Top Resources for Writing College Papers
Top Resources for Writing College Papers
Please review the following video and articles for help with formatting, APA, grammar and other writing issues. To return to Dr. Diane Hamilton’s blog, click here. For updates on help with writing, bookmark the following page: Dr. Diane’s Writing Help
- Checklist for Writing the Perfect College Paper
- Doctoral Dissertation: Proposal Approval Checklist
- Top 5 Secrets for Online Student Success
- How to Get an A in Your College Courses
- Education and ADHD: Changing How People Learn
- Successful Students Use Plagiarism and Editing Programs
- Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
- How to write a Perfect College Paper Tutorial
- Help with removing extra spaces between paragraphs
- Help with page numbers and headers
- Example of an APA paper
- Example papers, research and documentation help
- 15 Ways to Improve Writing Skills for Students and Everyone Else
- APA Style: 5 Essential Tips for APA Style Headings
- Citing Long Quotations in APA 6th Edition
- Adding 2 Spaces After a Period to Meet APA 6th Edition Requirements
- What is the Difference Between a Citation and a Reference?
- Is Wikipedia Reliable?
- PowerPoint – Resources and Examples to Make the Perfect Presentation
- Explanation of First, Second and Third Person Writing
- Anthropomorphisms: When Not to Use Them
- Have Some Fun With Common Grammar Mistakes
- What is a Peer-Reviewed Journal?
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
- Top Sites to Find Statistics and Charts for Writing Articles
- Statistics Every Writer Should Know
How to Write a Perfect College Paper: Video Tutorial
The following is a video presentation that explains how to write the perfect college paper. For a written version with more complete information, check out: Checklist for Writing the Perfect College Paper. There are some sources referred to in this video presentation. Here are those sources and the links:
Click here for doctoral dissertation writing help.
Related articles
- Checklist for Writing the Perfect College Paper (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Doctoral Dissertation: Proposal Approval Checklist (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Top 5 Secrets for Online Student Success (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- How to Get an A in Your College Courses (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Education and ADHD: Changing How People Learn (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Successful Students Use Plagiarism and Editing Programs (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
Checklist for Writing the Perfect College Paper
Professors may assume that students understand the basics when it comes to writing college research papers. In reality, many students are frustrated by all of the requirements. There are not a lot of easy checklists that put all of the requirements into one location. The following checklist should be used as a helpful guide to help college students write a well-researched and properly presented paper.
Write in introduction/body/conclusion format
- Introduction – The first paragraph introduces what will be included in the paper. It is a good idea to have the first sentence of the first paragraph include a hook to interest the reader. Students should list a few sentences that summarize the main topics that will be addressed in the paper. In this example, assume that three things will be covered based on the assignment requirements. End the introductory paragraph with the thesis statement.
- Body – The body is where the three things, required for the assignment, are addressed. Students should start each paragraph with a topic sentence. Students should write a few sentences about that topic. Students should end that paragraph with a transitional sentence that leads into the next topic that will be addressed in the following paragraph. This process should be completed for all paragraphs until the last paragraph.
- Conclusion – The last paragraph may begin with something like, “In conclusion”. This last paragraph will sum up the three topics addressed. The last sentence should restate the thesis statement listed in the introduction, and end with some sort of final prediction or conclusion.
Write in complete paragraphs – Paragraphs should ideally contain between 4-8 sentences. Students often make the mistake of writing in incomplete paragraphs or overly long paragraphs. Click here for more information about paragraph structure.
Avoid run-on sentences – Sentences should not be overly complex. Students should check how many times the word “and” is used. This may signal a run-on sentence.
Write in APA format – Set up papers that include a title page, double-spacing, indented paragraphs, page numbers, correctly cited sources, etc. per APA.
- Click here for an example of an APA paper.
- Click here for more help with APA.
- Click here for a site that makes citing easy.
- Click here for example papers, research and documentation help
Research the paper through the school’s library – Students often make the mistake of researching through the use of Google or other popular search engines. Students may also make the mistake of relying on sources that are less than scholarly. Sites like Wikipedia may offer some good information but they are not considered reliable or scholarly sources for research papers. Students should use the school’s search engine, located in the online library. Students should click the box that searches for scholarly, peer-reviewed journals to ensure the sources are appropriate.
