11 Points to Help You Survive an English/Writing-Based Class

1. Use real words when writing papers (anyways, firstly, secondly, etc. are NOT words).
2. Have a thesaurus out when you write. It is impressive when you use a variety of words, especially when you use them accurately in order to express yourself in a precise and concise way.
3. Use active verbs. Take advantage of the number of verbs that exist in the English language.
4. When preparing a thesis, try to find a point of view/opinion that no one else would take.
5. Take advantage of re-writes/draft opportunities. Don't just change grammar, look at the big picture - rethink your points, add further evidence, restructure the paper, make sure you follow your thesis the whole way through...
6. When re-reading/skimming course materials/books in order to write an essay, don't waste time - scan for keywords that have to do with your thesis.
7. Speak up in class - question everything, and add your opinion to the discussion. The more you participate, the more you learn.
8. Don't be afraid to have a different opinion than everyone else.
9. "Intro - 3 points - conclusion" is not always an effective format for a paper.
10. Talk to your professor about your ideas for a paper, when you don't understand something in class, and when you have questions.
11. Know the difference between a point and an argument. An argument is an overarching theme which supports an opinion. A point is a subsection of an argument which includes proof to back it up.

Alexandra Landegger

Georgetown University

 Regardless of the course, take pride in your writing. Obviously not every draft is a final draft, but be wary of handing in a piece of work that you haven't proofread. Essays aren't just for English class, and English professors aren't the only ones concerned about polished writing. Typically, when I write anything that will end up on a professor's desk, I follow these guidelines:

- NO passive voice

- NO to-be verbs

- NO faulty parallelism

- NO first-person (unless the assignment notes otherwise)

- NO contractions

- CAREFUL word-choice (than vs. then, for example)

If you force yourself to write eloquently in the first draft, you're not only reducing the amount of editing you'll have to do later, but also pushing yourself to become a better overall writer.

Amanda Katherine Bresler

Georgetown University

As a graduate assistant in my University’s Writing Center, I read undergraduate papers and help their authors make them better. Most suggestions depend on the paper, but these five can help take any writing assignment from good to great.

1. Know your thesis statement.
Much of the time, when asked to identify their thesis statement, the students I work with shrug and avoid eye contact. When this happens, I ask them to tell me about their paper. This question usually elicits a better response, and the answer serves as building blocks for a thesis. Know your paper’s purpose and make sure you tell your readers what to expect. As a general rule, place a clear thesis in the first paragraph of the paper. Unless instructed otherwise, try to avoid using the phrase “this paper is about.”

2. Read your paper out loud.
When your words go from your brain to your paper, they always make sense to you. After all, you know exactly what you meant. When you silently reread what you wrote, your brain fills in the gaps in your writing. However, when you read the same piece aloud, you can hear the issues in your paper. This works even better if someone else reads your paper to you.

3. Avoid the verb “to be” whenever possible.
People tend to overuse the “be” verbs. Cutting out forms of “to be” (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been) always strengthens weak writing. Use action verbs instead; they carry far more meaning.

4. Be aware of your structure.
You do not have to map your entire paper out before you write it. You do have to understand your final structure. Keep an eye out for sentences and paragraphs that do not follow one another. Try taking a hard copy of your paper and writing the topic of each of your paragraphs in the margins. Make sure that similar topics follow one another and that you don’t have “wild card” paragraphs thrown in where they don’t belong.

5. Revise as many times as you can.
Perfect first drafts do not exist. Always leave time to look over what you wrote and fix the problems. This works best when you give yourself some distance from the piece. Finish your paper early. Avoid it for a day or two. Go back and work on it when you can’t remember everything you had to say.

Cherity Star Cook

Masters, English

Bradley University

When writing a paper I've found making an outline is very effective. Under each heading I write the order I want the information and exactly what information I want (i.e. John Smith's article on Alzheimer's Disease and the quote on pg. 28).

I also like to make a checklist with the information provided in the course syllabus. It's helpful to me b/c then I know I didn't forget to do something required by the instructor. I cannot tell you how many students in my courses last semester were docked points for not using the correct font, or numbering pages, etc.

