Many college students struggle to take their college papers to the next level, which can lead to less than stellar performance on tests and ultimately negatively impact grades. To write your best work, you will want to consider these five ways in which you can take your college paper from good to great. How does one go about taking their college paper from good to great?
1. Have Someone Else Proofread/Edit It
To make sure that your paper is on point, it’s a good idea to have someone else proofread it. You may work hard on a paper, but you might overlook something complicated to understand. Consider having a friend or writing service proofread your paper to catch errors that you might have overlooked.
2. Develop a Clear Thesis Statement
To take your paper from good to great, you will want a clear thesis statement. A thesis statement is a short sentence that summarizes the paper’s main idea. Every point of the paper should begin with that sentence, so when you go back through the paper to edit, you should be able to see right away if any unclear points need clarification.
3. Try Outlining Your Paper in Advance
If you are used to writing swift papers without much planning, it’s time to change that approach. Outlining your paper first gives you a clear idea of what you want to accomplish in the paper rather than just rambling along without knowing where you are going.
4. Focus on Facts
When you’re writing a paper, your goal is usually to persuade an audience that you’re right and they should agree with your position. If you can get them to agree with your arguments, it’s an easy way of getting a good grade. However, this often leads to bad arguments because when arguing against something or someone else’s point of view, people tend to lose the fact that there are two sides to every argument.
For example, if an employer has read a report and is thinking about taking you on as an employee, they find a section of your report that seems to be biased against the company and its practices. This will probably sway their opinion against you even though it was only one section of your paper. Read the document from front to back several times before sending it in to correct the grammatical errors that might exist.
5. Proofread for Typos, Grammar, and Punctuation Errors
It’s elementary to overlook these problems when writing, but it is important to go over every sentence for grammatical errors or typos. Many students make the mistake of only checking for spelling errors in their papers. Still, grammar and punctuation errors can be just as damaging to the overall message of your paper. Try reading through your paper looking only for errors instead of focusing on the content.
Many people have a hard time accepting the fact that writing a paper isn’t as easy as some people think. However, once you accept that college papers require effort and skills beyond what you would expect for something that is considered so simple, things become much easier, especially if you use the tips listed above. If you struggle with certain parts of your paper or know someone else who does, it’s essential to get help from others who have similar struggles.