12 point font
– Double spaced
– Citations formatted in Chicago Manual style
– We will not require the complete set of Chicago Manual style formatting guidelines be followed,
but citations must be formatted in that style
– Direct quotations (and only direct quotations) must be inside quotation marks, and must always
be accompanied by a page number
– You do not need to include a title page. You can if you wish, it won’t affect your mark either way
– The abstract is separated from the title above and body of the paper below by a few lines, and is
headed by the centred and bolded word ‘abstract’, like so:
– Use of subheadings to mark out the sections of your paper is recommended but not strictly
required. Subheadings demonstrate to the reader that there is an overall structure to your
paper, and helps them see where they are in that structure
– Double spaced
– Citations formatted in Chicago Manual style
– We will not require the complete set of Chicago Manual style formatting guidelines be followed,
but citations must be formatted in that style
– Direct quotations (and only direct quotations) must be inside quotation marks, and must always
be accompanied by a page number
– You do not need to include a title page. You can if you wish, it won’t affect your mark either way
– The abstract is separated from the title above and body of the paper below by a few lines, and is
headed by the centred and bolded word ‘abstract’, like so:
– Use of subheadings to mark out the sections of your paper is recommended but not strictly
required. Subheadings demonstrate to the reader that there is an overall structure to your
paper, and helps them see where they are in that structure
– See the Lewens reading for a nice example of the effective use of subheadings, where he
separates the paper into sections like “1 Improving Unicorns?” about whether human nature
exists, “2 The Biological Consensus” where he discusses the opinions of biologists about human
nature, and “3 Permissive natures” where he discusses a broader notion of human nature that
escapes the criticisms in section 2
– Note that using subheadings does not mean that the careful use of paragraphs can be ignored
– Use of first person pronouns is fine
– The minimum number of scholarly citations is 5, and somewhere between 5 and 10 is a good
range
– More than 10 is allowed, but jam-packing your essay with superfluous citations that aren’t
discussed deeply does not add to its quality
– The body of the essay (which does not include the bibliography) should be 2000 words or more.
escapes the criticisms in section 2
– Note that using subheadings does not mean that the careful use of paragraphs can be ignored
– Use of first person pronouns is fine
– The minimum number of scholarly citations is 5, and somewhere between 5 and 10 is a good
range
– More than 10 is allowed, but jam-packing your essay with superfluous citations that aren’t
discussed deeply does not add to its quality
– The body of the essay (which does not include the bibliography) should be 2000 words or more.
Essay Rubric
Thesis
– Does the essay have a clearly stated thesis?
– Is the thesis challenging (something not everyone would agree with)?
– Is the thesis stated in the abstract and introduction?
– Does the essay generally stay on the topic of the thesis?
Exegesis
– Does the essay lay out a discussion in the scholarly literature?
– Does it clearly present important issues and ideas in that discussion?
– Are some of the reasons why various participants hold their views explained?
– Is the exegesis relevant to the thesis?
– Are proper scholarly sources provided for the exegesis?
Argument
– Does the essay present an argument for the thesis being defended?
– Is the argument based on plausible premises?
– Are the inferences in the argument strong?
– Is the argument novel, in the sense that it is not just a presentation of the views of other
people?
Writing
– Is the spelling and grammar in the essay good?
– Are paragraphs used when appropriate, and do they stay on topic?
– Does the essay have a structure which makes sense, or does it seem to jump randomly from
topic to topic?
– Is the writing concise, or does it appear that there is significant repetition, irrelevant asides, or
other ‘fluff’?
– Does the essay conform to the basic formatting requirements (e.g., being between 2000 and
2500 words excluding bibliography)?
– Are quotations used sparingly, and explained when used? Or are long block quotes used, with
little evidence that the student understands the content?
Thesis
– Does the essay have a clearly stated thesis?
– Is the thesis challenging (something not everyone would agree with)?
– Is the thesis stated in the abstract and introduction?
– Does the essay generally stay on the topic of the thesis?
Exegesis
– Does the essay lay out a discussion in the scholarly literature?
– Does it clearly present important issues and ideas in that discussion?
– Are some of the reasons why various participants hold their views explained?
– Is the exegesis relevant to the thesis?
– Are proper scholarly sources provided for the exegesis?
Argument
– Does the essay present an argument for the thesis being defended?
– Is the argument based on plausible premises?
– Are the inferences in the argument strong?
– Is the argument novel, in the sense that it is not just a presentation of the views of other
people?
Writing
– Is the spelling and grammar in the essay good?
– Are paragraphs used when appropriate, and do they stay on topic?
– Does the essay have a structure which makes sense, or does it seem to jump randomly from
topic to topic?
– Is the writing concise, or does it appear that there is significant repetition, irrelevant asides, or
other ‘fluff’?
– Does the essay conform to the basic formatting requirements (e.g., being between 2000 and
2500 words excluding bibliography)?
– Are quotations used sparingly, and explained when used? Or are long block quotes used, with
little evidence that the student understands the content?