10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE AN ACADEMIC WRITER

 

       To be a professional academic writer, there are a few things you need to know about academic writing, before you secure your academic writing account. Here are the top 10 things that you need to know.

1.     You have to know how to use Microsoft Word.

2.     Font.

You need to know how to change fonts in word. The most common types of fonts that are usually used are:

ü Times New Roman

ü Arial

The standard font size is usually Font Size 12.

However, bear in mind that each instructor will give a rubric of the requirements they need for the paper. Stating the type of font and font size they need the paper delivered in.

3.     Spacing

A well written paper should be well spaced. The most common type of spacing are:

ü Double spacing

ü Single spacing

ü 1.5 line spacing

N.B: Every instructor will give a requirement of what kind of spacing they need the paper to be delivered in.

4.     Word limit

Every assignment has a word limit. Instructors will give the details of the paper and how many words they need the paper to be. From as low as 100 words to as many as 2500 words and above.

In other cases, the instructor will require the paper to be a number of pages. From 1 page to as many as 30 pages and above.

Every paper has a rubric that contains the requirements of the paper. Before working on any paper, you first have to read the instructions to know what is expected of you in terms of pages and word limit.

5.     Content

After being assigned to work on a paper. You first need to read what the paper is all about to make sure that you deliver content that is required. You have to make sure that the content you deliver aligns with the question you need to answer.

6.     Grammar.

Poor grammar always puts off the reader even if the content is great. After delivering the content of your paper, you have to reread it to ensure that it has no grammatical or spelling mistakes. This will ensure that your paper is high quality and the higher your chances of getting more work.

7.     Plagiarism

 Plagiarism is copying another authors work. So, you have to be imaginative and creative. Make sure that the content you deliver is very original and that it isn’t someone else’s work. Plagiarism is a very huge offense in any form of writing. To ensure that your paper isn’t plagiarized there are plagiarism checking platforms e.g. Turnitin, Grammarly among many others. After your paper is complete, you only need to upload it to one of the plagiarisms checking sites and it will tell you how much percentage of your content is plagiarized. The acceptable percentage is always 15% or less. In other cases, the instructor will require a paper that is a 100% original with 0% plagiarized content.

8.     Format

The format of a paper makes it attractive and easily readable. There are various formats that you have to deliver a paper in. The most standard format is APA Format. However, there are different formats and the rubric of the paper will give instructions on what kind of Format the paper should be delivered in. Here is a list of the different formats available.

ü APA format

ü MLA format

ü Chicago style format

ü Harvard style format

ü Vancouver style format

N.B: If the paper doesn’t state what kind of format it should be delivered in, always submit it with APA Format as it’s the standard format.

9.     Citations

We mentioned plagiarism, however, it is impossible to generate your own information from the core. Hence you might use other authors information or works to clearly state a point. Here is where citations come into play. When you use other authors work to explain your point, you have to cite it to show where you got the information from. Citation is simply a way of crediting another authors work. Citations go hand in hand with the format used. Depending on the format you have used, you will cite the source differently.

10. References

Now that your paper is complete and you have observed all the rules. The last part of the paper is ensuring you add references. References are a list of sources of the material you used to write your paper. Depending on the format you used to write the paper, the references will be listed differently. Hence you have to consider what format you used to add the references correctly.

I know, that this is a lot of information to absorb. However, you only need to take one step at a time. In the next few posts, I will explain all about the different types of formats, adding citations and adding references. In addition, I will do more posts about the first thing you need to do after being assigned to work on a question in academic writing. For now, familiarize yourself with one or more of the above-mentioned points.

N.B: If you need any help on the above, contact us on our contact page and we will be more than glad to offer our help. Remember you are in THE FUTURE.