FAQ: Do You Have Any Tips for Student Papers?

Tips for Papers

Be sure you understand the assignment.

• What concepts from the course does it presume you understand?
• What does it require that you cover in your paper?
• What formatting requirements has the instructor given?
• Be aware that assignments and expectations in one class (e.g., a psychology or other social science class) may be fundamentally different from those in another class (e.g., a creative writing class).

Present a good first impression.

• On the first page, provide the following information: your name,, the date, the course, the instructor's name, the assignment (e.g., "paper 1") and any other relevant information. The date should generally be the same as the due date for the paper; if it is different (e.g., if you are turning in the paper early or late), indicate the due date as well as the date you are submitting the paper.
  • Don't make the information difficult to find by putting it at the bottom of the page. Put it in the upper left-hand corner, out of courtesy to your instructor, who will likely be looking through a pile of papers at once, to check off who has submitted the work on time, to alphabetize them perhaps, and to record grades.
  • Don't hide the information behind another page or other material. (I once had a student submit a paper with a photocopy of the reference article stapled in front of the paper. That paper was lost for several weeks in my pile of my own photocopied articles!)
• Identify yourself by your full name (not just your first name). If your name may be listed differently on the registrar's list (e.g., because of a recent change in marital status), you may wish to provide any necessary identification so your instructor knows who you are.
• Spell the instructor's name correctly! (Check the syllabus if you're not sure.)
• Give an interesting and descriptive title to your paper. ("Paper 1" is boring. "Research Paper" is not very descriptive.) Say something in the title that distinguishes your paper from others that the instructor will be receiving.
• Use clip art if you wish, but realize that it is no substitute for content.
• Allow margins wide enough for the instructor's comments. (A common standard layout calls for 1-inch margins on all four sides.)
• Double space.
• Staple the pages together. (Don't use a folder--unless the instructor explicitly asks for one. Avoid those transparent folders that attach papers with plastic spines; they generally fall apart. If you use a clip, make it one of those very secure clips, not an ordinary paper clip.)
• Number the pages. (The upper right-hand corner is the conventional and preferred place of the page number, for psychology papers.) Number all the pages, including references, graphs, or any supplementary work.
• Be sure the pages are in the right order, turned right side up, and that none are missing.
• Provide adequate room for the instructor's comments, both in the margins and at the end of the paper. If your paper fills up the last page, it's a good idea to attach a blank page at the end for the instructor's comments.

Maintain quality throughout.

• Structure your paper carefully. Give particular attention to your introductory and concluding paragraphs, emphasizing the content of these. Make the logic of your paper clear. Use headings for a longer paper. Aim to have a sentence in each paragraph that contains the key contents of that paragraph.
• Speaking of paragraphs, use them sensibly. Avoid excessively long paragraphs.
• Check the mechanics of your paper: spelling, punctuation, grammar. Use a spell checker, but don't stop there. Use a dictionary to be sure you are using a word that means what you intend. Use a grammar book to be sure that you have punctuated correctly and used correct grammar. Be sure you use apostrophes appropriately. Avoid commonly confused words (affect/effect; woman/women; cite/site). Most of these common errors can be avoided by simply looking up questionable words in an ordinary dictionary. (Hint: what errors have teachers marked on your papers in the past?) For words not in a dictionary, such as some proper names, try to verify their spelling, too. (Is you instructor's name "Cloniger" or "Clonginger" or "Clonninger" or ... You get the idea. Chances are, your instructor will notice a misspelling. Check the syllabus for accurate spelling.) Use complete sentences, avoiding fragments and run-on sentences.
• Cite references appropriately: as sources for all factual information, expert opinions, and quotations. That is, give the reference citation (author, year, and -- for quotations -- page number) in the text where you use a source, and in addition the full reference citation at the end of the paper in a References section.
• Quotations must be put in quotation marks (or block indented, for long quotations). The source must be cited (author, year, and page, for psychology papers). The full bibliographic citation must be included in a References section at the end of the paper.
• Do not plagiarize! Don't copy anything except properly formatted citations. DO NOT PARAPHRASE. You must either quote or write in your own words. If you are writing your paper while looking back and forth to your reference source, be aware that this is a danger sign. You may be plagiarizing.
• Style is great, but content is more important (except perhaps in creative writing courses).

End strongly.

• Look carefully at the final paragraph of your paper. Does it summarize the main points of your paper? (That's often a good strategy.) End on a strong point.

Include references as appropriate.

• References that you cite in your paper (as the source of quotations or other information) must be included in a Reference section. Include full bibliographic information: author, year, title, journal volume and pages (for journals), publisher and publisher's city (for books). Unless you have been given a specific form for the course, it is generally safe to model your references after the form used in the reference section of your textbook. (Psychology students in advanced courses may be required to follow the APA Publication Manual form.)

Avoid plagiarism.

• Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards. Some kinds of plagiarism are obvious, such as intentionally copying another student's paper, or purchasing a paper from in internet "paper mill." Unfortunately, other forms of plagiarism aren't taken as seriously by many students, who sometimes even claim, "I didn't know that was plagiarism," or "That's just a problem with reference citations -- not plagiarism." Using another writer's words, even if they are changed around a bit by substituting synonyms, changing word order, or leaving out some parts, is still plagiarism.
• Here are some web resources that can help you understand what plagiarism is and how to identify it:
  • from Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Services
  • from Indian River Community College
• Remember, when you are writing a paper for a class, you are the writer. Your aim should not simply be to put together impressive ideas and phrases, but to devise them yourself, based upon your own ideas in part, and the facts and opinions (appropriately cited but not paraphrased) that you have researched. The paper is evidence of your learning and critical thinking about a topic; don't skip or minimize the importance of that learning and critical thinking. A lot of effort is required between locating references and actually having something to write about them!

Turn in your paper on time.

• Submit your paper in class on the date it is due.
• Be sure you understand any other arrangements that the instructor will permit. If you turn the paper in late, or early, and/or in a different place than in class, put a note on the first page giving the date it is turned in as well as the due date. Remind the instructor if he/she has given advance permission to you. It is always preferable to submit the paper in class on the assigned date.
• Submit all of your paper at once. (Occasionally students hand me papers with the promise that additional material -- such as a reference page or a required copy of a source they have used -- will follow later. That's at best a discourtesy to the instructor, and the missing piece may not get re-connected with your paper, especially if you don't put your name or the course or assignment on it in an easy-to-see location.)
• Don't skip class to finish your paper.
• Work ahead, to allow time for unplanned emergencies.

Learn from your paper.

• Pick it up when it is returned.
• Read the instructor's comments (not only the grade). Do you understand them? Will they help you write better papers in the future?
• Consider getting additional help from your instructor or from the Writing Center for your next paper.

More help: I've put some links to resources for student papers on the Resource Page of this website.