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A Plus Paper Writing is dedicated to delivering high-quality content. Explore our blog site, ​also known as Study Hall, to equip yourself for any unexpected college situations.

5 Tips To Write A Great College Application Essay

College applications are a lot like dating. You’re trying to sell yourself and your talents, but you don’t want to come off as desperate or needy.

How to Ace Your Case Study Analysis at College

You’re in college, and it’s time for your first case study analysis. You’ve heard about how important these are, but you still don’t know what to do to ace them.

How to Avoid Plagiarism When Writing Your College Paper

Plagiarism is the word you hear thrown around a lot in academia, and for a good reason.

5 Tips To Write A Great College Application ​Essay

College applications are a lot like dating. You’re trying to sell yourself and your talents, but you don’t want to come off ​as desperate or needy. You want to be memorable but not weird. You want to make yourself stand out from the crowd, ​but you also don’t want anyone to think you’re going too far out of your way for it.

It’s all about finding that balance between being yourself and standing out—and it’s hard! But there are ways you can ​do both.


Here are five tips for writing a great college application essay:


#1. Research The School You’re Applying To


If they’re known for their research-heavy curriculum or if they have a stellar reputation in the field of study that interests ​you most, mention that! A well-rounded essay will show off what makes you unique and give the school reason to take ​notice.


#2. It’s Not All About Grades


An essay is not just about your GPA or test scores—it shows us who you are as a person, so don’t be afraid to share ​some of your passions outside of academics! This might include what kind of music you listen to or what kind of food ​you like (or don’t like).


#3. Be Yourself


We know how scary it can feel when we’re trying something new but remember: admissions officers want students with ​diverse backgrounds who bring something special to their community. Show us what makes YOU unique—that’s what ​will set your application apart from everyone else’s!


#4. Be Honest


Admissions officers can tell when someone is trying too hard to seem like the perfect applicant, so don’t try too hard! ​The best way to show how well you fit into a school’s culture is by being yourself and letting that shine through in your ​essay.


#5. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread


You want our first impression of you to be a good one! So make sure your essay is free of typos and grammatical errors. ​You could even ask a friend or family member to read over it before you send it in.


Takeaway


The key to writing a great college application essay is to write about something that matters to you. If you’re having ​trouble coming up with ideas, think back on past experiences or even recent occurrences at school or work that have ​made an impact on your life. You never know what will inspire you until you start writing!




Why Is It Important For College Students To ​Learn About Ethics In Their Courses?

With all the pressures of college, it can be hard to find time for anything that doesn’t directly affect your GPA. But if ​you want to graduate with a degree that will open doors for you in the professional world, it’s essential that you ​make ethics a priority.


If you’re a college student who wants to prepare for your future career, then here are three reasons why learning ​about ethics will help you succeed:


#1. Ethics Can Help You Avoid Getting Into Trouble


Sometimes, students don't even realize that what they're doing is unethical—especially if the behavior is common ​among their peers. But ethics are more than just rules: they're about the way we treat one another and ourselves. ​And when you understand ethics, you can avoid getting into trouble with your professor, who might have different ​expectations for your behavior than your friends do.


#2. Ethics Can Help You Make Good Decisions About Your Future


Ethics is a set of standards for how to behave in certain situations, but it's also about making good decisions about ​your future career path. If you understand ethics effectively, then you'll be able to make decisions about which jobs ​or internships are right for you—and which ones might not be a good fit because of their ethical practices or lack ​thereof.


#3. Ethics Can Help You Become A Better Leader


Ethics isn't just about how people treat each other; it's also about how leaders treat their employees and ​colleagues, as well as how they treat themselves (and others). When you know how to think ethically and make ​ethical choices in your own life, it makes sense that those skills would translate into better leadership abilities as ​well!


Takeaway


In conclusion, it is essential for college students to learn about ethics in their courses. Ethics is a large part of what ​makes us human, and it’s critical to understand how it affects the way we live our lives.


Ethics can be studied in many different ways—from the philosophical to the scientific, from the historical to the ​modern. But no matter how you choose to research ethics, it’s vital that you make sure you have a solid ​understanding of what it is and why it matters.


