The philosophers we are reading may occasionally sound bizarre, but we should be so lucky as to know a tenth of what they did. Do not make them sound like half-wits in your restatement of their views. If you wish to attribute a position to one of the philosophers we have discussed, take care to check that they held the view you are attributing to them. On controversial points you should cite textual evidence, eg., by quotation, or by giving the page numbers of relevant texts in parentheses. It is imperative that you indicate when you are quoting or paraphrasing an author, and when you do you must cite references to the page numbers.
Quotes can be helpful, but please keep quotation to a minimum.
The paper should be by and large in your own words. You do not need to consult additional secondary sources. If you do, this must be acknowledged in the paper. Read over your paper after you have written it. Make sure you addressed the topic.