Basic strategies for academic paper writing
While every writer has their own personal process when writing a paper for an academic assignment, many experienced writers follow some basic strategies. These basic strategies may not be particularly unique, but they are very effective, tried and true methods for writing quality papers.
- Pay particular attention to creating a thesis statement.
- Solid research.
- Finding strong supporting ideas to defend the thesis statement
- Having a variety of sources
- Ensuring that each source is credible and respected
- Citing sources appropriately to avoid even unintentional plagiarism
- Staying well-organized
- Writing in short sessions.
- Having a third party proofread and make editing suggestions.
The thesis statement is of the utmost importance when writing a quality academic paper. It will determine every following step by the author. The thesis statement should not be too broad, nor should it be too narrow, or the author will have difficulty in making the paper the preferred length with adequate, clear information. It should also be crafted so that the author can defend it rigorously.
Solid research is an absolute requirement for writing a good academic paper. Some of the important aspects to consider are:
From the very early stages, the author should stay as well organized as possible. That includes their initial notes on the topic and thesis, their research, and their notes on each supporting idea. Remaining organized throughout the planning and research stages of the process will make it much easier for the writer to organize the paper’s outline well, and to write the paper in an organized manner.
Once the research and outlining are accomplished, many experienced writers choose to write the draft in multiple short sessions rather than attempting to write it all at once. These writers prefer to write for forty-five minutes to an hour at a time, and then putting the fresh writing aside and going over what they wrote during the previous session to look for mistakes.
Finding one’s own grammar and spelling mistakes can be very difficult to do thoroughly, for a number of reasons. Almost all professional writers, academic and otherwise, utilize the help of a third party to ensure that their final draft is free of misspellings and grammatical errors. By having a third party make editing suggestions, they also gain a fresh perspective on the paper at a critical stage in finishing it, leading to a polished final result.