<p>As a Philosophy major, I’ll vouch for the PDF shared by Devilsrule. It addressed everything that came immediately to my mind (and a lot more). The advice seemed strong through the end of page 3, or #23-ish. After that, it’s still good, but a bit pickier and/or specific to that course/professor.</p>
<p>Just to reiterate one point from the PDF guide: it really is okay (and good) to state your intentions! Students are generally taught that “In this paper, I will show X by Y, and then I will blah blah blah” is a horrible jumping off point, but it’s basically expected in philosophical writing. Philosophical arguments can become quite complex, so such “signposts” are helpful to your readers. Note that this “statement of intent” is (probably) not your thesis.</p>
<p>I also want to echo a previous poster: outline, outline, outline! I would always start with my thesis and build from there in whatever order the ideas came to me. I’d try to sort out the main ideas of my body paragraphs first, and then I’d add in rough descriptions of my arguments. Finally, I’d go through my sources and find the quotes I wanted to use and I’d stick them in the appropriate places. At the end of this process, I could put the random stacks of notes and books away and work directly from my printed off outline. No clutter. I’d also highlight the outline as I typed quotes and ideas into the paper so that I knew I had covered everything. I’d often spend only a tiny fraction of my time and effort on the paper itself…most of my energy went into the outline. Of course, this was only my process, but I suggest finding something that works for you and will keep you similarly well-organized.</p>
<p>Finally, above all, if you’re unhappy with the grade from your first paper, talk to your professor. Make sure you understand what you need to improve. Try to write your next paper ahead of time and bring a rough draft in. If you don’t have the time to do that or your professor won’t let you, then go in with your ideas…make sure that your topic is okay and that you’re understanding the arguments properly. Some students think that philosophy is kind of an intellectual free-for-all, all about opinions and personal perspectives, so they take big risks with their interpretations. While this can be admirable and effective, it can also be dangerous. Don’t be surprised if a professor tells you flat out “No. Sorry. That’s just plain wrong. The argument doesn’t imply that.” For this reason, I generally think it’s good (especially if you’re unsure of yourself) to run your ideas by the professor before running too far with them.</p>
<p>Good luck the next tme around! The good news is that once you get the hang of writing philosophy papers, they’re relatively fun to write. You get to throw a lot of seemingly meaningless conventions to the wind :)</p>