College life often proves different from what a student gets used to while in high school. Similarly, academic paper writing also comes in a form with stark contrast to what you got used to while in high school. However, plenty of the information you consumed about paper writing in high school can come in handy when writing college papers. For instance, aspects such as writing straightforwardly, making sure that your thesis proves arguable, and the focused and coherent construction of your paragraphs remain the same.
College often encompasses academic writing, a stark difference to high school, and thus, aspects like sticking to a five paragraphed essay will not apply. Academic writing entails scholars writing articles or papers for their peers, and now that you have joined college, you qualify as a scholar. Additionally, it devotes to questions and topics of interest, especially to the community in academia. Finally, it should present your reader with informed arguments.
Essential Aspects of College Academic Papers
- Informed argument. It would help if you constructed an educated argument when writing an academic paper in college. Here, deliberate on what knowledge you have to pertain to the subject. It should include your knowledge concerning the subject. These critical aspects prove vital to you about the topic, how the subject relates to various things you know about, the elements you have no idea about the subject, and what your thought process entails.
- Moving from individual response to writing analytically. It would help if you analyzed different aspects when writing a college paper critically, and thus you will have to vacate your response or perspective. Consider the following to transition successfully:
- Summarize. You have to summarize the primary content and what it says. Here, you can come up with diverse summaries and pick one that aligns with your plan for the paper.
- Evaluate. It always entails an ongoing process from the first time you encounter a text till you complete the writing process. It comes remarkably different from reacting to a piece of text.
- Analyze. It’s a step that entails developing an educated argument by asking you to start by considering the diverse parts of your subject before examining how they all relate as a unit.
- Synthesize. You have to break down your text into parts and search for connections in between concepts.
Picking an Ideal Subject
Students struggle with topic selections when it comes to their academic writing, especially when their professors require them to come up with one. However, it needs to be straightforward, especially when you get a prompt. You can elect to ask your instructor about their expectation to get it to write when you finally get to the writing bit. However, to come up with an excellent subject, consider asking yourself these questions:
- Have you developed an intelligent question? Will the question elicits a thoughtful and complex answer?
- Can you consider the question provocative?
- Can you answer the question adequately by using a couple of pages?
- Will your audience care about the question?
- Can you consider the question as simultaneously addressing the context and the text?
Finding the Best Rhetorical Stance
It becomes essential to consider whom you want to address the same way you consider what you want to say when writing an academic paper. Because of this, your rhetorical stance has to reflect your position regarding the topic and your audience. Therefore, try and consider the following:
- Your position. It should involve your link to the subject and your stance about it as a consequence. It can either prove against or for the subject. Therefore, to make your stance analytical, try and interrogate yourself why you took that specific stance, prioritize some subject aspects as more crucial than others, etc.
- Your audience. A stance you take regarding a subject should not determine the rhetorical stance you hold on such a subject. You will also have to consider your audience.
Consider the Structure
You can have different ideas about structuring your paper from high school. However, in college, you have to consider a structure that supports your concepts. Ideally, you should have a properly constructed introduction, thesis sentence, body text with main points, and the conclusion.
Conclusion
If you want to write a college academic paper, it becomes crucial to comprehend the various aspects that prove critical in writing an academic paper at this level.