Since before anyone can really remember, writing has been prevalent. Humans rely on writing. Webster defines “writing” as, “the way that you use written words to express your ideas or opinions.”
Have you read a paper that started off like that–or, have you written one like that? Chances are good, especially if you haven’t had the opportunity to take an introductory writing course in college. Unfortunately, the introduction above includes virtually nothing a professor wants to see. Instead, try using a quotation, a concession of an opposing side to your thesis, or an anecdote related to your topic. These are much more interesting and will grab your professor’s attention.
How do I know? I worked at a Writing, Reading, and Speaking Lab on a college campus–I gained some insider information directly from various professors about what they do and do not want to see in a college level paper. Here’s some necessary know-how of what NOT to do that will come in handy on your next paper, which for me happens to be my midterm paper!
- Using qualifiers like “very”: use stronger words and avoid using “very.” Instead of very big, immense or enormous. Instead of walking very slowly, think meandering or wandering.
- BUT! You should be careful about overusing a thesaurus: synonyms often mean something totally different that what you intended, and clarity is the highest goal of the paper. Don’t use words you don’t know.
- Making bold claims without explaining them: your professor is not inside your head and won’t necessarily catch the connections you’re making. Read your paper aloud to yourself to find rough spots in the writing.
- Not using transitions: the biggest benefit from reading your paper aloud is seeing how one paragraph transitions to the next. Make sure to clearly show how you get from one place to another, to help the professor see your line of thought.
- Not proofreading: reading the written assignment aloud will help with this, and hopefully will catch things the word processor doesn’t (for example: where/wear).
- Using contractions: this may be a bit nitpicky, but I’ve known a fair share of professors who don’t like it when you use contractions in academic work. Reading your writing aloud will also help with this one.
- Not reading the full assignment or prompt: if you don’t answer the assignment, it’s not worth your time to bother doing the assignment. If you go in a completely different direction than is expected, it will probably confuse or upset your professor.
- Dry language: this one can be iffy. Some professors prefer a dry, disconnected from the self, tone–especially in things like annotated bibliographies. However, most professors read dozens of similar papers for one assignment, and consideration of that and use of some personal tone or amusing, relevant thoughts on the subject is great.
- Plagiarism: this one is fairly obvious, but also HUGE. Whether on purpose or accident, plagiarism can get you a big fat zero on an important assignment. Make sure you cite correctly, boring sure, but important. Use my own time saving resource: Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
In addition to the list above, there is also a list of specific phrases your professor doesn’t want to see, you can check those out here. These are the things I always try to keep in mind when writing and proofing my own papers. I hope they help you on yours!
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