Social Science

General Advice on Social Science Writing

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Length, presentation. Most professors are less concerned with length than with the quality of an essay. I assure you that length is not an important criterion of my grading scheme. Longer is not necessarily better. Pascal once apologized to a correspondent: “The present letter is long, as I had no time to make it shorter.” Writing concisely often requires more care and attention than writing at length about a subject. One must pick and choose. In any case, do not extend, or reduce, the length of your essay by odd choices in paper, font, or margin size. Standard-sized paper and 12-point fonts will do nicely. If you are handing in a hard copy it is helpful to double-space, so there is room for comments. If you are handing in only a Word attachment you may single-space (as I can insert comments on the text). Make sure your name, the course number, and your TF’s name (if any) are printed clearly on the first page (add your student ID# if your name is a common one). Do not insert spaces between paragraphs, though you may do so between separate sections if there are differentiated sections in your paper. Style. I expect grammar, spelling, and other niceties of the English language to be observed. But this is the most obvious, and in some ways least essential, part of an essay’s style. More important is a clear argument and logical organization. Good thinking is inseparable from good writing. Otherwise stated, a good argument poorly stated is a poor argument. You will be graded both on the force and the form of your argument. Please do not consider the latter to be a mere formality.

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English

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General Advice on Social Science Writing

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