Reflection Paper. How To Write It Effectively

Publication Date: 11 May 2018
Author: Julia Stuart

How to write a reflection paper effectively

Writing a reflection paper might seem to be easy because all you need to do is to tell about your life experience. However, there are several stages that need to be followed in order to write a great essay with positive academic results.

Brainstorming

First of all, you need to identify the main theme of your essay. In order to do this, you can start brainstorming and jotting down the ideas that seem to be important to you. Figure out for yourself what is the message that you would like to convey and write down the main points which you would like to share with the reader.

Writing a reflection paper outline

Most of the time, a reflection essay is a thoughtful and personal piece of writing; however, like any other essay, it needs to be structured and organized. After the brainstorming stage, you need to create an outline. This will help you stay on track and follow the main idea. You can adjust and edit whatever you do not like after you finish the writing process, but the outline will help you follow the direction.

Maintaining a tone

It depends on the topic, but usually, a reflective essay is the paper in which you tell about your personal experience. Nevertheless, the way you express your thoughts needs to be academic and cohesive. Such type of essay is similar to a diary entry, but still, it needs to maintain an academic and a professional tone.

Writing an effective conclusion

It is important to properly summarize what you have learned from your experience, so it is advisable to spend some additional time and effort to write a great ending paragraph. Without the effective conclusion, your essay might lose its value and the readers will not have the opportunity to grasp the message that you intended to convey.

The benefit of writing a reflection essay

For the benefit of students, the aim of a reflection essay is to look inside themselves and think critically about the experience which they gained. It is also important to get new skills and learn how to properly express yourself regarding what you feel and what conclusions you achieved. If you struggle with writing your essay, or, perhaps, you have a writer’s block, you can find reflective essay examples online and learn how to create a perfect reflection paper.
Writing a reflective essay may be a daunting experience, but we hope that our simple guidelines will help you create a great piece of writing and impress your tutors with your individuality.