Final Paper Guidelines
Course: Introduction to National Security NSEC-1100--01-F18
Topic: Please provide an intelligence assessment on a contemporary national security threat. Make sure to explain why your topic constitutes a threat to national security.
• Your paper must contain an argument.
• Your paper must include a bottom line up front (BLUF). This is your thesis statement. Your paper will defend your BLUF with evidence and concrete examples.
Length: 3 pages, double spaced (also please include a title page and reference page)
Format: APA
Sources: At least 3 sources. Use primary sources when possible.
Important Things to Consider
• Clarity: Is your paper easily understood? Would it make sense to a policy-maker who has little to no prior knowledge about your topic? Avoid esoteric jargon and overly "academic" language.
• Concise: Have you minimized unneeded verbiage from your sentences? Your writing should be both clear and to the point. Do not bog the reader down with superfluous detail.
• Correctness: Includes both precision and mechanical correctness.
o Precision: Accuracy and exactness. Avoid words like "large", "bad", etc.
Be specific with what you are trying to say.
o Mechanical correctness: Proofread your work and spellcheck.
Intelligence writing that is poorly written will not likely be read or taken seriously. Consequently, your analysis will generate little to no value.
• Completeness: Make sure you cover all your key points. Do not leave anything unsaid that you wish to say.
• Coherence: Your paper is a unified whole. There should be a central theme.
Is there logical continuity between your paragraphs? Are your different sentences competing for attention, or do they flow together?
Topic sentences should introduce the entire paragraph. Also, make sure to introduce your strongest evidence first, and your second strongest should follow, etc.