HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE COLLEGE PAPERS

The following points are general strategies for success. Some of these things are steadfast

laws, some are not, and what follows does not apply to every kind of history paper. Yet overall,

your success depends on your adherence to these rules. I am here to help you if you have further

questions about your papers. If any of you are in a jam or experiencing serious difficulties,

contact me. I can probably help.

The essentials:

-Your paper must focus on the assigned topic.

-In all papers in this class, be sure to consider the historical context.

-Your paper must have a thesis statement and discernable organization.

-Your paper MUST be documented with ample citations from the assigned sources and

modern works, from the editions we are using in class. Be very cautious when using outside

sources, i.e., other books, articles, and reviews. Make sure to cite them correctly. In particular,

DO NOT use the web for these papers. Unauthorized use of the web will result in a grade of

zero (0), and possible failure for the whole course. If you do end up stretching this rule

somehow, you must explain this to me ASAP, and be sure to cite any specific or general

contribution that someone has made to your paper. I recommend just staying away from the evil

internet.

-Your paper must be your own work! At the very least, plagiarized papers will receive a

grade of zero (0), and may result in a final grade of ‘F’, and expulsion from the university. It is

your responsibility to know what plagiarism is.

-Your writing must conform to the standards of Standard Written English. Your ability

to write clearly and effectively is extremely important; misspelling, incorrect word choice, and

grammatical errors will be graded down severely. Edit your papers; avoid being lazy.

The (suggested) process:

-Review the paper topics and quickly look over the texts to which they pertain. Formulate

a tentative working thesis.

-Since these papers are based on evidence from the texts, start there. Look over the notes

you took during the discussion of the text, and at reading notes or marks you made in the

margins, all in order to identify passages that pertain to the paper topic.

-Make some sort of list of these passages, and begin organizing them into certain groups.

These groups will become the main points of your analysis. Modify your thesis if necessary.

-SIT DOWN AND WRITE A BAD PAPER. This is very important. Do not try to be a

perfectionist right off the bat. Sit down and sketch out your organization, inserting citations

where they fit, and craft some sort of intro and conclusion. THEN...

-Fix your paper, i.e., re-read it, fix problems of organization and analysis, modify your

thesis, and PROOFREAD. (You will catch little imperfections by reading it aloud.) Take it to

the Writing Center, or have a roommate proofread it (i.e., someone not in the class, and not able

to contribute to the content/historical analysis of the paper; proofread for grammar only).

-If possible, sleep on it for a night, and then read back over it one more time.

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Organization.

Your paper should have a logical and clear organization. It should start with a catchy

introduction to the topic, which culminates in a clear, debatable, and decisive thesis statement.

Then comes your evidence-based argument, divided into a number of main points (usually 3 in

number, for some reason). Most of your paper will consist of your body paragraphs, which

prove the points that validate your thesis. (Note: you should not necessarily have only one

paragraph per main argument point. This is a common mistake.) Your paper should end with a

one-paragraph conclusion.

Some specifics:

INTRODUCTION. It should concisely open your discussion/debate in a lively,

interesting way. It should make the reader want to read the whole paper.

First of all, avoid opening your paper with a cliché, like “Throughout history . . .” Do not

cite the dictionary – definitions of words are common knowledge. If you are having trouble

getting the paper started, consider opening with a striking quotation from the text. Later in the

intro, you might want to announce or pre-view your organization/points of analysis; but this is

not absolutely necessary; if you do not like the way it sounds, you can scrap the analysis

preview. Note that your intro should not be too long. One to two paragraphs taking up about ½

of a page.

