One of the things that many students find difficult about entering higher education is learning how to write an academic paper. Even if you have had some essay writing experience in high school, the more formal tone expected of academic papers can seem a little overwhelming. The following tips will guide you through the process.
Analyze Your Topic
The first step in writing an academic paper is to thoroughly examine your topic. If you are going to write a really great and informative paper then you need to know the subject matter like the back of your own hand. Read your source material multiple times and spend a decent amount of time gathering credible resources that can be used to back up your points when it comes time to actually sit down and write your paper.
Write a Solid Thesis
The thesis is one of the most important aspects of any academic paper. It is usually written out at the end of the introductory paragraph. The thesis is basically what you are setting out to prove in your paper. It can be a question or an argument expressed in the form of a statement. Your thesis is the backbone of your academic paper – without it the entire essay will completely fall apart.
Depending on the topic you are covering, your thesis might be a statement of fact, an interpretation of something or the results of analysis. Whichever is appropriate for your paper, you will need to make sure that you have a good solid thesis to work with. In some classes you may be given a specific thesis for your paper, but in others – especially as you progress to more advanced classes – you will have to create your own.
Create a Plan or Outline
With any essay or academic paper, it is important to get your thoughts straight, so that you can create a well structured piece of work that flows well. The way to achieve this is to create an outline or essay plan. This can be as detailed as you wish. At a minimum you will want to create an organized list of each point that you want to cover. These should be arranged in the order in which they will make most sense.
Once you have all of your thoughts organized in a coherent manner, it will be much easier to actually start writing your paper. Making these notes can help you to decide which sources you will need to use to back up each of your points and will give you direction when you begin to write.
Drafting Your Paper
Once you have done your research, decided on your thesis and drawn up an outline, you can begin writing a first draft of your paper. At this stage many students prefer to just sit down and write. Since this is a first draft only, you do not need to focus on style and grammar. This can be polished in subsequent drafts. The important thing is to get the main bulk of the paper written. Write a minimum of one paragraph for each of your points following the same basic structure – state the point and offer evidence to support it.
Revise & Edit
Once you have completed the initial draft of your academic paper it is wise to put it away for a little while before coming back to revise it. This will allow you to look at it with a fresh perspective. Ideally you should leave it for several days, but if deadlines are tight then even an hour or so will help.
Start by bulking up the paragraphs that are too short or that do not fully expand on the points you are making. Then you can check the order of your paragraphs: does it make sense? Finally, you will need to check whether you are using the appropriate tone and language for an academic paper. The language should be formal and professional, but be aware that it should be easy to read . Allow your own voice to come through and do not use too many unnecessary complex phrases.
Proofreading & Formatting Your Final Draft
You may end up writing three or more drafts of your academic paper before you are satisfied are with the last version. Once you get to that stage, you need to make sure that your paper is formatted appropriately. Check with your professor if there is a particular style including the font, line spacing and page layout. The final thing to do is to proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical errors.
These tips should help you to learn how to write an academic paper. It is something that will take a little bit of practice to get right, but the more you do it, the better your grades will become.