The spring semester is upon us and many of us are already drowning in homework. While I can’t help with everything, my experience as a writing tutor exposed me to the difficulties many students face while writing papers for high school and college classes. As a result, I’ve decided to share 5 tips for writing a good paper.
1. Compose a Clear Thesis Statement
What is a thesis statement?
The thesis statement is what your whole paper is about and should be included in your introductory paragraph, so it only makes sense to start here. Think of your thesis statement as a single sentence summarizing your main topic. This sentence should be able to direct your entire paper and reveal what you hope to achieve with your argument. For this reason, composing a clear thesis statement is a crucial aspect of writing a good paper.
Where do I put my thesis statement?
As I said, your thesis statement should first appear in your introductory paragraph, but it does not need to be the very first sentence of your paper. Sometimes it’s necessary to provide background information or build a setting for your argument prior to identifying it. Additionally, your thesis statement does not have to be limited to your first paragraph. You can (and should) incorporate it throughout the rest of your paper, either by rephrasing it or reflecting certain elements of it. This will remind your reader (and yourself) of what you are arguing and why.
How do I write my thesis statement?
When you’re assigned a clear prompt to write about, you can almost just rephrase the prompt and use that as your thesis statement. For example, “Describe a time in your life when you learned from a mistake” can be rephrased to “One time in my life when I learned from a mistake was when I bought my first car,” or “Discuss the pros and cons of social media” can become “There are many pros and cons of social media,” or even, “Compare and contrast Christianity and Judaism” can become “Christianity and Judaism have many similarities as well as differences.”
Composing a clear thesis statement can be more challenging if you have a lot of freedom concerning your topic. If it’s too broad, you will have too much to write about and not a clear direction for your paper. If it’s too narrow, you might not have enough to write about. To narrow down broad topics, consider writing about your topic as it applies to a specific time in history, a specific age group, a different region of the country, etc.
In addition to narrowing down your topic, you should clearly state your stance (if your topic concerns more than one). Don’t remain neutral. This is something nearly every teacher I’ve ever had has said at one point. It should come as no surprise that clearly establishing your stance will help you focus on your topic while writing and give you clear points to discuss, while also clearly communicating a single idea to your reader.
Example Thesis Statement
Let’s say I’ve been instructed to write an essay on social media. “Social media” by itself is too broad of a topic so it needs to be narrowed down. I then consider writing about the pros and cons of social media, but simply stating these would not really accomplish anything or express a clear argument. To narrow it down further, I will argue in favor of social media, and specifically for adults. Now that I have a clear topic, my thesis statement simply needs to capture this prompt.
Examples:
- Social media can be incredibly beneficial for adults.
- It is incredibly beneficial for adults to understand and utilize social media.
- Adults can use social media as a powerful tool for both work and play.
2. Support Your Thesis Statement
You can compose the strongest thesis statement that clearly expresses one idea, but unless the rest of your paper supports this statement, you won’t have a strong paper. For this reason, building strong support is one of the best tips for writing a good paper. A strong thesis statement will simply remind you of your main idea as you write the contents of your paper, and in order to do this, you need to determine what your main points will be. These should be details that support your main idea. If needed, you can turn them into an outline.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t make many “official” outlines for the papers I wrote in school, but I always wrote down the main points I wanted include in my paper. These main points would support my argument and provide additional details as I expanded on them. I could then organize those main points in a way that would be cohesive and concise. You can apply a similar strategy. This will not only help you stay on track but will also begin to create a clear structure.
Once you determine your main points, you can begin writing the body of your paper. As a result, each paragraph following your introduction will support your thesis statement. You can even start each paragraph with one of your main points, though you may need to rephrase them slightly. Additionally, if you’re struggling to write your introductory paragraph, you may find it helpful to incorporate your main points. This will also help your reader clearly understand the direction of your paper after reading only the first paragraph.
From there, you should be able to expand on each of your main points, but remember to include only relevant details and avoid repetition. If a statement does not relate to your main idea, leave it out. You can always save that idea for another assignment if it interests you (this is how a lot of research topics are born).
Example of Main Points
Given my main topic, that social media is beneficial for adults, I now need to discuss how this is true. Here are some main points I might want to include in my paper:
- Social media provides the opportunity to communicate with people from all over the world
- Social media helps us stay in touch with friends and family
- Social media has changed the way we communicate in person
- Social media can contribute to comparison and insecurities
- Social media provides the opportunity to promote events, businesses, and important messages
This is not an exhaustive list, but it will help me get started. I may start by writing about how social media has made it easier for people to communicate with others who are far away. We* can now instantly talk to people in other countries without having to get on a plane or upgrade our phone plans. We can even translate other languages on many social media platforms.
I can choose to write more or less for each main point, depending on how relevant it is to my main topic.