Example:
APA format
Times New Roman #12
Double Space
Headings
Pages Numbered
Reference Page
Title Page
-name
-course
-date
-title of work

My friend likes to do her reference page as she writes her paper. Immediately after she quotes John Smith she adds him to her reference, and when she's done writing her paper her reference page is complete.

The best advice that I can offer is if your instructor offers to proof read papers by all means let them. It means completing your assignment a couple weeks ahead of time, but you'll get feedback on your assignment.

Julie Moe

Metropolitan State College of Denver

    Perhaps the most important tip I can give is one that benefited me the most. It pertains to all class assignments as well as test questions. I have witnessed even graduate students falling prey to "not answering the question." But I learned (and was repeatedly advised by a patient professor), to read each assignment carefully until I knew specifically what the questions were. From there I researched the answers and even wrote an outline if helpful. I'm not saying one can't expand upon ideas or elements, but they first have to be identified as the direct answers to the specific questions. For instance, take this essay question: Identify which state standards pertain to student achievement and state how they impact student achievement. I've seen students answer about how important the standards are, how often they are used in practice, etc., but they did not cite the specific numbered standards nor provide evidence why they were chosen. It is very easy and human to read subjectively and to write about what is important to us, but that is not always what assignments are about. I read assignments with one question in mind, "what specifically is being asked of me here?" Sometimes I will even read papers and books with the theme of an assignment or question in mind. Grant-writing will also hone these skills as the intention for such writing needs to be specific and evidential.

Pam McIntosh

Masters, Educational Leadership

Eastern Michigan University

Guideline for Writing College Level Papers in APA Style

As a social work college student, I learned quickly how to write in APA style. When writing in APA style you are demonstrating your comprehension of the subject matter by synthesizing scholarly literature on a given topic.

When writing a college paper in APA format you must make sure, you follow the APA guidelines. Use 1-inch margins, make sure your title is centered, your paragraphs need to be aligned to the left, the first line of the paragraph is indented, use 12 pint font in Times New Roman, do not use any bold, double space, use very little quotations, cite your text, do not plagiarize, have your references on the last page, make sure all references are in APA format, ask your professor if the paper needs to be in past tense, and use of nondiscriminatory and people first language.

The organization of the paper should include introduction, review of the literature, discussion, summary, references, and attachment like printouts, tables, pictures, ect…

The introduction is where you provide an overview of the topic, for example background information or history. The body of the paper is a review of the literature, your research or study, and discussion. The summary is the last portion of your paper. Keep the summary brief and avoid referring to yourself. If you refer to yourself, address yourself as “this author” rather than saying “I”. Last, you must provide references for all literature that you have cited in your text. References must be in APA format. So as you write your paper keep an APA manual on hand and refer to it often.

Writing Tips

o Ask your professor what they want in the paper. It is amazing how many times APA style has changed according to the professor’s beliefs. Do not argue with your professors and be flexible. Trust me; you will not win, so just do it their way.
o Never use the same word a paragraph
o Prove what you are writing.
o Do not tell what you think the reader wants to hear. Provide facts!
o Make sure you are using complete sentences and that they are not difficult to understand.
o Know who the readers are and write on their level.
o Eliminate unnecessary words. Do not repeat yourself.
o Always proof read and check grammar


Writing can be stressful, but you can write an excellent APA paper by following the rules and guidelines. Good luck!
 

Brooke Alston Jennings Master of Science in Social Work Radford University

"Research is like eating an elephant. Take one bite at a time." John Delladova 2004

Writing a major research paper would be such a delightful experience that you would eagerly jump right in and start writing a brilliant paper that's just the right length and completed on time. I understand that this is a statement that rarely comes true. Real people, living in the real world may have a tough time thinking about work that is not due for a month or so. One of the major steps in creating a research project is a time line. You should take a stab at creating a plan. One of the major questions is "When is the project due and what do I want to do my research on?"


