There are plenty of difficult assignments students need to complete during their college years but essay writing is probably one of the most dreaded of them. It might seem surprising to some people: after all, students learn how to write in school. Why they still struggle with essay writing after all these years of practice?
The answer is quite simple: the whole essay writing process requires not only the ability to write. There are so many things you need to focus on: grammar, vocabulary, research, the way you express your thoughts, the arguments you use, and so on.
Of course, it can be hard for a student to pay attention to all those details at the same time. Some might complete an in-depth research but forget to use Chicago or Turabian citation style. Some might write flawlessly but mess up the structure.
The best way to avoid mistakes during your essay writing process is to learn all you can about them. That’s why today we want to focus on the most common mistakes students make while writing a technology essay.
- Poor understanding of the topic.
Some students do this on purpose. They understand the topic well enough but misinterpret it in the way that would allow them to find more material or to write easier.
Some students, however, do this accidentally. They read the topic briefly, don’t try to understand its message, and eventually, come up with essays that don’t meet the professors’ expectations.
To avoid this, always read the topic a couple of times. Ask yourself, what does professor expect from you when assigning this topic. Do you need to tell a personal story (for example, how did technology change your life)? Do you need to voice your opinion on a controversial topic (for example, do smartphones make our lives worse or not)?
Remember to analyze the topic thoroughly and try to find the reason it was assigned to you in the first place.
- Not meeting the guidelines.
Sometimes the whole writing process doesn’t seem too hard – on the contrary, it seems so easy that students get caught in it. Essays, however, are not only about the process – they’re also about learning how to write using certain guidelines. And you should always remember that.
Work hard to deliver a proper thesis. Make sure that you stick to the writing style specified by your professor and that you use the language that is appropriate for this specific essay. Pay attention to the structure too: your essay should include an interesting introduction, a body, and a powerful conclusion.
Also, remember to support all your claims and statements with strong arguments. Don’t make too few statements (only one, for example) – this way your essay might look like it wasn’t researched well. Don’t make too many statements too or the reader may lose the track of your thoughts.
Usually, an essay’s body consists of three arguments – it’s not a rule, but it’s a golden middle you can use as an example (at first, at least).
- Skipping the manual proofreading.
Grammar and punctuation mistakes do happen often. Even the best students might make some typos and errors because of various reasons: tiredness, inattentiveness, and even because of improper auto-correction.
Making mistakes is okay. Relying on online tools only during the proofreading process, however, is not. These tools are indeed good for quick proofreading – they spot the most obvious mistakes, detect missed commas, and offer some valuable stylistic suggestions. Some of them are also good for eliminating one of the students’ weakest spots – word repetitions that sometimes can be skipped even during manual proofreading.
However, programs still cannot analyze your writing as effectively as a human would. Sometimes they miss certain mistakes, sometimes they mark something as an error because they don’t understand the context. Sometimes they skip things that aren’t related to grammar but can still affect your grades: logical flaws and poor word combinations, for example.
While such tools are good for initial proofreading, you still shouldn’t rely on them completely. Use them but don’t forget to question their corrections. And don’t settle with them only – instead, proofread your writing on your own, ask a friend to do that or turn to any proofreading service for help if you have time.
Summing this up, one of the keys of crafting a successful technology essay is paying a lot of attention to the details. Read the guidelines and the topic attentively, spend some time on writing a proper outline, work on your thesis, and always save some time ahead for thorough proofreading (both manual and online). And, of course, don’t forget to conduct in-depth research and always try to present your topic in the best way possible.