The next time someone asks why ethics matter in your life, think back on this article and consider what it would be ​like if you didn’t know anything about ethics or how to apply them in your life.




How to Write a Book Report: A Step-by-Step ​Guide for Students

Writing a book report can be a difficult task for students. It requires them to read the book closely, think critically ​about its content, and write an objective summary of what they've read.


If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to help you through this process, this blog post will give you all the tools ​you need!


#1: Read The Book Thoroughly


First, make sure that you've read the book closely enough so you can answer questions about it. You should know ​who the author is and what genre it's in; if there are any characters or themes; important events that happen in the ​story; and any other important details.


#2: Come Up With At Least 3 Good Questions


Next, take some time to think critically about what you've read. What did it mean? How did it affect you? What ​would happen if the author had written something different at key points in their work? Try to come up with at least ​3 good questions about your book before moving onto step 3 below!


#3: Write Down Answers Separately


Finally, write down your answers to each question on a separate note card so that they're easy for everyone else to ​see when they look over your shoulder while writing their own reports later on!


Takeaway


So, now you know how to write a book report!


But, what if you don't want a book report? What if you want to write an essay, or a research paper? That's okay! ​We've got you covered as well.


And if you enjoyed this blog, don't forget to join our mailing list! We send out freebies and other great content ​regularly.


We also have a ton of other interesting blog posts that are worth checking out.

How to Ace Your Case Study Analysis at ​College

You’re in college, and it’s time for your first case study analysis. You’ve heard about how important these are, but ​you still don’t know what to do to ace them.


No worries—we’ve got you covered! We’re going to give you three simple tips to help you ace your next case study ​analysis.


Tip #1: Read The Material Beforehand


Before you start reading the case study, make sure you have a general understanding of what it’s about. This will ​help you read more efficiently and understand the main points of the text better, which will ultimately lead to better ​test scores!


Tip #2: Come Up With A Hypothesis Before You Read


This will help direct your focus while reading the text. If you come up with multiple hypotheses, try to determine ​which one is most likely correct based on what has already been discussed in class or what your professor has told ​you about how they want students to approach these types of questions.


Tip #3: Make Connections Between Ideas As You Read Through The Text


It’s important that when writing about a case study analysis in college, students demonstrate their ability to draw ​conclusions based on the evidence presented in the text. This can include similarities between different parts of ​the case study analysis or how similar ideas relate back to one another throughout each section of the text.


Takeaway


We hope this blog has helped you get a better grasp on how to ace your case study analysis at college. We want to ​make sure you’re getting the best possible grades, so we’re going to be sending out tips like this one on a regular ​basis.


How To Write A Research Paper In Five-Easy ​Steps

Research papers are a huge part of the educational experience. They’re also one of the most common assignments ​that students dread, and for a good reason: they take a lot of time and energy to create.


But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the five steps you need to take to ​write an effective research paper:


  • First, you’ll need to choose the subject of your paper and get some background information.


  • Second, you’ll need to find some sources that are relevant to this subject.


  • Third, you’ll need to organize your sources into an outline. This will help keep everything straight for when you ​start writing!


  • Fourth, you’ll need to write your first draft. You can use the outline as a guide for this step too!


  • Fifth, once you have completed your first draft, it’s time for editing!


Bottomline


The most important thing to remember about writing a research paper is that it’s supposed to be good. It’s ​supposed to be an example of how well you can write. The purpose of this assignment is not only to show off your ​knowledge of the subject but also your ability to organize information and express yourself clearly and coherently.


So, what does this mean for you? It means that you need to take the time necessary to produce a quality product. ​You will want to make sure your research paper is free of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and formatting ​errors (such as incorrect margins). This process may seem tedious at first but once you get into the swing of things,it will become second nature!

How to Avoid Plagiarism When Writing Your ​College Paper

Plagiarism is the word you hear thrown around a lot in academia, and for a good reason. It’s the academic crime of ​copying another writer’s work and passing it off as your own. Though there are plenty of ways to avoid plagiarism, ​it can be especially tricky for college students who are trying to balance their studies with social life.


The best way to avoid plagiarism is to know that it exists—and then take steps to avoid it. Plagiarism is not only ​unethical, but it also negatively affects your grade on assignments, so it’s important not to let yourself get caught ​doing it!


