eduify | write faster

Julia H. Jackson

The fall semester is drawing to a close, and you are having that dream again. The one where you show up on the last day of class, assuming all your work is done, just to find out that your entire grade is riding on a semester-long research paper. The one you have seemingly forgotten. Your palms begin to sweat as your classmates share war stories about staying up all night revising their work, and then the professor turns to you, asking: “Where’s your paper?”

And then, hopefully, you wake up. Right?

Not to worry, fearless readers; there is still time left in the semester to polish up (or, err, start) your research paper. We’ve got five tips that will help you ace that term paper, or, at the very least, remind you to do it. Here goes:

1. Memorize the essay prompt.

Regardless the class, regardless the topic, every professor has a reason for asking his or her students to write a term paper. Take the words of the essay prompt to heart: what exactly are being asked to do? Are you comparing and contrasting ideas? Are you applying class concepts to a specific field? Are you making an argument for or against something? When drafting your paper, keep in mind every key term from the prompt, as well as any major concepts from the class, and be sure that your thesis includes class terminology. Every paragraph should introduce a new idea or support an argument, while simultaneously supporting the overarching idea.

2. Refer to class sources.

Whenever you get stuck, return to the materials your professor has assigned over the course of the class. Even if the text does not support your argument directly, you still have to demonstrate that you have done the reading. Refer back to your class syllabus to see how your ideas relate back to the overall themes of the class. Review previous homework assignments and class notes. Many professors these days have websites that list course materials and associated resources—use them.

3. Go to office hours.

That’s right—ask for help. Depending on how much time you have left, you might still be able to schedule an appointment with your professor or teaching assistant. This is a good opportunity to clarify any questions you may have about the assignment, and it also shows them your dedication not only to the class, but to the field. Most professors and lecturers are required to provide a certain amount of office hours per semester, and they would rather talk to you about your paper before it is due, then have to spend more time grading one written the night before.

4. Write, rewrite, write.

Give yourself as much time as possible to explore the topic. Only have one day? Divvy up your time into manageable chunks: notes, outline, first draft, edits and revision, second draft. The key to writing anything well is to write it more than once, as we mentioned in our Personal Statement post. Whatever you do, don’t turn in the first draft you write. Regardless how smart you are, how well you know the material, or how expertly you write, it is always important to review your paper for minor errors you might skip over the first time.

5. Get feedback.

One of my professors used to say that words can colonize us; the more familiar we are with a text, the more we trust that it is written flawlessly. After spending lots of time researching your topic and drafting your paper, you might not notice small spelling or grammatical errors. Or, even worse, you might have a lot of great material, but fail to answer the professor’s question. Either way, one good way to perfect your paper is to share it with someone. If you need help day or night, you can always drop into Eduify. We can give you help day or night. Try reading your paper out loud—you might catch more grammatical and structural errors.

Hang in there; the semester’s nearly over. Follow these tips and surely that homework nightmare will be just that—a dream. What helps you write papers? What resources do you use? Let us know!