Writing Sample / Research Portfolio

A piece of your scholarly writing submitted as evidence of your research and writing capability. For PhD programs especially in humanities, social sciences, and CS theory, the writing sample is one of the most weighted parts of the application.

Faculty want concrete evidence you can reason at the level required for graduate study. The CV says you wrote things; the writing sample lets them read your thinking directly.

1. 1

   Identify your strongest piece of academic writing. Best options in order: a published paper → a long-form thesis chapter → a graded final paper for a relevant course.

2. 2

   Confirm length requirements per program. Most ask 10-25 pages; some cap at 15.

3. 3

   Edit ruthlessly for clarity. Submit the strongest, tightest version — not your longest.

4. 4

   If submitting a thesis chapter, include a 1-paragraph framing note ("This is Chapter 3 of my undergraduate thesis on X; full thesis available on request").

5. 5

   Submit as a clean, paginated PDF with a clear title page.