THESIS STATEMENT and ARGUMENT: Often the paper topic itself will help frame

the debate and suggest a line of argument or thesis, but avoid incorporating large chunks of the

paper topic in your paper. At least re-word it! And in your introduction and elsewhere, avoid

statements that are way too obvious, like “There are similarities and differences between X and

Y.” Your paper must argue something. A good way to emphasize your thesis is to begin

the statement: “This paper will argue…” Avoid letting your papers turn into mere lists, and do

not waste space just regurgitating plot! I know what the sources say – I have read them – so

write for an informed audience. The possible interpretations are endless, so engage the sources,

think about them, form opinions about them. Defend what you say and show me where you are

getting your information. This is an analytical paper, not a book report, so do not just list or

summarize the text. This problem always results if you choose “there were similarities and

differences” as your “thesis statement”, and many students unfortunately do this. Tell me

something about the similarities and differences. For example, are the similarities prevalent in

one area (e.g. religion) while the differences prevail in another (e.g. political)? That is just one

possibility. Good papers have an identifiable thesis statement. Your thesis should make an

argument and ideally provide a “roadmap” for your reader (i.e. it should state point for point

what you plan to discuss in your paper and why it is important). Some teachers have rigorous

expectations about thesis statements and the structure of papers. I am not as stringent, but I do

need a clear, debatable, and decisive thesis in the beginning of the paper. The most important

thing to me is that you cover every important aspect of the topic without abusing what the

sources actually say and mean.

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*A Thesis Statement does not necessarily have to be only one, extremely long sentence

(in fact, avoid this). Rather, it should be a small group of sentences that clearly connect and build

upon each other, and which drive the basis of your paper.

CONCLUSION: Your concluding paragraph should be more than a re-wording of your

introduction. Here you might restate your position, and remind your reader how you got there.

You might also have a very nice, short quotation, which you could save for the end.

Because your thesis will be debatable and not decisive, it will often be important for most

paper topics to acknowledge evidence that is contrary to your argument. You might do this here

and there along the way, or in the next-to-last paragraph, or in the concluding paragraph.

SECOND DRAFT – FIND YOUR TRUE THESIS: If you carefully planned and organized your

paper, you might only have to make minor changes to your paper in this stage of revision.

However, students commonly write an intro and thesis, and while they are elaborating their

argument in the body of the paper, they move gradually away from their original thesis. If you

have to do your paper last minute, when you are done with your first draft, at the very least check

back to your thesis, and make sure that the paper you wrote (body paragraphs, evidence cited,

conclusion) still conforms to your original thesis. If it no longer fits your thesis exactly, you

either need to rewrite your whole paper, or try adjusting or modifying your thesis to match your

argument, whichever you prefer. Often I read papers with a decent thesis, but the body

paragraphs start straying and cease fully engaging the thesis. In such cases, there is usually a

true thesis hiding somewhere in the concluding paragraph, and very often, it would have taken

only minor modifications on Page 1 to fix the problem! So check to see if this is happening to

you. It is fine if it does; writing a paper is an organic process; you notice new things as you get

deeper into the topic; do not adhere stringently to your first draft, tentative thesis if you feel like

the evidence is pulling you another way. Make sure your thesis represents your actual argument,

and make sure your actual argument proves your specific thesis.

Writing papers is an art, not a science, and it is a difficult art. Yet you will improve with

practice. I cannot stress enough the importance of written communication, in every field of life.

Make sure you give yourself enough time; expect a bad grade on papers which have obviously

only been through one draft.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO AS YOU WRITE THE SECOND DRAFT:

-Minimize or eliminate plot summary. These need to be analytical papers, not 8th grade book

reports. -Minimize or eliminate first person statements (“I, me, my”; the third person is usually better).

Make sure your paper focuses on the sources and is not about you (your political opinions, your

cultural preferences, your gripes about the world). Of course, I want to see your ideas in the

paper, especially regarding the specific paper topic. Sometimes an “I” statement is OK, and it

might be OK to editorialize a little in the intro or the conclusion. However, your thesis,

argument, and body of your analysis must be firmly rooted in source evidence.

Documentation.

The most important thing of all is that your paper is your own work and that you have

clearly acknowledged (via citations) where you have quoted others’ words, or even where you

have drawn on someone else’s ideas. Therefore, there are two kinds of citation:

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1. Citations attached to direct quotes, showing on what page the quotation can be found.

