It’s all about striking the perfect balance.

There are several mistakes that could push your rough draft too far in one direction or the other. Fortunately, you have me here to help explain what the most common of those mistakes are, as well as what you can do to avoid them.

Why Do You Need to Write a Rough Draft in the First Place?

No one gets writing right the first go around. Most people don’t even get it right the second or third time. That’s okay. Even professional writers go through several drafts and rounds of editing. But this is why the rough draft is so crucial in the writing process.

The rough draft comes after your outline but before your polished, completed essay. It gives you the opportunity to write a full-length essay without thinking about the perfect word to use in every situation or whether you need a transition in that one spot.

It takes a lot of effort, but it allows you to get your ideas on the page in roughly the same words and order they’ll appear in your final draft.

Depending on your assignment and the thoroughness of your outline, the drafting process could take hours or days. I’ve even spent months on drafts for my high-word-count research papers.

However, no matter what the instructions, the topic, or the length of your essay may be, there are several mistakes that drag out the process or make the revising and editing processes much more difficult.

So without further ado, here are five painful mistakes to avoid in your rough draft.

Mistake #1: Ditching the Outline

I know, I know. Outlining is a whole step away from writing your rough draft.

But outlining affects how long it takes to write your rough draft and how good the draft will be.

Outlining affects how long it takes to write your rough draft and how good the draft will be.
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Your outline should serve as the bare-bones version of your first draft. It should have all of the important details, just without the pretty words and fantastic transitions.

Sometimes, especially with more narrative essays or ones that don’t need too much support from outside sources, I don’t get too detailed with the outline. I simply include the following:

1. Introduction
   1. Hook
   2. Thesis Statement
2. Main Point
   1. Supporting Evidence
   2. Supporting Evidence
3. Main Point
   1. Supporting Evidence
   2. Supporting Evidence
4. Main Point
   1. Supporting Evidence
   2. Supporting Evidence
5. Conclusion

In these minimal outlines, I simply list a few words of the main points and supporting evidence I have in mind, just to figure out the best way to organize the essay. If you struggle with outlining, you might even find a graphic organizer useful for this purpose.

If your essay deals with a lot of facts or sources, I would also suggest including where you got your information to make it easier when you’re writing.

Once you have a complete outline or mapped-out essay, you can begin writing your rough draft. It’s much easier this way because you won’t have to spend time later rearranging paragraphs or figuring out exactly what pieces of supporting evidence to use.

Mistake #2: Getting Too Nit-Picky With Your Editing

Your rough draft is supposed to be a little… well… rough. But many students’ inner perfectionists get in the way sometimes. While it might make sense in theory to edit as you go, it actually makes the writing process much longer and more difficult.

When you edit as you go, you tend to get lost in all the small details and lose focus of the big picture. This not only makes your writing lose its flow but also makes writing your rough draft a much more difficult process.

But more importantly, editing as you write your rough draft is often just wasted effort. At the end of your draft, you might decide that a certain section belongs somewhere else, needs to be completely reworked, or needs to be entirely eliminated.

If you spend a lot of time choosing the right words and making sure every comma is in the right place, you waste time you could use in the revising process.

The key is to just let the words flow while following your outline. Try not to worry about spelling or grammar mistakes for now. You can fix all of that when it’s time to revise.

Mistake #3: Writing Too Little

One of the most common traps people fall into during their rough drafts is not writing enough. The point of a rough draft is to get as many of the final words in the paper as possible. When you revise the draft, you shouldn’t have to add much more content.

Typically, when people don’t write enough in the drafting stage, it’s because they’re following too closely to the outline. They simply expand their arguments and supporting evidence into full sentences instead of bullet points.

To avoid this mistake, think about how you want your ideas to flow from one to the other. You want to present one argument, flesh it out, give substantial evidence, and then move to your next argument.

If you’re used to not writing enough in your rough draft, just write more than you think you may need. You might even consider looking at some sample essays on your topic for inspiration to see how other students have flushed out similar essays.

You don’t have to ramble or go on tangents that don’t have anything to do with your thesis statement, but you may feel like you’re repeating some of your points. That’s okay—you can always go back and take out the redundancies or change the wording if needed.

But many times, you may read over it when the draft is complete and realize that it sounds perfectly fine.

Mistake #4: Going Off on Tangents

During the outlining stage, you should have a pretty coherent thesis statement. Everything that comes after that thesis statement should support it. Going off on tangents is just going to take up time you could be using in other parts of your essay.

Tangents happen when you try to cover too much at once. For instance, if you’re writing about the themes in The Scarlet Letter, you’re more likely to stray in your writing if you try to cover every single theme. Instead, keep a tighter focus on just one.

Mistake #5: Forgetting to Cite Your Sources

Writing your rough draft should be the longest part of the writing process. Afterward, you want it to be as easy and fast as possible to make your revisions and final edits.

That’s why it’s important to cite your sources during the drafting phase. That way, you don’t have to flip through your books all over again. Have to follow MLA 8 or APA? Here are relevant resources to help guide you:

• The Stress-Free Guide to APA Essay Format
• The Stress-Free Guide to MLA Essay Format (8th Edition)

The Rough Draft Is a Balancing Act

You don’t want to write too much or too little. You don’t want to get bogged down by edits during the drafting process, but you don’t want your draft to need too many edits when it’s finished.

Fortunately, this balancing act gets easier over time and by making sure you do the hardest work (such as outlining and citing your sources) at the very beginning.

If you’re still unsure about how polished your essay is after drafting it, you can turn to the Kibin editors for guidance. Whether it’s your first draft or your fifth, they’re a great second pair of eyes to catch mistakes, from grammar and spelling to flow and tone.

Good luck on your rough draft!

Here’s an all-too-common scenario faced by students everywhere: you’re assigned to write a paper, but you don’t know what to write about. Your prof tells you to write about something unique, something original, something that interests you.

The problem is, right now, the only thing that interests you is finding a topic for your paper.

Perhaps it’s the perfect time to stop thinking about essay topics and check Instagram, Facebook, or maybe even Twitter. After all, your teachers have always said it’s a smart idea to take breaks, right?

But wait just one minute…what if I told you that all of the social media sites I just mentioned are awesome resources for essay topics? Skeptical? Feel like Instagram is only good for checking out pics of what your BFF had for lunch today? Think again!

Check out these four ways to mine social media for essay topics to write about.

4 Ways to Mine Social Media for Essay Topics to Write About

Think about how much time you spend on social media. Now think about how much time you could save if you used the time you spend on social media to not only see what your favorite celebrity is doing but also find potential topics to write about for your paper.

Sweet deal, right? Here’s how you do it.

1. Find hot topics

Social media is always buzzing with the latest news on everything, so log in to the social media site of your choice. Then nose around to see what everyone is talking about.

Here’s what to look for:

• Political topics. Check Twitter for the latest Tweets from the president, arguments between politicians, or the latest proposals and laws. Look at, for example, healthcare and tax reform proposals. This might even be a good time to scrutinize your newsfeed to look for any potential fake news.

