Many students have trouble turning a choppy or disorganized first draft into a coherent, well-organized paper. Here are some things you can expect when you work with a tutor to help you organize your paper.
Questions about the assignment and your writing process, such as…
- How did you go about writing this paper? Did you create an outline or a graphic organizer to keep yourself on track?
- Is this your first draft? Have any of your peers or your professor reviewed it with you?
- Is the order of information intentional, or did you write the paper in the order in which ideas came to mind?
- What's your thesis statement or central idea, and how did you support it?
- Can you identify places where your writing seems unorganized and repetitive or jumps around?
- Can you identify places where you used transitions to move between ideas? If not, can you identify places where a transition would help the reader move between ideas?
Writing activities, such as…
- Writing a fresh outline and checking the order against your paper.
- Reverse outlining: summarizing the main point(s) of each paragraph and evaluating the order of your ideas.
- Comparing your introduction to each paragraph throughout the paper to see whether each paragraph strengthens your main point and helps your paper.
- Using scissors to cut your paper into chunks or paragraphs and then rearranging the pieces to experiment with the order.
As a reminder, tutoring sessions typically…
- last 30 to 45 minutes.
- focus on one or two writing issues.
- help to develop and focus ideas as you talk one-on-one with a tutor.
- identify aspects of the paper you need to improve on your own.
- conclude with a short evaluation form.
- respect the confidentiality of your visit; a tutor will send a report form to your instructor only at your request.
Written by Emily Weber
More Writing Help
The Kathleen Jones White Writing Center provides tutoring services, workshops, and writing resources.
Tutoring
- In-Person: 203 Stabley Library
- Online Tutoring: Use the online writing center.
Workshops
- Instructors: Request a workshop for your class.
- Students: Attend a Wednesday-night workshop.
- Online Workshops: APA Documentation, MLA Documentation.