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How To Compose A Strong Reflective Essay: A Step-By-Step Guide

This step-by-step guide will show you how to composea strong reflective essay worthy of an A. These steps are also easy to follow.

Pausing for thought

Ask yourself beforehand what is required of you to produce an essay that is a true reflection of your strong, analytical thinking.

Close reading

A helpful path towards clarifying your reflections on your assigned or chosen topic is through better reading practice.

Four easy steps towards better reading

  • Close reading – This cannot be rushed. Take your time, read slowly and absorb what you are reading.
  • Re-reading important passages – You can highlight important passages and return to them later with a new pair of eyes.
  • Note-taking – When you return to those key passages or chapters, take time composing rough notes for your paper.
  • Extensive Research – You need to read and research widely. Make sure that you have taken account of the resources available to you.

Composing your views in essay form

Your persuasively written reflections will begin with a powerful thesis statement that introduces your main topic well.

Five important steps

  • Examine your notes – This is a good time to prioritize your work. You will find that there are irrelevant noteswhich can now be discarded.
  • Drafting – This should be done in stages. Collate your own reflections with the text-based notes to re-draft a fresh summary.
  • Preparing the introduction and statement – Doing this properly will ensure that the rest of the essay flows as a coherent whole.
  • Writing the paper – The hard work lies here. Make sure that paragraphs follow each other logically and the reflective tone is maintained throughout.
  • Paraphrasing facts and evidence – Always substantiate your thoughts clearly by referring to your research in your own words.

The checklist

Now that you have written what you believe is a strong reflective essay you still need to check that it is also error free.

Standard rules for reading your own work

  • Grammar, spelling, and context – You lose marks for unnecessary errors. Also, make sure that you have not veered off topic.
  • Closing gaps – You may find this editing process enjoyable. It also requires some discipline because you may be discarding statements or passages that are not required.
  • Proper referencing – This must be done meticulously. Check the referencing guides that you have been given, or edit your work against your chosen referencing method.

Composing a well-written paper takes time and effort. What this step-by-step guide has done is to simplify the workload and allow you to prepare smartly.

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