When you find yourself in a higher level educational institution, you suddenly realize that the whole world of academic achievements is now ahead of you. However sad it may sound for some of us, this world often dwells on tons of different written assignments. You will write on different subject and topics, in different lengths, formats and paper types. Moreover, this world, as any other, has its rules and regulations and you have to truly master them to have your writing style liked by professors you meet along the way. Let’s take the baby steps into the world of academic writing!
Understand your assignment.
The misunderstanding of the topic or type of assignment must be one of the common problems, leading the beginner writers to loss of points. First of all, you need to not only write down the topic of the essay carefully, but to listen to everything your professor says about it – there can be some important clues to success. Second, make sure you understand the type of essay that is expected from you – it will determine the whole process of writing.
There are 4 common essay types:
- Expository essay.
- Persuasive essay.
- Analytical essay.
- Argumentative essay.
If the essay type is not specifically mentioned and you have doubts about it, don’t hesitate to ask your professor – they usually are open for questions and clarifications.
Study your topic.
Now that you are certain in what your essay is going to be about, do a deep research on the topic. Go to the library and check the articles and books that cover the topic. You may not use all of them when actually writing the paper, but you will be able to see different perspectives on covering the topic and choose the one you can really relate to – personal opinion usually plays a big role. Make sure that you know everything there is about your small field of research and be ready to answer questions based on your paper.