Doing Things the Write Way

Writing a decent paper is more important in college than ever before in your academic career.

On one level, this sucks. Why should you be painstakingly writing a term paper at three in the morning, surrounded by half-full cups of coffee that went cold hours ago, when you could be curled up in your nice, comfy bed?

Simple: Your professors said so. Sorry.

Writing a paper isn’t always fun, but the best-crafted assignments are designed to help you learn something new in the process. If you’re feeling grouchy and not in the mood to learn at the moment, just break things down into little easily digestible chunks (well, that sounds kind of gross, but just go with it.)

Understanding the Directions

Instructors use a heck of a lot verbs in the directions for written assignments, like ‘analyze,’ ‘discuss,’ ‘explain,’ ‘compare,’ ‘critique,’ and so on. These words aren’t synonyms -- they’re not choosing random words to keep themselves awake. Make sure that you understand what the directions are before you get started.

For instance, ‘compare’ means write about the pros and cons of two or more things and, based on the evidence you present, come to a clear conclusion. But if the professor wants you to ‘discuss’ something, you really only need to show that you have a clear understanding of the material. (Which is another thing: You know your instructor knows the material. But you want to show him or her that YOU know the material. Don’t be afraid to clarify something that seems obvious; it will show that you really do know your stuff.)

The Hypothesis

Every piece of academic writing is making a point about something; it should always have a purpose. If it doesn’t, why are you writing about it at all? (OK, ignore the fact that you’re doing it because someone is making you.) A hypothesis is a statement that sums up the point you’re making.

In the first paragraph, you should start the argument that you’re making in a clear, concise way. If you can’t sum up your point in one sentence, you need to clarify your subject. If you can’t, you don’t actually know what you’re writing about. And if YOU don’t know, how is the person grading your paper supposed to?

Each of your following paragraphs should contain either evidence supporting your hypothesis, or opposing arguments you deftly slay. (Sounds so easy, right?)

The Topic Sentence

Topic sentences are probably something you learned about in, like, second grade. Amazing that something you learned in second grade (other than why it sucks to spray milk out of your nose) is still helpful today, isn’t it?

Anyway, in case you need a refresher, a topic sentence is basically like a mini-hypothesis. Each paragraph should be like its own tiny essay with its own point to prove, while all the other sentences work to support it. If you can’t find a topic sentence to a paragraph, think about why: Maybe the paragraph is really a continued thought from above (which is OK -- after all, you wouldn’t actually want a paragraph to be, like, a page long; in that case, think of your paper as divided into sections instead of paragraphs). Or maybe your paragraph isn’t as well-organized as you think.

Organizing Your Thoughts

If you’re having trouble getting started, go to a coffeehouse and get a muffin.

Then try making an outline. First, see if you can write your hypothesis. Then see if you can write down each piece of supporting evidence, and each piece of opposing evidence. If you can do that, then try to fill in details for each piece of evidence. And voila! You practically have the whole skeleton of your paper right there. You are so the master.

Using and Citing Sources

Word to the wise: Google is not a source. Honest. Most college students should know that by now, though, right?

The library might be a pretty foreign concept these days, but get to know your university librarians, and they’ll be happy to help you find the right books, periodicals and databases to use for your projects. In fact, they’ll probably be happy to see your face at the reference when other students are sitting there looking at Facebook. Plus, most college libraries have access to resources like Lexus Nexus -- AKA, a lot more than you could find just surfing the Web on your own.

If you do use Web sources, make sure they are from reputable sites and double-check the information you receive from them. If you copy and paste information from a Web site into a Word document, be extra careful to not accidentally integrate it into your paper without credit, or you could be accused of plagiarism (and rightfully so).

Make sure you know how your professor wants you to cite your sources if you use any -- whether he or she wants a bibliography, footnotes or an official citation format like MLA. You MUST cite any materials you directly quote, or even those from which you borrow ideas. Plagiarism isn’t something you need on your school record. Even when you don’t intentionally mean to plagiarize, if you use something without giving credit, that’s what you’re doing, and it could be big trouble.

Reaching a Conclusion

All those sources and your stunningly brilliant hypothesis had to be heading somewhere, right? At the end of your assignment, you should sum up your ideas in a couple of paragraphs (or a couple of pages if it’s a long paper), tying together all the evidence or arguments you’ve presented into a single, clear idea that should echo your hypothesis.

Some people prefer to write their conclusions before they finish the rest of the paper, so they know where they’re headed at the end. You should choose the method that works best for you.

Quick Tips

As soon as you get the assignment, go looking for your sources. Oddly enough, finding them might be all the inspiration you need to get started.

Outlines are your friends.

Get a friend or roommate to read over your paper beforehand, looking for clarity and careless mistakes. However, don’t go to someone who’s taking the same course as you. It’s just safer that way.

Spell check and grammar check are good, but they aren’t perfect. Make sure you know the rules.

Should go without saying, but our #1 tip? Don’t wait until the night before!