WRITING AN ACADEMIC PAPER

Now that you’ve got a topic, a thesis, chunks that support your thesis, and a page budget, it’s time to write. Just as with the planning of an academic paper, there are two main questions in mind during the writing process:

WHAT AM I TRYING TO COMMUNICATE? AM I COMMUNICATING MY IDEAS IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE TO SOMEONE BESIDES ME?

I’m going to fill you in on a secret about academic writing http://termpaper4me.net/: there is no one “correct” writing process. Some people start with the part they know the least about (these sections likely will require more time for research). Others prefer starting with what they know best (these sections will go quickly and give the writer a sense of accomplishment). Some people feel most comfortable when they write their conclusion first.

I’m not going to tell you where to start, but I will tell you this: just start writing. I’ve presented the parts of a paper below in the order in which they appear in a paper (introduction, chunks, and conclusion), but use them in whatever order makes the most sense to you.

WHAT AM I WRITING IN MY INTRODUCTION?

At its most basic, an introduction tells your readers about the topic of your paper, your thesis, and the chunks of information that support your thesis. You also need to present the chunks in the order that they will appear in your paper.

Your introduction is an agreement between you and your reader: “If you stick with me and read my whole paper, this is what I’m going to deliver to you . . .”

If your introduction is missing any of this information or if your introduction does not provide an accurate overview of your work, you risk making your readers crabby. Readers like knowing where a writer is going to take them and if you confuse them, you lose them.

When you write the draft of your introduction, you might start with the old standby line: “In this paper, I will . . .” That’s fine — don’t worry just yet about making your introduction sound smooth. You can edit your writing later.