Article Writing: Points to consider

When you have been given an assignment to write an article there are several key elements that need to be included in order for your paper to be a success. Of course, if your instructor has asked for a list of specific things, those need to be included. But what if there are no additional details provided aside from the standard topic, length, word count, and keyword? That is when keeping these simple points in mind as you write can really help you ace this assignment.

  1. Watch your words. The diction of the paper, or rather the words you use, can have a big impact on how successful your paper is. You need to carefully consider how your words reflect the tone. You can say something is very helpful or useful and you sound fair and relatively unbiased. But if you say something is either superb or horrible you are getting into the area of extreme opinion. Be careful of this as most instructors do not want pure opinions so be sure you back up those emotions and opinions with facts and strong examples.
  2. Stay focused on the topic. Often times it is easy to get side tracked and end up wasting precious words and page space rambling about something that might be important to us but that really does not fit the topic or goal of the paper. For example, if you are writing an article about a recent law that was passed regarding the legal drinking age for the city where you live, everything you write needs to focus on that topic. Avoid getting distracted by other issues such as the driving age, voting age, and so on and so forth. If you talk about anything other than the legal drinking age and its impact, you must be able to relate it to that topic- you could talk about driving accidents and how drunk driving stats have gone up since the law was passed.
  3. Keep things organized. Many students skip working on an outline because they feel it is a waste of time if the instructor did not assign it as part of the writing project. It can be very helpful though to have an outline because it serves as a road map for your article and can help you stay on track. A paper that is well organized and flowing and one that follows a clear train of thought is much easier to read and is more likely to get your point across tot eh reader. So make sure you take the time to write up an outline before you start writing!