Dr. Scott Kimbrough

Tips for Writing Philosophy Papers

Your primary goal is to demonstrate that you understand the material we've been reading and discussing. The following guidelines are designed to help you succeed in this goal.

1. Have a clear thesis to defend.

The thesis is a sentence which sets forth the main point of the paper. Your goal is to give reasons for your thesis, articulating arguments to support it. You will not be graded for which thesis you choose, but for the case you make in favor of that thesis. In short, where you end up is much less important than how you get there.

2. Organization

• The introduction states your thesis clearly.
  • The thesis sentencemust be in the introduction. Your conclusion should not come as a surprise to the reader.
  • Don't waste space: introductions should be brief and to the point, avoiding empty generalizations.
• The body of the paper should be a step by step defense of the thesis that you set forth in the introduction. The body of the paper should include:
  • An exposition of the view(s) to be discussed
  • Arguments to support the thesis
  • A consideration of objections and replies.
• The conclusion restates your thesis, explaining how the points you have raised achieved your goal. Keep the conclusion brief.
• Keep the organization clear by supplying clear transitions between paragraphs and avoiding tangents. Know how each paragraph relates to the defense of your thesis. Outlining the paper before and after you write your first draft helps with this goal.

3. Style

• Write in a simple and straight-forward manner. Avoid fancy words where possible. Don't use synonyms: if you mean the same thing, use the same word.
• Adopt an impartial tone. Avoid combative, loaded, or otherwise rhetorical language.
• Because the goal of the paper is to show that you understand the material, and can explain it clearly in your own terms, limit quotations and direct paraphrasing. When you do use quotations, confirm that they make the points you are presenting them as making.
• Except for a few brief remarks in the conclusion, avoid repeating yourself.

4. Audience

Think of yourself as writing for an intelligent, impartial audience who is not familiar with the texts you are writing about. Thus, you are not permitted to skimp on detail on the assumption that I know what the text says. If you skimp, I have to assume that it is because you don't know what's going on in the text.

5. Define your terms if they are being used in a special sense.

6. Play fair

Don't try to score an easy victory by misrepresenting or caricaturing the opposition. If the view you oppose seems stupid, try to think of a more intelligent interpretation of it.

7. Give credit where credit is due by providing page references.

• This is a mandatory requirement!
• A simple ‘(author name, page number)' at the end of a sentence is sufficient (e.g., "(Plato, p.36)"). Footnotes are fine if you prefer.
• Give page references not just for quotations, but whenever you attribute an argument or position.

8. Proofread.

Spell-check is incapable of spotting problems in grammar, intelligibility, and organization.

9. Drafts

Write a first draft early enough that you will have time to think about ways to improve the content and organization of the paper.

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