Writing a college paper
Even as someone who basically writes papers for a living these days like this article , I still viewed every college paper with a tinge of dread. As I moved through college, however, I developed a system for cranking out papers in record time. This let me spend more time on things that I enjoyed, such as writing for this blog and taking long walks through the woods. Students would spend hours researching and writing a paper on a completely different topic than what the professor assigned. Best case scenario, the professor is nice and lets you rewrite it, but why do all that extra work?
How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays More Quickly
With all the things you have going on as a student, writing a paper can seem like a daunting task. Many students opt to put off that daunting task, which ultimately leads to bad grades on papers that would otherwise have been easy A's. On top of that, papers often make up a large portion of a student's overall grade in any class, which makes them even higher risk ventures. Here, we'll walk you through the most important aspects of making a paper, from beginning to end so you won't have to whip up a paper in an afternoon, plagiarize, or neglect to do the assignment.
This image and list-based, step-by-step tutorial is the closest thing to writing a plug and chug paper you can get. In this tutorial you'll learn:. So, are you ready to ace this paper of yours? Get out some paper and a pencil and let's get started! The answer to this question is easy: look at the materials the prof gives you.
The first important step in writing a paper is taking some time to understand what the professor is looking for. If you know that, you can write to the rubric and pick up easy points along the way. Universities mandate that professors given students rubrics or some form of assessment guideline. When you ask, be courteous. This means you can begin with the end in mind, crafting the paper around what you know the prof wants to see. To begin with the end in mind, you need to follow three simple steps:.
Take a few moments to review the assignment and rubric with a pen and highlighter, making notes and underlining key elements the prof wants to see. Make a list of three strengths and weaknesses you have as a writer.
Be mindful of the pitfalls and confident about your high points. All this should take you no more than 10 or 15 minutes. It may seem counter-intuitive, but using time to get organized saves you time later, and makes the writing process so much simpler. So, here it is, step-by-step:.
Say you have to write a paper for your Linguistics class. Take a look at this assignment from an actual college professor:. Go through and find the concepts the prof wants you to cover in the paper. This prof is doing what profs do: pontificating.
Take note, these macro concepts are often suggestions, not commands. They are the prof telling you how to be impressive, clear, or to raise your grade through a demonstration of your wits and knowledge.
This is your prof letting you know that. Second, go micro. Go through and underline actionable items. These are the items that must be included in the paper for you to get a good grade.
Usually they are very specific:. Clearly, if your paper uses first-person pronouns, it will irk the person giving you the grade—probably best to stay away from that. Also, you should be using scholarly research, which means no random Googling and picking the first things you ping.
Take a look at the first section of the assignment sheet. See where the prof tells you exactly what your paper should be? This paper better be formatted in a particular way! Why would a prof do this? Well, the answer is simple. Imagine you have 75 papers to grade written by your 75 students. Imagine just how much variation and diversity would occur between those 75 people and their papers if the prof left it all to chance—all of these students like different fonts, would cite things differently based on their preferences, and would hand in widely varied papers, at least doubling the time it would take to read those papers.
Make that prof love you by following these directions. If you follow the directions, this prof will direct their ire elsewhere. The rubric is a list of direct touch points that will be examined by the professor as they grade your work.
In this case, you can see five discrete categories, each with its own stakes, and the number value that corresponds to your performance:.
The prof will take the rubric and keep it within reach while grading. Along with making notes on your paper, the prof will also check off your performance in each category—summarizing your performance in that category:. If you have a hundred-point paper, each one of these categories is worth 20 points. To get an A on this paper, you have to perform with excellence in 3 categories and above average in at least 2 of the other categories.
At least one of them—formatting—is a gimmie. All it takes is attention to detail—Microsoft Word has all the tools you need to score perfectly there. Focus on Development and Body Paragraphs for your other two. It might seem like a silly thing to do, but an anchor sentence is as vital as a thesis statement.
Note that there is nothing about originality in this rubric. In this paper, I will demonstrate my understanding of a linguistic concept I learned this semester and how it relates to my field of study. I will demonstrate this knowledge by staying organized, using relevant research, and sticking to my thesis statement.
Yes, it seems a bit silly. But now you have an anchor. Now all you need to know is where it could all fall off the rails. In this step, you name your strengths and weakness so you know exactly where you stand walking in. Simple as that. Now all you need to do is play to those strengths and be cognizant of the weaknesses. Completing this second step immediately—before you go to bed on the day you get the assignment—is essential to acing this paper.
Set the plan and execute, execute, execute—this is the only way to achieve the results you want. If your time is nebulous, you will be more likely to drop the ball. Keep in mind that one of the crucial ingredients of successful writing is time. You need time to think, research, and create. If you fail to acknowledge this, you will write a crumby paper every time. Resist the impulse to think of the paper as a hurdle. Make an appointment with the writing center to get a semi-professional set of eyes, and had that paper to a friend for quick notes.
