MIT OpenCourseWarehttp://ocw.mit.edu 24.06J / STS.006J Bioethics Spring 2009 For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms.Instructions for the Rewrite of Paper 2 Rewriting a paper, as part of the CI requirement, can be an enormously valuable exercise, but only if you invest the time needed to make it worthwhile. What is a rewrite? When we say rewrite, we mean exactly that. Do not simply revise your existing document. Instead, start from scratch, with a blank document, and do not cut or paste anything. Even if you want to use a similar sentence or paragraph, having to retype the material leads to better prose. However, similar sentences and paragraphs should be rare: since you have as much time to work on the rewrite as you did on the original paper, the rewrite should be fundamentally different and improved. How to make it better? Look again at the original assignment, and how you answered it. Look at the comments from your TA and then speak with your TA about them. Brainstorm more about the topic in light of new material that has been presented in the course. Revisit the readings. Once you have done this, create a new and improved answer to the assignment: reconceived, restructured, making new and better arguments, with more complete and relevant data. Any paper, no matter how good initially, can be improved dramatically with enough thought and effort. Grading: The rewrite does not replace an existing grade, instead it is an independent grade. The initial submission and the rewrite are each worth 10% of your final grade. The standards are much higher for the rewrite than for the original paper. If you make only superficial revisions (e.g. fixing typos, adding occasional sentences in response to TA’s comments), your grade will drop. If you dutifully respond to most comments, but show no initiative, your grade will likely stay the same. To get a better grade, you must use the feedback and time to produce something really better. Mechanics: Everyone must meet one-on-one with their TA to make sure that expectations are clear and that you have a viable plan. Make good use of Tom Delaney and the MIT Writing Center to produce the best possible paper. You all need to improve the “production values” of your work: edit carefully, use citations correctly, etc. Anything else is unacceptable. *** Submit the original, commented paper with your rewritten submission