• Current news stories. Check Facebook for the latest news updates on what’s happening around the world. You might read about the latest scientific discovery, news about a recent medical breakthrough, or updates about a recent natural disaster.

• Celebrity news. Check Instagram for the latest gossip or pics posted about your favorite celebrity. Is a Kardashian involved in some sort of scandal? Is The Rock starring in a new movie? If you’d rather avoid the gossip, look for news about celebrity activism. Learn more about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work to help the citizens of Puerto Rico or Bono’s efforts to end poverty and hunger in Africa.

Reading about political topics and current news stories can help you find excellent resources for argumentative essays. You can learn about the latest news, identify multiple viewpoints, and then delve deeper by researching more about the topic and its history.

Catching up on the latest celebrity news would also be helpful if you’re writing a movie review or analysis or personal opinion essay.

Learning more about celebrities’ past or current work can also help you write a more complete analysis of their work or write an informed opinion about their careers or charitable endeavors.

2. Spot current trends

“Trends” is a pretty broad term, but it can mean anything from fashion trends to social trends. Basically, you’re looking for anything new and fresh that may be the start of a long-term movement or may end up disappearing before you finish writing your paper.

Here’s what to look for:

• What’s trending. Take a look at Facebook to see the latest viral videos, most talked about celebrities, and even the latest social media craze (think the ice bucket challenge or the mannequin challenge).

• New words and phrases. Spend some time reading Twitter feeds to see if you spot any new or unusual words cropping up in everyday language. Think about words like “photobomb,” “binge-watch,” and “ghosting.” Sure they’re part of our everyday vocabulary now, but it wasn’t that long ago that they were new or even unheard of.

• Fashion trends. Check out your friends and the hottest celebrities to see what they’re wearing and how they’re wearing it. After all, how else are you supposed to know if you should match your socks, wear jeans with holes in them, or wear your baseball cap tilted in a certain direction?

• Social movements. Social movements sometimes fizzle out before they get off the ground, but others become a strong force. Check out Twitter for the newest or most established movements, such as #MeToo.

If you’re in a sociology class, what better way to learn about what social trends and social movements than on social media, right? The trends you learn about can be excellent resources to generate ideas and narrow your topic for a final term paper or research essay.

You might also examine social movements to help you write your political science essay. If you’re fighting for equal rights, gun rights, or animal rights, chances are there’s a social media presence for the movement.

See how one student wrote about raising awareness via social media and the internet by reading this example essay on feminism and gender equality, which includes discussion on the #YesAllWomen hashtag on Twitter.

Finally, social media sites are a great place to learn more about the grassroots plans of organizations. They’re also a great place to explore contemporary and controversial social issues.

3. Get the latest news about your community

Social media is a great resource for connecting with people across the planet, but it can also be an excellent resource for learning about your own city or neighborhood.

Social media connects people globally, but you can also learn about your own city or neighborhood.
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Here’s what to look for:

• Local food and entertainment. Maybe there’s a new celebrity chef’s restaurant opening in your area. Perhaps there’s a pop-up restaurant that you can’t find out about unless you check its Facebook page hourly. Facebook can also be an excellent place to learn about your favorite band’s touring schedule or local theater performances.

• Local political and social movements. If you want to learn more about (or be involved in) local organizations, protests, or marches as potential topics to write about in your essay, look on Twitter for gatherings in your area. You’ll likely find local groups supporting all types of causes. You can see groups rallying for or against local politicians, groups fighting against racial intolerance, or groups fighting for human rights.

• Local crowd-funding. If you’re interested in learning about (or helping out) a local individual, group, or family, visit sites like GoFundMe. These sites allow the average citizen to raise money for worthy causes, such as a nearby family who might need help paying medical expenses or a local veteran in need of housing.

Local gatherings, concerts, or restaurants can be perfect for reviews, but you can also use local contacts as interview subjects.

You might also examine current local movements and compare and contrast them to other movements or to the larger national movements. Or you could examine the movement to see how it fits into a historical context.

4. Learn more about your college major

No matter what you’re studying, there’s always more to your profession than what you read in textbooks or professional journal articles. Check out social media sites to learn more about what those working in the field have to say about latest trends and the profession in general.

Here’s what to look for:

• Members-only discussions. These don’t have to be exclusive clubs, but you might browse Facebook for groups of professionals who get together to discuss their work. For instance, you might find groups of educators who share tips for classroom management or ideas for lessons. Or you might see a group of engineers discussing their latest designs and projects.

• Professional organizations. Twitter is full of professional organizations and unions. Look for these groups to learn more about professional obligations, legal battles, and professional expectations.

• A day in the life. If you’re looking for a more light-hearted view of a day in the life of someone in your prospective job, check out some Instagram accounts to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of life in the workplace.

Learning more about your intended major might mean that you’ll write an exploratory essay to explain the basics of the profession.

It might also mean that you’ll write a more formal essay about the details of the job or about something specific in the field. For example, you could look at a specific medical procedure, a licensing requirement, or even a review of the best places to work.

You might even discover something you didn’t know about your profession and use the opportunity to research a new topic.

If you’re a business or marketing major, social media could even become your primary research source. You might look at the types of information posted on social sites to evaluate their effectiveness or to determine whether sites are credible.

You could also review a variety of sites to see how they are designed, how you might improve the sites, how people interact with social media, or how you might design a site for your own business.

Let’s Be Friends

Since we’re talking about social media and ways to connect online, why not make a new online friend and get to know a professional Kibin editor?

Kibin editors can help you with lots of different steps in the writing process, from improving your outline to drafting ideas, to revising the first (or fifth) draft of your essay.

Need even more ways to find topics to write about or want other writing ideas? Follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook!

That’s why it’s important to have a system. While “system” sounds like it sucks the creativity out of writing, it actually gives you the structure you need to be creative and focused. And there’s no better system than the writing process.

You may be asking yourself, What is the writing process? Well, that’s what I’m here to explain, so let’s get to it.

What Is the Writing Process?

The writing process is a certain set of steps many students and professional writers use to come up with creative, cohesive essays, dissertations, and novels.

You can adjust the writing process to fit your particular assignments and writing style, but it boils down to five steps:

1. Prewriting
2. Researching
3. Drafting
4. Revising
5. Editing

There are a bunch of different ways you can approach these steps. It’s not a formula—more like a roadmap to follow from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to remain organized while writing and have a great essay by the time you’re finished.

Let’s jump into the first step…

Step 1: Prewriting—Putting Your Ideas to Paper

The first step of the writing process, prewriting, is one of the most fun. There are a few different approaches to prewriting, and the one or ones you use will depend on what type of essay you’ve been assigned and your personal preferences.

Unorganized prewriting strategies

Brainstorming involves writing short statements, phrases, or even single words related to the prompt. It helps to write the prompt at the top of the page and write any words or ideas that come to mind.

Don’t worry about the validity of all of the ideas for now. The important thing is to get it all out there.

Freewriting is kind of like brainstorming in that it’s a way of getting your ideas onto a page. However, it’s much more stream-of-consciousness. Begin by writing for 10 minutes—without stopping—about the prompt or a specific topic.

