Other than the fact that students are overwhelmed with classes, they are also buried with home assignments. And while some tasks are doable, others can be a real pain in the neck.
Dealing with extensive papers isn’t pleasant because you can’t just dump words on paper and submit a quasi-essay to the teacher. Extensive essays require much more than a simple expression of thoughts. They demand to think critically and spend lots of time learning a subject and rely on authoritative sources. And it is no surprise that students either skip long papers or delegate them to expert writers instead of working on them individually.
However, your struggles are going to end right now. There is no need to jeopardize your average by leaving out the task. Nor is it necessary to Google “write my paper cheap.” This guide will help you handle any long paper hassle-free. Let’s get on to it.
1. Start in advance
We know that you are short on time, and you can’t fully immerse yourself in one assignment. And you don’t have to. What we mean is that it’s better to start sooner and spend way less time working on the task in total than leaving it for the last minute and spending hours writing it.
The great thing about starting in advance is that even half an hour can work wonders. So, to handle a long paper, start with comprehending the topic. You don’t have to do anything but get familiar with what you are required to do. Look at the requirements and instructions and make sure you understand what your educator expects of you. Go through the main question and highlight its key verbs. What actions do they require you to take? Do they ask to discuss, argue, analyze, or refute some point? Understanding their meaning is crucial because they provide you with the focus of your work scope.
Once you complete that, proceed to research the subject. At this point, you don’t need to delve into meticulous research. Researching the surface will do it. Check typical for your topic web pages. For instance, suppose you are writing a paper in Economics. In that case, newspaper agencies like the Economist and Financial Times would be your go-to sources.
2. Work on schedule
It is critical to remain productive within the entire writing session. The best way to maintain efficiency and concentration is by following the work schedule. Such a plan can set you for work and allow you to write the paper quickly and effectively.
Now, you need to build a plan that would pertain to your writing capabilities and attention span. If you find the task exhaustive, it would be better to have more breaks between writing sets.
In contrast, if you are sure you can kill the assignment quickly, you might reduce breaks between writing but prolong a break before editing the work. It will restore your focus and allow you to spot minor mistakes. Whatever the plan you come up with, ensure to devote enough time for research and editing.
3. Do thorough research
While doing little research is supposed to improve your expertise of the topic, thorough research is designed to back up your arguments and thus improve your work’s credibility. The best way to kick off your research is by visiting Wikipedia. But before you stone us, hear us out.
Without a shade of a doubt, Wikipedia can’t be used when writing academic papers. But we don’t say you have to rely on it. The point is to make use of Wikipedia in a different way.
Wikipedia’s articles usually have a section with sources used. And while the web page’s information can be misinterpreted, those sources are usually reliable. Whatever your topic is, give it a try and check if WIki has an article about it. If so, jump to the last section and look at sources. Don’t hesitate to visit sources that end with .edu or .gov domains. Such websites are allocated to education or government institutions, so information placed within the mentioned pages is likely unbiased.
Another critical aspect to keep in mind is the number of sources. Before you start looking for them, make sure to check your requirements providing the number of sources required to use. If your educator hasn’t given any information about this, aim at one or two scholarly sources per academic page.
Finally, to improve your research and save you some time for the writing session, take notes of your sources as you research. That is, jot down the source along with its page. It will speed up your writing, allowing you to locate the source promptly.
4. Create an outline
Having a plan stating that you need to work one hour and then take a 15-minute break is helpful, indisputably. But having an outline stating what you should write is even better. A layout is a road map for your work. It points you in the right direction and prevents you from including anything you haven’t planned on adding initially. Unless composing an outline and submitting it is required, you can make it as bullet points, an enumerated list, or plain text.
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5. Complete the first draft quickly
Writing the first draft is crucial in that it shows you what your paper might look like after all. When drafting the essay, make sure to focus only on an ultimate goal – finishing the paper’s first version. You don’t want to fix any apparent mistake coming along your way. Otherwise, your writing will be extended substantially.
6. Finish your draft, take a break, and go back to the paper
Upon finishing the draft, consider taking a break. Changing your focus will reprogram your brain. Not only that, it will help you regain your attention and increase your productivity. Ideally, it would be best to sleep on the task before returning to it. But since you might lack time, even a one-hour pause will do it.
Once your break is over, reapproach your piece and read it carefully. Fix any error related to grammar or punctuation. Then, delve into deeper analysis and check if the introduction, the body part, and the conclusion correspond. Ask yourself whether the work is coherent or it can be improved somehow.
As a finishing touch, use a spell checker to see if you haven’t missed anything. After that, read your essay one more time and be ready to submit it.
That is it. We hope you find this writing strategy practical. If you have something to add, leave your comment in the section below.