Academic writing is not as easy as pouring down your thoughts without any prior planning. You need to study the topic first, critically evaluate the information, organise the details and argue or respond to others’ arguments to express yourself in writing. Sounds complicated. Doesn’t it? Students prefer custom writing to get their papers done because the entire process of writing assignments is no easy feat. Thus, I have compiled a series of five steps here to make writing academic papers 10X easier for you. Check them out.
1. Understand what your topic wants you to do
At times, you may have to come up with a topic yourself. In that case, you can pick the one that interests you and contributes to your field of study. However, most of the time, you will be provided with a topic or question that your professors would want you to respond. Understand your topic’s meaning/purpose first to figure out what you need to write in your assignment. The process words in your assignment question tell you what is required of you while answering the question.
Here are the common process words and their meanings:
- Account for– Give the reasons for or clarify.
- Analyse– Break down an issue into its component parts
- Argue– Make a case based on appropriate pieces of evidence
- Criticise– Spell out your judgement concerning the truth of something
- Describe– Explain the default aspects of a topic or an idea
- Evaluate– Consider the value and importance of a subject and weight up its different aspects
- Justify– Express valid reasons for spelling out a specific conclusion or interpretation
Some questions can be really broad. It can be confusing to figure out what exactly the professor wants you to do. Consider broad questions as your opportunity to pick a suitable angle or perspective you are really interested in.
2. Read and get hold of suitable sources
You know what to write in your assignment. Let’s say your question requires you to talk about the results of global warming in Australia. But, what about the information that you need to use to enrich your assignment? That is when the role of research comes into play. Thorough research is what you need to craft a proper assignment, irrespective of the topic.
Here’s what you use to conduct better research:
- Reading lists– Your professor may give you a reading list to follow while writing your assignments. The list usually consists of journal articles, textbooks and websites.
- Library catalogues– University and college libraries have online catalogues. You can search for the research material using the right keyword in these catalogues.
- Library websites– Most library websites consist of a separate gateway or portal for students looking for electronic resources.
You may have excellent writing skills and yet score a mere B because your research was not up to the mark. It’s fine you don’t have the time to conduct the entire research all at once. You can hire ghost writers in that case and they will take care of your researching process.
3. Introduce the topic to your readers
Introductions are like GPS systems. It guides the reader as they navigate through the rest of your paper. This section not only conveys a strong argument but also maps out the geography of supporting paragraphs. You don’t want to bombard your readers with facts and evidence right from the beginning. Do you? Thus, introductions give you a chance to make your readers familiar with the topic first and then encourage them to follow along.
Effective strategies to use while writing the introduction:
- Begin with a hook– The introduction is where you get the freedom of expression and creativity. The first few lines steal your reader’s attention. So, you can offer a relevant example, use a striking quotation or ask a provocative question to hold your reader’s interests.
- Show assertiveness and conviction- It’s fine if you aren’t fully convinced about the argument you have chosen. But, your reader doesn’t have to know this. Write the introduction full of assertiveness and conviction so that your readers believe it even if you don’t.
- Consider the question you are trying to answer– You can always come up with questions that inspire you with an idea for your thesis statement. Write the question first and then provide the answer in your thesis statement.
4. Focus on the supporting paragraphs
Now that you have introduced the topic to your readers, it’s time for you to evaluate and flaunt your research findings. The body of your assignment is all about supporting the main points you have mentioned in the thesis statement. Develop each point in each paragraph and support it with valid pieces of evidence. In addition to supporting evidence, the body of your assignment should also have your own analysis and discussion concerning your topic.
Here are some tips to get the body of your assignment right:
- Each paragraph should focus on one main point. That means you need to use one idea per new paragraph. Also, each sentence in the paragraph should relate to the main point of your paragraph.
- Use appropriate transition words and phrases to establish clear links between paragraphs.
- This section is where you have to persuade your readers to accept your argument. And you can do so via logical reasoning, texts written by authoritative researchers in your field and data that you have gathered yourself.
5. Finally, conclude the topic
Though the shortest paragraph, the conclusion plays an integral role in contributing to the overall quality of your paper. This is presumably the last section your professors will read in your paper. So, chances are the conclusion is what your readers will remember the most as compared to the other sections in your assignment.
Here’s how to form the conclusion:
- Connect to the last sentence of the previous paragraph
You may be confused about how to begin the conclusion. So, it is better to connect to the last sentence of the previous paragraph so that the conclusion seems to be in flow and not inappropriate.
- Summarise the research findings
It’s time for you to remind your readers of the paper’s main ideas and wrap up your argument. Restate the thesis statement in your own, new words. Summarise the main points of your paper briefly and use your own thoughts and not the sources’.
- Highlight the significance of your findings
Explain why your readers should read your paper. What does your topic mean? What does it solve? Why should anyone invest time to read your writing?
You may lose valuable marks if the conclusion isn’t strong enough. So, try to end it with a strong and memorable concluding statement. It is even better to end with an idea, a recommendation or a prediction for your reader to think about.
Wrapping Up,
Academic writing is not a child’s play. But you can’t really complain because writing is an integral part of your academic lives. In fact, it also determines your employability chances out there in the professional world. So, it is better to start working on the right steps from an early stage.
Good Luck.
