It is no wonder that essay writing is common in academia. Whatever you study, you can always anticipate writing several papers weekly. But have you ever asked why writing is so crucial in school and why every teacher assigns essays?
Essays are indeed an essential element in education. Through writing, we learn how to read and comprehend information, interpret it, and think critically. Besides, writing allows us to categorize our thoughts and reveal the topic within the required word count.
When writing skills are poor, you will find it difficult to explain different concepts and ideas. This leads to a lack of self-esteem and, ultimately, motivation to study.
Many students realize that, so they strive to become better writers. However, many still don’t know how to strengthen their writing. Below are typical pitfalls students encounter when approaching essay writing. Fixing them will help you hone your writing abilities and let you complete any task effectively and promptly.
Not Getting Familiar With the Task in Advance
Students are often short on time. Tutors, extracurricular activities, part-time work – all these reduce the time you can devote to essay writing. So what does it leave you with if not delving the task right away?
Needless to say that you want to submit the assignment on time, so you start working on it. And this is the first difficulty. Diving into the essay will do you no good, as you have no idea what your educator expects of you. The topic itself doesn’t tell you anything. Apart from learning the primary question, you should also locate and identify key verbs, i.e., understand whether you have to explain a notion, discuss, analyze, or argue it.
Devoting Little Time to Research
Oddly enough, but many learners underestimate the essence of research. For some reason, they presume that using Google Scholar and resting upon sources they find on the page is enough. And although Google Scholar is an excellent website to look for credible articles, it doesn’t make your essay instantly reliable.
“Carrying out research is way more than finding articles and books. It’s about your expertise,” state experts from one of the leading online essay writing companies.
First and foremost, research is designed to enrich your knowledge and make sure you are well aware of the topic, trends, and previous work.
Readers assume you are knowledgeable since you write about the topic. So you have to make sure they still find you skilled once they read your work.
In order to remain skillful, ensure researching thoughtfully. Even if you are limited on time, your research must be substantial and revealing, first of all, for you. When you learn the topic, you A) get familiar with sources (in other words, know what sources are most pertinent to your paper) and B) refer to them accurately and successfully.
Neglecting to Brainstorm Effectively
Prolific writers are always known for their vision and ideas. Their writing style and the way they deliver thoughts may be fascinating and easy to read. But what we see is only one side of a coin.
Coming up with unique and extraordinary concepts is demanding, and even the most refined writers find developing ideas challenging. And while some may face fewer troubles than others, they all share the same approach – brainstorming.
Brainstorming is the way to generate thoughts. It helps the writer work out multiple writing scenarios to develop the most effective and exclusive ideas. Brainstorming has several approaches, of which the following might be the most practical:
- Freewriting
- Clustering
- Mind-mapping
- Listing
- Reverse brainstorming
Above are different brainstorming strategies. Some require a pen and paper; others rest upon visualization. Whatever approach you select, you will observe remarkable results.
Delving into Writing Without a Plan
You may not have a plan when writing small essays. But under no circumstances should you start your writing session without an outline when dealing with more extended tasks.
Professional Essay writers always draw up a layout of the most crucial information beforehand. The writing procedure might turn out taxing and long-standing, but writers always know what direction they must stick to, thanks to an outline.
The great thing about the outline is that it is a rarely obligatory part of a task. That’s why you can create it in several ways, like a numbered list, bulleted list, or plain text. Regardless of what structure you choose, ensure it helps organize your thoughts and make your paper coherent in the long run.
Unfollowing Academic Protocols
The uniqueness of content isn’t the only component educators look at when evaluating an essay. They also pay close attention to structure and format. These two are vital in academic writing, as they make papers look appropriate and allow the readers to double-check the information.
Such protocols range from one institution to another. Usually, though, papers comprise an introduction, body part, and conclusion when it comes to the structure. With pieces, such as case studies and/or research papers, sections like Abstract, Results, Discussion, Recommendation, etc., are also essential.
The formatting style mainly depends on the discipline your topic falls into. That is, if you are to write an essay on social sciences, your citation style would likely be APA (American Psychological Association). But again, remember that your instructor can change the style, so get clarifications in advance.
Failing to edit efficiently
Many students wrongly think that once they finish the conclusion, the paper is ready for submission. Aside from writing, the essay must also be thoroughly edited. Editing might sometimes be a time-consuming activity, but it is unavoidable. Not only will it help you fix errors, but you will also perfect your paper in terms of content.
Effective editing is manageable. All you need to do is use a spell checker to correct typos and grammar mistakes and read the text paragraph-by-paragraph. By the end of your editing session, your essay will be polished to shine.
Finale
Becoming a good writer isn’t effortless. There are so many things you have to remember when writing a paper. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn the ropes of excellent and thoughtful writing.
First and foremost, get familiar with the above points. Provided are prevalent difficulties that students have with paper writing. And second, keep practicing. Regular training will bolster your writing and endow you with an elegant and one-of-a-kind style.
