A reflection paper, also known as reflection essay, is a type of written assignment where the author is expected to present their opinion on a particular subject: a book, a newspaperб an article, a film, etc. In order to ace this assignment, you need to have outstanding writing skills in addition to developed critical thinking.
Tips on how to write a reflection paper
Here are some tips that will help you write the best reflection essay of your academic career.
- You should use a descriptive style of writing when describing your thoughts and reflections. Each fragment of the text must smoothly flow into the next one for the readers to have a pleasant reading experience.
- The language of the paper should be as formal as possible – after all, it’s an academic paper. Use narrative style in your writing.
- The structure of a reflection paper is a key for a successful work. We recommend keeping to the traditional essay structure, which includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- Even though the paper is called “reflection essay”, it shouldn’t only contain your personal thoughts and opinions. Back up your opinion with credible academic sources.
- Don’t treat your reflection paper as a letter to a close friend. There is no need to get overly personal.
- Don’t try to include your whole life experience into one short reflective essay. Find the most relevant experiences and thoughts from your past that completely match the topic of the essay.
- To write a successful reflection paper, you can’t just sit and create the whole work in one go. You’ll need a plan, a roadmap for your writing.
- The order of your thoughts and the structure of your writing should be very logical. You’ll need to reread your work more than once to make sure the writing is perfectly logical.
How to write a reflection paper on a book
A book reflection paper is one of the most common assignments you’ll deal with in your life as a student. The source for your paper can vary from a short story to a book that is 500 pages long. The main objective here is to share your perspective on the book you’ve just read in a manner that is both personal and academic. Don’t know how to do it the right way? Here are some tips that will help.
- Keep your writing on point. The aim of a reflection essay is to not simply retell the plot of the book or to share your experiences that have nothing to do with the subject of the essay. This is an academic assignment where you only need to reflect on other person’s writing.
- At the same time, it’s important to keep a personal tone of your essay. People reading your reflection essay should get a clear idea about who you are and what are your thoughts on the matter.
- Simply retelling the plot of the book and then offering your thoughts on it is too simplistic of an approach to writing a reflection essay. Your writing needs to demonstrate that you clearly understood the writer’s ideas and purposes for creating the book.
- Your essay should not only demonstrate your outstanding analysis and critical thinking skills, but also have flawless language, spelling, and punctuation. Always proofread the work once you’ve done or ask someone to do it for you.
How to write a reflection paper on an interview
Frankly speaking, the job of writing a reflection essay on an interview isn’t that different to reflecting on a book. In both cases, you need to present your academically correct ideas on the source material you’ve just read. Pay special attention to the introductory and the concluding parts of your work: include some hints in the conclusion and in the introduction to connect these two parts. Here are some detailed tips on writing an interview reflection paper.
- Put extra effort into the introduction for your paper. Think of it as a way to get the readers acquainted with your work. Give them a clear idea about what to expect from your paper, and don’t forget to include a thesis statement, which defines the course of the whole essay.
- The body paragraphs of your reflection essay are the most important part of the work. Here you will expand on your thesis statement using three body paragraphs, each containing one supporting argument for your position. To make your work look more academic, remember to include quotes from the interview and other relevant sources, just don’t forget to properly cite them later.
- The conclusion of a reflection paper should be used to once again demonstrate how successful you’ve been in proving your thesis statement. The conclusion does not need to introduce any new points or ideas, but you can always include a thought-provoking statement for the readers.
If you want to write a winning reflection paper, you’ll need outstanding writing and analytical skills. You need to know how to critically assess the source, process it to form an educated opinion, and then present your views in a manner that is both easily accessible and interesting for any reader.