If you’re worried about plagiarizing someone else’s work while writing your own paper, here are some tips:


  1. Search for the quote in Google and make sure that no one else has used that exact quote before. If they have, ​find another quote or paraphrase the idea instead of copying their exact words verbatim.
  2. Use quotation marks when using quotes from other people’s writing; this makes it clear which words are yours ​and which are theirs.
  3. If you do use someone else’s writing in your paper (whether quoted or paraphrased), cite where you found it at ​the end of your paper with a parenthetical citation.


Takeaway


In conclusion, the best way to avoid plagiarism is to have a strong understanding of your topic and make sure that ​you can back up or explain any facts or ideas you use. You should also make sure that you understand how to cite ​properly so that you don’t accidentally plagiarize others’ work.


If you need more help with citing, please check out our previous blog on How To Properly Cite Using Chicago ​Referencing


How To Properly Cite Using Chicago ​Referencing Style: A 101 Guide

It can be hard to know how to properly cite your sources when you’re doing research, especially if you’re new to ​the field. The Chicago Referencing Style is one of the most common and widely used citation styles, but it can still ​be confusing for newbies.


In this blog post, we’ll give you a 101 guide to using Chicago referencing style so that you can feel confident in ​your citations and know that they are correct.


The Basics


The Chicago Manual of Style lays out two basic methods for citing sources: one with footnotes or endnotes and a ​bibliography, and one with in-text citations and a reference list. The version that requires footnotes or endnotes is ​often used in history courses; the version with in-text citations is often used in literature courses, although there are ​exceptions to this rule.


For this post, we’ll focus on the version with footnotes or endnotes since that’s what students most frequently use ​when they’re writing research papers.


First, let’s talk about what goes into each citation:


Author First Name/Initial + Author Last Name, Title of Book in italics (Location: Publisher, Year), page number.


So if you were citing a book by Jane Eyre, it would look like this: Jane Eyre, The Weird Adventures of Jane Eyre ​(London: Random House Publishing Group, 2013), 23.


You can also add a short version of the title if you want to include it in the shortened citation at the end of the ​sentence. For example: (Eyre, Weird Adventures, 23).


If you were citing an article from a journal or anthology with multiple authors, it would look like this: First ​Name/Initial Last Name of first author + et al., “Title of Article,” Title of Periodical Volume.


For example:


Benjamin S. Jones et al., “The Burden of Chronic Disease in the US: Responding to a Crisis,” Health Affairs 26 ​(2007).


Pretty simple, right? But what does that et al. mean? It’s Latin for “and others.” Basically, it’s just short for saying all ​the other names of the authors in the article. You can use it in any instance where there are more than two authors ​for a particular source (Note: if there are only two authors, you list both last names).


Takeaway


If you’ve made it this far, we’re sure you’re feeling pretty confident about your knowledge of Chicago Referencing ​Style. Now that you’ve got the basics down, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish!


If you ever need a refresher on any topic, we covered in this guide, be sure to check out our blog and other ​resources.


We at A+ Paper Writing are committed to helping you succeed academically and making sure your work is properly ​cited. Whether you’re citing sources in MLA, APA, Harvard or Chicago style, we’ve got a citation guide for you.


We also offer academic writing services that can help with everything from essay writing to building your ​dissertation. If you need help with your academic assignments, feel free to reach out to our client care specialist for ​more information about how we can help.


5 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills in the ​Next 5 Minutes

Have you ever wondered how some people can write so well while you struggle to get through a paragraph ​without getting tangled up in your own words?


Why is it that some people have a knack for writing and others do not?


It’s true that anyone can become a great writer, but it takes more than just practice. Here are five practical steps you ​can take right now, in the next five minutes, to improve your writing skills:


Here are five practical steps you can take right now, in the next five minutes, to improve your writing skills:


#1: Read Good Writing


You might think that only professional writers can write well, but that's not true. There are many non-professional ​writers who are excellent writers. If you want to become a better writer, read their work and try to understand why it ​works so well.


#2: Avoid Cliches and Jargon


Lots of people use cliches because they don't know any better — but if you're willing to spend some time learning ​about writing techniques, you'll cut them out of your vocabulary forever.


