Writing a Paper for Me

In general, papers should be as long as they need to be in order to cover the topic. Most students, however, think that is no help at all, and I entirely understand that. Certainly, when I start writing a paper to give at a conference, I seriously need to know that it's expected to be 20 minutes long. When I propose and write a paper for a journal, I need to know if the journal habitually publishes short articles about 5 pages long, or more exhaustive studies in the 30 page range.

Most research papers in my courses are in the 8-15 page range, though actual assignments may vary widely. Always read the assignment very carefully.

Think in terms of what you need to say to appropriately cover your topic without getting bogged down. For example, an item in an annotated bibliography or literature review needs to analyze the following things about an article or book:
- What is the topic?
- Who is its target audience?
- How well does the piece achieve its goals?
- Is the article taking issue with another article, so that you really need to read THAT piece to understand the issues involved.
- Is the piece well written, designed, etc., so as to be an approachable, enjoyable read? (Remember that an article can be a pain to read because it's too difficult for you, or it can be badly written, and you need to figure out which it is.)
- To what degree is it still pertinent?
- What do we know about the author and/or venue?
  - What is the scope and of the periodical or publishing company?
  - Is the book part of a series, etc.?
- Would you recommend the piece, and, if so, to what audience?
If you have a plan for layout and design, then half your battle is done. Pay attention to the way effective articles are written in a particular field. That way, you can template that part and focus on content. If you know, for instance, that an article needs an abstract, problem statement, literature review, research plan or methodology, findings, conclusion, bibliography, and appendices as needed, you can work from there.
As a kindness, professors may give you a general page length. It is always wise to ask whether that means a page minimum, maximum, or precisely that many pages. In general, significantly fewer pages usually means to professors that you did a hasty job with too little research. You may want to ask someone else to read a draft to see what issues need more coverage, but remember that your reader may have a very different level of expertise. So, it is wise to establish just who your purported audience is.

2002; Last revised July 14, 2008
Dr. Bonnie Duncan
bduncan@millersville.edu
1-717-871-2080
English Department
Millersville University
Millersville, PA 17551

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