It doesn’t matter if your spelling or grammar isn’t perfect. No no one but you is going to be reading it anyway. The goal is to see where your mind takes you and what ideas you come up with in the process.

Organized prewriting strategies

Outlining is my preferred organized prewriting strategy. Once you have a topic picked out, you organize your thoughts by listing your thesis, arguments for your thesis, and supporting evidence.

It’s okay if you don’t have every single detail at this stage. An outline can lead you to the basic structure of your essay.

In the prewriting stage of the writing process? An outline can lead you to a good essay structure.
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Mapping is like outlining for more visual learners. One version of mapping is to put your topic in the middle of a page. Your main arguments will branch off the topic, and supporting evidence will branch off the respective arguments.

You can use other types of graphic organizers to visualize your ideas too.

Deciding which strategy is right for you

My suggestion is to use one unorganized and one organized prewriting technique to get the most out of the writing process.

Unorganized strategies are great for getting all your thoughts out with little to no interruption in your thought process. They help you figure out what to write about.

Organized prewriting strategies help you focus on one specific topic and write what you know about it in a, well, organized way. They help you figure out how to write about whatever topic you choose.

Step 2: Researching—Getting the Details

Once you have your basic ideas down, including any supporting evidence you can think of, it’s time to do your research. This helps you get the specifics you need to properly support your arguments.

If you’re writing a literary analysis essay, research includes looking for specific information within the book or play you’re writing about. You don’t have to reread the entire book. Just look for the points that relate to your topic.

If you’re writing a persuasive or research essay, your research will involve looking up credible articles online or in academic journals, watching documentaries, or looking at government websites—depending on your topic.

No matter where your facts are coming from, be sure to note the source, so you can credit the author(s) in your essay. This is important in avoiding plagiarism and making your arguments more credible.

Referencing Resources:

The Stress-Free Guide to MLA Essay Format (8th Edition)

The Stress-Free Guide to APA Essay Format

Remember, your notes should be helping you through the process—which means they should be organized. There are a few ways to do this depending on the type of essay you’re writing and the style of note-taker you are.

Here are a few go-tos for students:

1. Old-fashioned pen and paper: There’s nothing wrong with this tried-and-true method. It allows you to have flexibility that isn’t possible when working in a Word document, such as drawing arrows or helpful illustrations. This method is a bit more time-consuming and not great for long periods of time because your hand might get a bit tired. Using index cards is a popular strategy with this method.

2. Word document: Whether its Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or some other type of word processing software, you’ll get roughly the same experience. It’s quicker than hand-written notes, but you’re more limited in your creative freedom. You can still add emphasis to different parts of your notes through font and style changes, colors, and highlighting.

3. Note-taking apps: My personal favorite is Evernote, but there are several others on the market. Some are free. Some cost a few bucks to download. These are helpful because you can organize your notes into different folders (you can have separate folders for each symbol you’re analyzing, for example). You can also use many apps on any device, so you can take pictures with your phone and paste them right into your notes if that’s helpful for you. All your notes sync across devices.

4. Highlighting and annotating: Highlighting and annotating are kind of shorthand versions of the old-fashioned pen and paper method. They’re done right in the text, so you know exactly what you’re referring to. This is best for literary analyses because more than one or two books of highlighting and annotation requires more comprehensive notes.

Of course, you can find your own way, or use a combination of the ones listed here. The right way is the one that works best for you.

Step 3: Drafting—Fleshing Out Your Ideas

Now that you have your topic, a general idea on how to organize your essay, and some specific details you found in your research, it’s time to put it all together in the third step of the writing process—the first draft.

Many people think of outlining as a blueprint. If that’s the case, then drafting is like a detailed model—it’s not a perfect representation of the finished product, but an outsider could see the points you’re trying to make pretty clearly.

During the drafting stage, you don’t have to get caught up on spelling or minor grammatical errors. Instead, focus on fleshing out all your ideas.

This means building your arguments, deciding which pieces of research go where, and drafting an introduction, thesis statement, strong body paragraphs, and conclusion.

When you’re finished with your draft, it should look like an essay. But it’s not done yet. It needs revision to turn it into something worth submitting.

Need inspiration to get going on your first draft? See how other students have written about your topic.

Step 4: Revising—Creating a Decent Document

The revising stage is where it really comes together. Enter revisions through the mind of your reader. Here are some questions you might think about:

• Is there anything that might be unclear to them?
• Does the essay jump around in a disorganized or confusing fashion?
• Do you need transitions that make it easier to follow along?
• Are your sources cited properly?

One method is simply reading, rereading, and re-rereading, revising with each step. Another way is to write a reverse outline, which is basically just outlining the paper you’ve written.

The benefit to this is that you can see whether your paper is organized well, whether it meets the assignment guidelines, and whether all your ideas are sufficiently supported.

Whatever method you use, be sure to correct anything that might be confusing or inaccurate. Make your sentences into real prose instead of loose ideas. Correct any glaring mistakes in grammar, style, or spelling.

There’s no shame in revising more than once. When you’re finished revising, you should feel that, even though it’s not your best work, it’s still representative of your skills as a writer and probably passable (depending on how your teacher treats minor proofreading errors.)

Step 5: Editing—Polishing Your Essay

Editing should be saved for the very last step of the writing process. Too many writers, both students and professionals, get caught up in editing as they go. This is a big waste of time. Oftentimes, you end up deleting or changing large chunks of text anyway.

When you’re editing, you should be looking for grammar and spelling mistakes. Any time you make a change, be sure to reread the paragraph or section to ensure it still makes sense.

After You Finish the Writing Process

Now that you can answer the question that brought you here, What is the writing process?—it might seem like there are a lot of steps involved. Some might not even feel all that necessary.

However, by following each step, you can:

1. Use prewriting to choose the best topic for the prompt and organize your thoughts.
2. Effectively research to back up your arguments with credible facts.
3. Write a faster, more cohesive draft.
4. Revise to make your writing appeal more to the reader.
5. Make the edits that give your paper the finishing touches it needs.

If you’re finished with your essay but still don’t feel 100% confident, that’s okay. Even the best writers have editors. That’s because no writers can catch all of their own mistakes.

For you, the editors at Kibin are prepared to be your second set of eyes. They’ll not only catch spelling and grammar errors, but also suggest changes in formatting or structure if needed.

Now, get out there and make the writing process work for you.

The SQ3R Method is actually a reading method that will help you:

• Interact with a text
• Retain more of what you read
• Study more effectively
• Become a better writer

These are all wonderful, but they’re not as flashy as a new iPhone app, are they?

But because not everything can be an app, and because you have to do some things on your own, let’s get to work learning about the SQ3R Method.

What Is the SQ3R Method?

The SQ3R Method is a reading technique that will help you become a better reader and thus a better writer.

The SQ3R Method reading technique helps you become a better reader and thus a better writer.
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SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, review. I know that sounds like a lot of work just to read something, but if you follow these steps, you’ll soon realize you remember more of what you read.

