Attending university is a fulfilling, fun, and interesting experience. For many, it turns out to be one of the best periods of their lives. But, it is also a particularly challenging time. There is a lot of new things to learn and get used to. You only have to fail to meet one or two of those challenges to end up not securing a good degree.
One of the things many students struggle with is writing academic papers to a high enough standard to secure a good grade. Year after year students end up making the same errors. When you read on, you will find out what those common mistakes are and how to avoid making them yourself.
Not handling citations properly
Regardless of the type of academic paper you write, you will be asked to include details of your sources. These are called citations. You not only have to say where you got your information from, but you must also do so using the right format. This is a time-consuming and tricky task and one that many students fail to do properly. Fortunately, as you can see here there are tools available that you can use to make sure that you do not fall into that trap. The one you will be taken to when you click the link is free to use.
Not structuring their written work properly
When you put together your paper it needs to be structured properly. Your arguments need to be laid out in the correct order. Sadly, when writing their thesis, a lot of students fail to do this. A mistake that can easily lead to them not securing the degree they want.
Many fail to write a clear thesis statement or place it at the wrong point in the document. Others do not hone their arguments sufficiently. As a result, they end up submitting a paper that is too general. Often, that is because they fail to decide what their stance on an issue or subject is and state it clearly enough.
If you have a thesis to write, we suggest that you read this first. It lays out what the most common errors are and how to avoid making them yourself.
Failing to proofread their work properly
Most university students are aware that they cannot rely on a grammar checker to pick up every single mistake. However, despite this, a surprising number of them fail to use other tools to proofread their work. For the most important of your papers, it is always worth paying a professional academic proofreader to check your work. Failing that you should sit down and read what you have written out loud, at least twice. Doing that will highlight any clunky sentences or weakly made points.
If at all possible, also get a friend, colleague, or fellow student to read through what you have written. Getting a second opinion will enable you to understand how convincing your arguments are.