To ensure that your understanding of your research material guides your paper, write your first draft using your outline but not your notes. When the first draft is complete, go back through and incorporate your cited summaries, paraphrases, and/or quotes as evidence for your thinking. Writing your paper is a work in progress. The first sentences on the computer screen should not be perfect as soon as you write them. If you have allowed yourself enough time, your paper can be revised and fine-tuned multiple times. Give the draft to your instructor or visit the Writing Center (call 7197 in plenty of time to get an appointment; crunch times come at mid-semester and end of semester). Do not be surprised if you are invited to make major adjustments to your paper or if entire sections of your paper need to be rewritten. Revising is a normal process for successful researchers/writers. Finally, review your paper for punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors before you print your final draft.

Read this section's references.