Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers Soraj Hongladarom A lways state what you intend to do with the paper. A paper in philosophy typically argues for some position. So it is best to state what you are going to do with the paper. If you are going to provide your own view on some topic, put it as clearly as you can at the introduction of the paper.
Some writers prefer to postpone putting their main thesis until the very end of the paper.
While this may be stylistically interesting, it does little to clarify what the paper is going to do. Unless the writer presents his case so clearly that the main thesis shines through without having to state it clearly in the introduction, it will not help your presentation to put off saying in plain terms what your paper is going to argue for. A real philosophy paper, it should be emphasized, is not the same as a typical research paper where the researcher reports his or her findings on an issue or topic. For example, in some other disciplines, such as education or sociology, it might be acceptable to present a research report of one s own findings one has collected through such techniques as questionnaire or interview. It is the nature of philosophy to be free floating, meaning that the range of possible topics for philosophical discussion is virtually limitless.