Top 10 Tips For Writing a Good Academic Paper

Students don’t have to fight and struggle with academic papers. In fact, students that follow a few simple steps will find their lives infinitely easier no matter what assignment they have. To reach success, students should follow these ten easy steps whenever they write a paper:

• Know what you’re writing about - Nobody can fly into a paper blind, so make sure that you understand the content you’re writing about. If it’s a literary analysis essay, make sure you understand the story or poem you’re analyzing. If you don’t do the research or comprehend the content, it’ll be tough to write a single word, let alone a whole paper!
• Stop and think - You always need to start by brainstorming possible responses to your academic paper. Write down ideas and ask questions on the content. Take your time figuring out a good route for your essay.
• Develop a thesis - Once you’ve spent time meditating on the assignment and what you’ve learned, it will be much easier to pick an argument or answer a question in your academic paper. It’s also a good idea to have someone trustworthy – perhaps a teacher – review the quality of your thesis.
• Organize - Now you have your thesis and the research to support it – it’s time to make sense of it. Develop the evidence for your thesis. Pick out the articles, passages or other sources that you’ll incorporate into your paper. Start mentally preparing for an outline!
• Outline - Write up a quick outline. Show what will be in your introduction and conclusion. Outline the separate arguments and evidence you will introduce in individual spaces. Decide which ideas should come first, next and last.
• Introduce - Craft your introduction. Try to create a catchy, interesting intro that will both grab the reader’s attention and introduce the purpose of the paper. Always mention your thesis.
• Write separate paragraphs and conclude - Using your outline, develop each ongoing paragraph of your paper. Make sure information is clear, concise and presented in an interesting way. Don’t write dryly, but don’t confuse the paper’s point by bouncing around from idea to idea. Keep one main idea for each paragraph. When you reach the last few paragraphs and the conclusion, make final connection to the thesis.
• Cite sources - Know what format your sources must be cited in: MLA? APA? Compose your citations page. Consult a writing service or teacher for help, if needed.
• Edit and improve - At this point, you should enlist a separate set of eyes – preferably expert editors – to help better organize and improve your paper.
• Proofread - Once you’re confident with how you’re paper sounds, give it one last look over. Check from grammatical and spelling mistakes.