5 strategies that helped me improve my academic writing skills

Have you ever wondered how improving your academic writing could boost your grades at school or performance at work?

When I learned to write clearly, for the correct audience, and with purpose, I was able to get straight A's in my classes, get published writing gigs, and even crank out a 100+ page thesis.

Apply these 5 easy steps to take your academic writing to the next level!

Reading good writing for 20 minutes every day will help your own writing sound better. Your brain will become used to how academic writing sounds, and you'll be able to produce it more easily.

If you need help finding reading material, try:

• Your local library or library website — look for journals and essay collections

• Google News or Google Scholar — read articles and portions of scholarly works

• Patch.com local news website — news articles use many of the same techniques and vocabulary words that writers employ

• Project Gutenberg — look for nonfiction, essays, and classic books to boost your technique

Successful writing starts with a plan, and I learned that all academic writing follows a similar pattern. That makes it easy for you to adapt your writing to the expected format.

Follow this magical format:

1. Tell the reader what you're going to say (your argument)

2. Give 3 good examples....(we'll talk about these in the next step)

3. Tell the reader what you just told them (re-state your argument)

Plan out what you want to say using the tips above, and then start writing!

Check out the links below for some examples of how to use this format:

• Harvard Writing Center

• Illinois Valley College

• Grammarly Blog

Have a shorter or longer writing piece? No problem! Once I learned the magical format, I saw that it can take care of pieces of any length.

A paragraph of text-dependent analysis for a big test? Check. Research paper? Check. The trick lies in shrinking or growing the section where you put your examples.

If you have to write a very short response, turn your 3 examples into 1-2 sentences each.

If you have to write a 10-page paper, turn each example into several paragraphs. Use your research articles and books to help you come up with lots of quotes and evidence that you can explain.

Remember when I said you needed 3 good examples to back up your opinion? Well, it's time to break these down.

Each example will become a paragraph to prove your point.

Use clear evidence and quotes from books and articles. It's like having a group of buddies to back you up...but in writing form!

Check out the links below for effective ways to back up your ideas:

• University of Arizona

• University of Washington

• University of Waterloo

Now, you take a break. I personally like to catch some Zs.

Seriously, though, you should step away from your writing for at least a couple of hours. Then, go back and re-read what you wrote. Chances are, you'll catch mistakes and see places that need to be fixed.

If you have a friend who will read your writing and give suggestions, that's even better.

Before you begin you next academic writing assignment, remember the four easy steps you learned today:

Need more resources?

• Purdue OWL Academic Writing

• Essay Graphic Oganizer

• 4 Steps to Take Research Notes for Essay Writing

• 3 Steps to Writing an Effective Essay Introduction