10 tips for writing a perfect paper for Writing the Perfect Paper

Ten Tips for Writing the Perfect Paper

Like a gourmet meal or an old master painting, the perfect college paper is carefully constructed–not thrown together th   E night before it ' s due.   Each of the just right, and the pieces are assembled to form the clear and convincing whole.  We should know.  We ' ve read thousands of papers and we can tell you it's easy for the Prof to sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Wanna avoid the Bad and the ugly? Read on.

1. Get started right away. When the professors gives your, say, a week to write the paper, he or she's assuming you'll be spending the whole time thi   Nking out what do you ' re going to say, doing whatever are necessary, and then actually writing your finished product.  You can ' t go through the required intellectual steps if you don ' t give your mind enough time-to-do them. Always use the available time.

• 5-start Tip.   Expect to write drafts. Nobody gets it perfect the first time around.

2. Decide what the expectations is. Turns out in college there is many different kinds of papers:analytic papers, papers  Your own experience, summaries of some body of literature, and many other types.  Be sure your know exactly what kind of paper you ' re being asked to write. Good sources of information:the syllabus, the paper assignment (be-sure-focus on any verbs telling you-do, E. G. Compare and contrast, defend, evaluate, summarize), and anything the professor or TA says as they hand out the Assignme  Nt. If in doubt, ask before class or in an office hour.

3. Always answer exactly the question asked.  Professors spend large amounts of time forging the question (s) for their papers. Rather than has some preconceived notion of what they should is asking, answer what they is asking.

• 4-start Tip.  It's generally not a good idea to construct your own question, even if that's an option. Usually, the professor have picked out time-tested questions that is designed to work, whereas you might pick something yo U ' re interested in, but might is undoable given the literature or the difficulty and/or generality of your question.

4. Be sure to fill the space. Most professors, when they give a range for page length (for instance, five to eight pages), is expecting that good p  Apers would fall toward the top of the range. If your paper comes out too short, consider probing a issue in more detail, giving an additional example or illustration,  Or raising an associated point. Often, the additional length and depth can vault your paper from a B to a.

5. Make sure your paper have a point–one.  One of the hallmarks of an excellent paper are that it have a single point that structures the paper and gives it unity. Usually, that's Explicitly–and simply–stated in the first paragraph of the paper, sometimes even in the first S  Entence. Less good papers read as a "laundry list": Many points, all of them perhaps true or even important, but with no real si Ngle point to the paper.

6. Give your paper direction. Once you ' ve figured out what's the main point of your paper and you need to organize your points so that they all work together  To support your main idea.  Being sure to carefully consider the order of the points to be introduced. An excellent paper have structure and direction:the reader can understand why the points is coming when they does, and how Each works to advance the point of your paper.

7. Write for a reasonably intelligent Person–not the professor. One of the most common mistakes in college paper writing are to assume that the reader already knows the answer and, hence,  It ' s enough if you just gesture at your points. A good paper, on the other hand, explains the points fully and clearly enough so that someone who didn ' t know the answer C Ould understand your view just from what's written on the page.

Extra Pointer.  Be sure to explain any technical terms, or terms not being used in their ordinary 中文版 meaning. Never assume that the prof or TA would understand such terms just because he or she used them in class.

8.  has a quote quota.   Unless instructed otherwise, you should not having elaborate quotes as parts of your paper; Often a brief citation of the main few words or sentences (with proper footnotes) are more than enough.  that ' s Becaus E What the professor are looking for are how  you understand the material.  You explain in your own words (with only brief quotes) what some author is saying–and meaning.

9.  Reach a conclusion.   One of the things a professor likes to see was a firm conclusion at the end of a paper.  Students sometimes are Shy about taking a stand; But the paper are asking you to give  your  answer to what's asked.  this doesn ' t mean your should be Dogmatic or opinionated, or refuse to consider arguments or evidence this goes against your view.  but it does mean t Hat you shouldn ' t just list considerations on both sides and leave it to the reader to figure out what the answer to the Q Uestion really is.

Ten. Deal the professor in. You might is surprised to hear that many professors enjoy thinking, and talking, about the question asked–especially if  The course is in the Prof ' s field of the. You can join the Conversation–and the intellectual exercise–by going to see the professor, or even by emailing or skyp  ing him or her before you finalize your paper.  You've paid for this faculty/student interaction. You should use it.

Bonus tip.  Be sure to proofread your paper. Even if your professor doesn ' t take off for spelling and grammar, he or she can ' t help but think less of your ideas if the  Y ' re expressed with bonehead spelling mistakes or sentences that is grammatically incorrect. Well worth the few minutes of extra time.

If You liked the article, you'll love the 637 tips The Secrets of College Success  .  You can write us with questions or blog ideas at [email protected]. We ' d love to hear from you–really.

from:http://blog.chegg.com/2012/02/06/10-tips-for-writing-the-perfect-paper/

10 tips for writing a perfect paper for Writing the Perfect Paper