Here’s a little more about each step.

Survey

Before you begin reading, take a few moments to survey the text. Look at headings, subheadings, and any vocabulary in bold print. Preview opening and closing paragraphs. If you’re reading a textbook, look at the study questions or chapter summary.

In other words, skim the text, but do so with the purpose of getting a sense of the focus and general ideas presented in the reading.

Question

The questions you ask in this step will depend on your purpose for reading. If you’re reading strictly for comprehension, you might turn headings into questions. Or you might ask questions about the arguments you’re reading.

If you’re reading to study for a test or to answer questions about the topic or chapter, look at study questions before you read. Look at the study guide your professor may have given you or at the questions at the end of the chapter.

If you know what you’re looking for, you can spot the information as you read.

Read

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but remember, you’re not just reading the words to read them. You’re reading with a purpose in mind. You’re actively seeking information.

You might look for answers to chapter questions, for answers to your own questions, or for information suitable to use in your research paper.

If you’re analyzing an article, you might look for even more information, such as how the author uses language or how the author structures and supports arguments.

As you read, don’t forget to take notes on key content to help you not only understand the text more effectively but also help find information when studying or citing information in a paper.

Recite

Ever ask a friend to help you with a problem, but as you talk through your issue you realize you’ve worked through it on your own? That’s because talking out loud and talking through a problem can help you understand it in new ways.

The same is true for reading. Talking about what you read can help you understand the information more completely.

Here’s a chance to do some thinking (and talking) out loud about your reading. Remember those questions you asked at the beginning of SQ3R? Run through them again to see if you can answer them.

Try summarizing out loud or listing key vocabulary words and their definitions. Talking about what you’ve read will allow you to explore the topic and perhaps even answer any lingering questions.

Review

Review your notes, questions, and answers, and maybe even skim through the text again. Complete the review process a day or two after your initial reading. This will help you keep the information fresh in your mind and help you retain more of what you’ve read.

This means no more reading five chapters the night before the test or reading all of the assigned articles just before you start writing your paper!

Need a review? Here’s a graphic for reference:

How Can a Reading Method Help Me Write a Better Essay?

At this point, you might be saying, “Learning to read and remember information is all well and good, but what does this have to do with writing a better paper?”

The answer: a lot.

I’m sure you’ve heard that in order to be a good writer you need to read (and be a good reader). So how does reading help you become a better writer?

If you read a lot, you see how…

• Writers use language
• Arguments are supported
• Writers connect and move between ideas
• Those ideas work together in the larger scope of the topic

Seeing these strategies in practice helps you learn to use them in your own writing.

Learning to read more effectively also means that you’re better prepared when you begin writing.
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Learning to read more effectively also means that you’re better prepared when you begin writing. Take, for example, the argument essay.

Using the SQ3R Method for an argumentative essay

In order to write an argumentative essay, you’ll likely need to support your argument with credible sources. If you use the SQ3R Method as you read your sources, you’ll preview content, ask questions, and talk through the information as you read.

Because you know you’re writing an argumentative essay, you can look for main arguments, key phrases, and information you’ll paraphrase or quote in your paper.

When you’re ready to complete your outline or graphic organizer, you’ll already have an idea of information you can use to support your own arguments.

That’s a heck of a lot easier than trying to write an outline and search through a stack of sources looking for something—anything—that might work to support your arguments, isn’t it?

Using the SQ3R Method for a literary analysis

The SQ3R Method even works if you’re writing a literary analysis.

Because you don’t read research articles the same way you read literature, you should probably skip the survey suggestion of reading the introduction and conclusion first.

After all, you don’t want to spoil the ending of an awesome story or novel.

You can, however, practice the other steps in SQ3R when reading literature. Let’s say you know you have to write an essay about the symbolism in The Tell-Tale Heart.

If you look for examples of symbolism as you read, you can practice the SQ3R Method by asking questions and taking notes throughout the story.

Again, you don’t read literature the same way that you read a science report, so you may not want to stop to take notes during a suspenseful story. You might need to take notes during the second read instead.

Practice Makes Perfect

Whether you’re an athlete, a musician, an artist, a welder, or a writer, you need to practice in order to be good at it. In order to be a good writer, you need to be an active reader.

With that in mind, here’s a chance to practice what you’ve just learned.

Use the SQ3R Method as you read How to Make Connections Between a Text and Your World and Why Avoiding Bias in Writing Is So Important and How to Do It.

Look at the headings, formulate a few questions, and jot down notes as you read. Notice how practicing this reading strategy improves reading comprehension.

Want a longer piece of writing to practice with? Try one of these essays about reading strategies:

• Effects of Reading Strategies for Students Who Struggle with Reading Comprehension
• An Examination of Strategies That Can Be Used by Students on Reading Activities

Don’t forget: Kibin editors have lots of practice helping writers, so if you need some useful feedback on any of your essays, let an editor review your writing.

Happy reading and writing!

If all those Roman numerals and upper and lowercase letters of a traditional outline are enough to drive you mad, why not try a different way to organize your thoughts: use graphic organizers for writing.

What Is a Graphic Organizer?

A graphic organizer is a way to visually organize your ideas. It can help put your thoughts into place and help you see information at a glance.

Organizers can also help you see how ideas are connected, where they might fit into your paper, and where they may need further development. And most importantly, using graphic organizers for writing can help you keep your essay on track.

3 Types of Graphic Organizers for Writing Better Essays

Let’s take a closer look at three graphic organizers—flowcharts, Venn diagrams, and essay organization charts—and how you might use these graphic organizers for writing your paper.

Flowcharts

A flowchart is a diagram that illustrates a step-by-step process or sequence.

It’s pretty obvious that you could use a flowchart for a process analysis essay to show each step of a process. But a flowchart might be particularly useful for this type of essay if you can approach the task in several different ways.

For instance, let’s say you’re explaining how to build the perfect sandwich but are also adding recommendations for specific combinations along the way. Your flowchart might offer different meat or condiment choices depending on which bread you choose.

Flowcharts can also be invaluable if you’re writing a lab report. Let’s say you’re in your basement mixing chemicals, such as baking soda and vinegar, to create a volcano.

Your mad scientist self kicks in, and you decide to throw in a few other chemicals here and there, just to see how they react. (Unless you really know what you’re doing, though, I really don’t recommend haphazardly mixing chemicals. It won’t end well.)

If you have the proper safety equipment and a pretty good sense of how to mix chemicals, a flowchart can be an excellent tool to help you keep track of reactions.

Here’s an example of what your volcano flowchart might look like.

Ways to use a flowchart

Don’t limit your use of flowcharts to things like process analysis papers and lab reports. Flowcharts can be useful when writing about literature too.

Ever read one of those complex novels where there are about 50 characters that you need to keep track of? Use a flowchart to help you visualize how the characters are connected.

If you’re keeping track of a large family or of people who marry, divorce, and have kids with multiple partners, you might create a family tree to help understand how people are related.

If you’re reading a mystery novel, you might use a flowchart to organize patterns, movements, or interactions involving various characters. This can help you trace connections between characters and help you see whodunit.