For example, you might write this: Sallust clearly thought human nature shared in certain divine

qualities, for he wrote, “The mind, which we share with the gods, is the ruling element in us”

([the citation]).

2. Citations attached to paraphrases of or allusions to specific passages where a certain

idea or concept is expressed, but not containing a direct quote. For example, you might write

this: Sallust clearly thought that the human capacity to think gives us a trait in common with the

gods ([the citation]).

***Your paper should have both types of citation.*** Remember, though, I want to hear

your voice. So avoid lengthy quotations of the texts.

If you do decide you really need a long quotation, you can do it like this. This is called a block

quote, and it is single-spaced, decreased font, with justified margins, indented on both sides, with a

little bit of blank space at the top and bottom. However, you should not have too many of these.

(Usually block quotes are longer than this – I am just trying to communicate the format!)

Some notes on documentation:

-I do not require any sort of bibliography or works cited page; I would much rather you save time

and paper. I ask you to use only the texts used in this class, and no more. (However, if you

somehow do look at other materials – printed or electronic – and you draw on it in any way in

your paper, you are absolutely duty-bound to cite it. It is better just to keep it simple and

avoid using any unapproved outside materials.)

-Cite our texts simply and concisely, by page number alone when it is clear to which text you are

referring. Some of the text editions we are using have internal and inherent numbers worked into

the text (e.g., line numbers in many poems, or paragraph numbers for certain prose works); you

may cite these as well. Just make it perfectly clear exactly where you are getting your

information.

-Citing ancient sources (i.e. primary literature)

Classics uses a specialized, precise method of citiation. The proper format for citing classical

texts is as follows: [Author], [Title] [Book/Section.(Poem, if applicable)].[Line #s cited]

EXAMPLES:

In Verse

Homer, Iliad 18.141-143.

Sophocles, Antigone 904-922.

Horace, Odes 4.1.1-4.

Vergil, Eclogues 1.1-10.

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In Prose

Cicero, First Catilinarian 14.2.

Plato, Symposium 215a3-218b7.

Omitting Name of Work: If an author wrote only one work, you may omit the name of the work;

for example: Herodotus 9.1; rather than Herodotus, Histories 9.1.

Abbreviations: Most classical authors and texts do have standard abbreviations that you may

want to employ; these can be on page xxix ff. of the Oxford Classical Dictionary (DE5 .O9

2003) or on-line at UNC's Ancient World Mapping Center.

Capitalization: If you are generically citing a specific book in a work, capitalize both elements

(Book Eighteen or Book 18 or Book XVIII); generic references, such as “several books in the

Iliad,” should not be capitalized.

NOTE: If you are including a parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence – e.g. (Homer,

Odyssey 1.1-3) – the period always follows the citation.

-I am not a fanatical adherent to any specific “style” (e.g. MLA, Turabian, Chicago Manual of

Style). I think such fanatics are too anal. Just make sure your citation format is clear and

consistent.

-The use of parenthetical citations is acceptable. However, I prefer the use of footnotes (press

ctrl+alt+f at the end of the sentence that you wish to cite in Word). Footnotes (which appear in

small print at the bottom of the page) should be single spaced and 10 pt. font. Just do not use

endnotes – I HATE endnotes because I have to keep flipping to the back to see where you are

getting things. Your paper should be amply documented with numerous citations; before

printing, check to see if your paper has AT LEAST 3 citations per page. That is a guideline, not

an iron rule, but decent papers tend to have a lot more citations than three per page!

Citing Secondary Sources

The format differs slightly for citations that appear embedded in body of the paper and those that

appear in the footnotes. Always include author, date, and page numbers. Your readers can then

consult your Bibliography for the full citation of the work.

In-Text: For citations in your text proper (rather than in a footnote), surround the information

with parentheses and place before the final punctuation of the sentence.

EXAMPLE: (Highet 1999, 121-25).

