Once you’ve established your thesis and introductory paragraph, move on to the body paragraphs. I find this format to be the most helpful for outlining a simple but quality paragraph.
I used to be a procrastinator just like you, writing papers the night before or even the morning of, and I never received anything less than an A on any of those hastily constructed creations. While getting a good grade does depend to some extent on your ability as a writer, you can still do well on your last-minute essay by following the steps in this guide and managing your limited time wisely. Sit back, skim the finer points of this article, and then write that paper—nay, destroy that paper! And may the gods of good grades shower favor upon your exhausted little head.
Everyone who is in school from pre-k to college should read this my god.
As always, thank you WE for your encouragement and kind words. :) I've never minded writing papers, since I'm lucky enough for words to come easily to me, but I cannot even imagine what it would be like if I was not a writer and I hated writing papers. Ugh!
2. Write Your Thesis and Introductory Paragraph
Shanna has written countless last-minute papers over the course of her academic and professional careers.
Sometimes Google doesn't return sources that are academic in nature. In this case, turn to databases. I recommend you use databases more than Google searches anyway because they tend to contain more reputable material. Log on to your school’s library webpage and search for database options
This was a fun read. You certainly seem comfortable with words and thus, I think You might be seeing things easier than others.
- Get rid of sentences and paragraphs that are not directly related to the thesis statement and subtopics.
- Add more information when you notice gaps in the logical flow.
- Pay attention to the citations. You have to format them in accordance with the required referencing style.
- Proofread! Once you’re done fixing the major aspects of the paper, you can do the last reading. At this point, focus on the grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
That’s the wrong approach to have. Panic will block you from achieving your full potential. The first thing you need to do is relax . You forgot about that paper. Now, you’re left with a tight deadline. That’s okay. You still have time and you can still do something about it.
It sounds pretty simple, but it works. Twenty five minutes doesn’t seem like a long time. Your mind can stay focused on the task at hand without much effort. After the short break, you’ll be able to get back to work.
You can use a browser extension like Strict Workflow to keep track of your working and resting session. It’s great because it blocks your access to distracting websites during the working session. When you give yourself a break of 5 minutes, you can check what’s new on Twitter.
5. Write It!
- Use Google Scholar instead of the usual Google search engine. It gives you access to high-quality scientific and academic sources. Only authoritative sources will make the paper look serious and well-researched.
- Keep track of all online sources you collect. You will need to reference them. Otherwise, you’ll be guilty of plagiarism. You can create a private Pinterest board, where you’ll collect all materials you plan to use. As for the referencing, you can use a free citation generator , which will save you a lot of time.
- Take notes! You can’t expect to remember everything you read and all ideas you get during this stage. If necessary, update the outline and make it more detailed.
2) You kept procrastinating. The topic seemed simple enough, so you thought you had enough time. The day before the deadline, you’re facing the harsh reality: a research paper is more complex than it seems.
Finally, you’ve come down to the writing part. You might want to take a break before this stage. Have another cup of coffee and an energizing meal.
What’s the first thing you do when you realize you have very little time to complete a whole research paper? Panic! It’s the usual reaction. You start saying to yourself:
Set a paced schedule for yourself and then work carefully but briskly. Let’s say you’ve allotted yourself two hours to write a 6 to 8-page essay. It’s a crunch, but you can manage. Spend a half-hour researching your topic, then put in a solid hour explaining what you’ve learned in paper format, and finally, use the last half-hour to edit and compile a bibliography.
I like your approach though: planning is critical in my mind too, especially when it comes to essays.
Writing a major paper the night before it's due can seem like an impossible task, but if you manage your time and follow a formula, you can get it done!
Sentence 4 (Analysis): Relate the fact you cited in sentence 3 to your analysis from sentence 2 to show how it supports your point from sentence 1.
1. Schedule Your Time
So, you procrastinated writing a long research paper. You’ve realized your term paper is due tomorrow, and you don’t have a clue where to start! Never fear, fellow scholar! I know that your time is short, your hands are trembling with caffeine and stress, and you will likely be up for the better part of the night tapping something out, so I’ll be brief.
