From coming up with a topic and thesis, drafting an outline and essay plan, editing and proofreading, to rounding everything off with a stellar introduction and conclusion; academic writing can be a challenge for even the most gifted of students. Luckily, there are many a site and applications out there to help you write compelling, well-structured essays, and give your writing flair while making sure you adhere with guidelines and best principles. Here we explore some of the best resources for students to help them tackle academic writing with confidence.
Popplet
Before you even begin writing your paper or essay, you’ll need to brainstorm a relevant topic that you find interesting. Starting with the broad subject matter you’ve been assigned, there are various tools you can use to drill down and narrow your focus. Mindmaps, concept maps and visual aids can all be beneficial during this phase, and apps like Popplet – which allows you to create idea boards either on your laptop or iPad – can help you organize your thoughts and encourage you to think laterally.
Paperell
Whether you’re struggling to meet a looming deadline or are finding the assigned subject matter particularly difficult, making use of a professional essay writing service may sometimes be your best option. Providers like Paperell have a team of highly qualified academic writers on hand to assist you when you just can’t cope on your own, and they guarantee confidentiality and plagiarism-free work.
We’ve all been there – staring at that flashing cursor on the empty page, desperately hoping that inspiration will strike. Couple this with the plethora of ready distractions the web has to offer just a click away, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for procrastination!
Stay Focusd
If you’re the kind of student who struggles not to get distracted by social media or other, shall we say, less productive sites, this Google Chrome extension could be just what you need. As the name states, this nifty extension helps you stay focused by limiting the amount of time that you’re allowed to spend on time-wasting websites. This way, you’ll be able to keep your concentration on your writing.
Evernote
One of the best ways to overcome writer’s block is to make sure you have all your research properly categorized and organized, so that it becomes easy to see your way forward and plan a logical flow for your writing. Evernote lets you take notes and archive your research from any device, anywhere, and access and organize them with helpful tags.
BibMe
One of the most crucial aspects of academic writing is making sure you cite your references accurately. BibMe comes in a free online version, and can assist you with MLA, APA, Turabian and Chicago citation styles – allowing you to focus on your writing. As an added bonus, it also includes a helpful plagiarism checker.
Sylvan Paper
(Formerly known as CiteLighter)
Aside from automatically generating bibliographies for you, Sylvan Paper also offers award-winning writing templates that will help you keep focused and organize your thoughts.
Grammarly
There’s a reason Grammarly is widely recognized as one of the best resources for students out there – or anyone who wants to improve their writing for that matter. You can choose to upload and check your completed work through their web interface, or download their browser extension complete with its AI-powered assistant that will allow you to check and improve your work as you write.
ProWritingAid
Although not quite as famous as Grammarly, ProWritingAid also lets you address grammar, spelling, and style issues in real time, as well as offering some additional features to help you improve your paper or essay. Detecting overused words, providing a readability report, and identifying structural issues are just a few.
Plagiarismdetector.net
With the best will in the world, writers can occasionally stray into plagiaristic waters entirely by accident – most commonly when they’re trying to reword copied text on a technical or complex subject which can be tricky to make original. Plagiarismdetector.net is a great free site to help you evaluate both the uniqueness of your content and whether you’ve infringed on someone else’s work by mistake.
Conclusion
From planning and brainstorming to execution, and proofreading to bibliographies, we hope you’ve enjoyed our collection of some of the best resources for students to assist with academic writing. With patience, practice and persistence, you’ll be able to write compelling essays that truly showcase your knowledge and talent.