So how do you write a paper? by Ryan

In the past two years, I have had multiple conversations with people about the best ways to write essay papers. I found that there are more theories than I thought about what method produces the best paper. From my conversations in the past I hope I can present a few methods to help anyone who is writing papers. Now that we are coming toward the end of the semester, many paper due dates are approaching and I hope this will be helpful.

It seems that the most tried-and-true method that I've heard is the "old school" aproach of using index cards. I see these cards all over in the library and learning centers and it seems to be the most generally used method. When writing papers that require Turabian formatting, index cards are very useful because all the referencing material can be written at the top. Nearly all of the professors I have talked to use this method.

I know some people that use what I call the "Immersion" method: they read as much as they possibly can, reading some things over and over and only making notes for the specific things they need to reference. They commit all of their information to memory. This method can be risky and can backfire for those who don't research diligently, but I have read some incredible pieces of work from people who have done this. They are able to produce an amazing, completely original work.

My personal favorite is what I call the "Piece" method. As I read, I type my notes one at a time into a Word document, referencing as I go. When I am done, I print out the paper and cut every note into a single strip of paper. It takes some space, but I then spread out the notes on the ground, sorting them into the sections I want to write. I take each section and use those notes to simply piece together my paper. Once this is done, my paper is basically assembled and all I need to do is flesh it out from the skeleton. I was shown this by a classmate last year, and for whatever reason I have really loved it.

Well, I hope that one of these methods appeals to you and you are able to put it to good use. Have fun writing those papers over break! I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am always so happy when the paper is done and ready to turn in.

For further assistance with this topic, please remember to stop by the Writing Center located in C107 on the Spencer Hill campus  or U110 in Elmira at the Academic Workforce Development Center.

Have a great break!
-Ryan