If you’re reading a more gruesome and violent novel in which a gang or the mob is on a murderous rampage, you can even use a flowchart to help keep track of which gang member murdered which person.

Using this type of flowchart can be incredibly helpful. You’ll be able to not only see how characters are connected but also see the bigger picture—how plotlines and characters are all interconnected (which can help you write a stronger literary analysis).

How to create a flowchart: You can, of course, get out your pencil and paper and draw a few boxes and lines to create your own flowchart. But if you’d like to create one using a little technology, try Gliffy, one of the templates in Word or Excel, or the drawing feature in Google Docs to create your own. You can also download a free template.

Venn diagrams

A Venn diagram is a set of overlapping circles that illustrates the relationship between the set. They’re excellent graphic organizers for compare and contrast essays because you can write all the points that are different in the individual sections of the circles and all points that are the same in the overlapping sections.

Here’s an example of what a Venn diagram might look like if you’re comparing high school to college.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to limit your use of Venn diagrams to compare and contrast essays about topics like high school vs. college. You can also use Venn diagrams to help create an awesome character analysis.

Let’s say you’re writing about The Wizard of Oz and want to analyze the Wizard. You might use a Venn diagram to examine his behavior in front of and behind the curtain.

Consider how he’s so brave and seemingly powerful behind the curtain and so quiet, with no powers, when in front of the curtain. His behavior, though, is similar in both situations as his underlying kind heart does shine through.

How to create a Venn diagram: As long as you have a pen and paper, it’s easy to draw two or three overlapping circles to create your own diagram. If you’d prefer to go high-tech, use the Smart Art features in Word or Excel, use a drawing program to draw circles, or use a free online template.

Essay organization charts

An essay organization chart is just that—a chart that helps you organize your ideas for an essay. You can use an essay organization chart with just about any essay, from a basic narrative essay to a longer, more complex research essay or argumentative essay.

The key to creating an effective organizational chart is to first decide on all the key components you’ll need for your paper. Then create a chart with space for each section.

This allows you to jot down and organize ideas without creating a formal outline or draft.

Below is an example of what a blank essay organization chart might look like. You can use this type of template for various essay types. You could even add more categories, such as a space for introduction ideas, thesis statement, conclusion ideas, and sources.

How to create an essay organization chart: One of the quickest ways to create an essay organization chart is to insert a table in Word (or a similar program) and fill in each square with the appropriate headings and content. You can also create something similar in Excel. If you’d like a pre-designed organizer, try one of these templates.

Bonus Tip!

Like a reverse outline, a graphic organizer can be useful after you’ve written your paper.

Depending on the type of paper, look over your draft and fill in your choice of graphic organizer to see what your paper looks like in organizer form. This strategy helps you see where you might have too much information or might be missing important arguments.

For instance, you can use an essay organization chart to make sure you have sufficient evidence to support each argument of your research paper.

You can use a Venn diagram to see how many points you’ve included for each section of a compare and contrast essay.

If your assignment is to balance similarities and differences, a Venn diagram can help you quickly see whether you’ve met assignment requirements.

Have you already completed a graphic organizer (either before or after) writing your draft but aren’t happy with the way it turned out? Let a Kibin editor help!

When I worked as a cashier at a grocery store as a teen, there was a customer who, when I asked if he wanted his milk in a bag, would always reply, “No, you can just leave it in the carton.” Funny the first time. Boring after the fifth time.

So repetitiveness and a lack of creativity are boring.

When I was a middle schooler, the gym teacher was incredibly passionate about sports, and it showed when he taught.

He also, however, was required to teach health class, which he was less passionate about. It wasn’t a subject he loved, and it showed. He was bored, so we were too.

So bored people are boring.

It’s also a matter of opinion, of course. One of my roommates in college was in culinary school, so he was really into cooking shows. My other roommate was a film major who was into foreign language films. When one had control of the remote, the other was bored.

So matching content with the wrong audience leads to boredom.

When it comes to writing essays, no one strives to be boring, but writing an interesting essay can be difficult.

No one strives to write boring essays, but writing an interesting one can be difficult.
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So let’s explore some awesome secrets for choosing more interesting essay topics.

1. Avoid the Common

They say you must know the rules before you can break them. That’s why I teach the five-paragraph essay while also urging students to break the mold.

It’s why Cormac McCarthy is allowed to use punctuation like my nephew uses napkins. Sparingly.

So if you want to choose more interesting essay topics than those of your counterparts, you must first be aware of the most common essay topics. Then, of course, avoid them.

2. Read Essays

They say if you want to write a novel, you have to read a lot of novels. If you want to write a screenplay, you must first read a lot of screenplays.

Why would essays be any different?

By reading numerous essays, you will get a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t. Moreover, you’ll start to see what makes for interesting essay topics and what doesn’t.

Reading essays will also help you to avoid some of the most common topics (See #1).

Check out our essay database for a wealth of example essays to read.

3. Follow Your Interests

I mention this one a lot when I give essay writing advice, but it’s incredibly important. You’re going to enjoy your life a lot more if you’re writing an essay about something that interests you.

Don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to research a boring topic for hours. It’s not healthy.

It might sound like a good idea to choose a common topic so it will be easy to find resources, but you can’t simulate motivation. Although a more obscure topic might take more “work,” it won’t feel like work if you’re genuinely interested in the subject matter.

We’re talking about choosing more interesting essays topics. That starts by thinking about your personal interests and curiosities. Push yourself to explore these areas, and you might be surprised what you discover.

You might also be surprised by how much that interest and enthusiasm shows in your essay.

4. Tap Into Old Essays

There are many times in the process of researching and writing an essay that you’ll happen upon a piece of information that’s interesting but doesn’t fit into the paper you’re writing at the moment.

My advice is two-fold.

First, I suggest that, every time you encounter a moment such as this, you make a note of it and file it away. For instance, I have a note-taking app in which I store every bright idea or interesting tidbit I come across.

Second, when it comes time to write a new essay, take a look through your notes for points of interest that may work as topics. Even if it’s related to another essay you have written, there’s nothing wrong with choosing it as long as you’re approaching it from a new angle.

5. Know Your Reader

What is interesting? What does it mean for something to be interesting? Who gets to decide?

It’s all a matter of opinion and perception. Eye-of-the-beholder stuff, right?

So with this in mind, it’s important to understand that it’s your reader—and your reader only—who will decide if your essay is “interesting.” So it’s important to have a sense of your reader’s interests when choosing a topic.

Caveat: I don’t think the most important criteria for choosing a topic is following your professor’s interests. It’s much more important that you choose a topic that stimulates your own interests and creative drive (See #2).

However, if your goal is to make the essay “more interesting” in a general sense, then it needs to be a subject of interest to more than just the person in the mirror.

6. Consider Current Events

What are people talking about right now? With social media everywhere, it has never been easier to put your finger on the pulse of the people.

Tap into the zeitgeist, and consider topics that are currently rousing discussion around the world. These topics are inherently more interesting essay topics because they address issues that are already on the minds of thinking people.