*Note: This blog is an example of informal writing. You should be mindful when using first-person pronouns (I, we, us) in formal/academic writing. Many teachers will ask you not to use these pronouns.
3. Incorporate Critical Thinking
In addition to discussing main points that support your argument, you should also address points that might weaken your argument. I know, it may seem counterproductive, but as you write your paper, you will likely have counterarguments naturally occur to you. Don’t be afraid of these or worry your argument is weak simply because these exist. Instead, you should address them, and then defend your argument against them. Explain why your argument remains valid.
As a result, you will have exercised critical thinking. In my opinion, this is one of the most valuable tips for writing a good paper. Critical thinking will show your reader that you have considered other approaches and know how to navigate viewpoints that may challenge your own. You recognize those challenges and continue to defend your side.
Papers discussing pros and cons are a good example of critical thinking. A paper on social media could easily go either way. In fact, I could easily write my hypothetical paper against social media instead of for social media. There are several valid points for either side. The important thing is, I chose a side rather than remaining neutral, and now I must defend that side.
Example of Critical Thinking
You might have noticed that some of the main points I established above could weaken my argument in favor of social media for adults. This is because, as I considered my main topic, I could already anticipate what someone arguing against social media might say. They would make some very valid points by talking about how damaging social media can be, such as:
Social media can cause users to compare their lives and appearances to others. It allows people to hide behind a screen and promote unattainable standards. In addition, social media can become addicting and make it more challenging for some people to communicate face to face.
I can address issues like these in my paper and then defend my argument.
Even for adults, social media can be hard to navigate. Fortunately, everyone has some level of control concerning what kinds of content they consume on social media. Mature individuals should utilize the filters these platforms provide and promote the kind of content they wish to see.
There are several ways to defend an argument. Notice how I don’t deny or deflect the challenges that come with social media. Instead, I propose a solution for those challenges. It’s not perfect but it has potential and remains valid. I highly recommend doing some research on valid and invalid forms of arguments (and take a philosophy class … seriously).
For shorter writing assignments in which you’re limited by your word count, consider addressing an opposing viewpoint in your conclusion or use smaller examples throughout the body of your paper.
4. Incorporate Relevant Support
While critical thinking is important and can help you build a powerful argument, you shouldn’t stop there. To strengthen your argument further, you should add external sources as support. Some assignments, like research papers, actually require you to do this, but even if you’re only writing an opinionated essay, you can still make references to the studies or experiences that helped you form your current argument. This really does make a difference in your writing and is one of the best tips for writing a good paper.
While doing research for your topic, make sure your source is the appropriate age for your paper. Different teachers have different preferences concerning how old a source can be so if you’re unsure, you should ask for clarification. Most will say within the last 10 years, depending on their academic field.
You should also keep in mind that different writing formats have different rules for referencing. Make sure you use the correct writing format for your class/department and pay close attention to the way you should reference your sources. You may have to look it up, or you may have to ask your teacher directly. Even if you’re unsure of how to cite something, you should always, always cite direct quotes and studies to the best of your ability.
5. Solve a Problem
In concluding your essay you should restate your thesis statement and clearly explain why your argument is so important. Your reader doesn’t necessarily have to be convinced that your argument is true, they just need to see the value of it. As they read your conclusion, they should feel assured, inspired, or even conflicted.
One way to make sure you achieved this is by identifying any problems you may have solved with your argument. In fact, if you aren’t confident that your argument solves a problem, you may want to rethink it. Sometimes it actually helps and you can avoid this if you write your conclusion first and your introduction last. You may also be writing about a difficult topic for which there is no real solution. Either way, you should be able to examine it clearly and call your reader to some kind of action.
Example of Solving a Problem
In concluding a paper on social media, I would want to revisit my main point and remind my reader why it matters.
Even with its challenges, social media is still very beneficial for adults. Social media has changed the way we communicate and has become a regular part of life for a large percentage of the world’s population. Today, many companies even require the usage or at least knowledge of social media platforms among their employees. Social media can be used as a valuable tool for promoting one’s business or even reporting the news. For some people, social media has become much more than a digital scrapbook — it is how they make their living.
I might not have convinced my readers that they need social media in their lives, but they will at least understand its value, specifically for adults, and that’s the real goal of my paper.
Concluding Thoughts
These are just a few tips for writing a good paper. I’ve kept these tips fairly general so you can actually apply them to various forms of writing, from essays to blogging. I hope these tips have given you a new perspective or at least a boost of confidence concerning your writing skills. Finally, one of the best tips I have for writing a good paper is to read good papers. Observe how good writers write and apply their strategies to your own writing.
Comment some of your favorite tips for writing a good paper, and let me know if you would like to see more writing tips on here!