If you have ever sat down to write a paper only to stare at a blank screen for hours on end, chances are taking the wrong approach to academic writing and research. Even the world’s best journalists and authors cannot sit down and write without going through the writing process. In a relatively simplified form, the writing process entails creating a thesis, compiling an outline, and writing the first draft. You really didn’t think it ends there, did you? Of course not, because the fourth step, editing, proofreading, and revising, is perhaps the most important step.

Creating a Thesis

Your thesis statement varies based on the type of assignment you are producing, but generally should define the goal or purpose of your document. A thesis statement provides the foundation for the rest of the essay, as your goal most of the time is to support or reject your thesis based on academic research. Create a narrow thesis statement, which helps ensure your paper is succinct and concise, free of generalized content. Once you have a specific thesis, it is only natural to begin identifying points that support your thesis, which is the basis for your outline.

Create an Outline

Thoroughly research your thesis and identify three to five major points of interest. You will need more or less points based on your desired page count. On a sheet of paper, summarize each of the main points in a separate sentence, and place a roman numeral before it. Next, under each main point, list three points that support the topic. Define the topics in a sentence, like you did above, and label them A, B, C, etc. Under each letter, list three pieces of evidence to support the claim or assertion, and label them 1, 2, 3, etc.

Write the Paper

The last part is simple write your paper! You did most of the work above, so expand upon each point in your outline to create a strong essay. Ensure you review your paper before submitting it, so there are not any embarrassing typos, spelling errors, or inaccuracies.