Classes in college are filled with paperwork. It takes a lot of time and effort to understand the custom instructions, research information that would help you cover the topic, and articulate your thoughts on paper. It all may sound overwhelming, especially for inexperienced writers, when they consider how to organize your work effectively to make it less time-consuming and free some space for personal life activities. Ultimately, for most students of universities in the USA, college life is the most eventful time, filled with new experiences and parties with friends. Thus, students frequently wonder how to find the perfect balance between studying and enjoying some memorable moments that college life suggests. We managed to write 10 effective steps to write academic papers from scratch for you to know how to organize your studying most effectively.
1. Choose your topic carefully
Suppose your professor didn’t assign you a particular topic and let you decide what you want to focus on. In this case, your essay will benefit if you pick a topic of interest. It will aid you in writing personalized and original essays. You will review the materials online more willingly, analyzing your arguments and finding evidence to support them. Another important thing is to narrow your topic to cover a particular issue. It will help you to keep your focus on the subject and don’t get lost along the way, trying to write about all controversial perspectives of an issue.
2. Plan your paper in advance
When selecting the topic, consider the number of sources your paper requires and the lengths of the assignment. Indeed, if you need to write two, five, or ten pages, there’s a difference in the amount of information you are able to cover. A professional writer also creates a table that contains the most suitable materials for the topic and key insights, such as copy-pasted paragraphs, graphs, dates, and statistics that will help you not get lost on the way. Next to every copy-pasted section or item, put a page number to cite it correctly later on if you decide to use this information.
3. Formulate your thesis statement
The thesis statement explains to your reader the main arguments of your paper. Thus, it has to be concise, coherent, and lead straight to the point. A thesis shouldn’t be based on disputable opinions, such as “Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf is the best book ever written.” It’s always better to come up with indisputable facts and list the main arguments of your paper. A thesis statement also can’t be written in a question form; it should be the answer to your topic question.
4. Create a list of potentially useful sources
Technology development opened many doors for students. There are plenty of services that provide free access to scholarly sources or companies where you can buy materials for a reasonable price. Search for the sources that suit your topic best, paying attention to the dates they were published (the more recent they are, the better), and their credibility. If you want to use information from a website, consider how the article is written. The language shouldn’t be too simple.
5. Ask for help from professional writers if needed
When you start learning the craft of writing, you may be confused with complex and detailed custom instructions, different paper formatting, language that should be used, or the structure of essays. Thus, you may need additional assistance from expert writers. If you need help writing a paper, you can benefit from utilizing AdvancedWriters professional essay services. English-speaking students can check the customers’ reviews, get familiar with the samples of their writers’ works, and order a cheap paper on the website of the company. Becoming a customer of the service, you will have a perfectly written example of academic writing papers, which you can use to complete your future college assignments.
6. Write a working outline
Some people think they waste time writing an outline, so they prefer to start writing without it. However, an outline helps you stay on track while writing and eliminates the chances of you being stuck at some point, especially if you need to write from 5 to 10 pages. Here you can write the list of topics you’re planning to discuss, your arguments, and evidence. It will help you articulate your thoughts coherently, as well as save some time and effort on the way.
7. Cite your sources properly
Academic honesty is essential in writing, so professors always warn their students about the consequences of plagiarism. Essays usually require the use of outside sources to make them more informative, and there’s nothing wrong with using quotes or paraphrasing somebody else’s ideas. However, make sure that all of them are properly cited, according to the paper format that you need to use, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. Use the sources to stimulate your thinking process and develop your own arguments. Ultimately, the quality of your paper highly depends on its originality.
8. Write the first draft
At this point, you already have the list of the most suitable sources in front of you, an outline that contains your arguments and evidence, as well as a formulated thesis statement. It means that you already have a vision of how your assignment should be structured, so there’s a small chance that you’ll get stuck along the way. In your first draft, your primary focus has to be on the content of your paper because you’ll have an opportunity to fix some grammar or spelling errors when you revise the essay. Also Read – Skills You Acquire When Studying Online
9. Proofread your paper
When you’re done with your draft, take a break and then return to it for the final editing. Read through your paper to spot any mistakes that may distract the reader and lower your grade. Also, in order to write a top-quality paper, pay additional attention to its organization. Make sure that every paragraph has a topic and concluding sentence, as well as all ideas and arguments, are supported by evidence. Double-check if you listed all the sources that you cited in the essay in your bibliography section.
10. Check presentation and format before submitting
Poorly organized paper leaves your reader with an impression that you didn’t care much while working on it. Double-check the title page, line, and paragraph spacing, numbered pages, a bibliography on the last page, a number of sources, and word count (if required). Make sure that every reference is cited according to paper format, including the use of italics or links where needed. Remove redundancy if you spotted it because it often distracts and confuses the reader. Now you can relax because your paper is ready for submission.
