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Reflection papers are a huge part of academia, whether taking an admission in Harvard or applying for some sort of scholarship. Reflection papers help others judge how good of a writer one is along with the depth and variety of insight one has. Reflection paper allows a student to express their opinions in a manner that is not stifled by the academic rules.
Students have to deal with multiple assignments during an academic year/semester, one of the important ones being a reflection paper. A reflection paper provides an encouragement to the students to look at things from their perspective and comment on them critically. If you know how to write a reflection paper, you can significantly improve your grades but if you don’t, here is a guide to writing a strong reflection paper, one that will guarantee you impressive grades.
What is a reflection paper?
A reflection paper is a piece of writing that you write in order to express your personal approach towards a topic rather than merely jotting down facts of the matter. Reflection papers are written on topics ranging from your goal in life to a trip you took with your school mates, it can include philosophical topics as well as topics of common interest. A reflective paper has the ability to be educational, professional, and personal. Obviously, each of these carrying a different tone, better tuned to their own field.
- Educational reflection paper is a response to some book that you studied in class;
- Professionalreflection paper is an often written by teachers and social workers, particularly focused on analysing a subject’s behaviour;
- Personal reflection paper is more subjective as compared to the previous two, as it is more connected to your feelings regarding a more intimate subject.
Tips on writing a reflection paper
Everyone has a distinct writing style and a routine they follow whenever they decide to write a paper. There are a few things however that stay constant for everyone when writing a paper:
- You should read some reflection papers beforehand in order to get the hang of this sort of writing.
- The primary focus should be on the topic and the feelings attached to it rather than the deadline.
- Only the topmost of the pile material should be selected to be included in your reflection paper.
- Taking your time is important, slow progress is still progress. Do not write it all at once.
- The introduction comes first before anything is ready.
- There should be a line that should not be crossed. Focus on the facts first and then sum up your attitudes and opinions towards those.
- Always write in the first person singular while avoiding slang and colloquial language.
Step by step process of writing
A reflection paper is focused on reflection rather than description. It should be a conglomerate of learning researching and describing. Communication of opinions and attitudes towards the topic is important.
A typical plan for writing a reflection paper is as follows:
- Start by choosing the topic it is usually provided by the instructor or the professor as one of the options to choose from.
- Start brainstorming about the topic look up information regarding the topic and then decide your attitude and opinion towards the topic. Choose a specific way of looking at the topic.
- Form an outline of what you are going to write in your reflection paper. A single sentence for every paragraph is sufficient in an outline.
- Question everything if there is a hindrance in the progress of writing a reflection paper you should start by asking reflective questions such as “how is this topic related to my life?”
- Write an introduction of the reflection paper but there is no strictness to writing an introduction in the start. It can be written when the paper is already written significantly.
- Try to keep the reflection paper as precise and concise as possible it should typically spend over 750 words.
Reflection paper outline
A reflection paper can be written in one of the following two ways, one is a traditional approach while the other is a non-traditional approach that can be a little risk:
- The traditional approach requires you to write a thesis statement and support it with the supporting details and evidence while also providing facts that support your thesis statement throughout the reflection paper.
- The non-traditional approach requires you to start a conversation on a topic without being exact with your opinions. There is room for doubt in this approach and you provide analysis on the topic. You might arrive at a conclusion that is entirely different from what you started with.
Introduction
Expression of your opinions on a topic is the most important thing in writing a reflection paper. The goal should be pithiness rather than overwhelming emotions. The ideas should be expressed in a logical and coherent way. It should not go too far from the academic rules. Provide the reader with an important insight so that they can follow the idea throughout the reflection paper. The foundation of the paper should be based on a single central idea that can be summarised in a single sentence.
Body
The body of reflection paper explores the thesis statement from different perspectives. It should consist of three paragraphs, one should explore how it impacted the writer, the second should explore how it impacted those around him and the third should explore what lessons it gave the readers to take away.
Conclusion
The conclusion of a reflection paper should be strong and leave a mark on the reader. The last line of the reflection paper should sum up your ideas and leave the reader with a reflective question so that they keep thinking about it even after finishing reading the paper.
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