How to Write Better Papers

Created by Examville.com staff

Everyone – and I mean everyone – has trouble starting and finishing term papers. An assignment can seem so overwhelming you can torture yourself by worrying about it all semester long. Whether it’s an English essay or a research project, here are some tips to make the process less painful:

Understand the assignment

There’s nothing worse than trying to crank out a paper on a weekend and then realizing that you’re not quite sure what your instructor is looking for. So check in with him or her first to make sure you’re on the same page. The same goes if you have to pick a topic for a research project. Getting a green light beforehand can help prevent confusion later.

Make a game plan

It’s nearly impossible to throw together a big research paper at the last minute. Just think about all the steps involved: selecting your topic, honing your thesis, finding sources, reading texts, choosing the best nuggets to support your argument, writing an outline, organizing the material, writing, assembling a bibliography and revising. You’ve got to break this into manageable chunks. So think about how much time you have before the deadline, and make a schedule with enough time to complete each task. This website gives a nice overview of the steps: http://www.aresearchguide.com/1steps.html#step4

Don’t procrastinate

Now that you have a tidy schedule, make sure you stick to it. If other homework gets in the way, move the task to another day when you have more time. If you leave everything until the weekend, you may have little time to actually write and revise your paper. You’ll end up turning in something that was rushed and full of sloppy errors and meandering arguments. Don’t sacrifice all your hard work by turning in something half-baked at the last minute.

Structure the mess

You may be staring at a jumble of notes, quotes and ideas on your computer screen. Thankfully, the mechanics of paper-writing give you a place to put everything. Think of it as a shelving system. Most have five parts: an introduction containing your thesis, three arguments to support your thesis and a conclusion. Some people find it helpful to write out the arguments in a larger font and then copy and paste all the material under it that supports that point. Then you can start to organize the info within that point. Start small in one place, and before you know it, the paper starts to take shape. Make sure to restore everything to one font before you print it out.

There’s no such thing as writer’s block

Feeling stuck? You just need to get a little writing momentum going. One option is to start writing one of your support arguments. Start anywhere in the middle of the paper. Or write a topic sentence that summarizes your argument and work on that section. You can go back later and write your introduction. If you still can’t get going, one trick is to pretend you’re writing your friend an e-mail about your subject. Here’s an example: “So I’m working on this paper on women’s health education. Did you know they get the majority of their health information from women’s magazines?”  It gets you writing about the subject in a less formal way.

Stay simple

It’s tempting to try to write in what you think is a scholarly manner, but often your paper just ends up sounding awkward and stilted. Writing in straightforward simple sentences doesn’t make you seem like an amateur. It actually helps you think clearly, and your instructors will appreciate the smooth read – and will be more likely to give you a better grade.

Eat and Drink Well

Whatever you’ve heard, drinking alcohol before you write won’t make you any more creative. You’ll just feel more tired later. And don’t drink so much coffee that you’re a nervous wreck and can’t think straight. Eat good meals. Sleep enough hours. And don’t deny yourself sunshine and exercise. You’ll be much more productive if you stay healthy and avoid holing yourself up in a paper-writing marathon.

Get rid of distractions

That means muting your phone and turning off your e-mail, when you don’t have to use the Internet. If you’re working in your dorm, you might think of putting up a sign that reads “Caution: Writing Zone.” That lets others know it’s not cool to knock on your door to ask annoying questions or just hang out. Concentrating is hard enough, and it’s tempting to welcome the distractions. But you lose precious time every time you have to re-focus.

Finally, don’t freak out

At the end of the day, remember that it’s just a college paper. Most likely, it won’t be published and probably won’t determine the rest of your life. All you have to do is get out your ideas as best you can, string them together in simple clear sentences and hand the paper in. It will never be perfect, but it will be done.

-------------------------------------------------

Created by Examville.com staff