Instructions to compose philosophy paper (1)

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How to Write a Philosophy Paper
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Introduction

• Writing a philosophy paper whether for
  university study or for publication requires
  studious attention to detail. But if you like
  argument, it can be enjoyable and fun. Here are
  some suggestions to guide your efforts when
  compiling a philosophy paper.

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Step 1

• Choose a topic or question.
• If you're an undergraduate, you may find that the
  question will be set, or you may have to pick
  from a set of questions. If you're doing higher
  level work, you'll need to pick a topic which may
  then be formed into a question.
• Writing about a subject you're passionate about
  always proves easiest. What subject speaks out to
  you? (Beware of not having an open mind or not
  enough distance when choosing a subject you care
  about.)
• If you're having difficulty choosing which
  questions to answer in an exam or homework
  situation, for each question, ask yourself the
  question "how difficult would it be for me to
  answer this question?", and choose a number
  between zero and five. Put the number next to the
  questions on the exam paper or homework sheet and
  then choose the highest ranked questions.

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Step 2

• Work out how to answer the actual question
• Too many people fail in academic situations
  because they don't answer the question on the
  page. The question is set specifically to get you
  to think in a certain way, not so you can spot a
  name or theory you know and just write out
  everything you know about that person or idea. In
  an exam or homework type situation, you need to
  answer the question that has actually been set,
  not the question you wish had been set - the two
  are often quite different.
• Many questions will start with a quote followed
  simply by the word "Discuss." There are two
  possible things you need to do here firstly, it
  may be asking you to discuss the quote because it
  explains a vague idea that needs explicating. In
  this case, your first task is interpretative.

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Step 3

• Structure your arguments.
• The standard advice given to people writing
  essays is to "make sure it has a beginning, a
  middle and an end". This is not the most helpful
  of advice your essay will have a beginning and
  an end by default as it is of finite length.
  Rather, it is more important that the work is
  easy to read, coherent and well-structured.
• If your argument is sufficiently complex,
  consider reformulating it in mathematical
  notation. Note the first word of that sentence
  if. Chances are, at an undergraduate level, you
  will probably not be constructing arguments that
  are complex enough to benefit from using such a
  syntax. As with jargon, use only when necessary.
  Restating a bad argument in mathematical symbols
  does not magically make it a good argument.

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Step 4

• Reference properly
• Try and back up every non-trivial assertion with
  reference to the relevant literature.
• Enjoy the study!