Footnotes: In footnotes, omit the parentheses.

EXAMPLE: Highet 1999, 121-25.

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Using Ibid.

"Ibid." is an abbreviation of ibidem (note the period at the end of Ibid.), which is Latin for "in the

same place." It indicates that you are continuing to refer to the last source you mentioned. If you

are referring to both the same source and page number, you need only put "Ibid." in your

citation; if, however, you are citing the same source but a different place in that text, use Ibid.

and add the new page number--e.g. Ibid., 120.

-The point of citations is to make clear to the reader on what textual authority you are basing

your judgments and to allow the reader to follow, check, and better understand your argument.

Double check all quotations and page numbers – they must be absolutely accurate! I check

citations very often, both routinely, and when I do not understand where you are getting

something. Misquotes and wrong (or bogus) page numbers send me on frustrating wild-goose

chases to try to discern what is going on in your paper. Please, spare me the unavoidable anger

and wasted time. (Additionally bogus, or even incorrect, citations are academically dishonest –

thus prosecutable as PLAGIARISM.)

A major purpose of using citations – and this is just as important in the “real world” – is

to make the reader able to use your citations in order to go back into the evidence and see how

you are constructing your argument. In some way or other, your paper should argue

something. In every walk of life, arguing and convincing skeptical audiences is important, and

the “other side” might ask you on what authority you base your claims, or they might want to

check your sources/references, or otherwise demand that you prove what you say is valid. If one

citation or note or reference turns out to be bogus, often that will mean The End: you do not get

into that grad/law/med school, you do not get the job, you do not make the sale, you do not do

well on your history paper, you lose the presidential election, you do not find the weapons of

mass destruction, whatever.

-Related to that last point, please use the same text edition the rest of us are using.

-Some students are fond of using a textbook for their papers, I suppose for historical background.

I do not recommend this; some textbooks are rather thin on many subjects. The purpose of

textbooks is to provide a basic historical outline to help you keep track of broader historical

developments, and they are in no way a serviceable replacement for deeply engaging the sources.

If you do cite a textbook, please do so in strict moderation.

-What if you are drawing on something said in class and using it in your paper? I guess that

means you should cite the professor, something like Blah blah blah (Lecture 9-14). I will not be

a stickler for this, though; I do not really want to see a bunch of these (and none is fine, too!).

You can limit your lecture citations to points of interpretation that you adopt that are specifically

those of the professor. So if the professor argues in class that Socrates was a space alien, and

you mention that point in your paper, cite him! I cannot really think of any points so far where

citing a professor in your papers would be absolutely necessary.

-You should never cite the lecture or textbook for facts that are common knowledge, or could be

found out anywhere, such as Socrates was an Athenian (Lecture 8-31).

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- Please do not cheat or plagiarize. Again, I hate having to write this damn academic integrity

stuff. I have done this in order to avoid any sort of problems, which have been all too common

in previous papers and semesters.

-I want to clarify something else. I encourage you to take your paper to the Writing Center (or

in our case to the writing tutors, since the university in its infinite wisdom discontinued the

LSU Writing Center, the bastards…). Here are the websites: http://www.lsu.edu/writingcenter/

and http://cxc.lsu.edu/writing.html. Contact them to learn more or schedule a one-on-one

tutoring session designed to help you develop your abilities and confidence to communicate

effectively in an academic setting! You are also allowed to have a friend or roommate proofread

the paper for you, as long as that person is not in the class, and is not able to contribute to the

interpretation of the texts.

Format (IMPORTANT).

Please double-space your papers, and use standard paper, fonts, and margins. Specifically, that

would be 12 point Times New Roman, with 1-inch top and bottom, and right and left margins.

Do not use funny fonts or fiddle with the margins. (Papers written like this

look terrible, and usually are terrible.) Print them on decent

paper with a decent printer, and staple it. Insert page numbers, starting on page 2 (page 1 is the

page containing your paper’s title and the beginning of your introduction. Do not count the

coversheet when you paginate.).