Jargon is another problem that's easy to avoid once you learn how it sounds when other people use it (and how ​much simpler your life will be without it). The best way to eliminate jargon from your writing is simply by reading ​good books and magazines — and avoiding bad ones!


#3: Use Short Sentences, Simple Words


The best way to make sure your sentences are short is by using simple words like "the" or "of." These words don't ​have many syllables or letters in them — so they're easy to remember! In addition, they're easier for readers to ​understand.


#4: Use Punctuation Correctly


Punctuation helps people read your writing more easily and understand it more clearly. It also helps you avoid ​mistakes when typing fast on a keyboard. For example, if you leave out a comma after an introductory phrase (e.g., ​"The first step..."), it could change the meaning of what you're saying entirely. This is just one example of how ​punctuation can change the meaning of what you write.


#5: Proofread What You Write


Proofreading is about more than just making sure that everything is spelled correctly and has proper grammar. It ​also helps you identify any mistakes you may have made while writing your essay.


This can include missing words, incorrect punctuation and unclear sentence structure — all of which could cause ​your essay score to decrease significantly if not corrected before submitting it. So take a few minutes after writing ​your essay and read it over carefully before submitting it!


Takeaway


In conclusion, the best way to improve your writing skills is to practice. You can practice by reading what you've ​written out loud and asking yourself questions like "Does it make sense?" and "Do I sound professional?" You ​should also ask yourself if there are any words or phrases that could be removed without changing the meaning of ​the sentence. Another great way to improve your writing skills is by reading blogs like this one!


Easy Harvard Citation Style Referencing Guide ​For Students

Did you know that citation is one of the most essential things your professor considers when evaluating your ​essay? That’s why we at A+ Paper Writing created this easy Harvard citation guide for students.


It can be a little tricky to format your citations using the Harvard style. You see, it doesn’t use footnotes like Chicago ​style or parenthetical in-text citations like APA style. References are listed at the end of your paper on a separate ​page called “References,” “Bibliography,” or “Works Cited.” Each source listed has a unique reference number that ​corresponds to an in-text citation where you used a quote or paraphrase from that source.


In this blog post, we’ll go over how to reference different kinds of materials using Harvard style with in-depth ​instructions plus examples for each type of reference you might need for your paper.


#1: Referencing Books in the Harvard Citation Style


The Harvard citation style uses an author-date system, which means that you will reference each source in your ​paper using its author and year of publication.


For example, this is how you would reference the book shown below in a Harvard citation:


1st Author Last Name, First Initial (Year of Publication). Title of Book: Subtitle if Any. Place of Publication: Publisher ​or Organization Name.


For example:


Smith, J. (2011). The History of Our Planet: A Comprehensive History From the Beginning to Present Day. New York ​City: Random House Books for Young Readers.


#2: Referencing Journal Articles in the Harvard Citation Style


The first step is to find out what type of journal article you are referencing. Do a quick Google search for “[journal ​name]” and check out the results. If one of the first results has “online” in it, or if it doesn’t have an issue number or ​volume number (like in the example below), then you know that it is an online journal article or a newspaper article, ​or another type of online media.


To reference a journal article in Harvard style, create an entry on your works cited page like this:

Author Last Name, First Name., ‘Title of Article’. Title of Journal, Volume Number Issue Number.


For example:


Damle, V., 2018. Disruptive Innovation: A Case Study Of Uber. International Journal of Advanced Research and ​Publications, 2(11).


#3: Referencing Websites in the Harvard Citation Style


There are two ways to reference websites in the Harvard citation style: by adding the URL (hyperlink) or by listing ​the author’s name and year of publication.


Websites can be found in books, magazines, newspapers, and databases. When referencing a website, you should ​include the author(s) name(s), and date of publication next to the URL. The date will indicate when the page was ​first published on the internet (not when it was last updated).


To reference a website in Harvard style, create an entry on your works cited page like this:


Author’s surname, author initials (year). Title of the source. Medium of publication [online]. Publication date ​[online]. Publisher [online]. DOI or URL.


For example:


Wunsch, N., 2021. Chocolate Companies: Market Share Worldwide | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: ​<https://www.statista.com/statistics/629534/market-share-leading-chocolate-companies-worldwide/> [Accessed 7 ​May 2022].


