Writing philosophy papers

Philosophy papers are argumentative essays, and for that reason philosophy papers follow a different kind of format than other forms of writing. The guidelines given here should be helpful no matter whether you're writing a one-page philosophy paper, a three-page paper, a ten-page paper, or even a fifty-page paper or longer.

My own pages on essay writing are as follows, and other links are provided in the table below.

• General guidelines for writing philosophy papers
• A checklist to follow when writing and revising an argumentative essay
• Proofreading
• Things to do your best to avoid
• Plagiarism and how to avoid it

External links on essay writing

• Guidelines for writing philosophy papers (Jim Pryor, Princeton University)
• A guide to writing philosophy essays (Colin Allen, Univ. of Indiana)
• Tips on writing a philosophy paper (pdf file) (Douglas Portmore, Arizona State Univ.)
• Guide to writing a philosophy essay (Ronald de Sousa, Univ. of Toronto)
• A Guide to Undergraduate Philosophical Writing (Martin Young, UC Irvine)
• Writing Philosophy Papers: A Student Guide (pdf file) (Oregon State Univ.)

Citations and plagiarism

• CCU Student Code of Conduct (pdf file)
• How not to plagiarize (Univ. of Toronto)
• Standard documentation/citation formats (Univ. of Toronto)
• Guide to MLA citations for internet sources (Bedford/St. Martins)

External links on grammar and mechanics

• OWL Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling (with exercises) (Purdue University)
• Tina Blue's pages on grammar and mechanics
• Big Dog's Grammar: A Bare Bones Guide to English
• The Grammar Gym (Virginia Tech. Dept. of English)
• Michael Harvey's The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
• Paul Brians' Common Errors in English Usage
• SAGP—The Self-Appointed Grammar Police (both amusing and helpful)
• Coastal Carolina University Writing Center (and their student resources)

Dennis Earl (email: dearl@coastal.edu)

Department of Philosophy and Religion

Coastal Carolina University

P.O. Box 261954

Conway, SC 29528-6054

Last Modified January 4, 2008

Go to: Dennis' Main Page | CCU Dept. of Philosophy | CCU Main Page