Writing essays, term papers, lab reports, etc.
no matter the topic, is a process:
- Establish, narrow, and define your topic
State your thesis or theme in a sentence or two at most
- Define your audience
Is it your instructor who grades you or a teaching assistant?
Your classmates who will critique your work?
A conference of professionals for review?
Keep your audience
in mind as you write
- Plan ahead
Set a time line and allow for unexpected developments and planned
- Gather resources
People: instructor, teaching assistant, research librarian,
tutor, subject matter experts, professionals
References: text book, reference works, web sites,
journals, diaries, professional reports
read, interview, experiment, gather data, etc. and take notes
completely as possible and document sources. Either use index
cards or a system in word processing...
- Organize your notes with a prewriting exercise:
focused freewriting, brainstorming, mapping, and/or outlining
- Write your first (rough)
Determine how you will develop your argument: Use
good logic in a reasoned argument to develop the theme and/or support
the thesis. Will you compare or define? Will
you criticize or describe? See the definitions of writing
terms in our Guides.
Your first paragraph
- Introduce the topic!
- Inform the reader of your point of view!
- Entice the reader to continue with the rest of
- Focus on three main points to develop
The first paragraph is often the most difficult to
write. If you have trouble, just get it down with the intention of
re-writing it later, even after you have finished with the rest.
But remember this first entry draws your audience into your topic, your
perspective, and its importance to continue with the rest. So:
- Establish flow from paragraph to paragraph
- transition sentences, clauses, or words at the beginning of
paragraph connect one idea to the next
(See the page on transitional words and
- topic sentences in each paragraph, also near the beginning,
define their place in the overall scheme
- avoid one and two sentence paragraphs
which may reflect lack of development of your point
- Keep your voice active
- "The Academic Committee decided..." not "It was
- Avoid the verb "to be" for clear, dynamic, and
(Avoid the verb "to be" and your presentation
be effective, clear, and dynamic)
- Avoiding "to be" will also avoid the passive voice
- Use quotations to support your interpretations
- Properly introduce, explain, and cite each quote
- Block (indented) quotes should be used sparingly;
they can break up the flow of your argument
- Continually prove your point of view throughout the essay
- Don't drift or leave its primary focus of the essay
- Don't lapse into summary in the development--wait until its
time, at the conclusion
- Read your first paragraph and the development
- Summarize, then conclude, your argument
- Refer back (once again) to the first paragraph(s)
as well as the development
- do the last paragraphs briefly restate the main ideas?
- reflect the succession and importance of the arguments
- logically conclude their development?
- Edit/rewrite the first paragraph
to better set your development and conclusion
Take a day or two off!
- Re-read your paper
with a fresh mind and a sharp pencil.
as if you want to communicate with a trusted friend or family
member. The person/people can be real or imaginary.
You will be surprised what you find to change!
- Edit, correct, and re-write as necessary
- Turn in the paper
- Celebrate a job well done, with the confidence
that you have done your best.
This last is very important.
Portions adapted with permission from K. Austin Kerr, Some
Tips on Writing Papers for History Courses, Ohio State
University. Suggestion by Carolla J. Ault, Writing Instructor, The
College of Lake County.
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