If your topic is something that your readers have already been pondering on their own, they will be more interested in reading your opinion on the matter.

7. Test the Waters

There are times when you come up with an idea, whether it’s for an invention or a new short story, and it seems perfect. There’s a beam of light that shoots from the sky into your eyes at the moment of inception, and you can’t wait to tell someone.

So you run to a good friend and tell him to sit down because he is about to be blown away. You start excitedly spewing your idea out into the world, and then something curious happens.

As you hear the words aloud, the idea suddenly doesn’t sound quite as profound as it did in your inner dialogue. The look on your friend’s face confirms your fears: the idea is a bust.

Anyone who has been through this knows the feeling and has learned a valuable lesson: ideas aren’t always as good when they become reality.

For this reason, I encourage you to run your topic ideas by some trusted friends, send them off to a talented editor, or schedule a time to discuss your topic ideas with your professor.

Review of How to Choose Interesting Essay Topics

So in our attempts to avoid boredom, both in ourselves and our readers, we have found some ways to avoid common, repetitive topics and choose those that pique our own interests, which will show in our essay.

There’s a few important things to remember when you’re aiming for interesting essay topics:

• Be aware of the topics that have been done before and of those that are currently enthralling the public.
• Know your reader—but more importantly, know yourself and your own interests.
• Have someone who will listen to your ideas, whether that’s your professor or a friend.

Need to jumpstart your thinking? Start by getting ideas you can evolve from these essay topics:

• 20 Fascinating and Unusual Descriptive Essay Topics
• 22 Cause and Effect Essay Topics to Write an Effective Essay
• 17 Expository Essay Topics for an Outstanding Paper
• 15 Good Persuasive Essay Topics to Start Your Essay Right

And then there’s compare and contrast essay topics, argumentative essay topics, and some more persuasive essay topics. There’s also informative essay topics, reflective essay topics, and process essay topics.

And if you find interesting essay topics and think they’re way too broad, try narrowing them down a bit.

And finally, keep in mind that you can submit your essay to Kibin’s editors at any point in the writing process, so feel free to send over a topic proposal or abstract. We’d be happy to take a look and send you detailed advice.

As always, have fun!

Most of us have probably tried to get rid of our writer’s block with everything from stepping away, to listening to music, or going for a walk in hopes of grand inspiration.

But what do you do if all you have to show for your eight-mile walk is sore feet and a blinking cursor mocking your still-present writer’s block?

If you feel like you’re going nowhere fast, it’s time to try something new.

First… How Not to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

Before I tell you what you should do to get rid of writer’s block, I want to give you a quick heads up on what you definitely should not do.

First, don’t procrastinate or make excuses.

You know the excuses I’m talking about. You have to update your Facebook status, you need to clean the dust bunnies from under your bed, or maybe you need to throw out three weeks of takeout that’s been accumulating in your fridge. Okay, maybe you should do all of those things, but you shouldn’t use them as a reason to avoid writing.

Second, don’t sit there complaining or whining. Complaining gets you nowhere and won’t help writer’s block. Period.

And third, don’t simply wait around to be inspired. Yeah, you might get inspired sooner or later, but your essay is due in a few days. You probably don’t have time to wait for your muse. Plus, most professional writers will tell you that inspiration most often comes when you’re actually sitting down at your computer and writing.

So instead of hoping for inspiration, check out these four things you can do now to move past writer’s block.

4 Proven Ways to Keep Writer’s Block from Ruining Your Essay

Writer’s block can be an absolute nightmare. I get that. And if you’re in desperate need to write a paper for class, writer’s block might not only ruin your essay, but it also has the potential to ruin your grade in the class.

No one wants writer’s block. So sit down. Take a deep breath. And let’s get to work.

No one wants writer’s block. So sit down. Take a deep breath. And let’s get to work.
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These four tips even include advice from professional writers about overcoming writer’s block. You might want to listen to them. After all, they write for a living, so they probably know a thing or two about the subject!

#1 Work it out in your head (or just talk about your topic)

It’s hard to start writing if you don’t know what you want to say or don’t know a lot about your subject. Follow Emerson’s advice, and allow some time to think about your ideas. (Yes, this means starting your paper at least a few days before it’s due!)

Don’t think you have time to just sit around and think? Think again!

If you have to take the bus downtown, instead of checking out Instagram posts, think about how you’ll focus your ideas.

If you’re feeding your goldfish, tell him about your paper. He’d be happy to listen, and you’ll be surprised at how talking about the topic helps you work out ideas.

#2 Get over the idea of perfection on the first try (or even the second or third try)

Margaret Atwood highlights a great point. I don’t know about you, but I’ve sometimes spent far too long staring at one sentence trying to get the perfect phrase in place.

And while I do finally get something written, it means that I’ve wasted a heck of a lot of time on that one sentence and still have pages left to write.

This happens to most of us. We get stuck because we don’t know exactly what we want to say or because we don’t really know enough about our topic. Or sometimes we stare at a screen, trying for perfection on the first try.

I understand that your grade is on the line and you need perfection to get that “A,” but it’s not likely going to happen on the first draft.

Don’t believe me or even Margaret Atwood? Here’s what Octavia Butler has to say about it:

“You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.”

In short, don’t worry about getting it right on the first try. Just start writing. You can (and should) always revise.

#3 Turn a big task into small steps

It’s easy to get writer’s block when you have an 8- to 10-page research paper staring you in the face. With such a seemingly insurmountable task before you, it can be overwhelming. I can see why doing nothing can seem like the better option.

In order to get over writer’s block, follow Mark Twain’s advice: start by breaking the writing assignment into smaller tasks.

It’s kind of like one of those TV stands you buy at a big-box store. When you open up the carton and see giant piles of wood veneer and tiny bags of screws, hinges, and camlocks, you immediately second-guess your ability (and desire) to put together such a mess.

But if you follow the instructions step-by-step, suddenly (and by suddenly, I mean five hours later), you have a beautiful new TV stand.

Putting together a TV stand is a lot like writing—both take time and plenty of patience.

Check out How to Write a Research Paper: A Step-by-Step Guide to see how breaking down a research paper into smaller steps can help you write a successful paper.

#4 Write something

Maya Angelou’s advice makes sense. If you want to write something, you need to start writing… something. It may not be your best work. It may amount to prewriting rather than drafting, but that’s okay.

The goal is not to write the perfect essay in one long session.

The goal is to get over writer’s block and get writing. Eventually, the ideas will come, and you’ll begin to shape your words into a finished draft. Sometimes it can help to see how other students have tackled a similar essay.

If your case of writer’s block has been so severe that you’ve already wasted too much time doing nothing, read How to Write an Essay Fast and Well to help you get started.

And if you’re still finding it difficult to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyword), try to identify why you’re experiencing writer’s block.

A Final Piece of Advice

You need to remember this last piece of advice to get over writer’s block and to write well. You’re not going to write the perfect paper in one draft (not even if you prewrite, outline, and draft).

(Need help with the revision process? Read How to Revise an Essay and Make It Better Than Ever and Why Eliminating Wordiness Is So Important for Your Essay.)

