Anyone who wants to secure good grades has to write well. Being a good writer is a skill that takes a lot of practice. But, it is worth putting in that effort. Once learned, being able to write well is a skill that will stand you in good stead. Writing letters, communicating with clients and colleagues will all be easy for you. But, it is not enough to just be able to write well. You also need to be able to adapt your style of writing to suit specific situations.
For example, academic writing differs somewhat from everyday writing. If you are a student who is planning to go on to university, starting to change the way you write now will make it far easier to adapt and do well, once you get there.
You normally have to quote your sources
For most academic papers, you are required to include citations and you need to use the right format. So, get into the habit of capturing the relevant details, at the research stage. Then familiarise yourself with the tools that will help you to get the job done faster. There are some really good citation creators out there. So, learn how to use them to save yourself time and make citation creation as easy as possible.
Making good research notes is essential
It is a good idea to get into the habit, while still at school, of noting down your sources. You do not need to include them in your essay, but you could create a list of them.
This will come in handy when you need to write about the subject again. Potentially, you could use your sources index to quickly go back to the documents you initially used and glean further information from them.
This is part of the process of learning how to make good research notes. There is nothing worse than wasting hours going over old ground trying to find a fantastic statistic that you have now lost. This note-taking for research purposes article contains some really good advice.
When you write an academic paper, almost regardless of what type it is, you need to be able to back up your arguments. Facts and figures help you to do this. They enable you to present strong arguments. Learning to become an effective note-taker is essential.
Most academic papers are only seen by a small audience
When you write an academic piece, you are usually doing so for a small audience. Typically, you will be writing for your professor, thesis marker and other academics. This means that the language you use and how you develop your arguments is going to be different.
Reading other people´s papers as part of the research process will help you to uncover important facts and arguments. But, perhaps, more importantly, it will also help you to adopt the right voice. To write in a way that will appeal to an academically-minded audience.
Being aware of and learning some of the skills you will need during further education will make it far easier for you to settle into academic life. It will also help you to achieve higher marks than you would otherwise do.
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