Cite consistently and correctly throughout the paper – Students often make the mistake of thinking they are story-telling when they should be demonstrating research. Students should get into the habit of paraphrasing rather than listing direct quotations. Students should avoid patchworking. Students should not make the mistake of listing references without citations. This is a common mistake. Research papers require both citations AND references. Students should also not make the mistake of simply ending a paraphrased paragraph with (author last name, year) to cite all information covered in the paragraph. This is also a common mistake and can be considered plagiarism. Every sentence of paraphrased work requires the author and year information.  Click here for information about how to cite.
Submit the paper to TurnItIn – Many schools offer TurnItIn’s plagiarism checker. This is an excellent tool that is helpful to both the students and the schools. Students should get in the habit of submitting his or her papers through this software program to insure that they are not inadvertently plagiarizing information.
Check narrative mode – Many courses do not allow students to write in first person. If this is the case, students should not refer to themselves. Students should look for words like I, we, us, me. These words should not be included if the paper does not allow first person.
Check Word document format – Students often overlook the settings in the Word document. Students should be sure that the font, margins and settings are correctly set to APA requirements.
- Click here for help with removing extra spaces between paragraphs.
- Click here for help with page numbers and headers.
- Click here for an example of an APA paper.
Check spelling and other miscellaneous issues – Students should read the final draft more than once. Even if everything seemed OK in the paper, it is a good idea, for students to read it several times to look for small errors. Students should check for spacing issues. Students should also check that there are two spaces after periods per APA. Students should spell-check the document to be sure all spelling issues are resolved.
Related Articles
- How to Write the Perfect College Paper:Â Video Tutorial
- Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
- How to Receive an A in Your College Courses
Doctoral Dissertation: Proposal Approval Checklist
In the years I have spent as a doctoral chair, I have read many excellent proposals and final dissertations. Writing a dissertation takes a great deal of patience and time. Some students may become frustrated if he or she believes that the process takes longer than anticipated. To avoid a lengthy proposal approval process, the student should spend time going over some common mistakes. Although each school may have different requirements, the following checklist may be helpful to the doctoral learner prior to submitting his or her proposal for review.
Common Errors | Place X to Signify Compliance |
All Required Forms Are Included | |
Note That Data Will Be Saved 3 Years Then Destroyed | |
Paragraphs Must Contain At Least 3 Sentences | |
Any Defined Words Must Include A Citation | |
85% Of References Must Be Less Than 5 Years From Proposal Date | |
All Sections Are Listed In Proposal | |
References Are In APA Format | |
Submit to TurnItIn Or Plagiarism Checker | |
Submit To Editing Software Or Editor | |
Submit To Statistician If Necessary | |
Two Spaces Are Required After Periods | |
Design Is Carefully Described | |
Clarity – Person Reading Proposal Could Perform Study If Necessary | |
No Personal Opinions – All Conclusions Substantiated | |
The Word “Proposed” Is Listed Before Referring To Proposed Study | |
No Use Of The Wording “The Researcher” To Refer To Writer Of Proposal | |
No First Person References | |
No Fluff Words Including:Â However, In Addition, Therefore, Etc. | |
Proposal In Future Tense; Will Change To Past Tense After Study | |
What Others Have Written In Past Tense | |
Long Tables Should Be In Appendix | |
Long Citations Cannot Be On Two Separate Pages – Must Be On One | |
No Slang Is Included | |
Use Words “Which and That” Correctly | |
There Should Not Be Any Tracking Changes Left In Document | |
Headings Must Be In APA 6th Format | |
Chapter 1 Must Start On Page 1 | |
Proposal Author’s Name Must Be Listed And Current Month/Year | |
Watch Use Of The Word Randomly (Be Specific) | |
No Anthropomorphisms Should Be Used | |
Watch Implying Causal Relationship If None Exists | |
Do Not Make Predictions | |
Multiple Studies In Parentheses Require Names In Alphabetical Order | |
Avoid Vague Statements Like Something Was “Poor” | |
Articulate How Participants Were Selected | |
Articulate What Was Done To Reduce Researcher Bias | |
Do Not Use Vague Terminology Like “Others” | |
United States Is U.S. And Not US | |
1980s Should Be 1980s And Not 1980’s | |
Stick To One Subject Per Paragraph | |
Do Not Write In Contractions (Do Not Is Correct – Don’t Is Not) | |
Do Not Have Back to Back Charts With No Explanation | |
Use He or She Rather Than They To Define Subject | |
Be Sure All Chapters Include A Summary | |
Target Population And Sample Is Clearly Described | |
