Student Questions

student questions

We are proud of how comprehensive our website is and try to stay ahead of the curve and predict the questions and concerns that students are experiencing.  However, we work with thousands of students a year, from universities all around the world.  Every once in a while, a student has a question that we have not yet addressed in our tutorials and guides.  That is why we developed our student questions section.  Not quite a FAQ, our student question section is where students can go to find out more information about the art and craft of academic writing.

What type of questions do students ask us?  Honestly, it depends on the student.  Some of our previous customers have asked very specific, technical questions about different writing types.  We answer those questions for the students, and sometimes use those questions to develop guides and tutorials for our entire customer base.  For example, we began to get a number of questions about the synthesis essay, and realized that many professors had begun to use this term to describe a very specific type of argumentative/persuasive essay that requires the student to call on class reading lists for their supporting information.  Once we saw that need, we expanded our answer from the student question section and into our tutorial section.

Other students ask very specific questions about their own projects.  We have answered student request on topics as varied as can we suggest sources for a particular type of essay and how a student can avoid run-on sentences in their writing.  We get a lot of questions about the writing process, and the answers vary for that because each of our writers has his or her own process.  In other words, our student questions section is designed to give you an opportunity to ask a professional writer any and all of the questions you may have while working on your own writing assignments.


 

How to Set Up an Essay

Setting up and essay begins with a thorough review of the assignment guidelines. Students may want to review the assignment guidelines as they set up their essay to ensure that nothing is overlooked or omitted and the overarching purpose of the essay will be accomplished. Depending on what type of assignment guidelines are involved, the essay should be set up to achieve the desired outcome which will invariably involve more than just reporting everything a student can find about a given topic or issue. Teachers expect students to do their research, of course, but they also expect to see original Continue Reading...

What is research?

Some common definitions of research as a noun include:  “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions” and, more simply, “investigate thoroughly.” Likewise, research as a verb connotes similar definitions, including “investigate systematically” and “discover facts by investigation.” In other words, research can be the end product of what is found during the investigation process or its can refer to the investigation process itself. In either case, the overarching goal of research it to systematically produce new knowledge that transcends the existing body of knowledge about a given topic Continue Reading...

How to start a research paper

There are a number of strategies to starting a research paper, but one of the most efficient is to simply draft an outline after thoroughly reviewing the assignment guidelines. All research papers begin with an introduction (which may or may not be labeled as such depending on the citation style), transition into the main body of the paper and end with a conclusion. This means the starting a research paper requires outlining the main body of the research paper in a logical and systematic fashion. If a topic has been assigned, this first step is straightforward; however, if students are Continue Reading...

Who am I Essays

The fundamental question, “Who am I?,” has been asked by humankind since time immemorial, so it is not surprising that many students are assigned this topic for their essays. A “who am I?” essay, though, is not a resume but is rather a discussion concerning students’ personal attributes and characteristics that best define them. Because humans are enormously complex, it would be virtually impossible to include every single detail so it is essential to narrow down the characteristics to those students feel are most important in defining their lives. Some authorities recommend selecting three characteristics for this type of discussion. Continue Reading...

How to write a thesis statement

Learning how to write a good thesis statement is not hard, but there are some factors that students should take into account to ensure their thesis statements are appropriate and meaningful. The type of research paper or essay will also influence the type of thesis statement that should be used. In brief, a thesis statement sums up a research paper or essay’s main argument and the writers’ position on this argument. Although the term is singular, thesis statements can consist of one OR two sentences. In many cases, a single sentence is insufficient to adequately express both the main argument Continue Reading...

How to write a paper

Figuring out how to write a paper?  Students are routinely tasked with writing papers of all types, including research papers, term papers, and essays, but the basic format for each type of paper and the writing process are essentially the same.  First, students should review the assignment guidelines to ensure they fully understand what is required. The second step requires drafting a thesis statement and an outline of the paper. The outline should follow a logical sequence from broad generalizations to specific facts about the issue or topic of interest. Next, unless it is strictly a personal opinion paper, writing Continue Reading...

What are some good topics for writing a death penalty essay?

Some good topics for writing a death penalty essay focus on the pros and cons of capital punishment. Like abortion, there are few topics that have such powerful arguments in support and against as the death penalty. As one of the few countries in the world where it is still practiced, capital punishment in the United States has been the source of an enormous amount of controversy in recent years. Based on this ongoing controversy, some salient topics for writing a death penalty essay include the following:  (1) “Is the death penalty effective as a deterrent to violent crime?”; (2) Continue Reading...

How to Write a Paragraph Essay

Learning how to write a paragraph essay simply means writing an essay that is divided into different paragraphs, something that is done with virtually all essays today. In brief, a paragraph is a series of sentences that focus on a single topic or issue. Although essays can be as many paragraphs long as needed to satisfy the assignment guidelines, many essays are comprised of five paragraphs (the introduction, the body and the conclusion). Each of these paragraphs has its own general rules concerning structure and content, and they should also be logically connected by using appropriate transitional phrases that include Continue Reading...

How to write a body paragraph

Learning how to write a body paragraph is a straightforward enterprise. In sum, body paragraphs are any paragraphs that occur after the introduction but before the conclusion (hence the term “body”). Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that includes one of the keywords used in the introduction to describe the paper’s contents. On the one hand, students should make sure that they separate the wheat from the chaff in selecting resources for each body paragraph because they should concentrate on what is most relevant rather than attempting to include everything they have found. On the other hand, Continue Reading...

How to write an essay outline

Learning how to write an essay outline requires a thorough understanding of the assignment guidelines and the purpose of the essay. Once students fully understand what is required, they can proceed to develop a topic and then organize the structural outline of their essay (if students need help coming up with a topic, Questia offers a free topic generator). Essays, of course, begin with an introduction (depending on the citation style, this title may or may not actually appear on the essay) so this should be the first section of any essay outline. The introduction should include relevant introductory statements, a Continue Reading...