Writing papers can be difficult. Students do this almost every day and still, they view essays and other papers as a big challenge. This requires research, brainstorming, outlining, several drafts, citations, and not to mention – several edits to perfect it.
This wouldn’t be so hard if students didn’t have so much to do in the first place. Many students work part-time to cover their academic expenses or have to pass around a dozen different subjects in every term. Some of them even come from a different place to study and have to figure out a way to adjust to the change, too.
Unlike those general tricks on how to become a better writer, this guide will share some tips on how to create quality papers more quickly without sacrificing quality.
1. Take Your Time to Understand the Assignment
Understanding the assignment is the most crucial thing to do when you are writing a paper. Many times, students waste their time writing something that doesn’t fit the instructions. Then they have to do endless edits or get a low grade because of it.
To understand the assignment, read the instructions at least two times. If you don’t understand it, reach out to the instructor. There’s no shame in asking questions. If this is not an option, hire an essay writing service to deal with papers instead of you. It’s much safer and better to hire someone to handle a difficult task than to deliver something of low quality or nothing at all.
2. Don’t Procrastinate on Your Research
You probably hear this often – students should research as much as possible to write great papers. This is not true. If you think about it, most of the procrastination that happens when you write an essay happens during research. Thoughts like ‘’one more book’’ or ‘’one more website’’ can easily turn into hours you don’t have.
A great essay must include relevant and detailed research. But, you don’t have to waste days on this. Set a time limit for your research. This will keep you going instead of making you procrastinate.
When you make your plan, make sure to leave some room for taking notes and organising them. This is the next step.
3. Create an Outline – But a Simple One
It can be really hard to write a high-quality essay without an outline. All that research has to fall in place and if you go blindly into the first draft, things can get messy fast. This is why an outline is a prerequisite of a quality paper.
But, don’t go overboard with this. The outline should take minutes of your time, not hours. It shouldn’t consist of pages of content. If you do this, you’ll get more confused when you need to use it. Not to mention, you’ll have already lost valuable time.
The outline needs to be short, concise, and very specific. An outline for most papers looks like this: introduction, body paragraph #1, following body paragraphs, and conclusion. Make sure to organise all those notes in the paragraph they will fit in.
Or, simply list all the topics you plan to discuss, but in the order, you plan to discuss them. This is something only for you. You are not submitting it, so don’t bother with punctuation or quality.
4. Find Your Where, When, and How
People create the best results when they are most motivated. This depends on many things. You need to be rested, not stressed, and focused. Things like environment, temperature, and even lighting can make all the difference. Find your ideal writing location. Write your essays in your most productive hours. Pick the way you prefer the most. Some people, for example, prefer to leave the introduction for last. If you prefer the other way around, do it. There’s no rule as to what works best.
5. Never Draft and Edit Simultaneously
To avoid editing, many take their writing part slowly trying to eliminate any mistakes. Multitasking does not belong in writing papers. It is inefficient and will only pull you backward. You’ll lose track of your thoughts, make the content unfocused and unconnected, and lose more time this way.
Dedicate your full attention to the first draft. Write without stopping, even when you notice that you’ve made a mistake. You’ll finish the draft faster and have more time for the editing.
Final Thoughts
Every student can get a high grade for an essay. You don’t have to be a talented creative writer to craft a great argumentative essay. You need experience, dedication, and some useful tips like the ones in this guide.
Author’s Bio:
Robert Everett is an expert content writer. He creates academic content, as well as resumes and job application packages. Robert has spent the past 10 years helping students complete their studies.