Hypotheses May Be Numbered And Supported By Narrative | |
Choice Of Method Is Clear And Substantive | |
Punctuation Should Be Inside Of Quotation Marks | |
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Is Completed | |
Checklist Should Be Provided To Doctoral Chair | |
Application Should State If Exempt and Why |
Related Articles
- How to Write a Perfect College Paper:Â Video Tutorial
- Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
- How to Receive an A in Your College Courses
- Sample Size Calculator
Top 5 Secrets for Online Student Success
Online education is growing at a pace that far exceeds general education enrollment. Because of the popularity of online learning, many traditional universities are offering online courses. Forbes recently reported that MIT will soon offer free education for everyone. With all of the online options available, students may be confused as to where to go for helpful information. There are plenty of sites available to help online students find schools, locate loans and even determine majors. What is not as readily available is information about how to be a successful online student once he or she is enrolled.
The following is the top 5 list of things that can help the new online student succeed once they have already chosen their school and major. Click on the blue links for more information about each topic:
- Learn Goal Setting – Read about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (sometimes also Results-Based), and Timely (or Time-Bound).  Students should set S.M.A.R.T. education goals. Those that neglect to do this may find that it takes them longer to graduate, while they waste time and money.
- Learn Tools Offered – Most online universities offer some extremely helpful writing, editing and plagiarism-checking tools. The school’s online site may also have helpful tutorials to explain how to use the software (also known as the platform) that delivers the classroom information. Learning how to navigate in the online classroom may take a little time. However, after taking the first class, many students feel more confident in their navigating abilities.
- Use the School’s Library – Students may forget that their university has an online library. It is important that students do not get in the habit of searching for information using Google, Yahoo! and other similar engines. A well-written paper is supported by peer-reviewed articles. These may be easily found using the school’s search engines located in their online library.
- Learn APA – APA stands for American Psychological Association. For college students, APA refers to the format in which papers should be written. While APA may seem daunting to the new learner, there are some very useful examples of APA papers online that can help explain the requirements.
- Learn How to Cite – Professors often require students to cite research in his or her papers. Most often they must cite in APA format. There are some helpful sites to help students learn how to cite correctly. Students must also learn how to paraphrase, include in-text citations and avoid plagiarism.
Click here for more useful tips about how to be a successful online college student.
Related article:
- Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
- How to Receive an A in Your College Courses
How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes
Some professors require that students avoid direct quotations within their writing. One reason for this is that students may have a tendency to rely too much on what others have written. They may take large amounts of directed quoted material and copy and paste it into their writing in order to meet page or word requirements. This is not acceptable.
Students must still cite to explain where they obtained their research. To cite correctly, students should get into the habit of paraphrasing. In this way, students give the original author credit for their work by citing the source of the information without quoting it word for word. Citing means acknowledging where they obtained the information. A student must be careful not to paraphrase everything they write. The student should not neglect to include their own analysis. Duke University provides useful information about avoiding patchworking and paraphrasing in APA style.
Paraphrasing occurs when the writer take someone else’s thoughts and information and restates it into his or her own words. Think of it as more of a restatement than a summary. Owl Purdue explained that it is better than quoting word for word because it eliminates the temptation to cite too heavily. Owl Purdue’s Paraphrase: Write in Your Own Words is an excellent learning tool and it includes 6 Steps to Effective Paraphrasing.
To learn how to cite correctly, check out a helpful link from plagiarism.com that explains how to paraphrase properly. For more examples of how to paraphrase, check out: Examples of how to paraphrase without plagiarizing.  The Writer’s Handbook also gives some helpful tips about methods of paraphrasing and how to paraphrase difficult texts.
Related Articles
- How to Get an A in Your College Courses
- The Top Ten Most Common Writing Mistakes
- Top Ten Sources for Help with APA.
