What to Include in a PhD Writing Sample (2026)

In the humanities and much of the social sciences, the writing sample isn't a formality alongside your personal statement, it's frequently read as carefully as the statement itself, sometimes more carefully. It's the one piece of your application that shows a committee how you actually think and write at length, rather than how you describe your thinking. Treating it as an afterthought, submitting whatever paper is easiest to find rather than the one that's actually strongest, is one of the more common ways a genuinely competitive applicant undersells themselves.

What a writing sample is actually for

A personal statement tells a committee what you want to research and why. A writing sample shows them whether you can actually do it: construct a clear argument, engage seriously with existing scholarship, marshal evidence, and sustain that argument across many pages without losing the thread. In the humanities specifically, this is treated as close to a proof of capability, a strong idea described in a statement of purpose doesn't mean much if the sample shows weak execution. That's why the strongest sample you have, even on a topic slightly outside your proposed research area, generally beats a weaker one that happens to match your stated interests more closely.

Length: it varies by program, and by a lot

There's no single standard length, and the range across real programs is wide enough that checking each program's own instructions matters more than following a generic rule. The University of Chicago's Division of the Social Sciences asks for 20-30 pages, excluding bibliography or appendices, and states that anything longer is read only at the review committee's discretion. Harvard's Department of Sociology asks for no more than 20 pages. Northeastern's History program specifies 2,500-8,000 words. The University of Washington's Philosophy program suggests 3,750-5,000 words and explicitly advises against anything shorter than 2,500 or longer than 6,250. Submitting well outside a program's stated range, in either direction, reads as not having read the instructions carefully.

One sample, not several short pieces

PhD programs strongly prefer a single, sustained piece of writing over two or three shorter excerpts stitched together. A single sample lets a committee evaluate whether you can build and hold an argument across real length, which is closer to what a dissertation chapter actually demands than a handful of short pieces can demonstrate. If your strongest work is genuinely a chapter drawn from something longer, like a senior thesis, submit that excerpt as a coherent standalone unit rather than assembling unrelated shorter writing to hit a page count.

What actually belongs in it

• A clear, arguable thesis, not a descriptive summary of a topic or a literature review with no position of your own.
• Genuine engagement with existing scholarship, showing you know where your argument sits relative to what's already been written, not just that you've read some sources.
• Your own analysis carrying the weight, evidence and citations should support your argument, not substitute for having one.
• Single authorship, group projects or co-authored papers don't let a committee isolate your individual contribution, so avoid them even if the topic is strong.
• Recent, polished work, ideally something written or substantially revised within the last one to two years, showing your current level, not an early undergraduate paper you've outgrown.

If you're submitting an excerpt

Most applicants don't have a standalone piece that lands exactly inside a program's page limit, so trimming a longer paper or thesis chapter down is normal. Choose a genuinely self-contained section, typically the core argument plus its strongest supporting evidence, rather than an isolated middle section that depends heavily on context from parts you're not including. Add a short framing note, either on a cover page or as a first footnote, stating that the piece is excerpted from a longer work and briefly summarizing what the fuller project argues, so a reader isn't left wondering what a reference to "the previous chapter" means.

Revise past the version you already turned in

A class paper is a legitimate source for a writing sample, but resubmitting it exactly as graded usually undersells you. Go back through it with the actual admissions audience in mind: tighten the argument, cut material that was only there to satisfy an assignment's requirements, update anything time-sensitive, and make sure the writing itself, not just the content, reflects your current ability. A properly revised existing paper consistently reads stronger than a new piece rushed together in the weeks before a deadline.

Once your sample and statement are in shape, the harder problem for many applicants is finding the right faculty to actually send an application to in the first place. GradScoutFunding searches professors by field and country, confirms they're actively publishing, and drafts a personalized first email grounded in their real recent paper, so your strongest writing lands in front of someone actually working in your area. The free tier gives 2 credits with no card required.

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