There is a good model schedule for completing research papers in The Everyday Writer, second edition, pages 91 and 92. Here it is, with the addition of numbers to make it easier for me to refer to the various parts:

1. Analyze project; decide on primary purpose and audience; choose topic if necessary.
2. Set aside library time; develop search strategy.
3. Send for materials needed by mail. (This is a reference to interlibrary loan.)
4. Do background research; narrow topic if necessary.
5. Decide on research question, tentative hypothesis.
6. Start working bibliography; track down sources.
7. Gather or develop graphics or visuals needed.
8. Develop working thesis and rough outline.
9. If necessary, conduct interviews, make observations, or distribute and collect questionnaires.
10. Read and evaluate sources; take notes.
11. Draft explicit thesis and outline.
12. Prepare first draft, including visuals.
13. Obtain and evaluate critical responses.
14. Do more research if necessary.
15. Revise draft.
16. Prepare list of works cited.
17. Edit revised draft; use spell checker.
18. Prepare final draft.
19. Do final proofreading.

There are likely some parts of the process, such as steps 7 and 9, that might not be appropriate for your particular research paper. Furthermore, you may find that you do these steps in a slightly different order at times. You can add to or delete steps in the project but remember - one bite at a time.

Many companies would love to sell you a book on how to complete your research projects. Here are a few if you would like help:

Writing Research Papers : A Complete Guide With Mycomplab
by James D. Lester (Author)

Doing Research : The Complete Research Paper Guide
by Dorothy U. Seyler (Author)

Writing Research Papers 2001 : Your Complete Guide to the Process of Writing a Research Paper from Finding a Topic to Preparing the Final Manuscript

Many research projects and papers were accomplished without the use of these books. Anxiety is one of the many emotions that you will feel during this time period. Research is an iterative process with several stages. Each stage is comprised of tasks to be accomplished. The researcher aims to move forward through these stages, but finds himself/herself stepping back to previous stages at times. As the student researcher engages in research tasks, certain feelings emerge. Often, students think that they are unique in how they feel about their research progress. It may be insightful for them to see that in fact they are typical. Carol Kuhlthau has studied student researchers of various ages and from that research she has developed a model that shows the tasks of the research process as well as the thoughts and feelings accompanying those tasks (Kuhlthau, 1993).

Remember, don't be afraid to ask for help. We have all walked in your shoes. We will help you or find you the help needed to complete your research. Major universities and some colleges have research offices that would like to know about all students engaged in undergraduate research.

Robert Williams Adjunct Instructor - Buena Vista University Master of Educational Leadership Viterbo University

Resources: Kuhlthau, C. C. (1993). Seeking Meaning. Ablex.

    I worked on my senior thesis for three months and had written a rough draft of the first few chapters when I decided that I was not passionate about the topic. I had chosen a topic that related to pop culture and internet usage, but I knew that my heart was in studying marriage among low-income couples. Although I had spent much time studying the low-income population during a research assistant internship the previous year, and I wanted to move on to something more "exciting", I realized that my existing knowledge of the low-income population would help me write an excellent thesis that could be published. In the end, my hard work paid off because the final paper was a true success. I enjoyed spending many hours working on the thesis throughout the year because the subject was something I felt passionate about and I was able to complete groundbreaking analyses due to my existing background in the area. Do not be afraid to change the topic of a big project you are working on, if time allows. Although changing the topic may seem unproductive, a superior product will result from researching an area that you find meaningful. My choosing the wrong topic eventually led me confidently down the right path.