NB: To ensure fairness, I would like to grade your papers blind, i.e., anonymously. In

order to make this possible, I need you to put your name only on a cover-sheet, stapled to the

front of your paper. (Later, when I start to grade them, I will flip all the cover-sheets over, see?)

Also sign an honor pledge at the bottom of the cover sheet (just write Honor Pledge:

X__________ [add your signature to the blank]), attesting that you have adhered to the required

standards of academic integrity in this class. I do not accept papers submitted via email (though

in certain circumstances I do ask students to provide an electronic version).

Format recap and checklist:

-Cover page, stapled to the front. The cover page must achieve three things:

i. This is the only place where your name should appear. Your name or initials must NOT

appear anywhere else.

ii. Also sign a pledge here that you have read and adhered to this class’ academic integrity

standards (see http://saa.lsu.edu/code-student-conduct ).

iii. Finally, indicate clearly which topic your paper addresses.

The cover page does not count in your page total; do not number it.

-The main body of your paper should follow the length requirements strictly. It should be

stapled, a hard-copy, point-12 font, double-spaced, and with standard margins. It should have

numerous citations from approved texts, solid organization, and flawless grammar. Pages should

be numbered, starting after the page that bears the Introduction of the paper. This “Introductory

page” (or 1st page) should also carry your paper’s title. As this is obviously the beginning of

your paper, do not insert a page number here, but start with a ‘2’ on the second page of your

paper.

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-Except in unusual, entirely unavoidable, pre-approved circumstances, NO superfluous

“Bibliography” or “Works Cited” page in needed.

***Failure to follow these guidelines will result in me returning your paper without a grade and

giving you an eventual grade penalty.***

General writing tips:

Be consistent with your verb tenses. Usually, verbs should be in the past tense. “Plato is a

proponent of oligarchy.” No, he is not. He has been dead over 2000 years. Past tense is usually

safest. This can get tricky, though; speaking of texts complicates the matter: “The Prince

challenges the Christian view of morality.” That is true – as a text it still does that. Again, past

tense is usually safe. “The Prince challenged Christian morality.” That is true, too.

Avoid careless use of absolutes: “All Athenians were always rational.” or “All murders then

stopped.” The problem is, such sentences are simply untrue.

Try not to make comparisons between the source material and today: “The Athenians set up a

court system much like the one we have today.” (This is unnecessary and misguided.)

Also avoid vague language and sweeping generalities. BE SPECIFIC!

Do not be repetitive, telling me the same thing over and over again.

Keep your arguments succinct and lucid.

Again, AVOID THE INTERNET! (this only leads to trouble)

***Every sentence and every citation should have a purpose; everything you do in a paper

needs to play some part in proving your thesis.*** When you make a statement or cite

something, explain the issue at hand and tell us why your statement or citation is important. Do

not just assert things or quote needlessly!

If your paper is way too long, that means you need to go back and see where you can be more

concise and where you can cut points that are not integral to the topic or your argument. Focus

on the topic you chose, even if that means leaving out other neat things about the text. Please

adhere to length requirements. Not doing so will result in me returning your paper without a

grade and penalizing you.

Length, does size matter? I have had some good short papers and some bad long

papers. However, usually longer is better (ha ha). It is hard to do everything you need to do in

just three pages. If your paper is short, make sure it covers the important aspects of the topic. A

good way to lengthen (and strengthen) your paper is to cite more evidence! Say you found two

really good passages that were somewhat similar. At first you just used one. If your paper is

short, go back and include the other quotation as well and discuss it. However, do not be

obnoxious about it; some students tend to quote too much text. So be careful and moderate.

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Grammar: Ask me about any of these you do not understand.

-Avoid incomplete sentences and sentence fragments; watch subject-verb agreement. -Vary your sentence structure lest your prose become monotonous. -Punctuation. Watch out for misuse of commas, colons (never used after a verb or preposition),

and semi-colons.

