It is hard to find a person who had never written a paper in their life. After elementary school, tasks that involve writing one become increasingly frequent. In university, the ability becomes second nature, like breathing. A meticulous process of planning out your paper, editing, and reviewing it is required, to polish the text and do away with mistakes and unnecessary parts that clutter it. The difference between a decent paper and an excellent paper often lies in how the revising process was performed.
I always start writing a paper by writing a proper outline. It helps with forming the silhouette of the work and assists with looking for the information. Once that has been done, I start gathering the necessary materials to begin writing. Since I already have all the questions I need to answer, in my outline, I do not need to browse through all information on a particular subject – only the bits and pieces I need to answer them.
Once that is done, I start working on an intro. An intro to the text is arguably one of the most important parts of it since it introduces the reader to your paper. Depending on how well it is written, it can either spark interest or make the text look off-putting. In my intros, I usually get the reader acquainted with the general subject, as well as introduce the thesis statement – the point, which the paper is meant to elaborate on.
The main body of the text comes right after the intro. It could be split into subtitles. I usually make subtitles in the form of questions, which subsequently get answered in the text below. Depending on your target audience you might need to change the sentence structure and the way in which you convey your thoughts. When my paper is dedicated to a broader audience, I use simpler sentences, without any technicalities that the reader might not understand. Alternatively, if my paper is a scientific assignment, my writing needs to be a lot more precise.
After the first draft of your paper is complete, it is time to revise and polish it. Many people make the mistake of getting to the revision process immediately after they have completed the draft. In my experience, it is much better to give the eyes and the mind rest for about half an hour, before giving the paper a fresh look. Otherwise, some things may slip unnoticed, due to the writer’s mind being used to the text. When I begin revising my paper, I usually do so in three steps. First, I look at what can be improved about the content of my work, and how it is structured in the text. If my paper’s outline consists of a series of questions, which I need to give answers to, then I try to put these questions one after another in such a way, so that they would progressively develop the subject. If a topic has not been flushed out enough, I give additional material where I feel it is lacking. After that, I review my sentence structure. In my experience, the text looks better, when the same word is not repeated over several sentences in a row. Replace them with synonyms and pronouns. Sentences should not be too long or too short.
Lastly, I check spelling and punctuation. The former is much easier due to so many programs having a built-in spellchecker. However, spellcheckers often have trouble with punctuation, so that is what you should focus on. After all three steps are completed, I recommend taking another short break, then rereading the paper for the last time. However, to be completely sure, you can always ask a friend to do the final proofreading for you. Feedback from another person is valuable when writing a paper.