Amy Krilla

Master of Science in Social Work

Florida State University

    There’s nothing worse than having to write ten pages when you’re just not in the mood to write an essay. What people don’t take advantage of are the times when they do feel like writing. You might not believe me, because they’re hard to recognize, but there are times when you just get into the flow of your paper and can easily write at length for a long time. You can find them if you look for them. It takes a certain amount of organization, because you have to have a general idea of what you’re going to write. But say, then, that you get some inspiration for the first sentence of your introduction, or a detail that might work in a potential developmental paragraph, or a quote you should explain for a point you’re going to have to make. A TV show is on, but pull out your laptop for ten minutes and write it down. I’ve never believed in writing essays from beginning to end. So what if the essay isn’t due for a week, and it doesn’t seem worth the trouble to write so little so far in advance? Just having a little bit out of the way will be a great relief when you try to pull it all together the night before it’s due. And really, very often, when there is no pressing stress that you’re running out of time, or the overhanging fatigue that you have so much more to do, getting into the flow of writing can be much easier. If you get lucky, you could find yourself writing a few paragraphs, a few pages, without any noticeable pain. Even if you’re just getting the easy stuff out of the way, the necessary points that don’t take as much effort as the brilliant theses you’ll have to come up with later, writing in pieces makes the whole process much easier and honestly more enjoyable if you hit a lucky streak. So when you get any idea that could help your paper at all, don’t push it to the back of your mind for a future all-nighter. Start your essay where it comes to you.

Scott E. Olmsted

Georgetown University

Mastering the College Paper


Many incoming college students seem to think there is something inherently difficult about writing a good paper. They dread the prospect of endless all-nighters spent staring at a blank screen, panic mounting as the morning deadline looms nearer. But there is little real reason for alarm. The college writing process is actually remarkably straightforward, and can be mastered with a little concentrated effort and developing the right study habits. There is also plenty of incentive to get good at it: learning how to write well is perhaps the most important achievement of a college education, regardless of your field of study.

I have found that the best way to approach writing a college paper is with a business analogy. Commentators often make reference to the ‘marketplace of ideas,’ and as in any competitive market the product which has the best content and is the most attractively packaged is the one that ultimately ‘sells’. The key to writing a good paper is coming up with an idea (or thesis) which is interesting enough to defend and gathering the right evidence to support it. It’s as simple as that.

What are the key characteristics of ideas worth defending? They must be specific: statements like ‘love makes the world go round’ or ‘life is meaningless’ are either too trivial or far too inclusive to make for a successful college paper. The more delimited your idea is in terms of time, space and subject, the more likely it is you will be able to find good evidence to either support or refute it. They must be inherently interesting: the way to ‘sell’ your writing to people is to convince them that accepting your idea will benefit them somehow (perhaps the most effective test you can apply to your idea is to ask yourself, “So what?”). Finally, they must be as original as possible: the last thing you want is for someone to come away from your essay thinking, “I knew that already!”

Coming up with a good idea for an essay can be fairly daunting. The best way to hone your skill at brainstorming is reading other writer’s accounts of how they came up with their ideas. Popular science or investigate journalism books often begin with a preface on how the author came to be interested in the subject that formed the basis for the book. Running your ideas past friends is another excellent way to sharpen your ideas.

But the good news is that once you have a solid idea for an essay, your job is more than half done. If your main thesis is specific, interesting and original, it is fairly easy to see what kind of evidence could be used to either support or refute it. Learn a lesson from scientists: the more specific a hypothesis, the easier it is to design an experiment to falsify it. Despite this fact, however, recognizing relevant evidence for judging the validity of a thesis and judging its quality is a skill that also takes time to develop. There are a number of good critical thinking textbooks to consult on this issue, but the biggest gains will come from a steady diet of reading academic literature and emulating the procedures and format found there. I have found that more than anything else you can do, reading academic books at a constant pace even outside the classroom is by far the most effective way to improve evidence-gathering abilities (I also ought to point out that very often your examination of the evidence for your thesis will suggest modifications of the thesis itself; this reciprocal process will ultimately strengthen your paper, so always be asking yourself: is the idea I’m trying to defend really warranted by the evidence? Or does the evidence suggest a slightly different thesis?)

Since the above might sound a bit formal and abstract, I’ll give an example of how I wrote an essay in my first religion class, going through all the steps from finding a main idea to gathering evidence for it and ultimately putting words on paper.