Listen to Roald Dahl. Anyone who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has to have good writing advice, right?

With that in mind, once you’ve overcome writer’s block and have a complete draft, let one of our expert Kibin editors help revise your writing into the masterpiece it deserves to be!

Okay, most of the time.

At any rate, I know that you should read the instructions on tests. I learned this by accidentally skipping two pages of the math section on the SAT. Apparently, when they say “continue to the next page,” they mean that.

You should also read the instructions while assembling household goods. Who knew that you needed to pull upward on a lawnmower handle in order for the blade to move for the first time?

The manual, that’s who.

And most importantly, you should read the instructions for writing essays.

Knowing how to read and understand an essay assignment isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds. Subtle distinctions exist between words such as “analyze” and “describe,” for instance. And what does your teacher really mean when he or she says you need to “evaluate the literary significance of the long 18th century”?

This post will teach you how to unpack, decipher, and truly understand an essay assignment so that you can deliver exactly what your teacher is looking for.

Why Do You Need to Read Your Essay Assignment in the First Place?

Your teacher gave a quick rundown of the assignment in class, so you don’t really need to read it again, right?

Wrong. (Yeah, you knew I was going to say that.)

While your teacher was explaining the assignment at the end of class, you were doodling in your notebook and tapping your foot as you eyed the clock, anxiously awaiting the moment you could scurry home to your cat, couch, and/or Netflix.

Not that I’d, uh, know anything about that.

Even if you were paying attention, that’s a lot of information to absorb, especially if you’re not an auditory learner.

Besides that, you wouldn’t bake a cake without reading a recipe or take an eight-hour road trip without looking at a map, would you?

I mean, you could, but I’m not sure I want to be your taste-tester or your passenger.

Similarly, not reading your essay assignment is a good way to mess up the “ingredients” of your essay or cover a lot of unnecessary ground.

Your teacher knows all of this!

That’s why you have a written assignment: you can review the parameters of the essay, refer back to the assignment as you plan your essay, resituate yourself as you write, and check your final writing against the assignment.

But how do you understand exactly what your teacher is asking? 

How to Decode an Essay Assignment

Whether your essay assignment is a few short sentences or a full page, there’s a lot to unpack and decode in order to figure out exactly what your teacher is asking you to write. Let’s look at some of the words and phrases you’ll likely encounter in your assignment and what exactly they mean.

Verbs that denote purpose and form

The verbs your teacher uses in an essay assignment serve as important clues about the type of content you should write and the form your essay should take.

The following table features a list of verbs that often appear in essay assignments, along with their meanings and the types of essays that are often (but not always!) associated with them.

And don’t forget, you can also check out examples of all these essay types in !

This has nothing to do with fresh breath and everything to do with how deeply or shallowly you delve into your topic. It’s the difference between, say, a six-word story and a Ken Burns documentary.

The ideal scope means your essay’s focus is not too broad, and not too narrow: it’s just right.

The ideal scope means your essay’s focus is not too broad, not too narrow: it’s just right.
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Sometimes, your teacher may define scope using numbers:

• “Compare and contrast two authors” [This means exactly two.]
• “Providing at least three main ideas” [This could include three, four, or more main ideas.]
• “In no more than six pages” [This means probably at least four or five, but definitely not seven.]

These phrases give you an idea of the number of examples you should provide or how many main points your essay should cover. Watch out for phrases such as “at least,” “no more than,” and similar phrasing.

Your teacher may also set limitations using references to time:

• “Events during the early 17th century” [Not the middle 17th century or the late 16th.]
• “That have occurred in recent history” [You probably shouldn’t discuss a subject from the 1950s, then.]
• “Modern technology” [This is open to interpretation, but this probably doesn’t refer to technology from the 1980s.]
• “How it has changed in the past 10 years” [Not only in the past 5 years, and not in the past 15—just 10.]

Time references define the scope of your essay by specifying where your coverage should begin and end. This ensures that you aren’t covering a time period that is too broad, meaning that you can give only a minor overview of the subject, or a period that is too narrow, meaning that you don’t have enough to write about.

Words that define format/style

Last but not least, check your essay assignment for terms that dictate how your paper should look and how you should cite your sources.

Your instructor may provide explicit essay formatting requirements:

• “12-pt Times New Roman”
• “1-inch margins”
• “Include a cover page”

If you see specific instructions like these, then you should definitely use them as you format your paper! There is no easier way to rack up points toward a good grade.

Sometimes, however, your instructor will only specify a style guide:

• “Use MLA format”
• “Please adhere to APA guidelines”

These phrases indicate that you should use these style guides to cite any sources you consult for your essay.

But MLA and APA aren’t only systems for citing sources. These style guides also provide guidelines for formatting essays and reports, including guidance on fonts, margins, headers, and more. Often, they also tell you how to handle numbers, abbreviations, and other considerations.

In the absence of any other formatting guidelines in your essay assignment, it’s a good idea to consult the style guide.

Read How to Write MLA Citations Without Going Crazy or How to Write APA Citations in 4 Easy Steps for help with citing your sources, and check out the Purdue Owl’s MLA and APA pages for formatting guidelines.

You can also check out our Essay Formatting Survival Guide for other formatting tips.

If all else fails and you genuinely don’t understand what your instructor is asking for, take advantage of the instructor’s office hours. Schedule a meeting to discuss the essay assignment.

It’s always better to clear up your confusion before you start writing instead of after your essay is done. But it’s also a good idea to check your work and make sure that you’ve hit all of the important points of the assignment.

How to Make Sure Your Completed Essay Fits the Assignment

There are a few ways that you can check your completed essay against the assignment to ensure that you didn’t miss the mark completely or leave anything out.

One of my favorite strategies is to create a checklist from the essay assignment before I ever start writing. You could make such a checklist as detailed or as basic as you want, but you definitely should include all of the most important elements of the assignment.

If you don’t have time to create your own, this comprehensive essay editing checklist from the University of New South Wales should help ensure you covered all your bases.

If you’re lucky, your teacher will include a rubric with your essay assignment. A rubric generally breaks down the assignment into specific components, such as content, support, style, and mechanics/grammar.

It also generally tells you what you need to accomplish in each area to achieve the highest grade. This can actually serve as a checklist itself, saving you a bit of time and trouble.

Here’s an example of a rubric:

Another strategy for checking your essay against the prompt is creating a reverse outline. Reverse outlining is actually a great first step for revising any essay. It helps you identify holes in your argument, missing details, and other important elements you might have forgotten.

Check out this helpful handout from Duke University, or use this reverse outlining worksheet from the Berkeley Student Learning Center.

Finally, you can have your essay checked by a . Not only can we help you proofread your essay, but we can also help ensure your essay sticks to the assignment.

No no no, not that. They take notes!

Even the best of us have rather limited capacity for storing information in our brains, let alone knowing exactly where that information came from and being able to recall it when we need it for a specific purpose — like writing an essay. So we take notes to record said information.