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism
How to Get an A in Your College Courses
Some of the top reasons that students don’t pass courses, based on my experience as a professor, is that they do not read the requirements for the classes or they don’t turn in material on time. If a student really wants to receive an “A”, there are some important things that they must do to achieve this. The following list will help students improve their grades:
- Follow Instructions – Read the instructor’s materials for assignment requirements.  Print out a copy of the syllabus and any instructions on the first day of class. Some may post a rubric or a spreadsheet that lists the requirements and the number of possible points allocated for each part of the assignment. Before turning in your assignment, go down the list of requirements and be sure that you have included all of them.
- Cite Correctly – It is best to paraphrase rather than to include large blocks of directly quoted material in your writing. Some professors will not allow any direct quotations. An example of paraphrasing is: Hamilton (2011) stated that paraphrasing was important. An example of a direct quote is: “It is better to paraphrase.” (Hamilton, 2011).Â
- Submit Original Work – Schools have a tool called TurnItIn to check for plagiarism. Be sure to run your paper through that system (or whatever plagiarism tool the school uses) before submitting papers, to ensure that your work is your own. You can be sure professors will check it if you do not. Keep in mind that citing incorrectly can be viewed as plagiarism. Plagiarism is grounds for being expelled.
- Write in APA – Professors can be very picky about formatting in APA. Most schools use this formatting as compared to MLA or some other format. Click here for some of the most important links to help with APA. When writing in APA, students will need to have their paper include double-spacing, indented paragraphs, proper header information, proper page numbering, proper title and reference page, etc.
- Meet Discussion Requirements – Online colleges have specific writing and posting requirements for classroom discussions. Students often disregard the minimum word count or the fact that the instructor requested cited materials. It is not uncommon for a discussion question to require 150-500 word responses. These responses may also require paraphrased information to show research to back up any points that the student makes. Students may also be required to respond to their fellow classmates’ postings as well. There are usually minimum word count requirements for these responses as well. Discussions should be written in a formal manner. Sentence and paragraph structure should be the same as if a student was writing an essay. Simply agreeing with a fellow classmate’s points will not count for credit.
- Include Strong Sentences and Paragraphs – It is important to write correctly and in a formal manner in online discussions as well as in formal papers. In higher-level courses, first person should not be used. Unless it is an opinion paper and the professor has allowed it, do not refer to yourself in your writing. Don’t write in run-on sentences. Sentences vary in length but should average around 20 words. Keep sentences between around 12-25 words. Paragraphs should also contain complete information. A paragraph should include between 4-8 sentences.  Remember to include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.Â
- Plan Ahead – Many students post late due to not being prepared. There may be an occasional emergency but in general most issues with late postings could be avoided. Write papers early and back them up somewhere other than your main computer. Some students send themselves a copy of their homework so that it is saved on their email server.  Computer issues are not considered a valid excuse for late assignments.
- Use Scholarly Sources – Professors often require that students include peer-reviewed scholarly journals as sources for their papers. To find out more about peer-reviewed journals, click here.  Students often confuse citations and references. It is not correct to simply list a reference without having a corresponding citation. For help with citations and references, click here.
- Never Copy and Paste – Students often try to copy and paste information into their papers. Not only can this be plagiarism if not cited correctly, it can cause havoc with formatting.Â
- Always Read Instructor Feedback – I see students submit the same mistakes every week because they will not read the feedback on their papers. If a professor has taken the time to read your paper and give helpful advice, it is important to incorporate those suggestions into future assignments.Â
For additional help, see The Top Ten Most Common Writing Mistakes and The Top Ten Sources for Help with APA.
Related articles
- Top 100 Vocabulary Words That Adults Should Know (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- New Studies Show Technology to Blame for Increase in Plagiarism (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
- How to Paraphrase and Avoid Using Direct Quotes (drdianehamilton.wordpress.com)
Top 10 Tips for Surviving a Doctoral Dissertation
Today’s Ask Dr. Diane:Â Do you have any suggestions on how to avoid the pitfalls many other doctoral students may have encountered when writing their dissertations?
As a doctoral chair, I guide students through the process of writing a dissertation. There are different problems that many of them may face based on the topics they chose to study. I prefer to chair quantitative, business-related studies, so my suggestions may be slanted in that direction.
