If you think there are students who were born to be excellent essay writers, you are completely wrong. Mastering these skills requires time and effort, not to mention that one should be organized and capable of self-control. However, the good news is that everyone can do it, if they wish to of course. The only thing to consider is that you cannot improve your essay writing skills overnight. As it has been already said, it takes practice and time, so be ready to work hard. Along with that, there are several proven ways that can greatly facilitate your efforts. So what should you do to make your papers look more professional? Start with the following tips on how to boost your essay writing skills!
Appeal to your audience.
If you want to write better essays, the first thing you should do is identify your audience. Who will read your essay? What idea do you want to convey to them? Will it be interesting to your readers? Think about all these questions to find out your audience’s beliefs and expectations. If you know how to attract the reader’s attention to your work, you are already halfway to success.
Learn how to properly cite your sources.
Plagiarism is one of the biggest problems in academic writing. The fact is that some students attempt to earn credit by using another author’s work, which usually leads to poor results. This does not mean that you cannot include other people’s ideas and words in your paper. You can, but you should always properly cite all your sources. This will not only enhance your chance of getting a better grade, but also will help you boost your academic writing skills.
Stop referencing yourself.
Almost any essay is based on its author’s opinion. Everyone knows it, and your reader is not an exception. This simply means that you should avoid using such phrases as In my opinion, I am convinced that, I think, etc. in your writing. Instead, use words that refer to the evidence. However, it does not apply to autobiographical essays that have to be written in the first person.
Use your own arguments.
Even though properly cited sources and quotes are an integral component of a successful essay, you need to include your own arguments too. Moreover, you need to create a healthy balance between them so that the sources you use could support your arguments instead of replacing them.
Learn to write proper conclusions.