Drafting a perfect paper is difficult for most students. Before writing an essay, students must grasp the writing guidelines, master formatting rules, choose a topic, and then outline the structure of the essay. All while attending class, finishing assignments, participating in group projects, and accomplishing any other classroom-related activity.
What happens when all these tasks inundate students, making them struggle with time management? Students can choose to purchase coursework online. You can buy coursework from Studybay for any university paper. They have experts who specialise in term papers, reports, essays, and dissertations, and they are ready to assist you. Ordering coursework is fast and easy, and you can buy courseworks cheap or consider buying a single paper. But that’s only the first part.
The second part involves ensuring that your coursework is accurate and devoid of any mistakes. It takes a keen eye and a focused mind to identify errors in an academic paper. So, how can you ensure that your essay or thesis is free of the routine mistakes students overlook when submitting their coursework? Let’s find out below.
Which Are the Most Common Mistakes in Coursework Writing?
Students routinely make mistakes in two areas when writing their academic papers:
- Grammar and styling
- Documentation
Grammatical mistakes include:
- Spelling errors
- Poor punctuation
- Improper capitalisation
- Erroneous sentence structure
- Confusing shifts in verb tense
- Use of run-on sentences
- Lack of antecedent + pronoun agreement
- Use of sentence fragments
Documentation mistakes may be due to:
- Wrong formatting
- Incorrect documentation style
- Missing or improper attribution
- Using the wrong citation formula
- Including insufficient citation details
How to Avoid These Common Mistakes in Your Coursework
Now, let’s go further and identify how you can ensure your academic articles are free of these mistakes.
Deactivate the Auto Function on Spell-Checkers
Spell-checking software has its place in keeping your writing right and tight. Nonetheless, it has a weakness in that it doesn’t understand the context in which we write. Sometimes, it replaces correct words and phrases with inappropriate ones or flags words even when you’ve used them appropriately.
For example, each time you use the conjunctive adverb “However,” the editing software might ask you to replace the word with the coordinating conjunction “But.” Meanwhile, there might not be anything grammatically wrong with the word because:
- You have applied it correctly
- You have not overused it in the text
When to Ignore Your Spell-Checker
Still, the AI editor might suggest you replace it with the word because writers generally overuse it. Many writing pundits agree that using one and not the other is a stylistic choice, so you should trust your judgement when deciding which one to use.
Over-reliance on editing tools can interfere with your flow and leave you with an oddly worded essay. At worst, it can change your intended meaning to something different. A better approach is to examine each editing suggestion and only approve if it makes grammatical sense. Do this consistently, and you will realise that some editing suggestions do not enhance your essay, and you can ignore them.
Use the Correct Documentation
Each discipline has its documentation rules and style. Your professors have probably already explained this and guided you on the principles to follow when documenting your academic papers. Each formatting style is distinct. For instance, about in-text citation:
- APA format dictates that you add the author’s surname and year of publication.
If quoting the writer, add the page number.
- MLA style insists on the author’s surname, followed by page number.
Where the source material does not have page numbers, cite the writer’s last name.
- The Chicago format cites the author’s last name and publication year.
To be more precise, you may add page, chapter, and paragraph or section numbers.
- The Oxford style demands that you add a superscript number whenever you cite another author.
Follow this with a footnote repeating the subscript number and full details of the attribution, namely, the author’s name as used in the published work and relevant information about the publication edition and translations, if any. Finish with the publisher and publication date in brackets and then the page number outside the brackets.
How to Document Your Coursework Correctly Each Time
Many students find it hard to remember the rules of each style. Knowing which rules to apply for each project can be challenging if you are doing projects in two disciplines. There are actions you can take, however, to ensure you document each essay the proper way. Here are the best ones:
- Use citation software.
Citation tools do the hard work so you don’t have to. They are programmed to apply the latest formatting guidelines to written essays. You just need to select the applicable documentation style, and the software will do the rest.
- Take thorough notes during research.
The best citation and referencing software won’t help if you have the wrong or insufficient citation material. The software relies on your input to format your work. So, if your bibliographic details are wanting, the software can’t supplement the missing information.
- Add the citations as you write.
Don’t wait to fill in your references after composing the paper. Trying to insert the citations, footnotes, and reference list items in the correct order can be overwhelming. Instead, cite your sources as you write the paper and update the bibliography as you go. In being so methodical, you’re unlikely to leave out essential details or omit some sources.
- Review the newest versions of any work you cite.
Newer versions of works you’re considering citing may contain updated or new information. Be sure to read the latest editions of any books or articles to confirm that the arguments still stand. This extra step may be laborious, but it protects you from using outdated material.
- Confirm that all cited material is peer-reviewed.
When choosing information and data sources, the guiding principle is always to consider their trustworthiness. How accurate is the source? For research papers, this usually translates to choosing a peer-reviewed paper that is published in a reputable journal. Digital journal archives often contain entries that have yet to be peer-reviewed. Confirm that each article you cite in your essay has been submitted for peer review. If you have the leeway to use non-peer-reviewed material, mention it in the essay.
To Paraphrase or Quote the Author?
Both direct quotations and paraphrases have their place in academic texts. You can use any approach, although a direct quote may articulate the point better, depending on what and how it was said. But there is a danger in using too much of each: It makes you appear to have no ideas of your own. The best ways to use others’ ideas when writing your essay include:
- Limit direct quotes
Use direct quotes to highlight important or thought-provoking phrasing. This approach ensures your work is not filled with other people’s quotes. Choose the weightiest quotes, then:
- incorporate your take on the idea behind the quote
- introduce a new angle to the argument, or
- unearth a benefit, obstacle, or opportunity from the referenced point
- Paraphrase sparingly
Paraphrasing other people’s ideas too much only makes it plain that you have little material of your own. Your essay shouldn’t be about other people’s works; it should highlight your ideas. So, you should only cite others when their ideas amplify or support your own. It should be clear to your professor that your chosen references make your arguments strong.
To Summarise:
Once you understand grammar rules and how to weave your thoughts and ideas into coherent words, you’ve eliminated almost half of your writing problems. Incorporate formatting and citation best practices, and you’ll take care of the other half. After doing all that, proofread your work, as that is the surest way to ensure you’ve caught all mistakes.