Here are the top 10 things that I think a doctoral student should be made aware of from the beginning:
- The process will probably take longer than you think. There may be a set of doctoral courses required for the dissertation part of your degree. For example, there may be Class 1, 2, and 3. They will explain that if you don’t finish 1, you can take 1a and 1b, etc. Be prepared to take 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, etc. Remember that every time you take the class, it costs money. Have it in your budget in case you need extra courses.
- Find a good doctoral chair (also called doctoral mentor). The school will probably have a website that lists professors that you can pick from, to be your chair. Go through the lists carefully to find one that fits your topic and your needs.  Send them a very polite letter of request to be your chair/mentor. Do not send a bulk message to a lot of potential chairs. This is seen as tacky.  I recommend talking to them on the phone prior to signing up with any of them. If they don’t want to do this, you may want to pick someone who is more hospitable. Find out if they work at your speed. I had two different chairs in my journey. The first one was not a good fit for me. The second was much better. Keep in mind that you can probably change chairs later if you find out it isn’t working for you.
- Become an APA expert. Most schools require that your paper is in APA 6th edition right now. Click here for writing help. When you submit a dissertation, the review board will be beyond picky about this. Every space, every heading, every table, etc. has to be exact.  Schools usually have writing centers that can help you with APA as well.Â
- Find a good statistician. If you are going to do a quantitative study, you will need an excellent statistician for guidance. It helps to have SPSS software as well. It is important to understand how to do a Power Analysis when deciding on your population and sample size.
- Strong editing is a must. Schools are very picky about anthropomorphisms and they don’t like what they call “fluff” wording. They want the writing to sound scholarly. Avoid using words like: However, In Addition, Therefore. Do not refer to yourself in the document. Example: The research did blah blah blah. Don’t use the wording “the researcher” unless you are referring to someone other than you. There should be no first person references in the paper at all. The proposal will be written in future tense so everything you write will be about what will happen. The only thing that the proposal has in past tense is what others have written. For example: Hamilton (2011) stated blah blah blah is OK but everything that you propose to do must be in future tense. There should be no personal bias. Use research citations to back up your points. When you write Chapters 1-3 of the proposal, you need to refer to your study as the proposed study. Do not forget to include the word proposed.Â
- Have a good template. Some schools use a company called Bold that offers a dissertation template that has all of the formatting set up already. These templates usually cost under $100 and are worth it. They have the hard parts like the table of contents set up for you. Some students try to write their dissertation in a regular Word document first and transfer it over to the Bold document later. This can cause a real headache with formatting and I don’t recommend it.
- Set up a schedule and become organized. I have seen students flounder because they find the process overwhelming and don’t know where to begin. Setting up a schedule for when you will do things is very helpful.  Set aside a certain number of hours in the week dedicated to your research and writing.  Usually the first doctoral class is set up to create Chapters 1-3 of your proposal. It may be helpful to begin with Chapter 2 first to research the topic you have in mind. Look for areas in the research where there are gaps that still need addressing. When you have written about everything others have done regarding your topic in Chapter 2, it should help highlight the exact area where you want to focus for Chapter 1.
- Download past dissertations. Looking at past dissertations written by students at your school can be very helpful. It will give you a template of the format that is appropriate for your school and show you how others handled specific sections.
- Keep studies in notebooks. I personally found it helpful to keep all of the studies I referenced in notebooks. I would alphabetize them by author last name. I had 5 or 6 different notebooks based on the topics.  For example, since my dissertation was on emotional intelligence and its impact on sales performance, I would have a notebook about sales studies, another about emotional intelligence tests, another about emotional intelligence in workplace, etc.Â
- Don’t give up. Think of writing a dissertation as you would writing a book. It has chapters and has to be approached one step at a time. You wouldn’t write a book all in one day and you can’t write a dissertation that way either. Sometimes students fail to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s there. It just takes a while to get there.
I recommend reading some of the following books:
APA Publication Manual 6th Edition
Methods in Behavioral Research
Related articles
Top 10 Sources for Help with APA 6th Edition
Students often find it challenging to write papers that meet APA guidelines.  The following table demonstrates how difficult it can be just to cite correctly.
