Writing is in high demand today and a very useful skill needed in the business world. But, ironically, it is the least evaluated among students, and most professors do not have time enough to explain or teach writing skills in every detail.
We offer you some helpful writing tips, useful for students that will help you to explain some complex topics and apply to almost any kind of writing.
To put it simply, good writing is not limited to a context or a particular theme.
Writing is a skill that you can learn with time, and if you are a new student, academic writing might feel unfamiliar. (1)
So, get started with the following writing tips to write a good essay.
8 Essay Writing Tips For Students
1. Pace yourself.
Most of the professors give assignments at the beginning of the semester and you have a lot of time to search for information and plan your essays and write them ahead of time. Anyway, most of the students start writing the night before the deadline and sometimes miss it. So, start writing a few weeks before and avoid the stress and sleepless night needed to write the essay the night before the deadline.
2. Brainstorming.
Just before starting writing the essay, it is helpful to have a brainstorming session. You need to write down the ideas that come to your mind and make a list. In addition, take time to plan the main points in the text and develop a specific structure.
3. Skip the introduction.
Most writers have problems writing the first few sentences and sometimes it is good to skip the introduction and go directly to the second paragraph. You can write the first paragraph at the end, although sometimes you might not need to.
4. Write the draft.
In the beginning, you can write a draft that can be fixed later by ignoring the format rules, grammar, and style. The most important part comes next when you rewrite your essay and fix all the typos and mistakes.
5. Pay attention to the length of the essay.
You need to write as per the instructions and given assignment. Nevertheless, you should always stick to the topic, and you can write as long as it needs to be to make its point. The number of pages given in the assignment usually relates to the details you need to include in the essay. Contrary to the belief, writing longer essays is always easier than writing shorter ones as it is very limited, and you need to be very clear with your points.
6. Use your own words.
Avoid lifting phrases from Wikipedia or someone else’s work because a good essay should be much more profound and richer in meaning. Avoid using someone’s work to suggest your own words. On the contrary, try to use your own and be as creative as possible. An essay that is full of citations and paraphrasing is not a good one, and it is usually not marked with a high score. If you copy something from other sources, you should include a reference and enclose it in quotes.
7. Focus on delivering your message.
While writing, ask yourself questions about the sentences you write if they are relevant to be added to support your argument or are just taking up space. Be careful with the transgression and make sure that the sentence you write follows the previous one and leads to the following sentence. In addition, verify if each paragraph clearly states and conveys your arguments and gives a deeper understanding of the topic.
8. Revise and proofread the essay at least once.
Apart from revision, you should always pay attention to the grammar and fix all the spelling errors. You can run your spell checker and make sure there is a subject and verb agreement.
The best way to improve your writing is by writing as much as you can!
7 Tips On Writing Scholarship Essays
When you apply for a scholarship, you can see that there are many universities that involve writing a quality scholarship essay, and you should put a lot of effort so your essay can catch the eye of the scholarship committee.
1. Read the competition rules.
The most important thing for your essay to win is to follow some specific instructions. You need to pay attention to the deadline, word count, and formatting, or your essay will be disqualified.
2. Brainstorm essay ideas.
You probably will have a topic to write about, and it is very important to stick to it. You can think about this particular theme and write down several ideas, but avoid going off-topic. For example, if you write about a person that has influenced you the most, write down several names, but choose the one that you can describe the most.
3. Make an outline or short draft.
Make a short outline with the main points and organize all your thoughts with some details and the citations you are planning to include.
4. Write something about yourself.
Write something about yourself and your own accomplishments, and the committee will see you are self–confident.
5. Write a good introduction.
You can start with a quotation, answer, or anecdote to hook the readers and induce them to keep on reading. Some markers or professors may even mark the essay just by reading the first two sentences, so try to be your best in the beginning.
6. Never experiment with the essay form.
You should always follow the typical essay format and keep in mind the word count. Read the topic several times and check whether your text addresses the main question.
7. Revise and proofread the essay thoroughly.
Have someone else proofread and revise your essay before you submit it. The person should have good editing and proofreading skills.