Paper topics in college are often very broad, allowing the students significant freedom to develop them in a direction that interests them. In my class so far we had read excerpts from a variety of early modern thinkers on the subject of religion, including Michel de Montaigne, Rene Descartes and Blaise Pascal. Our assignment was to write a paper on one of those authors. Since for me Pascal was by far the most interesting author, I decided to write a paper on his famous Pensees.

Anyone familiar with that work knows that I had set myself a daunting task to say the least. Pensees literally means ‘thought fragments’ in English. It consists of a series of rough notes Pascal was collecting in order to eventually write a massive apologetic for Christian belief, which he never got around to. These notes are not organized according to theme or chronology and they do not add up to a coherent argument. This makes for a difficult situation in trying to come up with a good idea for a paper. Fortunately, however, Pascal was a brilliant thinker and very insightful observer of the human condition, so there was no doubt that any idea I ended up developing would be inherently interesting.

My first clue toward finding a specific idea worth arguing for was in the main theme of the first section of the course: early modern skepticism about religion. In reaction to the devastating religious wars of the 16th Century, and in the context of the Protestant challenge to the authority of church tradition in deciding disputed questions of doctrine, many early modern thinkers began to question the authority of all the established sources of religious knowledge. The result was a growing skepticism about the ability of traditional religion to reveal knowledge of the divine. It was in response to this widespread doubt and uncertainty that Pascal attempted to argue for the truth of Christianity. But he set about this task in a very unusual way. Rather than take the preferred route of trying to prove the existence of God from self-evident principles, as Rene Descartes did, instead he stressed the inconclusiveness of traditional philosophical arguments and claimed that this was because the God of Christianity was a hidden God. He famously declared that any religion which did not acknowledge that God was hidden was false. This sentiment is also found in the brief account he wrote of his own conversion experience, which had revealed to him “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” and not “the God of the philosophers.”

I knew from my outside reading that a philosopher named John Schellenberg had recently argued that the fact of divine hiddenness (i.e that God’s existence is not obvious to everyone) actually counts as evidence for the non-existence of God. Pascal on the other hand had argued that the acknowledgment of a hidden God was the hallmark of true religion. I began to wonder, had Pascal developed any semblance of an argument for why God might choose to conceal Himself, thus providing an answer to the challenge of Schellenberg?

In skimming through the Pensees again I found that he had. Based on a number of ‘thought fragments’ which all touched up the subject of divine hiddenness in one way or another I saw that Pascal had developed a response to the skeptical challenge of lack of obvious evidence for God. Moreover, it could be tackled adequately in a college-length paper. So I wrote down the thesis for my paper: I would present and defend Pascal’s argument for why divine hiddenness did not constitute evidence for the non-existence of God.

Since the thesis itself had been suggested by a specific number of thought fragments from the Pensees, my evidence gathering was fairly easy: all I had to do was arrange them in the right order and construct a coherent argument by expanding, abbreviating and commenting on them, drawing out and highlighting the assumptions which were most crucial for the argument. If those could be defended, then the argument was sound. I made my thesis more modest, and thus more manageable, by making my paper more historical than argumentative; that is, I presented the argument as one which Pascal might have advanced and defended it as Pascal would have done if pressed. That way I avoided the added burden of defending the argument against more sophisticated contemporary criticisms.

Of course the above account is a bit more streamlined and coherent than the actual mental processes which lead to the first draft of my paper. Like I mentioned above, often in the evidence-gathering phase your investigation will suggest modifications to the basic thesis, as will talks with friends or teaching assistants or professors. But I hope it convinces you that writing a paper does not take a magic wand and a cauldron with foul-smelling substances. I haven’t said anything about style or the fine points of making your paper clear and readable, mainly because I don’t think those points can be taught. The only way to improve your writing for clarity and conciseness are to read lots of good writing. You will pick up the style quite naturally as you subconsciously absorb the vocabulary, syntax and turns of phrase of the best non-fiction writers in the business. A few who come to mind are Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins and Jared Diamond in the sciences, Diamaird McCollough and Niall Ferguson in history and Jack Miles and Stephen Prothero in religious studies.

