12 tips on how to step up your proficiency in writing an academic essay
- July 22, 2024
- Posted by: Yury Subachev, PhD
- Categories: For young scientists, Paper writing, Scientific translation, Useful skills
The skill of composing a good scholarly essay can be mastered by anyone. The only thing that is necessary is to memorize some essential principles inherent in essay writing.
The cornerstone of a well-written essay is a well-founded but simultaneously polemical statement, underpinned by convincing and sensible arguments. An indispensable subsection of an essay is also a laconic and well-grounded conclusion.
Following a few recommendations concerning the ground rules of essay writing would be helpful for anyone wondering how to become a good writer.
It is worth repeating that a well-thought-out thesis is the backbone of any scholarly paper.
That said, the thesis must not be equated with the initial phrase in the work. It is not the ideal solution to convey the basic idea of the study instantaneously. Enunciating the thesis is the initial point, around which one can further build his or her writing.
Inherent elements of a typical essay are also a well-reasoned introduction and a relevant conclusion.
Core principles of crafting a great essay
When working on a scholarly essay, one has to bear in mind the recommended qualities that should be inherent in a well-written paper. Self-consistency, continuity, and accuracy are fundamental traits differentiating a prominent essay from a mediocre one.
Below you can find a few tips to make your paper better. Following these recommendations will help you structure and organize the essay in line with the intended aim and make the essay findings more convincing.
1. Determine what you intend to write about prior to beginning work
While amateurish writers can just begin writing from scratch, more sophisticated authors realize that creating a high-quality paper is a multi-step process. Before writing anything, one ought to be aware of what message the prospective work is going to convey. Such understanding is required to pinpoint the thesis and adduce relevant arguments.
Before anything else, prepare a rough plan of the intended work, incorporating the introduction (specifying the thesis), the main part (split into paragraphs laying out the key arguments reinforced by reliable evidence), and the conclusion (integrating the presented ideas and backing up the thesis with the proposed arguments).
2. Inform yourself about the foundations of grammar, style, and punctuation
Prior to getting to grips with sophisticated writing skills, it is vital to get to know the main principles of making your work grammatically and stylistically correct. Otherwise, the author will hardly be able to convey his/her ideas convincingly and cannot expect them to be taken seriously.
The fundamentals of grammar embrace a coherent sentence structure, adhering to the rules of utilizing pronouns and articles, and so on. Alongside this, the writer should have a good understanding of specific aspects of punctuation, specifically regarding the use of a comma and a period.
It is recommended to give preference to active verb forms over passive ones (for instance, “this work determined”, not “it was determined by this work”), making the language of your writing more perspicuous and laconic. Try to avoid any redundancy, in particular, excessive use of transitional words not bringing in any additional meaning.
3. Pay attention to your vocabulary and the correct meaning of the terms used
In scientific writing, the aim is to convince the audience that you are proficient in the subject you are dealing with. Therefore, the way of employing language is essential here. If you ask yourself a question “how to make my paper better”, it is not a good idea to use high-sounding words only to show yourself to be smart. On the contrary, this can yield a reverse effect. It is not difficult for a competent reader to understand that someone tries to seem more knowledgeable than he or she is in reality.
If you are vague about the precise meaning of some term, there is a risk of misusing it.
You cannot be too careful in this case. Double-checking the word’s meaning will always pay off. Also, avoid opaque phrases, which can reduce the intelligibility of your reasoning.
4. Clearly articulate the argument and set forth the evidence
During writing, the author’s key argument ought to constantly be in the focus of attention. Certainly, from time to time, a desire may emerge to wander from the subject in order to elaborate some interesting thought, but this does not contribute to the clearness and comprehensiveness of the work.
Thoroughly inspect whether the evidence furnished in the text really backs up your pivotal thesis. If this is not the case, consider ruling it out or replacing it with more appropriate arguments. Critically examine every piece of evidence to check out whether it is appropriate and sufficient to underpin your ideas. Everything in the essay ought to have a direct connection with the key theme and thesis.
5. Write a convincing conclusion
An appropriate conclusion is the part that is often underestimated by academic writers. A properly formulated conclusion integrates the content of the entire research and justifies the proposed thesis. The conclusion is thus more than just a reformulation of the introduction or the thesis itself.
A well-founded conclusion totals up the arguments outlined in the main text and relates them to the thesis to demonstrate if they substantiate the key thesis.
A poorly written conclusion is able to ruin even an impeccable essay, so it undoubtedly deserves due regard.
6. Formulate a clear and coherent thesis
The thesis is the backbone of any scholarly essay. It is a statement based on the authors’ specific experience or their way of interpreting the issue, which should be reinforced by a set of arguments.
The thesis ought to be self-consistent and explicit, but simultaneously it must be open to discussion for the authors to be able to come up with relevant arguments.
7. Write an intriguing opening paragraph
The starting phrases of the essay ought to be written in such a way as to instantaneously generate the audience’s interest. If the first paragraph is boring, you can miss the chance to get your ideas over to the readers. The initial part of the paper is essential to lay the groundwork for substantiating your thesis.
8. Editing and proofreading are essential
It goes without saying that any academic paper undergoes multiple corrections and revisions in the process of its creation. Do your best to bring your final manuscript as close to perfection as possible. If you wonder how to become a better writer, the best practice is to re-read the text many times over to address possible grammatical flaws and typing mistakes.
The best option is to ask another person to proofread your essay or avail yourself of professional editing services. Experienced editors will be able to find out feeble arguments or excessive wordiness and suggest ways of improving the work.
9. Develop compelling and weighty arguments
In the main text of the essay, every single phrase must substantiate or clarify your thesis. Note that it is advisable to prepare no less than three arguments underpinning your main idea. The major arguments must be underpinned by corresponding evidence, examples, etc. To organize the work smoothly, it is recommended to start by preparing a list of research questions.
10. Select the essay format
Prior to getting down to writing, it is required to find out what format will be appropriate for a certain publication or a given field. In most cases, one of the most popular essay formats should be used, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style. These standards determine every aspect in your essay, starting with capitalization and ending with referencing.
11. Provide coherent transitions between separate ideas
Certainly, excessive use of transition words is detrimental to the intelligibility and succinctness of writing, but they are valuable means for interconnecting separate subsections of the paper, ensuring a coherent structure of the entire work. Nevertheless, the transition words you employ must correspond to the aim and to the desired effect.
12. Include a structured list of cited works
Whatever format you employ, the reference list ought to be properly organized for your audience to unambiguously comprehend what sources you relied upon. When compiling such a list, it is required to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the corresponding format. This process can be made easier by utilizing specialized software for reference management.
