The end of the semester is quickly approaching, which means it’s time for final papers and final exams. I’ve already talked a bit about how to handle exams in my first post, so I thought I’d go over the basics of writing papers this time around.

Here’s an example of how I map out my brainstorming ideas. There’s no way it would be this neat and colorful if I wasn’t posting a pic online!

The first thing I do is research and brainstorm. Once I have a basic idea of what the subject of the paper is, I start writing down potential topics to write about. Sometimes I’ll even draw out my ideas. At this point, I don’t worry about including too much or too little, because I can always change things up a bit. For research, I mostly the University of Maryland database and PubMed (like a good public health student!). If you’re not sure where to start with research, there are always people at Priddy Library to help you out.

After that, I make an outline. I used to skip this step and just start writing, but I found it so hard to organize all of the content. Now I look back at my brainstorming ideas and try to arrange them in an order that makes sense. From there, I keep researching and start to fill in the outline with details and supporting information.  Once I have a solid outline and I think I’ve got enough research to finish my paper, I start the process of actually writing my paper. Basically, all I have to do at this point is turn outline bullets into sentences and add some opening phrases and transitional words.

This is an actual draft of a paper I edited this semester Most people think I’m crazy for the amount of red ink I use on my papers, but I like it.

Now comes the fun part… proofreading and editing! No matter how careful I am, I always make mistakes, so I know this is a step I can’t skip. I’ve noticed that taking the time to revise awkward sentences, change up some wording, and double check spelling and grammar really pays off in terms of the grade I get. I usually do a quick once over of a computer draft and then do major edits on a hard copy. Something about marking up a paper with red pen just feels so official.

Once I’ve gone over my paper a few times, and feel confident I’ve fixed as many mistakes as possible, I go ahead and print out a final copy and hand it in. There is no better feeling than turning in a final paper and knowing I am done with assignments for a class. Stay tuned for a future post about the nitty gritty details of research papers, like how I keep track of all of my research articles and managing in-text citations.