WORDS FOR THE WISE

or, How to guarantee a good grade on your papers

1. Make sure you have a firm grip on your thesis or overall purpose. State or imply somewhere in your first paragraph the main point you are trying to make and then rigorously stick to it as your argument develops. Your topic should not be too broad (e.g., "The Folklore of China"); your thesis must attempt to prove or demonstrate something. For instance, a comparison of two stories should not just offer similarities and differences but some possible reasons for these. A study of a particular interpretive school should show how it analyzes sample tales. A poor thesis is the most common reason for a "C" or worse on papers.

2. Your organization must be orderly and coherent, each paragraph or point following logically from the one before it, each related in some way to your thesis. Each paragraph should concentrate on one aspect of your argument. Do not introduce paragraphs of irrelevant history, biography, or other digression. Place related points in relationship to one another; avoid redundancy and recycling (e.g., "as mentioned before" or "to go back to the first point"). In your conclusion do not merely summarize your entire paper but provide additional insight and closure.

3. Other phrases to avoid: "In this paper I am going to write about . . ." (Just get on with it); "I think," "I feel," "I believe" (We know these are your judgments and opinions; reminding us merely sounds as if you're unsure of yourself).

4. When discussing literary plots or poetic lines, always use the present tense. Use the past tense, however, with historical or biographical facts.

5. Quotations must be properly tied in to your text. Introduce them with appropriate tags, for instance, "According to Maria Tatar," or "As one critic observes . . ."

6. Citations may be placed parenthetically in the text in the form (Author page), e.g., (Aldiss 153). Full references should be in your bibliography or "Works Cited" list at the paper's end. Review a standard stylesheet for proper form.

7. Underline or italicize long works, like books (Cat's Cradle); put short works, like short stories and essays, in quotation marks ("Breaking the Disney Spell").

8. American usage dictates that commas and periods go inside quotation marks, semi-colons outside, and single quotation marks inside double marks "when you have a 'word or more' quoted inside a quotation." Don't confuse commas and semi-colons; they have different functions.

9. Avoid using "it," "this," "these," "there is," when nothing specific is being referred to. In fact, always use the most precise, least ambiguous language possible. If in doubt, have someone intelligent read your paper before you turn it in.

10. For a condensed reference on other fine points of English/American usage, consult Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, or other style manual.

IGNORE THE ABOVE SUGGESTIONS AT YOUR PERIL!