John Hope College Prep

Writing a college paper can be overwhelming, especially when new to it. At first contact with college courses, homework, and projects, college may seem scary, but none of these are things you can't handle.

Writing in college aims to show and convince your lecturer and readers that you have a mastery of what you are writing about. You must research and base your writing on indisputable facts to achieve this.

While these may help you write a good piece, they may not be enough to put you ahead of your peers. Here are some tips to help you deliver outstanding college level writing.

1. Do thorough research

Every well-written piece begins with a pre-written piece. This means you would have gathered as many facts as possible about that topic. There are many approaches to this. You could use the library, maximise online resources, ask questions, conduct surveys, and more.

2. Create an outline

As the thoughts flood your head, put them down. You do not need to be careful about grammar or spelling at this point. If you try to be grammatically correct, you might lose the idea. Just write as it comes to mind and then take care of the wrong areas later.

A college paper outline helps you develop a credible structure to follow. A good college research paper outline should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Your outline should be written in such a way that, at one glance, you can recall the idea.

3. Begin paragraphs

Begin writing one paragraph at a time. Once you can pull yourself together and start writing something, ideas will begin to flow. So, start writing even if it seems nothing is coming. Ensure you write something every day.

It would be best if you had ideas for each paragraph from the outline you created. They should be put in the form of topic sentences. The topic sentences will help you to remember what you wanted to write if properly penned down.

4. Write clearly

Writing should always be done clearly and concisely. Avoid the use of redundant words and unnecessary repetitions. When you find out that your writing is becoming monotonous, use synonyms to replace repetitive words.

Avoid writing in a way that leaves your readers more confused than they were at the beginning. There must always be a link between your paragraphs. Make your writing interesting to the reader. Clearly explain all concepts.

5. Be consistent

Don't start writing and stop. Write constantly. That is the only way not to lose your flow. You could dedicate two hours a day to work on your research.

Make sure you are consistent with this schedule. Nothing should stop you from adhering to your writing or research schedule. Not if you can help it.

How to format a college paper

A college paper format is as important as a college paper itself. When writing a college paper, use a 1-inch margin throughout your work. This makes it neat and easy to read for your supervisor.

The generally acceptable font size for a research paper is 12 points, and the acceptable font is Times New Roman. Your citation page should be done acceptably. A wrongly done citation page can lead to issues with your supervisor and affect your grade.

The style of writing determines how to put your references. There is the MLA style, APA style, Chicago style, and so on. Find the acceptable style for your institution and department and familiarise yourself with it.

How to head a college paper

The heading of a college paper is very important. Students have failed papers they have written well simply because they used the wrong headings. You must always remember that the lecturer or supervisor teaches many courses. So, they may be unable to tell which course your paper is for if it is not headed properly.

It is important that you use the correct heading format. A college paper should have the title of the paper and the name of the student and instructor. The course title, date, and university name should also be included. The paper's title is usually more prominent than other components of the heading.

Note, however, that this will depend on the requirements of the different colleges.

Conclusion

Your college paper, if properly written, can be published in well-known journals. It might just open doors of opportunities that you never dreamed of. That is why you should not be careless about it.