Struggling with essays and papers in school? You could fork over a lot of money to have a professional write your papers for you, but you might find that the quality’s not that great, and you’ll definitely be breaking the moral code and rules of your school! If you get caught doing something like that, it could mean real trouble for you. Instead, why not figure out what the professionals know about writing papers, and avoid the risks? Here are some professional tips on writing academic papers.
Think about who you’re writing for. If your professor assigned you to write a very specific essay on the Civil War, you might not need to use a lot of background information, because you can assume that your teacher knows most of that. Only include information that is pertinent to the point you are trying to make. If your professor gave you an open-ended assignment where you picked your own topic, you’ll want to include more background information, because he or she might not know much about the topic you chose. No matter what, make sure that you give your reader enough information that they don’t have to google a term or event that you refer to in your paper!
Almost all papers require you to make a point of some sort. Even a statement like “recycling is a good thing to do” makes a point, and takes a stance on one side of an argument. One of the thing that really sets some papers apart from others is anticipating the other side of the argument, and refuting it. Think about what someone might say to you in a debate, and prove them wrong. You can devote an entire paragraph to this, which not only shows that you’ve really thought about the essay, it also adds bulk! A good way to introduce a contrary argument is to say something like, “some people might believe”. For example, you might say: “some people believe that recycling isn’t worth the effort, because it takes more time and energy than it saves. This is not true because…”.
If you find yourself rambling in the middle of your paper, trying to say “something” but not really getting to the point, it’s time to brush up on whatever it is you’re talking about. You might think you’re a great fibber who can convince anyone that the sun is actually green, but your professor will see right through it and can tell when you’re beating around the bush to avoid saying something you actually aren’t sure about. So take the extra time when you come upon a challenge in your paper to really study the issue and figure out what it is you’re trying to say, and how to say it.
Lots of people like to say things like, “I do my best work under pressure,” meaning that they can produce top-notch work the day before it’s due. The honest truth about that is that it’s just not true! You can write a good paper the night before, maybe even a great paper, but you’re never going to write professional-level papers the night before. You need more time to let your ideas develop, and to get them onto the page. Especially with editing time, you just can’t fit top-notch work into one night! The best papers start out modestly on Monday and keep getting better until Friday rolls around they’re ready to be turned in. You’ll have more time to brainstorm and come up with original ideas, more time to edit, and you won’t find yourself taking shortcuts or making sloppy errors.