7 Tips On Academic Writing
Academic writing plays a central role in research and publication and serves to spread information and certain knowledge in a certain field. When it comes to academic writing, your concept should be clearly stated and must not be subject to the reader’s perspectives. It can be a dreadful experience, and we should not underestimate its importance. Therefore we offer you 6 practical tips to improve your academic writing:
1. Focus on reading.
A well–red person never gets stuck in finding the right one to express himself, and it also gives you a better understanding of the scientific style of writing.
If you read books and research papers related to your field of study will help you with your analytical skills and learn different aspects of writing.
2. Use a proper academic layout.
Different academic articles (editorials, opinion articles, research articles, reviews, literature reviews) have a different preset format that needs to be followed, and it is very important to know the paper category.
3. Use academic and lucid language.
It is very important to use the words needed in the context f the study and not to sound pretentious. In addition, avoid using jargon and write clearly to be readable and acceptable by all readers.
4. Register for the online webinars for academic writing.
Some universities organize online webinars and informative sessions, which you can attend to learn more about academic writing.
5. Accept constructive criticism.
You can always accept and learn from suggestions and comments given by supervisors, professors, and colleagues and make some notes to make sure that you will incorporate them in your future assignments.
6. Determine your own academic style.
You should always use a formal tone, a clear focus on the arguments, use of the third person, and precise word choice. The style used should be persuasive and critical, with correct reference to the sources you have found.
6 Dissertation Writing Tips
Writing a dissertation is an accumulation of a few years dedicated to research and hard work. Of course, your fellow colleagues, your mentor, and your committee are always there to help you, but here are some tips you can use during your writing:
1. Set your deadlines.
Make a plan when you want to finish the chapters and how much you need to write each day not to miss the deadline.
Choose the working hours wisely to correspond to your time and the working hours you have. If you are a morning person, the best thing is to write in the morning.
2. Revise and rewrite.
Revising and rewriting are crucial. The first draft is never the last one. The most important thing is to start writing, and it doesn’t have to be perfect at the start.
3. Skip the introductions.
Introductions are always the hardest, and you can get stuck, and it will evolve as you continue writing, so you can always come back to the introductions at the end of each chapter.
4. Do not burn yourself out.
If you constantly write without taking a break, your health may slide, so make sure you are in excellent mental and physical condition. Sleep and eat well, and if possible, stay active and make some walks around your neighborhood.
5. Discuss your ideas with others.
Discussing your ideas may refine and stimulate your thinking and create opportunities to find some other resources where you can search and read.
6. Use a reference manager.
You can use a personal assistant reference manager like Zotero to synchronize your data and sense your research on the web.
7 Article writing Tips For Students
Article writing may look easy, but it is a difficult task that requires significant skill. Many social media workers see articles as keys to their success. Articles are needed in almost all areas of our lives, and many website owners need articles on a daily basis.
If you are a student, you might be given a task to write an article. You can see that articles are different types of writing as they are direct conversations with readers. So here are a few tips for students when writing their articles:
1. Engage the reader’s interest.
The first thing is to identify who your readers are ( general public, people interested in sports, politics, art, students, etc.). The text you write should engage their interest.
2. Use an intriguing headline.
You can capture the reader’s attention with a good headline. The headline should be of 4 or 5 words the most and tell about the theme you are writing.
3. Keep it simple and friendly.
Communicate your information in a simple and understandable manner, so it can easily be understood by all readers. The tone you use should be assertive but not arrogant so the reader can trust you and it will mean that you know what you are talking about.
4. Choose interesting themes.
You can choose a theme that you are engaged in yourself, and it can be easier for you to write it and it will let the reader know you have written it with passion and interest.
5. Focus on your topic.
Never deviate from your topic because you can easily lose focus and direction and cut as much as you can on unnecessary words and sentences. Be concise and clear.
6. Do some research on the topic.
You can spend time searching for relevant information. You can always find some credible and supportive resources to boost your legitimacy.
7. Write a good ending.
In the article, you can always ask the reader to think about the question and the topic without giving a final conclusion and calling them to action.
Ana Miller is a creative writer. Her topics of interest and expertise range from psychology to all sorts of disciplines such as science and news.