You're worried that your paper isn't long enough, and you understand that adding padding won't help, but you're not sure how to add creditable material. Here are some tips:
1. Define your terms. Take each of the important words you use, and add text (not from a dictionary) where you say in your own words exactly what you mean by that word. This will help demonstrate understanding, or at least help illuminate you thinking process. At least, it isn't fluff.
2. Support your assumptions. If you make any significant claims in support of your thesis, check to see if you have supported this claim with an argument. If you haven't, think about whether or not people who disagree with your thesis are likely to agree with this claim you make in support of your thesis. If even one person who disagrees with your thesis is at all likely to disagree with this supporting claim as well, you really should explain in detail why you think this supporting claim is true. (If you don't have a reason for thinking this claim is true, your thesis is probably wrong, and you should tear up you present paper and start again.)
3. Clarify your claims. Look at each one of your important claims and ideas, and think about how someone might misunderstand that claim. If you have a claim that could be misunderstood, take the time to explain what it is that you are not saying. ("I'm not saying that . . . .")
4. Illustrate your claims. If you make a controversial or otherwise important claim about the world, you should illustrate that claim by giving a clear and unambiguous example of what you are talking about. If that doesn't make your claim absolutely clear, or if you feel like it, give a second example. And then, just to make things even more clear, give examples of what you're not talking about as well.
5.Discuss your discarded ideas. Was there something you thought of while you were studying this issue that you decided not to include in your paper because it was wrong or irrelvant? Actually, you can discuss this idea in your paper! Put in a paragraph (starting with something like "at one time I thought . . . ") where you fully describe and illustrate this idea, and then explain why you discarded it when you were thinking about this topic.
In general, you expand your paper by adding and expanding on relevant ideas and related thoughts. You don't expand your paper by repetition, digression, speculation or any other form of padding. Off-topic and unnecessary verbiage adds nothing to your grade.This Site is Proudly Hosted By:
