Paper Preparation: Abstract, Outline, Drafts

The purpose of paper preparation assignments is to help you build your final paper in manageable stages. Each step has its own deadline so you stay on track and receive feedback along the way.

• Abstract: 200–400 words summarizing your paper’s main question, scope, and key ideas.
• Outline: A bullet-point structure of your paper, listing the title of each section. The introduction must be the first section. Optional: a 50-100 words summary of the content of each section.
• Drafts: Short drafts of increasing length (500, 750, 1000, 1500 words). These do not need to be polished—what matters is that you are developing your ideas and giving yourself material to revise.

Paper preparation is graded for timely and thoughtful completion, not polish. That means you won’t lose points for rough writing or unfinished sections, as long as you make a genuine attempt to develop your paper. The feedback you receive will help you strengthen the final version, which is graded with the paper rubric.

Remember to follow the course AI policy and acknowledge any AI use.

Think of these steps as deadlines for yourself: by spreading the work out, you will write a stronger paper and avoid last-minute stress.