Challenges_of_a_Paper

Writing an academic paper can be difficult for many students. There are numerous challenges that might arise during the writing process such as plagiarism, picking a topic, and creating a thesis statement. Once the challenge has been identified, it can be dealt with and a quality paper can be produced without much difficulty. Plagiarism is using someone else’s words without giving credit to the source. Plagiarism may be deliberate or unintentional but it is a major violation none the less. When a student tries to pass someone else’s work off as their own, he is likely to suffer negative consequences. Choosing a topic can also be a difficult challenge when writing a paper, especially to an inexperienced writer. When an instructor does not specify a topic it can be overwhelming trying to make a decision on your own. Developing a thesis is a common dilemma for many students. A thesis is the basic argument of an essay and is usually summarized in the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. The challenge is trying to summarize the argument of the paper into one sentence and then having the rest of the essay follow that thesis. This task is much harder than one might initially think. For every problem there is a solution and for every challenge there is a strategy to overcome it. Plagiarism can be avoided by giving credit whenever any facts, statistics, or another person’s idea or theory is used. One strategy that proves to be helpful is to take notes and put anything that comes directly from the text in quotations and under line someone else’s words. This will help differentiate what ideas are yours and those that come from other sources. When paraphrasing, try writing from memory instead of looking directly at the source. Choosing a topic can be one of the most difficult tasks a writer has to face but the following tips will start the process. Begin with a subject that you find interesting and want to learn more about because it will be more appealing to write. Brainstorming a list of topics can be an effective method for developing a topic. Write down whatever comes to mind without limitations or judgment and make sure to put it on paper. Merely thinking of topics in your mind will not work as well. Creating a thesis that is useful to the whole of an essay is a problem nearly every student will encounter. To develop an effective thesis, avoid using vague language or too many conjunctions. Doing some prior research before making a thesis statement is also practical strategy to use.