Mrs. Decker

Writing Guidelines

 

Here are tips for writing any formal essay--- Consider all essays to be formal unless stated otherwise.

 

1. Always consider your audience:  remember that not everyone knows the topic and subject of your paper.  Pretend you are explaining this to a complete stranger.
2. Never use I, we, you
3. Never use contractions
4. Remember the number rule:  Under 100 is written out
5. In your introduction you must incorporate the title and author of works you are discussing.  Give some background information—Who is the protagonist?  What are the themes?  Etc--- What is your subject?
6. You must have a thesis!!!!!!  This is the last sentence of your introduction.  This is what you are proving within your paper.  You may have one reason or three—no more.  Your sentence should be your topic, opinion, and three reasons.

- For example:  Plato was incorporated into Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 because his works directly relate to the society, characters, and setting of the novel.

- Plato and Fahrenheit 451 are my topics; my opinion is that he was incorporated in works; my reasons are the relation between societies, characters, and settings.

1. Make sure your conclusion incorporates all of the same reasons from your thesis, but put it in different words--- re-arrange your sentence is basically what this means.
2. You must always incorporate citations.  Citations should be used as support for your thoughts—not the basis for them.  You must put them at the end of your sentence.
   1. “It was a pleasure to burn”(Bradbury 1).
   2. Note the quotes at beginning and end; no punctuation in between quotes and end of sentence unless it is an exclamation point (! ) or a question mark (?) ; always put a period after the last parentheses.
   3. Always have a title--- never italicize, underline, or quote it--- you are not published yet.

 

 

Hope this helps you!!! Please use this, keep this, and know this--- It will never change!!