Common Mistakes in Academic Paper Writing
Even the best academic paper may be spoiled because of mistakes. Students always make some mistakes because nobody is perfect. There is always a chance to detect and correct them while you revise your papers. Unfortunately, some folks don’t actually realize that they have written something wrong. Therefore, a professional team of academic writers from AdvancedWriters – expert paper writing service offers you 9 common mistakes, which should be memorized and avoided in the future.
We have divided them into two major groups:
- Grammar and spelling;
- Structuring.
Group #1: Grammar and Spelling
Spelling
Many students misspell many words. Commonly, these are words that sound the same but which are written differently and so, have a bit different or totally different meanings. For example, “farther” and “further” or “right” and “write”.
Tip: To overcome this issue, always check the spelling with the help of a dictionary. Write many sentences with these words to memorize them.
Comma Issues
Many people put a comma when it’s not needed or miss it when it’s required. There are such comma mistakes like splicing, misuse, a missing comma before the introductory phrase, no commas around the interrupters, etc. One of the most typical comma issues is to miss a comma before coordinating conjunctions, which creates the so-called run-on sentences.
Wrong: My chinchilla is curious about people but it’s too afraid to approach them.
Right: My chinchilla is curious about people, but it’s too afraid to approach them.
Tip: Check whether the clauses before and after the conjunction can exist as independent sentences. If it’s so, insert a comma.
Wordiness
Sometimes, students write too lengthy sentences which confuse the reader.
Wrong: He had to go on foot due to the fact he talked too long with his mate and thus, missed the last bus that went to his home.
Right: He walked because he missed the last bus.
Tip: Use short and plain sentences.
Squinting Modifiers
A squinting modifier is a specific word, clause, or phrase, which can modify the word that stands before or after it.
Wrong: Workers who work hard rarely don’t receive a premium.
Right: Workers who rarely work hard don’t receive a premium.
Tip: Write the modifier right before the word it modifies.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Many people cannot define the correct agreement of subjects with verbs.
Wrong: Erica read books every day.
Right: Erica reads books every day.
Tip: Remember that singular subjects ALWAYS take singular verbs.
Group #2: Structuring
The second group belongs to mistakes related to your structure.
Unreadable structure
Many students write ugly texts that are hard to read. Commonly, these consist of too long sentences and paragraphs.
To avoid this drawback, logically separate all parts of your text. Divide long paragraphs into shorter ones. Cut down lengthy sentences too. Use subheadings, tables, statistics, etc. Avoid unknown or too complex terms.
Plagiarism
Every academic paper must be authentic. Unfortunately, many students write incorrect quotations. They may forget about quotation marks or the name of the quoted author.
To escape this failure, use plagiarism checkers and know the rules of quotation in accordance with the assigned writing format.
Bibliography Mistakes
Another common mistake occurs after the main writing parts are finished. Students make mistakes while they compose bibliographies. Commonly, they are formatted in accordance with MLA. Nonetheless, professors may assign others too. You should learn the main rules to avoid errors.
Untrustworthy resources
You should always verify the informative sources you use. There are many fake websites that aren’t scientifically approved.
Many students ask “How to improve writing skills and avoid mistakes?” We have a few insights for you.
- Firstly, you should practice writing every day. Write about different topics and in different disciplines. Choose various academic papers and adapt various writing techniques.
- Secondly, brush up your grammar. Our brain tends to gradually forget some pieces of information. That’s why you should repeat grammar rules from time to time, especially the most complicated cases.
- Thirdly, read a lot. There are many sources to improve your grammar skills. You can read textbooks, tutorials or even pass online courses.
- Fourthly, use the help of professional services. There are many competent paper writing services that can help to cope with any piece of writing. In addition, they provide online lessons to identify and avoid typical and specific grammar mistakes.
How to Spot Mistakes?
If you still cannot recognize some of your mistakes, we recommend using special tools. They can sufficiently help students to detect grammar and stylistic mistakes.
- Grammarly. This tool helps to identify over 400 typical grammar mistakes, as well as many specific ones. It also can tell when some of the words don’t fit the content and thus, improves stylistic.
- Hemingway Editor. This is another free application, which spots grammar and stylistic errors. Thus, it underlines sentences that are too difficult to read or may tell when you exceed the recommended number of passive constructions or adverb use, etc.
- Ginger. This is a great tool, which corrects spelling errors. It detects the most severe errors and shows how to write them correctly.
- Scribens. This is a grammar checker, which detects a lot of things. It can underline several words in a row and show the mistake and how to fix it. The tool also counts the frequency of word use and provides an explanation on any issue.
Choose these tools and look for some others. Define the most dependable and use to identify mistakes. It’s better to use several for more dependable results.
