The Order of Writing Papers at the University: Essays, Research Papers, Thesis

It is easy to think that you have mastered the art of writing in high school only to discover that writing a paper as an undergraduate is completely different. Whether you are writing an academic paper, essay, or thesis, you need to ensure that your work is well planned. Lecturers appreciate students that demonstrate their understanding of the subject in their article and reward them with higher grades.

If you are writing your first paper as an undergraduate, it can be difficult for you to even know where to start. Fortunately, we are yet to make things much easier for you. We will be breaking down the right order for writing papers in the university in this guide.

Essay

Our first advice on the structure of writing an essay is that you take your time to understand what is required. There are different types of essays, you don’t want to mistake a “compare and contrast” essay for an analytical “analyze” essay. It is always a good idea to approach your lecturer for a better explanation of what you are expected to deliver. Once you get a good grasp of the topic, the next step in the order of essay writing will be to gather your resources.

There is a wealth of information available, so you should ensure that you target directly relevant material during your research. You should also identify your knowledge gap and where supporting evidence will be necessary.

Some examples of good resources include journals, course materials, library books, websites, essay samples, and lecture notes. Students that think this is too much work prefer to ask someone for help. Ensure that you only select theories, information, and quotes that are relevant to the topic.

You should now have an idea of what you will be writing about and the order that you will be doing your writing. If so, you should proceed to create a plan. There are two types of plans that you can adopt, namely a linear plan or a tabular plan.

A linear plan will be the right option when your essay needs a rigid structure. It will give you a chronological breakdown of the essential points that you want to write about. Meanwhile, a tabular plan is more suitable for comparative assignments. It will give you a clearer picture of the differences between the points that you are contrasting as you write your essay.

It is now time to tackle your introduction and conclusion. Though it will be a good idea to outline your introduction from the beginning, keep in mind that your ideas may change as you proceed. So, you should remember to review it at the later stages of your writing.

Also, you should try to think of what your conclusion will look like even if it’s naturally not the first that you will write about. But if the shape of your argument is still unclear, you should tackle your introduction and conclusion last. The final step should be the evaluation of your first draft and you can do this a few days after.

Research Paper

This is how to easily write a research paper. Just like in essay writing, you need to first understand the assignment properly before you start writing your academic paper. Go to your professor for clarification if there is anything that you don’t understand. After that, you should proceed to choose a topic for your paper.

You may do this on your own, get inspiration from other papers, or talk to other students or your professor. Once you have a suitable topic, you may conduct preliminary research using different sources.

Develop a thesis statement to establish the intent of your paper. A good thesis statement should summarize your idea in one sentence or two. You can then proceed to develop an outline for your research paper.

Now, the next line of action will be to write your first draft. You shouldn’t worry about perfection yet, leave that for later. Also, you should remember to cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. You should write the introduction, body of text, and conclusion as compelling as possible. Finally, you should revise and proofread your work to ensure that everything is in place.

Thesis

There is no specific procedure for writing a thesis. However, the first step that you should take is to analyze your main sources. Search for something interesting, controversial, and complex. Is the author self-contradicting? Does the author reverse any point after making it? What is the significance of the argument? By finding answers to these questions, you will be on your way to creating a working thesis.

After getting a working thesis, the next step in the order of writing a thesis is to put it down in writing. The importance of this is to avoid the frustration of forgetting it. It will also allow you to think about your thesis with more clarity even if it won’t be perfect yet.

Additionally, the ideal placement for your thesis statement will be the end of your introductory paragraph. This is particularly good for short essays since your readers will expect to find it there.

Finally, you should prepare for counterarguments. This way, you will be able to polish your thesis and point out the arguments that you will have to refute later.

Conclusion

Your academic papers aren’t the most fun things that you will write while studying at the university. However, you can earn high grades by putting in your best efforts, there are several online resource for students that can help you with this. We have provided the best advice on writing papers at the university in this article.