diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 71230a5..65734ba 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,3 +14,6 @@ logs/*
 .env
 .env.*
 !.env.example
+
+# rough drafts: real in-progress academic work, do not commit
+rough_drafts/*.txt