-Avoid using passive voice! Instead of “Orestes was pursued by the Furies,” write “the Furies

pursued Orestes.” Active voice is a more direct and clear form of communication. There are

times when use of passive voice is unavoidable. Yet in most cases PLEASE utilize active voice.

-Again, avoid using present tense for past events. “Zeus thinks cows are sexy.” No, he does not,

Zeus is long gone (unless you are talking about your creepy uncle, Zeus, and no one wants to

hear about him). Instead, write “Zeus thought cows were sexy.”

-WC: Word Choice. This means that the word you have chosen is either inappropriate or

incorrect. You need to select a new, CORRECT word to replace the original.

-AWK: Awkward English Expression. This means that one of your confusing or rambling

sentences (or phrases) defies the logic of normal English expression. You need to

COMPLETELY rethink and rewrite these.

-Italicize the names of works or foreign words. (e.g. The Libation Bearers not The Libation

Bearers; and auctoritas not auctoritas)

-Do not end sentences with prepositions!

-Double check and make sure you are using CORRECT names for characters and places!

Know the difference between the following: to/too, who/whom/whose/who’s, it’s/its, that/which,

effect/affect, there/their, then/than.

The past tense of “lead” is “led”: “Lysistrata led a sex strike.”

By all means, run spell check. However, spell check cannot help you when you misuse a word.

Also, do not put too much trust into you word processor’s electronic thesaurus. Sometimes that

device ends up putting in words that do not really fit the intended meaning. You might also

consider disabling autocorrect features.

Apostrophe -s showing possession. This is an error that drives me crazy, and is very

common. “Luthers view of German politics . . .” it should be “Luther’s view of German

politics...” “Luther disliked Catholic bishops privileges . . .” it should be “Luther disliked

Catholic bishops’ privileges.” Sometimes students add an apostrophe onto a plural when you

should not – when there is no possession involved. E.g. “Despite their tough lives, peasants’

were doing better.” Get rid of that apostrophe!

Don’t contract (nay, rather, Do not contract). Your papers are formal pieces, and you should

NEVER use contractions in formal writing. Thus, instead of “isn’t” write “is not”. Instead of

“can’t” write “cannot”.

There is much confusion between it’s and its (and who’s and whose). Its and whose are

possessive pronouns. It’s and who’s can be nothing other than contractions of “it is” and “who

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is”, so the rule is very simple. Because you should not use contractions at all in formal writing, I

should NEVER see it’s or who’s in your papers.

Avoid the following, which tend towards oversimplification and vagueness, and replace specific

expression (to which we all must strive) with pseudo-certainty:

Basically, ...

At the end of the day, . . . , (I particularly hate this cliché)

etc. or et cetera.

and so on, and so forth

Also, the word “societal.” How’s that different from (or ever better than) “social”?

Ordinarily, you should avoid slang and profanity. I still encourage you to develop a personal

writing voice that has elements of charm, grace, and wit. Nothing is more refreshing than

coming across a paper that makes me laugh, or uses language in a bold and effective way.

TIP: To catch grammar errors and typos before you hit “Print,” read the paper aloud. I promise

you will probably catch some mistakes. Your roommate will hate you for it, but what do you

care? Your roommate is a jerk any way.

Some brief final notes

Certain elements of English grammar reflect the deep impact that Judeo-Christian tradition has

had on our culture. In particular, the word “God” can be capitalized when it refers to the monotheistic

god whom Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship. The gods of other religions are not capitalized (“Zeus

was a Greek god,” versus “Muhammad was a prophet of God”).

I prefer that you use BCE/CE over the more familiar BC/AD when writing dates. The use of

BC/AD has Judeo-Christian connotations. The use of Before Common Era (BCE) and Common Era (CE)

is more professional.

Note that if you use BC/AD, BC comes after the year and AD comes before the year (e.g. 31 BC;

AD 14).

One final point. In proper written English, the titles of books are italicized or underlined. “I just

finished The Da Vinci Code.”

