at the bottom of the course web page.

2.      SECRET OF SUCCESS: After you have written a draft, read your paper over. Ask yourself:

a)           Does the paper have a thesis?  Will the reader know what the main point of the paper is by the time the reader gets to the end of the first paragraph?

b)           Have I explained the reasoning behind the most important points in the paper?  Will the reader understand Why or How each point could be valid? (DO NOT assume that your reader already understands the reasoning behind a particular claim; it is your job to EXPLAIN it).

c)           Is there evidence to support key claims?  Are any major claims unsupported?

d)           Have I cited sources for every quotation and paraphrase, and for all pieces of evidence incorporated into my paper? 

e)           Have I made good use of the most important or relevant readings on each major topic? (NOTE: not all readings will be equally relevant or useful).

f)             How clear is it?  Is it hard to make sense of the paper?  Could the major points be made more clearly? Could the language be simplified?

g)           Is there any superfluous material which could be deleted without harming the main arguments of the paper (e.g., a too flowery introduction; tangential personal stories, etc) ?