The following is a list of some of the most useful resources to help write a paper that meets APA requirements.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab APA 6th Edition – One of the most excellent resources for all things APA, writing, punctuation, grammar, mechanics, MLA, and more . . . main Purdue site index.
- APA Style Lite for College Papers – Free style guide that gives excellent examples of how things should look in APA 6th edition.
- Sample APA Paper from Owl Purdue – Excellent example of a paper with arrows and text boxes pointing out each area of the paper and how it should look.
- APA 6th Edition Tutorial – Video demonstration of changes in most recent APA edition.
- APA 6th Edition Style Headings – Examples of the different levels of headings.
- Meeting APA 2 Spaces After Periods Requirement – Video of how to easily change from one space to two spaces after periods to meet 6th edition guidelines.
- Long Quotation Requirements – How to space longer quotations in APA 6th edition.
- Removing that Extra Space Between Paragraphs – Video demonstration of how to use the home tab in Word to find paragraph settings to remove any spaces from in between paragraphs.
- Accessing Headers and Page Numbers in Word – Video demonstration of how to set up headers and page numbers.
- Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes – Additional APA information, first person explanation, vocabulary, grammar, anthropomorphisms, Wikipedia, and more.
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The Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes
Ask Dr. Diane: What are the most common writing mistakes that your students make?
While it is not unusual to see spelling and grammar issues, I’ll assume that readers realize that they should check for such things and just list the top 10 most common other issues I see here. I hope this posting will give some insight into how to set up your papers so that you can avoid making these common mistakes.
- Papers not set up with double-spacing – To set your paper to be double-spaced, be sure you are on the home tab in Word and go to the paragraph section of the tool bar. There is an up and down arrow icon that you can click on. When you do this, it will give you choices of how to set up your spacing. Pick 2.0 to set double-spacing.Â
- Papers should not have an extra space between paragraphs – Remember that papers must be double-spaced throughout in APA. Word sometimes defaults with an extra space between paragraphs. To change this, click here.
- Papers must have headers/numbers set up correctly through the header/number function in Word –Â To learn how to do this, click here.
- Papers must be set up with an introduction/body/conclusion – Your introduction and conclusion need to be strong summaries of what the paper will or has included. For more about how to write an essay, click here.
- Papers should not be written in first person – Remove the “I” or “Me” from your writing. For an explanation of the meaning of first person, click  here.
- Citing and References confusion – Citing is the act of quoting a source. For example: “Citing is the act of quoting a source.” (Hamilton, 2010) This is not to be confused with references. References are included on a separate page with the title References at the top. You must include references whenever you cite. The reference explains who deserves credit for the citation. Many students list references but no citations. That is not correct. You need both.Â
- Paragraph length confusion – Students often either write in overly short or overly long paragraphs. A good size paragraph is at least 3-4 sentences but should not be so long that it takes up an entire page or more.
- Papers should be left justified and not blocked – Students sometimes write in blocked format. That is not correct. Papers need to be left justified. The setting for this is on the home tab under the paragraph part of the toolbar.
- Over citing – I see a lot of students who tend to write entire paragraphs of citing and forget to include their own writing in their work. Although citing is important, it is also important to have your own points and statements. Remember to make your point and then follow that up with citations to back up what you have written. As a professor, I am looking to see that you have learned the subject and are not simply restating what others have said.
- Forgetting title page – Students often forget to include a title page. It is very important that all papers include a title page that is correctly formatted in APA format. For helpful examples of APA formatting, click here.
For more help, see the following articles:
15 Ways to Improve Writing Skills for Students and Everyone Else
Removing Extra Spaces Between Paragraphs
How to Add Headers and Page Numbers in Word
APA Style:Â 5 Essential Tips for APA Style Headings
Citing Long Quotations in APA 6th Edition
Sample APA Paper – 6th Edition
Adding 2 Spaces After a Period to Meet APA 6th Edition Requirements
What is the Difference Between a Citation and a Reference?
PowerPoint – Resources and Examples to Make the Perfect Presentation
The Top 100 Vocabulary Words Adults Should Know
Sample APA 6th edition paper in PDF Form
Explanation of First, Second and Third Person Writing
Anthropomorphisms:Â When Not to Use Them
Have Some Fun With Common Grammar Mistakes