This looks like a great collection – thanks! – Much of my blog is devoted to different stages writing. So try to browse it using the tag “writing”. – Assuming that one of the crucial problems in writing is cutting the paper topic down to size, this post might make for a good start: https://handlingideas.blog/2018/09/02/how-do-you-turn-a-half-baked-idea-into-a-paper/

This Prezi by Angela Mendelovici is helpful.
https://prezi.com/m/z4h1_fwilbxj/a-sample-philosophy-paper/

The best (and best illustrated) guide is surely the Pink Guide by my colleague Helena de Bres. I am not biased at all.

https://sites.google.com/a/wellesley.edu/pinkguidetophilosophy/

I wrote the following in response to a ‘Writing Center’ request as to what might mark differences between philosophical writing and that for other disciplines.

“What distinguishes philosophical writing from other forms of academic writing?”

I think there is probably greater emphasis on argumentation than in some other disciplines; an insight or clever idea is great, but it must be adequately supported. Clarity and precision in writing are also very important, since any looseness or ambiguity can undermine or obscure the meaning of a claim. I certainly think we prefer more spare prose than is desirable in some other disciplines. Along the same lines, we prefer that students skip grand historical or literary introductions (“Plato was one of the most famous Greek philosophers and everyone should read his works.”) This sort of comment is not likely to be relevant to the analysis of ideas or theories.

“What are the characteristics of a good philosophy paper?”
1. Clear thesis.
2. Persuasive, logically coherent argument in support of the thesis.
3. Organization that moves the argument forward and does not distract the reader.
4. Clarity, clarity, clarity.
5. Honest consideration of opposing views or counterarguments.
6. Stick to what is relevant/abjure irrelevancy.

“What are the most common mistakes you encounter in students’ papers?”

Aside from poor writing in a general sense, lack of clarity and precision are frequent problems; poor argumentation [or none], poor organization, and weak conclusions (“But, that’s just my opinion.”) are also common problems. I also find that some students try too hard to be impressive; in such cases, the result is often verbosity and convoluted sentences that obscure the meaning of the claims.

“Other concerns/matters?”

One pet peeve of mine is the use of ‘feel’ in place of ‘think,’ as in “I feel this position is …”

I often find that students cannot distinguish between what is relevant to their thesis and what is not. Here, I am thinking not so much of the historical/literary commentary, but of the inclusion of everything the student knows about the thinker or issue in question.

Of course, all of this presumes that the student understands the materials and issues. 

“Is there any other information about philosophical writing that would be important for writing tutors to know?”

Students need to accept, if not understand, our emphasis on primary texts and the importance of engaging those texts in their written work. This seems to be very difficult for us to communicate to students. (This might be the result of the reliance on textbooks in high schools or in other disciplines; that is one explanation we have discussed.)

The Pink Guide To Philosophy (from Helena de Bres) has a section on ‘How to Write’ that belongs here too.

https://sites.google.com/a/wellesley.edu/pinkguidetophilosophy/how-to-write-1