7 Ways to Beat a Close Essay Deadline ...

1. Cut Time out of the Process Wherever You Can

You are the only one that knows where and how you are wasting time. If you do not know, then you need to do some serious self-analysis before you continue.

For example, so many students spend ridiculous amounts of time sorting out their references manually so they are in alphabetical order when there are quicker ways of doing it.
Clump them together so they look like this on your document:

Merton, Robert K. (1936-12). …
Hill, Napoleon (1937). …
Merton, Robert K. (1968). …
Kaptein, M., (2012) …

Copy them and paste them into a spreadsheet. They should all appear on your spreadsheet one after the other. They may not copy onto your spreadsheet fully if there is break between the items on the list. Highlight them, click sort on the tools option, and click to sort them in alphabetical order. Copy and paste the newly sorted reference list onto your document, remembering to special paste them as “Unformatted text” so it only pastes the raw information. Starting at the top of your list you should press and hold CTRL and press the down arrow key. This will jump to the start of the next entry/paragraph. Press enter and the first paragraph will separate from the group. Press and hold CTRL and press the down arrow key again to continue the process until your reference section has a break between each reference.

2. Take Points from Others in Order to Increase the Number or References You Have

If you find your essay is lacking in references and you do not have time to hit the books, you can add in a few extra references to make your essay look more researched than it actually is. Know the difference between plagiarism and referencing. If another person makes a point in his or her essay and backs it up with a reference, you can take their point and back it up with the same reference too--but that is plagiarism. What you can do instead is take a look at the point the other person makes, take a peek at the reference, and see how you can apply it to your essay. For example, the other essay may say how money is a great contraceptive because people with more money tend to have fewer kids, and it may have a reference just after the point. You could take a peek at the reference and make the point that having less money increases the chances of you having more kids. You now have a good point you may add into your essay, and you have a well-researched reference, but you didn’t have to do all the hard work to get it.

3. Write Notes until Your Fingers Bleed

Many students waste time trying to think up the next point to make. Instead of brainstorming, you should write as many notes as you can on your ideas and what you are reading. They need only be rough. You will find that many times you can expand on them, tidy them up and enter them directly into your essay. Do not waste time thinking up a point, writing it into your essay perfectly, and then stopping, researching, thinking up another point and writing it perfectly again. This process takes too long. Write up as many notes as you can and make them an integral part of your essay.

4. Write Mini Conclusion Lines under Every Paragraph

Doing this will save you massive amounts of time on your conclusion. After every paragraph, you should write a small conclusion line in a red font. Collect them together when you get to your conclusion. Many of the lines may be integrated directly into your conclusion, and the others will help you build a comprehensive and correct conclusion. They will also help you spot any contradictions in your essay too.
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5. Skim-read the Works of Others

Not only will this help ensure you stay on the right track with regards to your own essay, it will also give you inspiration for a few extra points you can add into your own work. If there are few essays on the subject, you should hunt out the best essay service you can find and have them write an essay on the subject so you can work from their essay. The best of these services often have sample essays that you might be able to take ideas from.

6. Hunt out References after You Have Written Your Article

If you are writing a paragraph and you have a reference, then add it in as you write. On the other hand, if you know what you have written is correct but do not have the reference to hand, you should make a small reminder note in your text and come back later to find the reference. Many students waste scary amounts of time stopping and starting whilst writing to search out a reference for the point they just made. Do not break your writing flow because it will be harder to restart later, which will waste your time. Come back later and find your references.

7. Google Scholar Can Help You Find Your References

The Google scholar “cited by” is a great way of finding points on certain works. This is often needed because your professor will expect you to include references to certain texts. Your professor may even produce a reading list of works he or she expects you to add into your work. You will come across works in your reading list that you have not read, but you still want to add in a relevant point from that work because it will help you score higher. You could read the works if you wish, but if you have a short deadline you will not have the time, so instead you should use a Google Scholar trick.

Enter the reference into Google Scholar and search. Now click on cited by button. Clicking the “Cited by” button will produce a long list of essays that have referenced the work you searched for. Use a search function to find the place where the writer referenced your source. Look at the point the writer makes and see if it applies to your work. Integrate “Your” version of their point into your work and you may now add that source into your reference section. Just make sure you understand the point being made and make sure your point doesn’t contradict the overall meaning of the work you are referencing/citing.

If you get into the habit of following these ways of working you will find your essay writing becomes easier and quicker. And there’s the added bonus hat these tricks will also improve your essay. So, no miss3ed deadlines, less time taken and better grades. What’s not to love about that?