How to write an academic reflection paper

How to write an academic reflection paper

Nov 16,  · Write a strong opening paragraph. Your introduction must be eye-catching, so the readers become engaged immediately. State your supporting arguments, ideas, and examples in the body paragraphs. Emphasize only one point or experience, as well as reflections /5 Nov 02,  · Academic reflective writing is a genre and just like an essay has characteristics, so does academic reflective writing. Academic reflective writing requires critical and analytic thought, a clear line of argument, and the use of evidence through examples of personal experiences and thoughts and often also theoretical literature. You should aim for a balance between personal experience, tone, and academic practice and rigor. Academic reflective writing Feb 01,  · Express your feelings on a subject is the most critical thing in how to write a reflection paper. Just don’t be too emotional. You should express your ideas in a reasonable, not sentimental way. It should fit the academic style

How to Write a Reflection Paper: Guide with Example Paper | EssayPro

Last Updated: January 20, References Approved. This article was co-authored by Alicia Cook. Alicia Cook is a Professional Writer based in Newark, New Jersey. With over 12 years of experience, Alicia specializes in poetry and uses her platform to advocate for families affected by addiction and to fight for breaking the stigma against addiction and mental illness.

Alicia is a bestselling poet with Andrews McMeel Publishing and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including the NY Post, CNN, USA Today, the HuffPost, the LA Times, American Songwriter Magazine, and Bustle. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has been viewed 3, times. Reflection papers allow you to communicate with your instructor about how a specific article, lesson, lecture, or experience shapes your understanding of class-related material.

Reflection papers are personal and subjective [1] X Research sourcebut they must still maintain a somewhat how to write an academic reflection paper tone and must still be thoroughly and cohesively organized.

Here's what you need to know about writing an effective reflection. To write a reflection paper, start with an introduction where you state any expectations you had for the reading, lesson, or experience you're reflecting on. At the end of your intro, include a thesis statement that explains how your views have changed.

In the body of your essay, explain the conclusions you reached after the reading, lesson, or experience and discuss how you arrived at them.

Finally, finish your paper with a succinct conclusion that explains what you've learned. To learn how to brainstorm for your paper, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.

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Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Education and Communications College University and Postgraduate Academic Writing Essays How to Write a Reflection Paper.

Download Article Explore this Article parts. Sample Outline and Paper. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Alicia Cook Last Updated: January 20, References Approved. Sample Outline and Paper Sample Outline for Reflection Paper.

Sample Reflection Paper. Part 1 of Identify the main themes. These sentences should be both descriptive yet straight to the point, how to write an academic reflection paper. Jot down material that stands out in your mind. Determine why that material stands out and make another note of what you figure out. For lectures or readings, you can write down specific quotations or summarize passages.

For experiences, make a note of specific portions of your experience. You could even write a small summary or story of an event that happened during the experience that stands out.

Images, sounds, or other sensory portions of your experience work, as well. Remember, even though you'll need to explain what you read or experienced, a reflection paper should discuss your ideas about that, rather than just being a summary of it.

Chart things out, how to write an academic reflection paper. In the first column, list the main points or key experiences. These points can include anything that the author or speaker treated with importance as well as any specific details you found to be important.

Divide each point into its own separate row. In the second column, list your personal response to the points you brought up in the first column. How to write an academic reflection paper how your subjective values, experiences, and beliefs influence your response. In the third and last column, describe how much of your personal response to share in your reflection paper. Ask yourself questions to guide your response.

If you are struggling to gauge your own feelings or pinpoint your own response, try asking yourself questions about the experience or reading and how it relates to you, how to write an academic reflection paper.

Sample questions might include: Does the reading, lecture, or experience challenge you socially, culturally, emotionally, or theologically? If so, where and how? Why does it bother you or catch your attention? Has the reading, lecture, or experience changed your way of thinking?

Did it conflict with beliefs you held previously, and what evidence did it provide you with in order to change your thought process on the topic? Does the reading, lecture, or experience leave you with any questions? Were these questions ones you had previously or ones you developed only after finishing? How to write an academic reflection paper the author, speaker, or those involved in the experience fail to address any important issues?

Could a certain fact or idea have dramatically changed the impact or conclusion of the reading, lecture, or experience? How do the issues or ideas brought up in this reading, lecture, or experience mesh with past experiences or readings? Do the ideas contradict or support each other?

Part 2 of Keep it short and sweet. A typical reflection paper is between and words long. Verify whether or not your instructor specified a word count for the paper instead of merely following this average. If your instructor demands a word count outside of this range, meet your instructor's requirements.

Introduce your expectations. For a reading or lecture, indicate what you expected based on the title, abstract, or introduction. For an experience, how to write an academic reflection paper what you expected based on prior knowledge provided by similar experiences or information from others.

Develop a thesis statement. At the end of your introduction, you should include a single sentence that quickly explains your transition from your expectations to your final conclusion. A thesis provides focus and cohesion for your reflection paper. Explain your conclusions in the body. Your body paragraphs should explain the conclusions or understandings you reached by the end of the reading, lesson, or experience.

You should provide details on how you arrived at those conclusions using logic and concrete details. The focus of the paper is not a summary of the text, how to write an academic reflection paper, but you still need to draw concrete, specific details from the text or experience in order to provide context for your conclusions. Write a separate paragraph for each conclusion or idea you developed.

Each paragraph should have its own topic sentence. This topic sentence should clearly identify your major points, conclusions, or understandings.

Conclude with a summary. Your conclusion should succinctly describe the overall lesson, feeling, or understanding you got as a result of the reading or experience. The conclusions or understandings explained in your body paragraphs should support your overall conclusion. One or two may conflict, but the majority should support your final conclusion.

Part 3 of Reveal information wisely. A reflection paper is somewhat personal in that it includes your subjective feelings and opinions. Instead of revealing everything about yourself, carefully ask yourself if something is appropriate before including it in your paper. If you feel uncomfortable about a personal issue that affects the conclusions you reached, it is wisest not to include personal details about it.

If a certain issue is unavoidable but you feel uncomfortable revealing your personal experiences or feelings regarding it, write about the issue in more general terms.

Identify the issue itself and indicate concerns you have professionally or academically. Maintain a professional or academic tone. A reflection paper is personal and objective, but you should still keep your thoughts organized and sensible.

How to Write a Reflection Assignment

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General tips for academic reflections | The University of Edinburgh

Feb 01,  · Express your feelings on a subject is the most critical thing in how to write a reflection paper. Just don’t be too emotional. You should express your ideas in a reasonable, not sentimental way. It should fit the academic style Apr 03,  · Remember that reflective writing has a descriptive component and so must have a wide range of adjectives to draw from. Avoid vague adjectives such as ‘okay’ or ‘nice’ as they don’t really offer much insight into your feelings and personality. Be more specific – this will make your writing Nov 16,  · Write a strong opening paragraph. Your introduction must be eye-catching, so the readers become engaged immediately. State your supporting arguments, ideas, and examples in the body paragraphs. Emphasize only one point or experience, as well as reflections /5