Do not write with any particular instructor or teaching assistant in mind. Instead, write for an audience that you imagine having a similar role or disposition as yourself, such as classmates. If there is a new topic or term that you learned while investigating your case, do not neglect to define it for your audience as well. If there is a particularly technical point, try to summarize it briefly before proceeding with your argument. This will prevent “knowledge bias” – a term describing an author’s use of terminology based upon the assumption that his or her audience must already understand it. Your reader may already know the term you have defined, but there is no harm in defining it again anyway. This makes your argument more appreciable.

Most importantly, avoid unnecessarily complex language when writing your essay. Literary gymnastics are not essential elements of a well written, coherent, convincing paper. The overuse of big words could possibly offend or confuse your audience, and they should not be relied upon in order to sound authoritative. Remember, your argument is based upon the assembly and analysis of the works and arguments of others, and you are not expected to be an absolute authority on the subject. The key aspect of the exercise is to learn to deal critically with diverse sources as evidence to further a particular argument. The mastery of that particular subject or field is not a reasonable or expected priority. Your audience will understand, for at no point is the prosecutor of a case involving complex terminology or scientific principles expected to cease being, primarily, a litigator. Take your time, and have confidence in your ability to think critically.

Format:

Your writing will benefit greatly from adopting a format that is clear, standard, and appreciable to your audience. Efficient writing requires a minimum of effort to read, and grammar, spelling, and punctuation are all important elements in the transmission of your ideas.

• Use a 12 point font, and double space your lines of text.
• Number your pages, beginning with the first page of the text through to the end of the bibliography
• Use normal, 1-inch to 1.5-inch margins. These are typically the default settings of any word processing program.
• Employ a consistent citation format throughout the paper. See Part III - Citation Format.
• Place quotations of more than two sentences in freestanding, offset paragraphs.
• Create a detailed title page that includes all of the following information:

• The title you have chosen for your essay, which should be underlined
• Your name & student number
• The course, section and tutorial number, i.e. History 125 (002) L2D
• The name of your Professor or Teaching Assistant
• The name of your institution (in this case, UBC)
• The due date of your assignment

Tips to Consider:

• Consult several sources when researching your paper. If you rely simply upon one or two sources, or primarily upon very old sources, your argument could appear unbalanced or out of date.
• Keep history in the past tense. Events of long ago, or even of yesterday, belong to the past, and should be referred to in that tense. Certain types of sources, however, such as novels and philosophical works, are often written in a kind of “eternal present” or present-continuous tense, and the present tense should therefore be used when introducing evidence of this sort.
• Choose simple words. Overwhelming your audience with big words can be counterproductive for your argument. For example, “The television commentator was quite sesquipedalian,” can be stated more simply as “The television commentator had a fondness for using big words.” Forcing your audience to look up definitions for your terms will not enhance your argument.
• Read your work aloud. This may feel awkward at first, but it is a very effective method of initial proofreading that any writer can use to identify problems in their text. After staring at your paper for several hours, it becomes easy to miss obvious errors in grammar, spelling, terminology, etc. Take a break, come backto your writing at a later time, and read it aloud – slowly.
• Have someone proofread your work. This is the easiest and most neglected source of free editing to which all students have at least some access. Some students are too shy or embarrassed to let others read their work – don’t let that get in your way! Approach someone you trust, whom you feel writes and speaks well, and ask them read your work with a pencil in hand. Be proud of your work and have confidence in your ability to improve your writing with practice and with time. Most people would be flattered that you asked, and will undoubtedly be interested in what you have written. Working at writing well should not be a solo endeavor – but likewise you should not depend exclusively on the help of others.

Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Avoid excessively wordy sentences. Keep your statements direct and to the point, not weighted down with unnecessary or repetitious commentary. Redundant vocabulary, such as “eventual subsequent consequences,” and “the need for this essential necessity” will sound very awkward. There is always a temptation to try to sound authoritative, like the narrator of a documentary film, but overly dramatic language will only degrade the effectiveness of your argument. Keep it simple, and your audience will have an easier time grasping your point.
• Avoid sweeping generalizations. Your argument will sound less convincing if you resort to broad or obvious assertions, such as “Wars have been fought by tribes and nations since the dawn of mankind” or “Throughout history, humanity has been faced by countless natural disasters.” Statements such as these are terribly obvious and tedious for the reader.
• Don’t let the dictionary define your terms. Avoid beginning your essay with a quotation or a dictionary definition, such as “The Gage Canadian dictionary defines ‘communism’ as…” This is a tired, cliché manner in which to begin a paper. Dictionary definitions are frequently irrelevant because the sense of a word may have changed dramatically over time. In fact, the way in which a word or concept has changed might even be the chief point of a research paper.
• Don’t editorialize. Keep your argument focused on the sources, and incorporate them to support your case. Although your topic may be dramatic or controversial, avoid including your own personal opinion. Statements like “the government’s decision was idiotic,” or “hers was the greatest victory ever” reflect the author’s own opinion, and that is not the object of an essay. The reader wants to be convinced of the merits of your case based upon the evidence you have collected, and does not want to hear your personal opinion on the subject.
• Don’t self-reference. Avoid identifying yourself within the text of your paper with the terms “I” or “me” or “my.” When necessary, it is preferable to refer to “this paper” or sometimes to “this author,” in the event you are referring directly to your own argument. For example “This paper argues that…” or “In an interview with the author, Mrs. Jones said…” Again, this technique will distance you and your personal opinion from the argument and the evidence, which are working together to convince the audience of your thesis – not of the validity of your own opinions. This adds a degree of objectivity to your analysis.
• Avoid using the passive voice. The use of the passive voice in writing is usually associated with a weak argument that cannot name or identify its agents. If the reader needs to ask “to whom are you referring here?” then it is likely you are using the passive voice. An active construction would read “The government took several steps to address the problem,” but a passive construction would read “Several steps were taken to address the problem.” What happened to the government? What agent or actor undertook the action here? Similarly, “several expeditions were launched” or “a new project was undertaken,” both employ the passive voice. Be explicit when making statements such as these, and don’t leave the audience to guess or assume the identity of the agent performing the action.
• Avoid colloquial language and slang phrases. This type of writing is not appropriate in a research paper or essay, and its use should be avoided. Phrases like “airy-fairy” and “hothead countries” are not clear or objective. Choose your words carefully, for they can be very powerful tools. The use of language that is too familiar can dilute the strength of your argument. Similarly, if an author “gushes” or sounds overly passionate about a particular subject, the audience may become suspicious.
• Avoid using mixed metaphors. Be careful not to mix metaphors when describing something. To say that “the army tore down the fortress walls like a tornado and flooded in through the gates” is a mixed metaphor because the concepts of ‘tornado’ and ‘flood’ do not match