Every student yearns to be a master at writing. Turning in a capital essay, watching the professor’s eyes drift over it wistfully, getting a big, enthusiastic A+ at the top of the paper – it is the stuff of academic dreams. But, sometimes students give up their dreams after one unpleasant experience. Often, we’re tempted to think that it is impossible to learn everything that should be included in a great paper, but that’s not actually the truth. If you are willing to practice and brush up on a few tips to succeed, you can learn everything you need without even making a lot of efforts. Here are some simple tips from the blogging world to help you become a better academic writer (and get that A+ of your dream).
1. Use Pictures in Context
No matter how attractive or informative the image is; without text to explain its usage, it simply will not seem relevant. Make sure that the text by your picture clearly supports it not only within the context of your paper, but also within the context of the section in which you’ve chosen to include it. You have to make sure that you have chosen a stock photo or copyright-free image. While your professor may not recognize an image taken from a random website, there is always the chance that they will check. With the hundreds of incredible free photos you can legally use online, don’t risk to take a picture you don’t have permission to use.
2. Get to the Point
When you are writing a blog post, you have to get right to the relevant material from the beginning. When you have to put your post into 500-1000 words, you do not have to waste any time on rambling sentences or irrelevant details. No tangents, no getting sidetracked, and no navel-gazing for bloggers! Students could make their papers as easily readable as a blog post, even if the length of the paper will be a little longer.
3. Develop a Voice That Is Conversational
While you are not going to use slang, crack jokes, or share personal details about your life in most academic writing, you are going to have a much more readable paper when you do not sound stuck-up. Try reading blogs of well-established businesses for an example. They are never overly casual, but you also won’t feel like you’re reading an inaccessible tome. Once you’ve chosen a voice for your paper, stick to it – you don’t want to be the reader’s friend at one moment and their octogenarian professor the next one. You will create a capital essay when you will master a consistent voice.
4. Know Your Reader
Think about how much your professor already knows about the subject and go from there. If you’re taking a class on Shakespeare, there’s no need to provide your teacher with the date of Shakespeare’s birth or the plot of Romeo and Juliet. He/she already knows it, believe us. If you start with details that are common knowledge in a specialized class, you will seem amateurish. Similarly, no food blogger, worth their salt, would start a recipe for spaghetti carbonara by telling the readers how to boil water. If you are not sure about some details, give a brief overview without covering them; it would be much better than someone will call you on the improper information.
Do not fall apart since you can’t use any interesting information in your paper, or some slanguage, as you can use a lot of other items that will catch the readers. Learn them and enjoy your dealing with the papers.