Writing an academic paper is a lot like construction: the bulk of the work goes into preparation—site observation, evaluation, soil testing, demolition, clearing, and leveling. If you carry out the prep work thoroughly and diligently, the building process will go smoothly. Similarly, an academic paper backed by significant research, brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, revising, and rewriting is more likely of excellent quality.

Besides research, phrasing, grammar, and punctuation also play a crucial role in establishing your paper’s credibility. Here are some common mistakes to avoid while developing your argument:

A too-broad thesis statement

Many academic papers fail because the writer isn’t able to address the broad subject of exploration adequately. Avoid this rookie mistake by narrowing down the topic. Work with something that you’re genuinely interested in and for which you can find substantial information. Make sure that you can talk about the topic adequately in the assigned length.

Inadequate and unfocused sentences

From start to finish, your paper should have a coherent outlook and follow a consistent progression. When you let laziness or haste take over, the paragraph structure of your thesis can get affected. A great way to ensure your paper looks reasonable and well thought out is by giving every paragraph its own clearly stated topic sentence.

This way, you can expand on different details to support your argument while ensuring they come together as a coherent whole.

Writing-off subject

A well-written piece has the ability to retain its readers’ attention. If you include sentences that don’t elaborate on the main idea, the paper can get off-track, losing its credibility. For example, while talking about the benefits of having indoor plants, don’t discuss your favorite celebrities’ preferred choice of indoor plants. Tell your reader only what you’ve promised to tell them. Any information that doesn’t add to your main idea is redundant and unnecessary.

An inadequate conclusion

A good concluding paragraph restates the thesis differently and summarizes the topic sentence. The chances are that your readers will remember the conclusion more than any other part of the essay. Hence, this is an opportunity for you to highlight your work’s main findings—the ones that you want the readers to remember.

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