3 quick tips to polish your final draft for submission

Getting your paper completed and submitted is a great feeling. Getting it back with a lot of negative comments about your writing, style, and grammar, not so much.  Here are three things you can do which will have a HUGE impact on the quality of your final submission.

  1. Always try to have your paper completed a day early and leave it sit for at least a few hours before going back to re-read and tweak before you submit.  I can guarantee this one fact alone will pay off huge dividends in the quality of your writing.
  2. Proofread your paper by reading it out loud. I know it sounds crazy but this is a secret that all the best writers employ. By reading your paper out loud your ears will catch problems in syntax and grammar that your eyes don’t. In fact, I’m willing to say that you will be surprised at some of the mistakes you will find.
  3. Keep the APA Quick guide near you when you write. Planning to come back and check things for APA later may sound like a good idea, but you and I both know that life gets busy, and good intentions won’t save you when the paper is being graded.  You can find the APA quickguide at this LINK.  It isn’t long, either save it to your phone for ready access, or print it off and keep it close when you write.

There you go, three tips that will improve your final product.

Dr. Upchurch

Launch!

I am excited about coming to the Lefleur campus as the Dean. I’ve been involved in adult higher education for over 20 years, helping people just like you realize their dreams of a better life by earning a college degree.  I know what kind of effort and sacrifice it takes to push through to the goal of getting that diploma and I’m honored to be part of the team working with you. I want to do all I can to aid you in that process. In fact, our whole team of staff shares this same passion: your success in achieving your educational goals.

This blog is going to be part of our strategy in achieving that goal.  You will find posts on here that will give you helpful tips and ideas about how to work smarter and keep balance in your life. Some of the ideas you may use immediately, others may have a longer-term benefit. Regardless, I want you to know up front that we, all the staff at Belhaven University, are rooting for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact any of us and we will do our best to answer your questions as quickly as possible.

If you find that the information in this blog isn’t quite what you need or hoped for, let me know and I’ll work to make it more relevant.  You will also have the option, on the notification emails you receive, to unsubscribe to this blog, but I hope you’ll wait to do that until you’ve given me a chance to serve you through this venue.

Blessings,

Dr. Upchurch
Dean Belhaven Jackson/Madison
Associate V.P. Regional Campuses
Belhaven University
rupchurch@belhaven.edu