– The paper should begin with a statement on the topic to be discussed including
the relevance of your topic to this class.
– It should include an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
• Excessive inclusion of pre-written material, graphs and /or pictures may reduce
your grade.
• Do not use names of individuals or organizations in the paper.
• Papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism, and those found to be
plagiarized will be given a grade of zero.
Some Guidelines on Writing a Short Paper
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The Introduction
Provide an introduction on the topic that you are going to expound on. Generate
a vivid picture of your topic so that someone reading your paper will fully
understand what you are writing on. Select a topic you fully understand and have
some personal experience with, and not a just a topic selected at random. Before
you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary research and make sure you’ll have
all the information you need to write your paper and make it as interesting as
possible. This paper should demonstrate your knowledge of the subject. If
possible, include your own real-life examples which will further help to explain
your understanding of the topic.
Its Length
• How long should your short paper be?
• What is the Ideal Length?
• Can you go over/under the required word count?
It’s important to adhere to the word limits required. If you write too little, it might
appear that you’re careless or unconcerned with the school’s requirements. On the
other hand, overwriting can suggest that you can’t follow instructions, or can’t
write concisely.
Structure
-(1) Intoduction
-(1-2) Body paragraphs
-(1)Conclusion
For best results, keep your short papers within the word range provided. While you
don’t have to hit the count exactly, you should aim to stay within a 10% difference
of the upper limit, without including “fluff” or “filler content.” Any shorter than the
count will simply look like you didn’t care enough, and it won’t be long enough to
explain your topic,
The Sources Used
– Any online source
– At the end of your paper, you should cite any sources that were used if any.