The bottom line about all this is that learning to write a good paper is not a matter of memorizing ‘to-do’ lists or following a recipe. Good writing is a matter of developing certain skills through practice, imitation of more accomplished practitioners and lots of trial and error. Being able to recognize good paper ideas in a wide variety of situations is such a skill, as is the ability to judge the quality of the evidence which might support, refute or modify that idea; but it doesn’t take magic and it will reward you for the rest of your life, whatever your vocation.

 

John David Walters Princeton University

    When thinking about what to write for an essay or a research paper, it is often difficult to find a good way to start. One useful tip that I learned from writing numerous essays is to write or type a first draft quickly, not worrying whether or not it is well-written. Once my first draft is complete, I spend three to four times as long correcting, proofreading, and revising my paper. This strategy may seem more time consuming, but I found that it only took me about a half hour to an hour to write a five to eight page draft. I would then spend four to five hours over the course of two days revising the draft and correcting any mistakes and making sure my paper said exactly what I wanted it to say. This method eliminates the hours of staring blankly at a computer screen, thinking of what to write. I also found that, after using this method, my grade for the paper would usually be much higher than using another strategy. Regardless of how one chooses to write an essay or paper, it is very important to get started early; I have seen countless students become very nervous and stressed because they waited until the day before a paper was due to begin it.

Ryan T. Standifer

Cornell University

Tips for Managing Resources for a Research Paper:

Decide on your topic. This can be overwhelming. Consider your interests and available resources. Remember not to be too broad or too narrow.

After choosing your topic, begin your research. You will likely be asked to use a certain % of research based articles as references.

Begin by searching about your topic, downloading, and saving articles. Don't spend a lot of time reading each article in its entirety. Skim over it, and if it looks promising, download and save it.

On your computer, create a folder for these resources so they are all located in one, easily accessible place. Title this folder 'research paper' or something similar.

Within this folder, you will want to create sub-folders titled 'may be using', 'not using', and 'edited articles'. (be sure to download information for citing each source)


Next, you will begin reading your downloaded articles. When reading each article, use the highlighter tool in Microsoft word to highlight information you may wish to include in your paper. When you have finished with one article, move it to the appropriate sub-folder. If you highlighted info, move it to the 'edited articles' subfolder. If you found nothing of interest to you, move it to the 'not using' subfolder. Don't delete it yet, you may change your mind.

Be sure to make back-up copies often (cd, jump drive, etc.)

Now that you have your information highlighted in each source, you will want to begin putting it into your own words. At this point, you can begin working directly on your paper, or you may wish to reword and save each source before writing your paper.

If you choose to reword all the articles beforehand, you may want to create another sub-folder and title it something like 'in my own words' to save your rewordings in. You will need to open a new document in Word and begin it with the title of the original article and any citation information before rewording the highlighted sections.

Don't forget to include page #'s where needed.

Continue in this manner until all your articles are finished.

Finally you are ready to put all you 'in my own words' into some sensible order along with your own thoughts and ideas to create your paper.

MORE GENERAL ORGANIZATION TIPS

In addition to organizing files for your research paper, you may consider organizing even further. Create a folder with your University's name. Within this folder, create a sub-folder for each semester (Spring 2009, Fall 2009, etc.). Within each semester, create a file to correspond with each course you are enrolled. You can even create sub-folders for each assignment if you may have multiple documents per assignment. You will be surprised how much time this will save you in the long run. Students sometimes don't realize just how much time is spent searching for documents on the computer.

