By Helen “Beth” Driver
Faculty Member, School of Arts and Humanities at APU
With apologies to Charles Dickens, I have seen the best of papers, and I have seen the worst of papers. I read essays that exhibited wisdom, and, unfortunately, I read essays that appeared rather uninformed. And then there are the papers I’ve read that reflect a much higher purpose.
The authors of those papers clearly want to expand their knowledge about a topic and develop their critical thinking skills. These authors even want to earn an A grade. These authors knew that research takes time. However, they also knew that the more time they spend researching a topic upfront, the stronger that essay will be. Although many of authors know and are interested in their chosen topic, they don’t solely depend on that knowledge when writing their essays. Instead, they find out what academicians have to say, and they know that the best way to do this is through actively using the APUS library peer-reviewed journals. The best researchers and writers also make use of Search Summon, for this library resource pulls in academic articles throughout the library like a magnet. When these authors get stuck, they take advantage of the APUS librarians and tutoring resources that APU offers through Tutor.com. Some of the best papers are the result of students who closely read peer-reviewed articles, which help to expand and form their arguments.