Many students think that the best way to write an academic paper is to demonstrate knowledge of all the material covered in class – but that's not usually a useful way to approach the assignment. What instructors usually look for, unless they say otherwise, is comprehensive knowledge of the material: in other words, they're looking for papers that demonstrate a full understanding.
Learn the recipe for a great academic paper and success will follow.
The Difference Between an Academic Paper and an Essay
An essay is often written in personal terms and uses first person (language referring to "I," "me" and "my".) This kind of language is less formal than the kind of language expected in an academic paper. Academic papers should be written in third person; they should address a particular topic, center on that topic and stick to it very closely throughout.
The First Paragraph and Central Topic of a College Paper
In high school or middle school, students are often asked to write a "topic sentence." College papers are more complex, and this way of addressing the topic is usually too simplistic and shallow for a college paper. Instead, devote the first paragraph to defining the topic and the scope and range of the paper.
This can be the most important part of a good academic paper. This paragraph needs to clearly tell the reader what kind of paper they're about to read, without getting either too general or too specific. As a rule of thumb, if an aspect of the topic is not addressed in the paper, it should not be mentioned in the first paragraph; but the first paragraph shouldn't duplicate detailed content from later in the paper, either. It definitely should not mention unrelated trivia about the subject, or try to offer an irrelevant, catchy "hook."
A good introductory paragraph simply tells readers what they will learn from continuing to read the paper. It introduces the subject, briefly touches on important aspects of the topic as covered in the paper, and summarizes the conclusion the author has reached.
Paragraph Structure in an Academic Paper
Each individual paragraph should be a paper in microcosm: it should introduce its subject, touch on the important elements and make a definitive or conclusive statement that closes the paragraph. Ideally, this conclusion leads to the next relevant aspect of the overall paper topic.
The paragraphs in the body of the paper should be where details are covered. Touching on information that is not found in the textbook will often win points; make sure to leave a footnote at the end, revealing the source of this information.
Imagine a paper as a box divided into compartments. A refrigerator contains food, but the food isn't all thrown together: there's a vegetable drawer, a beverage shelf, a butter case, and a meat and cheese drawer. Each drawer is organized independently, but they all contribute to a balanced meal.
Rhetorical Tips
Avoid grandstanding. This kind of thing is recognizable and groan-worthy to teachers: "At the end of the day, we can all recognize that poverty is a terrible problem..." Of course poverty is a terrible problem, and by saying something everybody knows, the student is saying nothing at all. That sentence could be replaced by a fact about poverty and an implication of that fact: "With X percent of mothers receiving food stamps, the economic situation for families is obviously unsustainable."
Avoid irrelevant digressions. This is one of the ways in which essays are different from papers: in an essay, the reader is carried by the momentum of the writer's character. In a paper, the reader is looking for a clear treatment of a single topic.
Avoid saying the same thing over and over again. "Violence in inner cities is a real problem. Because X, Y, and Z, we know that violence is a problem. Furthermore, the problem of violence..." A smart professor won't look kindly on filler.
Different learning types may find their own favorite ways to organize information; read more on study habits by learning type.
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