Photo: Pixabay
Most of my clients are business people and more often than not need to work on their business writing, for example, emails, reports or proposals. However, I’ve had the occasional client who needed to work on their academic writing for their Master’s Degree or PhD. Business and academic writing have very different requirements and whilst I have more recent experience of business writing, I had to go back to my university days in order to help my clients with their academic writing needs. It was a most stimulating and challenging experience but one filled with trepidation as I wanted to make sure that I was giving my clients the best kind of support.
So, I was delighted when Robert Morris approached me recently with an offer to write for my blog and chose the subject of academic writing. In his post, he shares some valuable online resources you could refer to as well as giving you some tips on how to write an excellent essay. I dare say that a lot of native speakers could do with following these suggestions, too.
So without further ado, I present you Robert Morris.
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There are tons of guides, manuals and instructions that ESL students can follow when they try to write essays, but they always struggle with the completion of academic content. The standardized format of academic writing and reference is not easy to master for a foreign student. Don’t worry; you can still write great papers if you use the right tools and follow specific steps that will guide you through the process.
The best essay writing online resources
Before you can start tackling the essay writing process, you should take a look at these online tools that will make the assignment simpler for you.
ESLWriting.org
Rob Whyte, the founder of this website, is an English professor who teaches English conversation and composition. He is also a professional writer you can learn from. At ESLWriting.org, you’ll find useful articles and eBooks that will help you understand the concept of academic writing in English.
Explore Writing
Although this website is focused on all categories of writers, ESL students can still benefit from its resources. Besides the category of Essays, you can explore other sections of the website, such as: fiction, journalism, general writing hints, personal writing, poetry, script writing, and more.
The Easy Essay
This automated information organization program will help you create a solid base for your essay. As a result, you will create a logical piece of content based on strong arguments.
WordStorm
All you need to do is choose a word, and you’ll get a map of related words that will help you come up with genuine ideas on how to approach the topic. This is one of the most effective brainstorming tools you can use before starting the writing process.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
A guide to essay writing
Now that you have the right tools to support you through the process of academic writing, you can follow these tips and complete an outstanding paper:
Step 1: Think about the type of essay and choose a topic!
ESL students are usually confused by the different types of essays they have to write. Before you can start with the research process, you should understand what you are expected to write. After that, you can feel free to pick a topic that will inspire you to write the paper.
Step 2: Locate resources
Depending on the type of essay you are working on, you will need to look for resources to support the discussion. If you are writing a personal essay, you can feel free to skip this step. The discussion of all other types of academic content should be supported by relevant facts.
Step 3: Work on the structure
If you want to write a successful paper, you need to create an outline and stick to the planned structure. This step will help you move from one paragraph to another without trying to think of new arguments along the way.
Step 4: Start writing
Stick to the outline you’ve created and elaborate each point with clean, readable sentences. Don’t be afraid to reorganize the arguments if that would result with a better logical flow.
Step 5: Reference!
This is one of the hardest aspects of the academic writing process, mainly because it’s based on strict rules that don’t allow you to improvise.
Step 6: Bring it to perfection.
The spelling, grammar, and structure of your essay should be flawless. Make sure to check the content several times and correct all mistakes. This is an important step that will increase the overall quality of your essay.
The tools and tips listed above will help you tackle the challenge of academic writing with ease. As an ESL student, you are facing difficulties that require a more efficient approach. Don’t overlook the important stages of the process, and remember that you can surpass any obstacle when you rely on the right tool.
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Robert is a professional essay writer at custom writing service NinjaEssays, loves reading, learning and painting. You can follow NinjaEssays on Twitter, Facebook and Google+
Thanks very much for this post, Robert. I hope you find the tips and suggestions Robert has shared here helpful. I will certainly be checking out the online tools.
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Ciao for now
Shanthi
