One of our faculties at Yale and passed this on to us and I thought it will be great to share it here!
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How to write a good research paper?
Argument: What is it that you want to say in the essay? how does it differ from existing literature? why is your topic important? Make sure you state your argument clearly. The more original, the better.
Contents: wealth of sources, both primary and secondary, coherently chosen; all the sources are relevant to the topic
Structure: a good paper is well organized; it is a good idea to present your argument in the introduction, to articulate it in the main body (which can be divided into sections), to re-examine it in the conclusion. A well written, strong conclusion is crucial to a good paper. The sequencing of sentences should be logical, so that your reader is able to easily follow your argument. Your paper must have a bibliography at the end.
Resources: use more than just primary sources, include works from the syllabus or from other courses if relevant, write a good bibliography divided between primary and secondary sources. A good paper shows command of relevant secondary literature.
Style: clear points, elegantly made. Vivid vocabulary, structure of sentences varies. Never use jargon (unless relevant) or colloquial sentences. Quotations are clearly identified by indenting if longer than three lines or in inverted comas if within the text. Your paper should be a pleasure to read. Follow the Chicago Manual of Style for footnotes and Bibliography.
Orthography: very few, ideally no typos or mechanical errors. Don't rush! Read your paper carefully before sending it, ideally a few days after you've finished it.
Title: a well-chosen title is a good starting point. It should briefly introduce your paper, if it is witty, and your paper is good, it is a plus.
Length: Stay within the word limit, you don't need more words to write a good paper.
Images: If you use images, make sure to include captions where you explain briefly what they are and where they come from. Images are documents just like texts and need to be referenced.
Presentation: a good looking paper is NOT necessarily a good paper, but it is a plus if a good paper looks good!
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How to write a good research paper?
Argument: What is it that you want to say in the essay? how does it differ from existing literature? why is your topic important? Make sure you state your argument clearly. The more original, the better.
Contents: wealth of sources, both primary and secondary, coherently chosen; all the sources are relevant to the topic
Structure: a good paper is well organized; it is a good idea to present your argument in the introduction, to articulate it in the main body (which can be divided into sections), to re-examine it in the conclusion. A well written, strong conclusion is crucial to a good paper. The sequencing of sentences should be logical, so that your reader is able to easily follow your argument. Your paper must have a bibliography at the end.
Resources: use more than just primary sources, include works from the syllabus or from other courses if relevant, write a good bibliography divided between primary and secondary sources. A good paper shows command of relevant secondary literature.
Style: clear points, elegantly made. Vivid vocabulary, structure of sentences varies. Never use jargon (unless relevant) or colloquial sentences. Quotations are clearly identified by indenting if longer than three lines or in inverted comas if within the text. Your paper should be a pleasure to read. Follow the Chicago Manual of Style for footnotes and Bibliography.
Orthography: very few, ideally no typos or mechanical errors. Don't rush! Read your paper carefully before sending it, ideally a few days after you've finished it.
Title: a well-chosen title is a good starting point. It should briefly introduce your paper, if it is witty, and your paper is good, it is a plus.
Length: Stay within the word limit, you don't need more words to write a good paper.
Images: If you use images, make sure to include captions where you explain briefly what they are and where they come from. Images are documents just like texts and need to be referenced.
Presentation: a good looking paper is NOT necessarily a good paper, but it is a plus if a good paper looks good!
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