    Before writing, gather your thoughts. Gather as many as possible by brainstorming! You won't use them all, but you want plenty to choose from. You may want to write a formal outline, but there are other ways to corral your thoughts. There are many types of graphic organizers. Once you have determined your topic, put it in a circle in the middle of piece of paper. Draw 6 rays extending from the circle. At the end of each one write everything you can think of that applies to the topic in the middle. If you need to add more rays, feel free to, but fill at least six. At this point, quantity is more important than quality. When you are done go back and determine which ones you will use. Put a check by them. For some papers you will need to include all important data. For others you will want to chose only two or three of the most relevant areas to write a more narrow and focused paper. Generally the more focused the subject the better the writing. When you have chosen the focus areas, make rays extending from them for details. This will be the skeleton of your paper. Use a catchy and interesting opening sentence to hook your reader. Take your main points and the details and use them as the basis of your paper, filling in more detail as you go. Don't forget to go back and revise. Wait a day or two if you can before revising. This will help you to see your paper with fresh eyes and you can delete and add ideas, in addition to double checking grammar. You may want to do this last step more than once if time allows.

Cathy Hooper

Master of Arts in Educational Leadership

Texas A&M University

Tips for writing a lengthy research paper (15-35 pages):

Depending on your school's academic system, you may have only ten weeks to a full semester to complete this project. During my college career I had to write three of these types of papers in the fields of history and international studies for three individual seminar classes. My recommendation is to start early! I know that professors are constantly hounding your to start your papers early, but with these types of papers they are right. This paper requires complex thought and planning; trust me it is not a good idea to even wait a few days before the paper is due to start it.

The research paper is intended to specifically that, research a topic and then write a paper consisting of analytical and critical thought. You do not necessarily have to prove anything in these papers unless you are specifically asked to, but instead you are asked to explore an exciting topic and display your personal thoughts and anecdotes. The professor is grading your methodology, analysis of the subject, and your intelligent conversation with the piece. Make sure you pick a topic that excites you. Remember if you pick something you are only mildly interested in, you will have to live with that topic from anywhere to 10 weeks to one semester.

There are numerous ways to find a topic. First, if you have a curiosity about a particular subject, checked into it a little bit more you may discover it is the perfect topic or you may find that you'd rather not spend then next few months of your life researching it. You can also set up a meeting with your professor; most professors are more than eager to get you started in the right direction. They might even have certain networks, resources, book, etc. that with help you get a solid foundation on your topic. Finally, you can do an internet search or go to your schools library and ask the resource desk to steer you in the right direction. There are many other ways to get started, but these suggestions should help you get your feet wet.

While you are researching your potential subject, make sure you can ask specific question about the issue because you will be asked to present a research question. Like I said this is not a thesis you intend to prove, but more of a NARROW question about a SPECIFIC topic you intend to explore. I highlight the words "narrow" and "specific" because if your topic is too broad you will find yourself wanting to pull your hair out with all the information you will end up with. Similarly, you do not want to choose something that is so specific that you cannot find many sources. You want to be able to come up with at least ten sources that pertain to your project in some way before settling on a topic. Remember you don't wan too many sources, but at the same time make sure your topic is actually researchable. Use of primary sources is extremely important so make sure you give yourself enough time to attain these resources. This might mean you have to wait on information, books, or documents from an out of state source. Including these types of resources may take time, but can only enhance your paper and will show your professor that you put a lot of time and thought into your paper.

Researching the topic: My advice is to take notes when you are reading or make note cards so you can keep track of the different subcategories within your paper. You may find yourself throwing out a lot of information when it actually comes to writing that paper, but no knowledge you acquire while doing your research is useless. The more you know about your topic, the more intelligently you'll be able to write about in your paper. Also, keep in mind you should be asking the typical "who, what, why, where and when" questions. Why is this topic interesting, why should we care about your topic? Try to collect as much various information as you can so you can present all aspects in your paper, but make sure you keep your topic narrow.

Writing the paper: Come up with a specific and straightforward title, state your research question, introduce your topic and make sure you stick to an organized format. Start writing EARLY or you will regret it when it and may end up turning in a paper that is half as good as it could have been. Make sure you give background or some sort of history about your topic, tell the reader why your subject is important, really get them interested in what you discovered. Remember you don't have to prove anything, merely present the warring arguments surrounding your topic and then critically analyze these viewpoints. You may arrive at your own conclusions, but do not write any variation of "I will/or have proved" in your paper, that is what a dissertation or thesis paper is for. Help your reader better understand your topic in an exciting manner.