Takeaway


So that’s the Harvard citation style in a nutshell!


The long and short of it is that Harvard is a simple and straightforward style, which makes it great for students who ​are just getting started with formatting their research papers. The only real catch is that you need to be able to use ​an alphabetizing tool (or be good at alphabetizing by hand) to make sure your bibliography or reference page goes ​in the right order.


If you’re looking for resources to help you with other styles, check out our guides on Chicago citation and APA ​citation.


If you are still unsure of how to use the Harvard referencing style, don’t hesitate to contact our customer care team ​at A+ Paper Writing for more guidance and help from our experts.


No More APA Citation Stress: Here’s Your One-​Minute Cheat Sheet

You’ve just finished writing a long research paper. You spent hours researching, and you’re happy with the content. ​Now all you have to do is get it formatted in APA style.


“No big deal,” you think to yourself. “I’ve done this before.”


You crack open your APA guide, and you start filling out your references page. Then you realize that the formatting ​is different for a book than it is for an article or that if the article came from a database, there’s no need to include ​the DOI number. And what about the spaces? How are they supposed to be spaced?


It’s at that moment that you realize that even though APA style may look simple—even boring—at first glance, it can ​still be challenging to get it right, especially when you’re trying to meet a deadline or when you’re tired of citing ​sources on top of everything else.


So how can you make sure that your citations are correct? With A+ Paper Writing’s one-minute cheat sheet!

It’s got all the essential info about APA style in one place, so it’s easy to look up and remember. So no more stress ​over APA—just quick answers to your citation questions!


#1: APA Basic Formatting


When you’re using APA style, you have to be careful about margins, font size and type and spacing.


  • Your paper should use 1-inch margins on all sides, preferably with Times New Roman or Arial fonts (in 12 point).
  • Your paragraphs should be double-spaced with no additional spaces between paragraphs or sections.
  • You should indent (0.5 inches) all of your paragraphs except the one that starts your abstract and main body of ​your paper.
  • All pages should be numbered consecutively, starting with the title page in the header, flush right on each ​page.
  • References should be alphabetically arranged according to the author's last name.
  • Be sure that your reference page uses hanging indentation (0.5 inches, the first line is not indented, but all ​subsequent lines are).
  • Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals.


#2: Formatting References


The first thing you need to know about formatting citations is that they generally follow this format: Author, A. A., & ​Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of work. Location: Publisher.

Let’s break that down.


For a book, the format is:


Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.

Example: Smith, D.N. (2022). Social discourse and moral judgment. San Diego, CA: Academic Press

For an article from a database or journal, it’s:


Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article: Capital letter also for subtitle. Title of Journal/Online ​Database/Website, volume number(issue number), page numbers from - to https://doi/or/URL (if applicable).


Example: Kernis, M.H. (1993). There’s more to self-esteem than whether it is high or low: The importance of stability ​of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1190-1204.


#3: In-Text Citation


Now let’s look at how to cite a source within text. It follows this format: Author’s last name and year of publication in ​parentheses, with page number if applicable (Author Last Name, Year). Here’s an example: (Smith, 2022) or Smith ​(2022) showed that…


You can also use an ampersand (&) when citing multiple authors within parentheses like this: (Smith & Jones, 2022) ​or Smith & Jones (2022) showed that…


If there are more than two authors, use “et al” after the first author’s name like this: (Smith et al., 2022) or Smith et al. ​(2022) showed that…


Takeaway


We hope this post has helped you learn a little bit more about APA citations and has given you the confidence to ​take them on yourself.


With all of the tools available today, there’s no need to be intimidated by them any longer—and remember that this ​cheat sheet is always here if you need a quick refresher!


If you still need help with your citations or your papers, contact our client care specialists at A+ Paper Writing for ​more information about our services. We can help you write your papers, cite them properly, and get you back on ​track with your academic career!


A+ Paper Writing

Disclaimer: Our expert reference material is not intended to be forwarded as finalized projects, as it is only strictly meant to be used for research and study purposes. We do ​not endorse or condone any type of plagiarism or cheating on the academic level and do not expect our resources to be submitted for academic credit.