by JuicyPuffin

Created on: February 27, 2009   Last Updated: February 28, 2009

The ability to gather and understand credible sources, the ability to document these sources, and the ability to present your information in a way that ordinary people can understand will be extremely beneficial to your future, no matter what your living style or occupation is. However, there are some common mistakes that are made when writing papers. These mistakes most frequently have to do with thesis statements, relating paragraphs to the thesis, finding sources, citing and integrating sources, and grammar.

A thesis statement is usually either the first or last sentence of the first paragraph, which is the introductory paragraph. This thesis sentence is a summary of the points you are going to make in your paper, and it is vital that it be clear and concise. For this reason, it is usually easier to figure out the main ideas of your essay before you think of a thesis statement. For example, if you are writing a research essay on which studying methods for language are the best, your thesis statement could be "The three best methods of studying Esperanto include listening to audio CDs, watching movies with subtitles, and using flash cards". With a thesis statement like that, you would most likely have a five-paragraph essay: one paragraph for the introduction, one paragraph on audio CDs, one on movies with subtitles, one on using flash cards, and one conclusion paragraph.

Each paragraph in your essay needs to clearly relate to the thesis, and it needs to be focused, which means it needs to stick to the topic of that paragraph. The paragraph on flashcards should only explain the benefits and statistics of using flash cards, it should not talk about other methods of studying. To keep your paragraph on-track with the main idea, it is useful to write the topic of that paragraph above your paragraph while you are writing it as a guide. For example, if you are writing about flashcards, this guide could say "Flashcards: statistics of them versus other methods, percentage of people who use them, pros and cons" or it could simply say, "Flashcards". When you are done writing the paragraph, you can check with what you wrote above and see if the two match. Every content paragraph should also include paraphrasing and quotes, if possible.

The best sources for quotes and information can come from newspapers, online information databases, government websites, and business websites. For example, if you wish to know the history of the "Fluent Now!" company, the best place to

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