File created: 2026-04-04
Walton’s Counsels
PREPARATION
- Start with a research question: what do you want to know about your chosen topic or primary source? (Do not start with a ready-made thesis—this is like framing someone for a crime!).
- Gather materials. Consider starting with more general sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks) before moving to more in-depth sources (such as book-length studies and specialized journal articles). The Kelly Library Research Guides are a great resources, as are the Oxford Bibliographies Online.
- Go to the library and browse the relevant shelves.
- Formulate and test hypotheses, identify gaps in your research, gather more evidence.
- Note the evidence that supports your hypothesis. Note any evidence that does not seem to fit—and use it to make your argument stronger or more nuanced.
- Take and keep accurate notes—this will save you time (and reduce the risk of an academic offence).
- Eventually, you will be able to formulate a refined, clear thesis statement; this is the argument you will present in your essay. (See Note about Thesis Statements, below.)
- Select and organize the evidence you will use to prove your thesis/construct your argument.
- Now you can begin writing your essay.
WRITING
- Use the introduction to draw your reader in; provide them with clear expectations about what you will argue and how you will go about it.
- Be interested and you’ll be interesting. Please do not start with a vague cosmic statement (“Since the dawn of time, the sound of music has been heard in every culture, on every occasion, both solemn and intimate…”).
- Use as many paragraphs as you need.
- You may use “I”—but this is not permission to give unsubstantiated opinions in place of arguments and evidence.
- Provide description where this is necessary to support your thesis, but make sure to concentrate on analysis and argument over description and narrative.
- Provide signposts throughout to guide your reader. Don’t be afraid to state the obvious—it’s only obvious to you. Your reader is new to your argument and needs to be guided carefully through it.
- Do not write for an audience of profs! Imagine one or two of your peers reading your paper: will they be able to understand all the technical terms? Will they be able to follow your argument?
- Avoid “overwriting” or using flowery or pretentious language. It is a myth that academic writing is supposed to be dense and difficult. Often, a simple word will do the job best of all. Aim for clear and uncluttered sentences.
- Avoid writing that might sound like advertising copy, or an uncritical fan-statement.
- Avoid generalizations—back up the claims you make with evidence or examples.
- Use the conclusion to wrap up your argument. Avoid a mechanical restatement of your introduction—not only is this really boring, it fails to take account of the journey you have taken your reader on since the paper began.
- Finally, revise your introduction. Make sure it introduces what follows—accurately and elegantly.
EDITING
- Always allow time to revise/rewrite your paper.
- Read your paper out loud—Does it flow? Does it make sense? Are there any sudden jumps? (If you struggle to read it, your reader will struggle too, for sure.)
- Check that each main claim is backed up with appropriate evidence.
- Leave plenty of time for proofreading the whole paper. It’s virtually impossible to proofread on screen—print it out, read it aloud. Check that the footnotes and bibliography are correctly formatted.
Note about Thesis Statements
Your thesis statement will be something you will argue and try to prove. That means that it is more than an opinion, or an exploration of a topic: you are setting out to make a case, to persuade your reader that something is true.
- This is not a thesis: “In this paper I will explore Plato’s really game-changing ideas about music and virtue.”
- This is getting better but is still a bit woolly: “In this paper I will argue/prove/demonstrate that Plato saw a definite link between music and the formation of the virtuous person.”
- This is a thesis: “In this paper I will argue that, in Plato’s view, good music forms in the attentive listener a virtuous and well-ordered emotional character (and bad music does the opposite).” This thesis makes a clear claim and implies that evidence will be provided to back it up. It also implies that you will deal with those who disagree with your thesis and that you will say why you think your thesis holds up.
A thesis is something that someone else could argue against; a good thesis should be able to generate a lively argument among interested parties.