Writing essays can be tough, even when you have written tons of them in your college program. The circumstances are even tougher when you have just a few hours to craft a paper because of a tight deadline, poor time management, or when you put it off until the last minute. So, what’s the best way to approach an essay in such a case?
It is still possible to write a top-notch essay even when you’re pressed for time. There are plenty of ways to make the research and writing process more efficient and quick, ensuring you don’t compromise the quality of your research essays. In the following post, we’ll explore the top 10 tips to help you manage fast essay writing like a pro.
10 Tips for Researching and Writing a Research Paper Quickly
1. Create a good writing environment
To write an essay fast, you must create the perfect writing environment. Constant distractions can stop you from adopting the right mindset and finishing your essay fast. Thus, one of the most important tips for rapid research and writing is to write in a studious and comfortable place, such as a library, quiet dorm room, or even an off-campus café. Switch off your phone, social media networks, and other distracting pages. Also, ensure your workspace has all the supplies you need before you start writing. If you work better with background music, put on a playlist that gets you in the zone to write.
2. Read the question carefully
When in a rush, many college students tend to skim over the prompt and think they have understood it, only to realize later that they missed an important detail and it’s too late to change it. This mistake is common when working under pressure because you’re likely to see what you want. So, take time to understand the question and ensure you know what you’re required to write about. Underline key terms so that you keep them in mind while writing. Also, don’t be afraid to consult your professor to explain any unclear parts.
3. Note down initial ideas that come to mind
While going through the prompt, note the first ideas that come to mind. The notes will help you when researching, drafting a thesis statement, and writing your paper. Also, taking notes will help you choose the ideas that best fit the paper and the key points to highlight. However, you don’t have to overthink or write the final thesis at this stage. However, if you want to write top-notch papers fast, you need a clear overview of what you’re writing about from the word go.
4. Apply ruthless efficiency in research
Once you understand the question, it’s time to start researching. The goal is to get enough material to build a thesis and start writing in the shortest time possible. However, if you’re working on a difficult topic that’s stressing you out or can’t get the right research content for your essay, don’t get desperate or procrastinate. Use the help of a reputable research writing service, such as CustomWritings to send your “do my research paper” request. Requesting the assistance of experienced professionals is a simple and reliable way to get top-notch materials that make completing your paper easier and your life simpler.
5. Create an outline with a standard structure
To write good essays quickly, create an outline of your ideas and organize them around a central theme. Then, determine how the main arguments are connected to the larger concepts. With the main idea or theme in place, create a thesis statement that includes the major points of your essay. Once you have a topic and thesis, create an outline for each paragraph based on the 5-paragraph standard structure. The outline of an essay should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
6. Focus on quality over quantity when writing
Efficient research paper writing should result in a quality paper. You don’t need to waste time writing a 7-page paper when the final page count in the guidelines is 5 pages. Stretching out a paper only dilutes your arguments. Instead, use the research materials and your notes to fill in each part of the paper in the outline. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to make sense, support the thesis, and include supporting evidence. Also, avoid repetitions, filler words, or language that tightens up your argument.
7. Write the introduction and conclusion last
The introduction and conclusion are often the hardest parts for students to write, so save them for last. Starting your paper with the introduction paragraph can be a big time-waster because you’ll be introducing what you haven’t created. That’s why you need to start by developing arguments in the main body. Otherwise, you’ll waste time writing an intro that you realize doesn’t fit your final arguments. The same applies to the conclusion paragraph. Write it last so that you know exactly what you are concluding.
8. Reference as you go
Most research essays require students to add in-text citations and full references of sources used in the paper. This step can become a serious time-waster if you don’t record and organize your sources during research and writing. So, each time you quote text from a source, add a footnote or full reference saying where it is from. You can also choose to copy-paste key details of the sources, such as the authors, title, journal name, year of publication, and DOI. This way, you save time since you don’t have to recheck each source when creating a reference list.
9. Use citation generators
Keep in mind that different sources are formatted differently, which can be confusing to many students. Generating citations can be the most tedious research writing task when you’ve spent many hours writing a paper. If you’re pressed for time or don’t know how to cite a particular source, avoid spending more hours researching formatting style manuals. Do yourself a favor and use citation generators to pull correct citation information. Still, ensure you glance at the citations before submitting since some tools aren’t perfect.
10. Get help with editing
After conducting rapid research and writing, getting fresh eyes on your paper can speed up the editing process. When you’ve looked at your draft for too long, you become inherently blind to mistakes, and they won’t jump out as easily as they will to another person. Luckily, you have many options to help you with editing, including getting a trusted friend to read it, asking your professor to provide feedback, or hiring a professional editor. Just make sure the option you choose is time-saving.
You Can Write Top-Notch Papers Quickly Without Loss of Quality
You don’t want to make the mistake of submitting a substandard paper just because you have limited time. Use the tips in this article to get through the research and writing process quickly. When you can’t finish the paper yourself, ask for help from professional writing services to get it done fast.