*** If you fail to turn in assignments at the deadlines, you will receive back your paper and grade at me

leisure. Late papers will be severely penalized. Yet it is better to turn in a slightly late paper than a terrible

paper.***

Proper use of Latin abbreviations: They are unnecessary, but if you do use them, use them

correctly! A helpful website:

http://www.physics.uiuc.edu/Education/398IPR/Lectures/LatinTerms/tsld001.htm

e.g. = exempli gratia, “for (the sake of an) example.” Takes a comma. Never confuse with i.e.

i.e. = id est, “that is” Takes a comma, and is used to explain (but not give an example of) a

preceding statement.

etc. = et cetera, “and the other/remaining things,” used to indicate that a list you have started

could go on. Avoid or use sparingly.

NB = nota bene, “note well”

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et al. = et alii, “and others,” used mostly for indicating that you have omitted the names of co-

authors when referring to a publication (e.g., “Kagan et al.”) No period after the “et”!

viz. = videlicet, “namely” No comma after it; normally avoid.

cf. = confer, “compare”

ca. = circa, “around, about, approximately.” Handy to use with approximate dates.

**Note well the standards and advice offered by Joshua D. Sosin, a Classics professor at Duke

University. I especially like what he has to say about not expecting an A or B for a paper that

was written at the last minute, having gone through only one draft. Good idea to keep these in

mind, but I am not necessarily using the exact same standards; not all of his advice applies to

you.

http://www.duke.edu/%7Ejds15/policies.html

http://www.duke.edu/%7Ejds15/writing.html

and, related, http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eclassics/gibson/howtowrite.html

THE PROCESS OF REWRITES: (***Note that rewrites are not available for

every paper. You must check with me before attempting a rewrite.)

So after a weekend bender and the resulting hangover, you slapped together and turned in a

paper that you knew was not “quality writing.” You then received your paper back and, surprise-

surprise, you did not earn an A.

Luckily for you, I offer students the opportunity to rewrite their original paper once. This is by

no means a requirement! If you are happy with your grade, then go have fun and move on with

your life.

Tips for a successful rewrite: (This is rather obvious)

-Follow my instructions and this writing aid. (Do not hesitate to ask me questions, email me, or

come into my office hours.)

-Incorporate changes throughout your rewrite! Do not just fix one or two things and expect a

better grade. If I say fix throughout, I mean fix throughout!

-If I say that you have argumentative issues that require attention, then you need to engage your

paper and REWRITE it if necessary.

-Rewrites have to state a clear thesis, be well argued, and cite accordingly.

-The grammar in your rewrite should be an improvement (Duh)!

-Finally, do not use my comments as a crutch! I cannot and will not mark EVERYTHING that is

wrong with your paper. You need to absorb me comments and prove to me that you learned

something. Do not only fix the bare minimum and make the same mistakes on your next paper.

(In fact, I expect your next papers to be much better if you expect a better grade.)

How the rewrites work:

-Take your original and make a mark for EVERY change that you make during the rewrite!

Check things off, note where you made changes, and point out your improvements. This will

help me greatly when I reevaluate your paper and prove to me that you put forth good effort.

-Turn in the original paper with the rewrite!!! I will not grade a rewrite without the original paper

with your edit markings.

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-By turning in a rewrite, you do not guarantee yourself a better grade. If you do not show

considerable effort or fix enough problems, then your grade will remain the same.

***Special note*** If you turn in a rewrite and do not take the process incredibly seriously, then

I will lower your previous grade. For a rewrite, you have had the time, the notes, and the fair

warning. I do not appreciate wasting my time. Therefore, you have no excuses! ONLY turn in a

rewrite if you are SURE of its quality!

Grading and editing a paper takes hours, and I do not go through this long process because I have

nothing better to do. I ask you nicely not to waste my time.

Rewrite papers are due a week after I hand back the originals. THERE ARE NO REWRITES

ON FINAL PAPERS!