Unfortunately, not all notes are equally useful. A handful of Post-Its and a crumpled pile of paper won’t be much help when you’re trying to outline your research essay.

So if you’re listening to lectures, reading books, and scouring the Web as part of the research process, why not make the most of your efforts by brushing up on some note taking strategies?

This blog post will give you 10 note taking strategies to write a better essay, but first let’s talk about why this strategy is important.

Why Take Notes Before Writing an Essay?

In my career as a student many, many, years ago, I would occasionally dive into drafting an essay or report without taking a single note on the topic. I’d sit down with a pile of books and my laptop and start writing, feeling rather smug.

And then I’d stop writing so that I could look something up.

And start again.

And stop. Wait, what page was that on?

And so it would continue until the wee hours of the morning, when I would kick myself pretty hard for trying to take the “easy” way out.

As you can imagine, this is a really inefficient way to write. It’s also a bit reckless, especially if you aren’t writing a reference list as you go. I can’t tell you how many times I thought, wait, did I think that…or did I read that…or did I hear that during class?

Eventually, I learned the value of taking good notes.

Note taking — which is any process that involves the recording of information from another source — eases the process of essay writing in a variety of ways. Note taking helps you

• identify what you already know,
• identify gaps in your knowledge,
• organize similar facts and bits of information,
• track and manage the sources you’ve consulted to prevent plagiarism, and
• recall relevant, essential facts and ideas as you write.

Oddly enough, even though note taking is an essential part of conducting research, chances are good that you’ve never been taught how to do it, or at least not how to do it effectively.

That’s why I’m going to share 10 note taking strategies for creating neat, orderly notes that not only keep your research organized, but that will also help you write your paper more efficiently.

10 Note Taking Strategies You Can Use for Your Next Assignment

While we often think of note taking as intuitive, it’s actually a skill that can be practiced and improved.

These 10 note taking strategies include a few unique note taking methods, tips for avoiding plagiarism, the pros and cons of digital note taking, and much more. Use them to help you devise your own note taking style to use as you prepare for your next essay.

Note Taking Methods

1. Try the Cornell method

Professor Walter Pauk of Cornell University devised this note taking strategy for college students in the 1950s, but it’s still relevant and useful today.

In this system, you divide a standard page into three areas: a narrow left column, a wide right column, and a box that spans the width of the page at the bottom. Each of the regions you create serves a specific purpose:

As you can see, the left column contains keywords, leading questions, or other “header” types of material to help you scan your notes quickly. The right column contains the more detailed information you wish to record. Then, you review and synthesize your notes after writing them, filling in the summary section at the bottom of the page.

You can draw the basic grid lines on any sheet of paper, or you can customize and print your own Cornell note taking sheets from WorksheetWorks.com.

2. Map your mind

If you’re the type of person who likes to visualize information or connections as you learn, graphic organizers are just the ticket. One of the most popular types of graphic organizer is known as a “mind map.” 

Mind mapping entails placing an idea (sometimes represented by an image) at the center of a page and then breaking the concept down into smaller parts via branching lines that extend in all directions.

Here’s a basic mind map about mind mapping (whoa…meta) I created with MindMup, a free mind-mapping tool:

(You can click to enlarge it.)

Because a mind map can incorporate different colors, fonts, images, and so forth, it’s a great note taking tool if you’re a visual learner.

Check out Lifehacker’s guide to creating mind maps, which includes loads of links to other mind-mapping tools and galleries of mind maps you can use for inspiration.

3. Make note cards

Using note cards is one of the most classic note taking strategies. Typically, each note card — index cards work perfectly for this — contains a single fact or quotation along with the source of the information.

Because each card contains only one piece of information, you can easily lay out your cards in front of you and categorize them by sub-topic, making it easy to see how the information will fit together in your paper.

For some examples of how you might organize your note cards, check out the note card system described by Gallaudet University’s English Center. Here’s an example of how the front and back of your note card might look:

Note Taking Mediums

4. Go digital

One of the best things about using digital note taking methods is that you can use your laptop or tablet to write and organize your notes. This can be an especially good note taking strategy if you have illegible handwriting, and it’s certainly better for the environment.

Apps such as Evernote, Microsoft’s OneNote, Simplenote, and others make it easy to jot down ideas while reading or listening to a lecture and store them on your device or in the cloud.

5. …or stay analog

If you prefer taking notes by hand, you’re in good company: a 2014 survey by Campusbooks.com revealed that 91% of college students prefer writing notes by hand.

Hand cramps aside, handwritten notes may be better for learning the material, too: according to Scientific American, writing notes by hand — which is slower than typing — improves comprehension by forcing you to summarize the material rather than recording it verbatim, leading to a deeper understanding of the topic.

Some professors are banning laptops in the classroom, too, making it even more important to have some old-school note taking skills.

Physical notes can be arranged and rearranged in front of you, making it easier to organize your information and outline your essay. If you use a mind map or another graphic organizer, you can also jazz it up with colored pencils, markers, or highlighters.

And when’s the last time your paper notebook crashed?

Keeping Your Sources Straight

6. Track your sources

Every time you record a fact, figure, or idea from a source in your notes, be sure that you record the bibliographic information for the source, too.

If you’re writing traditional notes or using note cards, you can easily record the source material at the top of each card or page or beneath each note. If you’re using a mind map or another graphic organizer to take your notes, consider keeping a running list of sources and assigning each a number. Then, record the associated number next to each fact or idea to save space.

7. Use the correct citation format

To save yourself even more time while writing your essay, record the source information in the citation format you will use in your essay. For example, if you know you will need to write APA citations in your essay, write down the information in the proper order now.

This way, you don’t have to hunt down an obscure book’s publishing information two hours before your paper is due.

Not that I’ve, uh, ever had to do that.

Miscellaneous Note Taking Strategies

8. Use your own words

Writing your notes in your own words is one of the best ways to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Check out the University of Wisconsin Writing Center’s guide to avoiding plagiarism for tips on paraphrasing effectively. Also read 10 Examples of Paraphrasing for a Smarter, Better Essay.

If you know that you want to quote a source verbatim, make sure that you record the quotation accurately and place it in quotation marks in your notes so that you know to quote it in your paper.

9. Keep it short and sweet

Note taking is not the time to write complete sentences, let alone paragraphs, unless you are quoting material. This is especially true if you’re taking notes during a film or lecture and are trying to divide your attention between writing and listening.

Instead, use short phrases and keywords in your notes, writing down just enough to jog your memory or convey a fact.

10. Use shortcuts

Symbols and abbreviations can help you record ideas more quickly, and they can also be helpful when you’re organizing your notes.

While you can come up with your own system of symbols and abbreviations, this handy list from the EAP Foundation should save you some time (and hand cramps).

The Takeaway

Taking notes is a fantastic way to compile information in preparation for writing an essay. At the very least, it frees up space in your head for more important knowledge, like the Konami Code or digits of pi.

With the note taking strategies, tips, and techniques I’ve described in this post, you can take great notes while researching your next essay topic. When you sit down to write, most of the work will already be done — what a nice gift for Future You!

Happy writing!