Three Ways to Immediately Improve Your Papers
Leveling up writing from high school to college is an ongoing process during undergrad. Many students assume they will 'master' good writing and move on. Writing well, however, is not something to master. Writing is a skill that can be improved but never perfected; even the best authors of today still feel they can improve.
By Xavier Royer — October 3, 2022
Leveling up writing from high school to college is an ongoing process during undergrad. Many students assume they will 'master' good writing and move on. Writing well, however, is not something to master. Writing is a skill that can be improved but never perfected; even the best authors of today still feel they can improve.
Organization skills, sentence fluency or "flow," word choice, and clarity can improve with consistent practice and feedback from faculty or writing tutors (go to the darn writing center!!) However, there are some things young writers can do on their next paper that will immediately help their grade. This article showcases a few habits students should utilize to improve their papers immediately.
Crush the Title
So many students forget to put a title on their paper or go with something completely non descript like "Research paper." Putting a few minutes into a solid title can go a long way toward the first impression of a paper. Terrible at titles? No problem. A tried and true formula exists for putting together a title that is at least serviceable but could be great. The first part is most challenging; the writer needs to think of a slogan, pun, question, or other clever phrase related to their topic. Add a colon or question mark to add more description or interest.
The second part is simply the main idea of the paper. Some examples might be:
"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ad Revenue: TV Marketings Effects on Democracy"
"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Misconceptions About Gray Wolves"
Strong titles set the tone for a strong paper, and this formula, when done correctly, always leads to something at least serviceable.
Nail your Citations
Citations are the number-one-with-a-bullet reason I have to deduct points from my students. Whatever citation style students plan to use, it is best to learn it early. I give my students the option of which style to use, but students should check the syllabus and/or assignment guidelines to identify if their professor has a preference. Remember, cite every source every time. Students will need to be sure they cite their sources both in-text with a footnote or parenthetical citation (depending on the style) and in the works cited or bibliography at the end of the paper. Some students make the mistake of doing one and not the other. Less commonly, students will only cite a source once despite using it many times.
Clean Formatting
Students should take the time to format a paper correctly. First, ensure that the paper has a heading or title page that includes important info like the student's name, assignment, date, and class or professor. It may seem redundant, but keep in mind the instructor grades at least a dozen of each assignment-not to mention the papers from other classes.
Headings help prevent confusion. Titles should be in the same font as the rest of the paper, with no bolding, underlining, or italicizing. There should be only one line of space between the title and the start of the paper and no extra lines of space between paragraphs (Microsoft word may have this as a default option, which can be changed in the paragraph settings). Students should also add a running head with the writer's last name and the page number. Poor formatting is a big red flag when it comes to grading; it often gives the impression that the writer tried to artificially inflate the length of the paper.
Bookending
Most papers undergrads write have a thesis and some main points, often three. I recommend always bookending papers with both the thesis and a list of the paper's main points. Most students understand that the thesis should go into the opening paragraph, but this is also a great time to introduce the paper's main points. The less the instructor has to search out those qualities of the paper, the better.
I recommend including a sentence per the main point after the thesis. Use timing words (First, next, finally, etc.) to explicitly indicate to the grader what the points the paper covers. In the final paragraph, the writer should restate the thesis and reiterate the main points, using those same timing words. This structure is a straightforward way to set expectations of a paper and significantly gives volume to those first and last paragraphs.
The development of writing requires practice and patience. With midterms right around the corner, this article identified and demonstrated some ways students can elevate their papers on the next attempt. These are simple habits that writers can develop to instantly improve their papers. At a minimum, formatting and titling can change an instructor's impression of a paper. Nailing citations and bookending can impact the grade book as they often affect how well the student achieves the assignment requirements.
Xavier Royer
I am currently a full time instructor at a William Penn University, a small private university in Iowa. I am the lone political science faculty member there. In my time teaching, I have already connected with an incredible cohort of students in ways I could never have expected. Partnering with SAGE will allow me the opportunity to help even more students across the globe navigate those tricky questions.
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