Conventions to Follow

The essay should be double-spaced on one side of lined paper (8-1/2 x 11"). Be sure to leave margins for your lecturer’s corrections and comments.

Document references to texts in the following ways:

• If citing plot incidents or general ideas, refer to the text or author by name:

  In the early chapters of The Grapes of Wrath (hereafter GW), the Joad family must gather together and prepare for the exodus.

  Thomsen suggests there is a valid analogy between abortion and the case of her "famous violinist."

• If using the text in an "open-book exam" (and hence quoting directly), be sure to add the page number as well:

  However, at the end of the novel, Ellison's "invisible man" muses that "there's a possibility that even an invisible man has a socially responsible role to play" (568).

• In an open-book exam, follow conventional practices for handling quoted passages. That is, use an ellipsis ( . . . ) to indicate words omitted in a quote; use brackets ( [  ] ) to indicate words changed or inserted in a quote; and use “block style” for quotes of four or more lines.
• Instructors may forgive spelling and grammatical errors; then again, they may not. In any case, leave some time to proofread your essay before turning it in.

Strategies to Assist

Read the question.

Read it again.

Use the first paragraph as an introduction.

• Lead the reader up to the body by some appropriate scene-setting indicating the major issues to be addressed and your overall attitude toward the issue. Make it concise!
• If necessary, define key terms or concepts early.

Use the body of the essay to develop those ideas.

• Give arguments or cite evidence to support your claims; avoid unsupported assertions.
• Explain how each piece of evidence fits in with your ideas. Don't expect the evidence to speak for itself. If it does, then you're probably not going beyond the obvious.
• Organize the paper in a logical way. Some students spend a few minutes outlining their answers before beginning. Use paragraphs!
• Remember that a “correct” argument or interpretation is one for which you can provide consistentand convincing evidence and analysis.

Time permitting, use the conclusion to draw your ideas together.

• Return the reader to your overall assessment of the issue.
• If possible, relate your answer to broader issues in the discipline.