Finally, write a rough draft several weeks before the due date. This draft by no means have to be complete, but you should have most of it written a couple of weeks before it is due. Ask your classmates or professor to read it. Take there feedback to improve your final draft. Doing this early will give you time to do a little more research if necessary, change paragraphs and make grammar corrections. It is also helpful to let your paper sit for a day or two, then come back to it so you can look at it with fresh eyes. Also, you may not want to write your conclusion until the rest of your paper is complete or in a final draft form.

I hope this is helpful and by no means is a complete recipe for writing a research paper, but hopefully it will give you some guidelines. Don't stress out about these kind of papers. I know they may seem daunting at the beginning of a term, but if you break them down in small chunks, it's definitely doable. Remember we all have to write these papers and everyone gets through it and you will too!

Lauren Elizabeth Johnston

History and International Studies

Northwestern University

Save your individual drafts of your papers. It is easiest to give them the same name and then add "ver1" or "ver2". When working on a computer, it is easy to do all of your revisions on a single draft and not have a record of your work. It can be important to have a record of your intellectual work for several reasons. First, if your fourth or fifth draft is not heading in a productive direction, you can go back to one of your original drafts and work from there. Secondly, if there has ever been questions of the authenticity of your work, you are able to show with your different drafts how your ideas and editing progressed to the final product. And third, you might go back to your earlier drafts--your basic work before you really fleshed out your ideas--if you need to write an abstract of your larger finished paper.

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Good writing takes time and many drafts. It is not possible to do your best work if you start the night before--even if you pull and all nighter! Plan on at least three drafts of any paper and some time in between to have the ideas percolate before coming back to your paper.

If your brain goes faster than your fingers and you tend to omit words or use the wrong verb tenses occasionally, read your paper out loud. You will be amazed at the mistakes you catch when slow down and read it out loud!

If you have trouble starting your paper with a proper introduction, or just feel stuck, then start with the body or conclusion. If that doesn't work, then just write! Get your thoughts down on paper so you can start shaping and developing your ideas and thinking.

Shauna Lee Manning

Master of Education in Instructional Design

University of Massachusetts Boston

When writing an essay or paper, I find it extremely beneficial to create an outline, draft and then a final copy, just as writing is taught in grade school. By beginning with an outline it is easy to from the structure of your paper, as well as, rearrange as needed. The draft provides an opportunity to really "wrap" your mind around the ideas you are trying to get across to the reader. The final copy allows for editing by you and peer to ensure correct grammar and spelling, as well as, the overall cohesiveness of the paper. I know many people prefer to sit down at the computer and simply begin typing. However, the quality of the end product is evidence of the benefits of planning out your paper.

Kathryn Wood Almond

Master of Education in Special Education

University of North Carolina

Writing is a skill to be cultivated over time. Unlike other areas— math, music, chess, and so forth-- one never hears about child “author prodigies.” They simply haven’t had enough time to practice. Below are several suggestions expedient in bettering one’s pen.

1) Start early. Even the poorest writer can drastically improve his work given adequate time for making changes.

2) Create an outline. Many, many students dive into writing without first having prepared a plan. I’m wont to do this myself. And it shows. Coherence is diminished in the absence of an outline, and cogency, in consequence, suffers.

3) Edit. You should edit your paper, and enlist the help of friends and colleagues in doing the same. The comments of others are especially useful, since one often fails to see one’s own flaws.

4) Tattoo your thesis on your arm! No, don’t actually do that. But write your thesis in a single sentence, and tack it up in a conspicuous spot above your workspace. Look at it often. The moment you find yourself conjuring arguments not directly helpful in defending your claim—stop writing! Reconsider before you resume.

5) Write every single day! Inspiration is great; and deadlines help motivate. But writing regularly improves style, fluidity, and capacity for argument like no other. This, above all else, ensures that when the time comes for serious work, resources for success are at your disposal.

Keith David Sherman

Master of Arts in International Relations

Northern Arizona University