1. Central Question. Make sure you have a central question. Some of you have a central question already with your first draft, but most of you will continue to develop your central question as you work on your second draft. Make sure that what you claim you are going to talk about in paragraph one is, indeed, the question you answer in the rest of the paper.

2. Answer your question through specific factors, either empirical or through arguments in the literature. Make sure you have a clearly framed central question that is interesting and important to ask. In your first paragraph, you will give a couple sentences of introduction to tell the reader why your question is important. Then state your question, followed by a short-hand list of the factors you will use to answer your central question

3. How To Classify.  Use the following method if you need to organize your factors or answers (especially in terms of literature, but it will also work for empirical factors).  On a 3x5 card, write the name of one scholar (make one card for each scholar). In very concise terms (two or three words per line), list the two or three central ways that that scholar answers your question. (You are not looking, in this case, for the scholar’s central argument. You are looking for how s/he answers your question). Your card might look like this:

Put all of your cards on a table. Look at the answers. See what patterns of answers you see across the scholars.  If you are working with empirical factors, make a card for each factor that you find.  When you look at all your cards together, see what patterns arise between factors -- are there groups of factors that would work under one larger (abstract) heading (like "institutional," "economic," etc.)?
 

4. Paragraph One. Paragraph one should set out the following in very brief and concise terms:

(A) The first two or three sentences should dramatize some strange situation or paradox that leads to your question. Contrasting the way it was with the way it is now is one good way to do this. Or, you could contrast what we should expect from readings with what actually happened. Use very concrete terms: no generalizations.
(B) After your brief dramatization of your question, you should then ask your question, preferably in one sentence.
(C) The next sentence or two should outline exactly how you will answer the question. For this paper, that means specifying the factors you will use to answer your question, or, if you are answering a question from the literature: "Scholars have offered three main answers to this question: (a)…; (b)…; (c)…."
The rest of the paper should include a section for each of (a), (b), and (c). Use sub-headings to make it clear to the reader at all times where s/he is in your argument. Make sure it is clear in each section and each paragraph that the material you are presenting is answering your question.

Sentence Structure.
Write in short, concise sentences that include one subject only. If you find yourself writing long sentences, break them into two or three sentences with one coherent idea in each. Your sentences should be simple, direct, and to the point.

Grammar and Punctuation.
Be careful of grammar and punctuation. Study the rules of commas in particular, as that is a common problem for almost all writers in English. Look at Elements of Style as your guide. Also pay attention to the rules of complete and incomplete sentences.

Clarity and Focus.
Make sure each sentence has one idea. Short and sweet is always your best bet for this kind of paper. A long, complicated sentence is not apt to be clear to your reader. Always write with the idea of making it easy for your reader to understand your point. As a general rule, make sure each sentence has only one point. When you have a complicated analytical argument, short, clear sentences should be used to make each idea within the argument fall into place for the reader. You should strive to make it so the reader only has to read your paragraph once to see how your argument or point fits together.

Connection to Central Question.
It should be clear at any given moment in your paper how that sentence/paragraph/section relates back to your central question and the factors you are using to answer it.  Use the format of one section per factor to help you make that clear.  Also, keep it at the front of your mind as you write and re-write: "is it clear how this sentence/paragraph/section relates to answering my question?"