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Essay word counts - limit or target?

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  • 19-10-2008 11:35am
    #1
    samsamson
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭


    Are the word counts for essays a limit or a target?

    I've got a 1500 word essay due and after 1200 words it's complete. I'll just be blabbering on trying to fill up the remaining 300 words. I don't really want to dilute the argument by rephrasing sentences to make them longer just for the sake of getting a higher word count in MS word.


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    #2
    Stepherunie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,158 ✭✭✭Stepherunie


    Depends on the lecturer tbh.

    Some will set it as a very strict limit and others will just say 'around 1500 words'


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    #3
    eclectichoney
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,291 ✭✭✭eclectichoney


    +1 depends on the lecturer - though usually +/- 10% is pretty acceptable.


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    #4
    Tom65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,685 ✭✭✭Tom65


    eclectichoney wrote: »
    +1 depends on the lecturer - though usually +/- 10% is pretty acceptable.

    Yeah, I've always been told that plus or minus 10% is the rule (at least in the history, politics and philosophy departments).


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    #5
    gerry87
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭gerry87


    My final year project was supposed to be 7000 words, i handed in 2500, no problems. If you really have to, change the font size on all the full stops and commas, that will bulk it up
    K


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    #6
    samsamson
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭samsamson


    Alright I handed it in at 1350 words, should be okay. Thanks guys


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    #7
    simonrooneyzaga
    Registered Users Posts: 1,001 ✭✭✭simonrooneyzaga


    gerry87 wrote: »
    My final year project was supposed to be 7000 words, i handed in 2500, no problems. If you really have to, change the font size on all the full stops and commas, that will bulk it up
    K

    What course do you do! 35% of the amount it was supposed to be! How can there be no problems with that..


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    #8
    gerry87
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭gerry87


    simonrooneyzaga wrote: »
    What course do you do! 35% of the amount it was supposed to be! How can there be no problems with that..

    Economics, got an A+ in it, they were 2500 good words.


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    #9
    Karma_Police
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭Karma_Police


    gerry87 wrote: »
    Economics, got an A+ in it, they were 2500 good words.


    I've to do that next semster... what on earth is it about..

    you must have added one or two more words by sleeping with the lecturer!:)


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    #10
    gerry87
    Registered Users Posts: 871 ✭✭✭gerry87


    Karma_Police wrote: »
    I've to do that next semster... what on earth is it about..

    you must have added one or two more words by sleeping with the lecturer!:)

    mmmmm..... rodney thom ;)

    Whats it about? Thats the biggest problem you'll have, it's about anything! Literally anything you want, if it's in anyway connected to economics. It's headwrecking coming up with a topic.


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    #11
    EamonnKeane
    Closed Accounts Posts: 950 ✭✭✭EamonnKeane


    Karma_Police wrote: »
    I've to do that next semster... what on earth is it about..

    you must have added one or two more words by sleeping with the lecturer!:)

    Or you could mimic a Peanuts strip I saw once: "My two-thousand word essay on "My Holidays". Now, it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are two pictures."


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