Please write 2048 to 4096 words. That is roughly four to eight pages of text. When figures are added, the length of your chapter in our book will be greater. You can check the length of your document by typing "wc paper.tex" in a terminal window. The word count (wc) program will show you the number of lines, number of words, and number of characters in your document.

If you write less than four pages, you will have done too little. If you write more than eight pages, you will probably have invested your energy in the wrong places.

Divide your exposition into sections. If you wish, you may also divide sections into subsections.

Include figures. I suggest that aim for three to six figures. Some figures will include maps that you have composed. Other figures might include graphs, tables, or photographs.

Please cite your sources. You might also want to include lists, equations, or block quotations within your text. I can show you how to include links to on-line sources. 

Respect copyrights. If you are unsure about permissions to include something in your paper, please talk to a librarian. Amy Gullen is the consulting librarian for the sciences. Other librarians can also help you.

Last modified: Thursday, November 6, 2014, 1:30 PM