You can either begin writing about the first of those three subtopics in the next paragraph or, according to your needs or instructor’s requirements, you can follow with a paragraph describing the topic in more detail to allow the reader to follow along with more ease.
First, chart out a decent amount of time in which you think you can write this paper. If you’re a slow, hesitant writer, an hour per page is the maximum I would ever suggest. In all likelihood, you can probably write a fairly decent 10 to 12-page paper in about five hours.
One of the first mistakes about writing things last minute is failing to understand what the assignment asks for. What kind of research paper is it? What does it ask you to do? Knowing whether to search for statistics and facts can help narrow your search and speed up the process. Sometimes professors may ask students to write a detailed bibliography, or write in a certain format. Sometimes they have page limits and require a minimum of sources. I’ve even seen some say that Wikipedia is not a valid source, so you will have to go elsewhere for information. Once you’ve covered all your bases, make a check-list for the end of the report to make sure you’ve included everything you need to.
The moment you’ve entered the education system is the moment you start to realize that, although studying is extremely important,…
The clock is ticking. The coffee is brewing. The stress intensifies. And all you’ve written in the past 15 minutes is the title and your name. There’s only one thing going through your mind right now. And no, it’s not quitting school and becoming a professional juggler. You think, “Man, I’m screwed.” And you are not completely wrong. This is why you’re here, you came for help and you came to the right spot. You’re not unlike all the other students saving this assignment for the last minute, so you’re all in the same boat. There are only a few ways to navigate these treacherous waters without being sunk at sea, but first thing’s first: get your bearings straight and buckle down. Know what you are going to do before doing it!
- Introduction –
- Body Paragraph 1 –
- Body Paragraph 2 –
- Body Paragraph 3 –
- Body Paragraph 4 –
- Body Paragraph 5 –
- Conclusion –
Understand Your Assignment!
Students overlook how important topic choice is when it is crunch time. The topic determines how easy and quickly you can write this paper. A complicated topic that requires deep research will require more time. However, a topic that is widely discussed and has plenty of sources to utilize. Sometimes you don’t have a choice in the topic, but you can easily choose a thesis that is also simple to research.
Taking your time to plan out each part of your paper in detail will help you streamline the process while getting the best grade possible. Something as simple as this
The crux of your research paper
The most common problem I find with my students was using words they did not understand because they thought they ought to write in a more “academic” style.
Here is where your essay will live or die. The more research you can provide without drowning your TA or professor in useless facts, the better. You need to prove that you’ve thought deeply about your topic and sifted through various resources over a period of several weeks, even if you haven’t.
I am also, unfortunately, a procrastinator. I've gotten better this year, thankfully. I would also add that most online databases such as JSTOR have online texts (read: books) available. So even if you do need book sources, sometimes those books are available online and the library can, but not always, be unnecessary. I have never had a professor who wanted book/paper sources tell me I needed to read those sources in paper, only that they had to be originally/simultaneously published in print.
This was a fun read. You certainly seem comfortable with words and thus, I think You might be seeing things easier than others.
6. Take a Troubleshooting Break
A lot of times I have seen that students don't do enought research and don't read much on the topic. So they just don't know about what to write or about what the are currently writing. As for me it's much more easiest to use guides ant helpful tips from those resources:
When writing a thesis, you should avoid flowery prose and instead be concise and simple. Place your thesis at the end of your introductory paragraph after four or five quality sentences that outline some basic ideas and facts about your topic to give it context. Don’t give it all away though—you want to draw your reader (your professor, in this case) in.
I think you offer some very solid advice on writing a good paper in a reasonable amount of time. I especially like your advice on how to write each sentence in a paragraph. I teach college English and find that one of the biggest problems students have in using quotes or facts is that they don't clearly explain or analzye how those facts support their own ideas. Voted up and pinned! P.S. We have a cat that looks just like the one in your photo!
Amy Grunewald from San Jose, CA 95131, US on September 25, 2018: