Dakota Smith

If you ask different professors how to write a paper, they will likely have different responses. They may differ in forms of style or opinions, but there are basic rules a writer can follow to please any of them. Your professors have been in your shoes and have likely been subject to their peers’ opinions of their own papers. They understand the struggles that come with developing a personal writing style and will not expect you to have this figured out yet, but they will expect you to be able to form a decent paper based off what you know.

The first thing to keep in mind when writing a paper is your sources. When picking sources, keep in mind how recently they were written and whether they are peer-reviewed. Using peer-reviewed articles will impress your professors, because it lets them know the data you are referencing was approved by like-minded people. The sources should be recent so the ideas they are relating are most relatable to your current audience, and it lets your professor know you are talking about an idea in the way the idea is currently perceived. An outdated source may not be relevant to what you are talking about now. For example, if you were writing a paper on women’s fashion and chose an article from the 1800s, you may say that women cannot show their ankles in public; obviously in current times this is not true.

The second thing to keep in mind when creating a paper is writing style. Writing style is developed over time; therefore, your professors will probably not expect you to have a well-developed writing style yet. Until you develop your own style, there are a few basic rules you should follow when writing. First, simplicity is key. It is important to get your point across in the simplest way possible, so that your reader can follow your work. Once you have a further developed writing style, you can play with this idea a little more by adding in detail that does not take away from your main points, but until then keep to the basics. Now, this does not mean you should oversimplify. You want your reader to understand what you are saying, even if they have never learned anything about the subject you are covering. This means abbreviations should be defined and used until a reader can get a grasp on what something is. For example, if you are writing an article on a charity called Teddy Bears for Children, then you would not start out your paper by abbreviating the charity as TBC as none of your readers would know what your abbreviation meant. There are some abbreviations that are considered common knowledge, like DNA, that your readers are likely to know from basic schooling, but the safe choice is always to define what you mean by an abbreviation.

Beyond writing simply, you should incorporate proper grammar and syntax in your paper. Using proper grammar will let your professor know that you understand the basics of English and give your reader a better idea of what you are trying to say. One example of this is the use of the Oxford or Serial Comma. The Oxford Comma separates the last two items in a list of three or more items. While it sounds small and simple, the lack of this comma can cause people to combine the last two items of a list when they are meant to be separate. There are multiple examples where grammar can change the interpretation of a sentence, but writing about that would take up an article in itself. Next, you need to use proper syntax. Merriam-Webster defines syntax as the way in which linguistic elements (such as words) are put together to form constituents (such as phrases or clauses). The pairing of words and phrases is important to a sentence. Syntax can refer to the placing of adjectives before nouns or the placing of a subject before a verb. Proper syntax allows a reader to read through your paper without having to stop and reread sentences to gain clarity. You should also use a variety of sentence types to keep your work from sounding choppy by using a semicolon to show the connection between two ideas or using conjunctions to combine simple subjects. Using the proper syntax and sentence variation will keep your reader interested and focused when they read your work.

The third thing to keep in mind when writing a paper is whether your paper is convincing. When a paper is sent to an editor, it must be convincing, or it will not be published. Think of writing a paper for you professor in the same way. If you follow your basic writing style rules, follow your rubric, and have reliable sources, then you can get your paper towards an A, but you must be able to convince your reader that what you have to say is important to get that final grade. Your professor does care about the technicality of your paper, but if your paper does not have the heart it requires, it will have failed in its purpose and may lead you to fail the assignment.

Writing a paper is something that every college student must do regularly, no matter the subject. This writing ability is then carried over into a job in your desired field, where it has greater implications. If you cannot write, then you are likely to see little advancement in your job or even lose the chance of getting the job you want all together. Just remember to follow the basic rules of writing and eventually your writing style will develop. Remember to write like you are writing to get published, and use reliable sources, an effective writing style, and be convincing. As long as you can follow these rules, you can make the best grade possible for your paper.