The hardest transition for me getting used to the online learning arena was writing research papers.  Even though I am the author of a successful plus size blog it did not prepare me for the type of writing that would be required on a college level.  The main difference was that things have changed in the formatting and tone of research papers today versus the way things were back in 1985 the last time I wrote a college level paper.

The APA (American Psychological Association) style that is the foundation of many online colleges threw me for a loop because it eliminated footnotes and the bibliography by introducing a different style of referencing sources and placed a heavier emphasis on citations.

Additionally, writing a paper on the college level is more about educating the reader than showing the human side of the writer.  My personal writing style is a lot less informal, which required me to rewire my way of thinking and writing to eliminate first person references and stick to just the facts.

After two years, fifteen classes, and over 30 papers written during my time at Ashford University a successful formula for writing papers for your online classes can be broken down to the following:

• Become very familiar with Little, Brown Compact Handbook (7th Edition)
• Decide on your topic or choose from the topics your instructor lists
• Access the online library for your school and choose 5-10 articles related to your subject
• Write an outline for your paper.
• Components of the paper include a cover page that consists of:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

Date submitted

• Create an introductory paragraph with a clearly stated thesis or topic.
• Address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Conclude with a restatement of the thesis or topic and a closing paragraph that summarizes the main point or points of your paper.
• Use APA style as outlined in your approved APA style guide to document all sources.
• Include, on the final page, a Reference List that is completed according to APA style as outlined in your approved APA style guide.

The number of pages required will vary from 8-15 pages depending on the instructor.  Once you start writing it is easier to break your paper up into at least four sections that you write a few pages on each topic instead of trying to have one huge peice.  Additionally, give yourself enough time before the paper is due to allow you to write the entire paper and let it rest for up to 24 hours before you begin to proofread.

If you are lucky you will be given the opportunity to turn in a draft of your paper first.  This will give you an additional week to develop your thoughts and once you get the graded draft you can make changes that you may have missed during your proofreading.

In the end by following all the written instructions in regard to writing college level research papers even if you are not that good at writing and haven’t written a paper since you graduated from high school you will be successful.