I never believe in setting a set length for a paper. With this being said, I do want your essays to have the following: 1. A point - what argument are you trying to make 2. Facts - what evidence (not opinions) back up your argument 3. Spelling and Grammar - self-explanatory 4. Logic - Your essay has to have a flow. One idea per paragraph beginning with an intro and a conclusion One of the main problems in writing an essay is starting it off. An easy way to combat this problem is to repeat the question being asked and list out your answers briefly. Once you have done this, you have just created your introductory paragraph. An easy way to write an effective paper is to assume nothing. Assume that the person reading your paper has no idea of what you are talking about and to explain it, you have to explain everything in detail. The more facts that you write per paragraph, the better and stronger the essay will be. Speaking of paragraphs, there are a few things that I want to explain or clarify. First, a paragraph is not limited to five sentences. Get that out of your heads. A paragraph has a single point and doesn't list a group of different facts. One fact per paragraph. secondly, a tip for students: when writing your introductory paragraph, the list of supporting ideas for your argument is now the outline of your paper. Follow this outline in order from your introduction, and the result will be a solid essay. Follow these hints/pointers and you will do well!Back to Top
Do I have to write in complete sentences?
The answer is YES! You are hopefully a SENIOR in HIGH SCHOOL! Sentence fragments, incomplete ideas, and one word answers are NOT going to get you by in this class. That I can promise you! An example of a sentence fragment. Get my idea? If ANY paper that you turn in has any of these issues on it, I will not waste my time grading it. It's only fair. If you don't put forth the effort, neither will I.Back to Top
When writing a paper, do I need to site sources?
Absolutely! Papers that do not include any source is called PLAGIARISM. There are SEVERE repercussions for plagiarism at Steinmetz Academic Centre and they WILL be upheld. Cutting and pasting from the internet is not even considered writing an essay and with so many pages on the internet, it is safe to say that some internet sources are are pretty much useless and use weak information that can be posted by anyone. An example of a poor site is Wikipedia. When it comes to sources, you must take great care in making sure that the information on the web site is valid and credible.Back to Top