As a Secondary-Education History major at Clemson University, I had writing papers down to a science. I created the template below. For every paper listed on the syllabus, I went ahead and planned out the work for the whole semester, working backwards from each paper’s due date.

9 Steps for Writing a Paper

1. Think about/ Decide on a Topic / Research Question
   1. The professor or teacher may say EXACTLY what to write…or they may give some leeway. 
2. Find sources (note how many sources are required- the more sources that are required, the more time needed for research)
3. Take notes on each source (focusing on how it answers the research question. Don’t read every word of the source- skim for the parts that deal with the research question.
   1. Write down important points, noting the author and page number. For example:
      1. Davidson believed the US was responsible (Davidson, pg. 33).
   2. Quote sparingly, only quoting specialized wording if absolutely necessary. Also note the page number.
4. Bibliography
   1. Cite all sources used in the correct format– often the professor or teacher will say which format they prefer. Sometimes, certain majors have a standard format style. For example, APA is used in the field of education. 
5. Organize notes into sub-topics.
   1. For visual people, write or print out the different bullet point notes and physically arrange them by sub-topic. 
6. Write the introduction paragraph. Spend plenty of time on the thesis statement. 
7. Write the body of the paper (depending on how many sub-topics, your student may need to break up this task into multiple days or weeks).
8. Write the conclusion of the paper.
9. Proofread and Edit
   1. I’ve always found it helpful to print my rough draft. Somehow it is easier to see errors on printed paper.
   2. Check the formatting of the paper at this point. Make sure required elements of the citation style have been included (headers, footers, bibliography, etc). https://owl.purdue.edu/ is a wonderful resource for this.

Finally, determine how long your student has to write the paper (how many days? Are weekend days included?). Try to work on the paper a little bit each weekday– your student will write more effectively and earn higher grades than if they wait until the night before the paper is due to start.

Write out on the weekly spreads what to do for this paper on each day of the week. For more help with this, check out my course: Teach Your Teen Time Management.