Wednesday, June 11, 2008

From High School Writing to College Research Papers

By Dark Sith

A college research paper is academic writing. After leaving high school for college, a student may find it difficult to adjust. There are some things to consider when embarking on research paper writing.

A student has to remember that academic writing is a scholarly activity. College is a group of many scholars learning and exploring complicated and scholarly ideas. A college student has to learn how to think about academic issues and topics, argue in the context of academe, and write academically. In college, a student must learn academic writing, which means he or she has to present and discuss issues and document them it in a formal, written report.

Remember that a college research paper is strictly academic. Don't write about your hobbies or how you spent your summer vacation. Because a research paper is academic in nature, the topics you choose should be of interest to the academic community. Listen to your professor during class lectures because what he/she says will help you a lot in writing your research paper. Professors typically give ideas about academic topics during lectures. If your paper interests other scholars, then it is academic. But if it only interests, say, your friends in your neighborhood, then your paper cannot be considered an academic paper.

A college research paper should have informed arguments. Learn to research and organize information, and then write them in a formal way. The paper should have a stand and sufficiently explain an issue. Only use formal language when writing a research paper. Don't use slang and other informal forms of communication. In addition, the paper should have credible pieces of information. You must properly cite the sources of your data. Don't use a random Internet article or a fictional novel for reference.

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