Your next step is to organize your time. Most of your sessions should be no more than an hour or two, but some activities—like research—might need to be a bit longer:. If you notice, most of your writing time will be spent on the front end—creating the first draft of the paper. This is because everything after that will be revisionary. If you stick to this schedule, you will not only complete your paper on time, you will complete it well. Every writer on the planet will tell you that the schedule is the foundation of good writing—the more time you spend in the chair, the better the writing gets.
Free writing is often popular, but it can be really time consuming, and also not particularly helpful for research papers. As well, some profs advise talking it out with a friend, which can be distracting.
The best method for this is mapping. Mapping is a technique that allows you to freely record your ideas in a logical manner. Mapping will give you strong guiding questions as well as demonstrate how your ideas are connected, which is super useful for writing a long research paper. Mapping looks something like this:. Note that the ideas get more specific the further away they are from the center topic.
Circle the ones that are most specific and uses them for your paper. So, apply your field of study, your interests, or something topical to the subject. Here are some ideas based upon that….
Out of the above, which sounds like it has the most juice? Probably number one. Even without doing any Googling, it seems evident that there will be research in this area that you can draw from. As well, you can rely on non-technical, non-academic observation to give you better ideas—you can use your experience to shape your subject matter. So go with number 1. Take a look at these specific ideas that you can use in your research phase:.
And look, you can scroll to the bottom of the page to get a jump on specific articles to use in your research. As well, 51 mentions your keyword! With our tutorial on writing a thesis statement, you will see thesis examples, ways to craft a thesis sentence, and how to organize your paper around a thesis statement. Second, you will need specific examples to write about. Third, you will need to organize those three items effectively. And, fourth, you will need to make an outline.
The first step to creating a successful thesis statement is generating a concise overview of the topic at hand.
You've Already Done Half the Work. Know Your Five-Paragraph Essay.
There are two words that evoke instant anxiety in nearly every academic—research paper. A research paper is different from a research proposal also known as a prospectus , although the writing process is similar. A proposal is a persuasive piece meant to convince its audience of the value of a research project. Think of the proposal as the pitch and the paper as the finished product.
Call me a nerd, but I love to write college essays.
Genevieve Carlton. We appreciate her advice and you should too.
Writing a Research Paper at Colleges and Universities
This page lists some of the stages involved in writing a library-based research paper. Although this list suggests that there is a simple, linear process to writing such a paper, the actual process of writing a research paper is often a messy and recursive one, so please use this outline as a flexible guide. This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels. Incorporating Interview Data. Additional Resources for Grants and Proposal Writing. Writing Personal Statements for Ph.
How to write a research paper
Read more about the latest news, rescheduled standardized tests, testing center closures, and how we can help, here: Peterson's response to COVID But you are not alone. Students at colleges and universities across the country are probably facing the same daunting task. There is hope, though. No matter how long your paper must be or how little time you have to complete it, there are some general tips that will help you complete a first-rate research paper. Some instructors give you ten weeks to complete a project, while others might allot a measly four. Plan backward from the day your paper is due and map out a schedule that allows you enough time to finish. If you choose something outside your scope of interest, you may find yourself nodding off and have difficulty finishing the task, which is not a good impression to make at college. Information is crucial; keep your topic broad enough that you can find enough resources to cover it, but narrow enough that you can successfully develop and support your ideas.
Writing a good research paper can be daunting if you have never done it before. This guide walks you through everything you need to do to write an effective, impactful research paper.
With all the things you have going on as a student, writing a paper can seem like a daunting task. Many students opt to put off that daunting task, which ultimately leads to bad grades on papers that would otherwise have been easy A's.
Writing a Research Paper
A research paper is any kind of academic writing based on original research which features analysis and interpretation from the author — and it can be a bit overwhelming to begin with! Table of contents Understand the assignment Understand your audience Choose a research paper topic Conduct preliminary research Develop a thesis statement Create a research paper outline Paragraph structure Write a first draft of the research paper Write an research paper introduction Write a compelling body of text Write the research paper conclusion The second draft The revision process Checklist. Part of completing a piece of assessment successfully means accomplishing the specific tasks set out for you. That entails properly and thoroughly understanding the assignment task sheet, which you can achieve by doing the following:. When asking yourself how to write a research paper, you need to consider your audience. Their knowledge level influences your writing style, choice of words and how much detail you need in explanations of concepts. If you are writing an undergraduate paper, you can assume your audience is somewhere between generalist and expert. There are many ways to generate an idea for a research paper, whether you prefer old-fashioned brainstorming by writing notes, or talking with a fellow student or professor to figure out how to approach a topic. You can try free writing, which involves taking a broad topic and writing continuously for two or three minutes to identify absolutely anything relevant that could be interesting. You can also gain inspiration from other research. The discussion or recommendations sections of research papers often include ideas for other specific topics to examine. Remember that the idea is to be both original and specific. A paper following the chronology of World War II would not be original or specific enough.
How to Write a Research Paper . . . and Get an A+
Illustration by The New York Times. By Farah Stockman and Carlos Mureithi. Tuition was due. The rent was, too. So Mary Mbugua, a university student in Nyeri, Kenya, went out in search of a job. At first, she tried selling insurance policies, but that only paid on commission and she never sold one.
