How To Write Reflection Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

Now is the time to answer one major question. How to write a reflection paper? In order to write a reflection content, you will need to know a lot of things, and you will need to understand the format and types and also get additional help if you are a newbie. Below we have all of that in a simple and plain form so you can get all the help you will ever need in one place. You will also learn how to write a reflection paper, how to format it, and how you can make the whole process easier and more appealing. At the end of the day, you will have reflection papers that are stunning and will impress your professor. All of this may sound complicated or impossible, but it is definitely something you can do, and now you will see how.

 

What Is a Reflection Paper?

 

Before we share what you need to know about writing an effective reflection, we need to explain what this type of essay is. It is your personal opinion about something. It can be a book, a movie, or a trip. You will have to write about how that topic affected you instead of using facts and arguments only. As such, we can see that these papers are very appealing, and most students enjoy writing them. Of course, some don’t like these; hence they rely on research paper writing service, and they will always get a paper done in no time that is also professional and answers the main idea perfectly. There are a few variations here, and we will have to explain each one below. The main purpose here is to create a paper that will express your thoughts and your opinion about the main topic.

 

Reflection Paper Format

 

Here we can see one important fact. All papers of this kind must use proper formatting. It is more important than you may believe. A reflective paper format will make your essay looks as it should, and you won’t have any issues with your professor for making any mistake. In simple terms, this is the template you can use for all papers of this kind. In order to encourage you to explore your own ideas, we will have to explain the main facts below, and you will need to use them. Keep in mind that your school may have a different requirement, in which case you will have to talk to your professor and get the guidelines and then use them. This is something you need to do before any type of academic writing, and it is different all over the world.

 

• • You need to write on A4 paper (in Office Word or on real paper)

 

• • Margins must be 1 inch

 

• • The text size is 12 points

 

• • Fonts you can use are Times New Roman, Arial, and Calibri

 

• • All lines must be paired with double spaces

 

• • The citation will be defined by a teacher (usually it is APA or Chicago style)

 

• • The number of words should be between 250 and 750

 

 

Types of Reflective Writing

 

In order to write a reflection paper, you need to pay close attention to the type you will use. Word count is not high here; hence you need to stay focused and use all the steps and all the proper elements. The essential element here is to know about three different types. These will determine how to start a reflection paper, how you need to optimize body paragraphs, and so much more. This is also one reason that makes writing reflection papers so hard.

 

Critical Reflection Paper

 

This is the most common and the hardest type here. It will be based on your studying, and it will have to include different points. For example, you need to explain what you have learned and how and what challenges did it take. You don’t have enough room only, so you will need to be professional in this kind of academic writing, and you still need to focus on the main themes. In addition, you will have to provide details about your experience and analyze it in detail. Due to all of this and more, a lot of students will want to pay for paper writing instead of having to write and invest a lot of time.

 

✏️Example:
Studying maths at college: My experience.

 

Personal Reflection Paper

 

Here you also need to provide an experience. But you will also have to explain how it affected you. There are countless examples, and there are a lot of things you will need to know. It is different than a critical reflection paper, and it has a greater focus on the personal element of the experience rather than on anything else. You can always write about all the personal experiences you like and want, but try to focus on the most important and essential experience. This is an essay that will have a huge effect on your life.

 

Reading Reflection Paper

 

A reflection paper is a type of essay that has a huge role in education. This means that you will need to explain how a book or the books have affected you and what experience you got from them. A reflection paper on a book is the most common type at some schools. All teachers will want you to write about this, and you will need to include all the main points and all the elements of this academic paper.  How long should a reflection paper be? This type is usually 2-3 pages long.

 

✏️Example:

 

Why 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea made me want to read all the books of this genre.

 

 

Writing a Reflection Paper Outline

 

As a result of the reading or experience and writing a lot, we can now provide you with details about how you can write an outline. This is the plan or path you will use and where you will present all main points and create a simple task in no time. There is no need to add that you need a strong thesis statement, and you need a detailed outline. When both of these are available, you can expect the best result. These days you can easily use write my paper for me and even get an outline that will be spotless. One way or another, we can see that the outline has huge importance, and we must reveal something about it. This is something you will need for any report, after reading any book and writing an essay on it and so much more. While at college, you will have to write countless outlines, and you will need to perfect your writing skills. Below is a simple outline example.

 

1. 1. IntroductionUse the hook.Overview of your topic.

      Your thesis statement.

 

1. 1. Body sectionsParagraph 1: Explain the person or the event.Paragraph 2: Explain feelings and your thoughts.

      Paragraph 3: Evaluate your experience.

 

1. 1. ConclusionSummary.Restate the thesis you have at the beginning.

 

How to Write a Reflection Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

 

Here we will have a complete process of creating an astonishing reflective paper. All the experts use this simple guide, and it can have a huge effect on your writing. Each reflective paper must follow the points so you can imagine how important these are. It is important to add that you should use all of them and don’t skip one. If you do, you can end up with a poor result, and you can get a lower grade. While at college, you can use these all the time but only on papers of this kind.

 

1. 1. Choose the topicThe first is to choose the topic if that is possible. If you do, you will have an easier time writing, and you will be able to focus more on the things you like and find interesting. If the topic is not something you can choose, you will probably have a harder time. This is one of the reasons why so many students need help, and they want to get a done paper. They don’t want to write about some topic they don’t like. You can always buy a research paper or any other and get it over with. In addition, the topic you will choose must be a perfect match for your experience and your opinion, and you should be passionate about it. Here is one example.

 

✏️Example:

 

How I can deal with stress these days.

 

2. 2. Start with the main themeHere you will need to write about what you have learned from the experience you are defining. Try to match or connect to the readers. They Will want to be able to connect with you, and they will need that. In other words, if you can choose this, you have a successful paper already. They should be able to relate to that from reading your essay. If you are trying to define this from a book, you can use strong words and a lot of details. At college, this is essential.

 

✏️Example:

 

After watching X Files, I started a thing that there are a lot of secrets in society.

 

3. 3. Brainstorming partThis can be an interesting part. You will need to relax, and you will need to write down all the ideas that you have on your mind. It is not important how silly they are or how special they sound. Just write them down. Once you are done, you can organize them and make corrections if needed. Many believe that you should start with a title page when this is actually a more important element. In general, you will have to write down anything memorable that may have any impact on the essay you are writing now.

 

3. 3. Analyze how and whyNow you will need to choose that idea and analyze it in depth. Here you will need to write about how and why it affected you and what your experience was at the end. This is more important than you may believe, and it has a huge role in all of this. While at school, you always need to ask yourself how and why. These are mandatory questions for all types of writing, and they can help you get the grade you like.

 

3. 3. Connect your opinion, experience, and observationHere you will need to write about the connection between what you thought about that idea, what experience you had, and what you have observed. Try to connect these in a simple way and try to connect to your readers as well. It may sound obvious, but it is one element that can be essential. If you are writing about the book, you will need to say something about the author, the characters’ names, and how it affected you.

 

Tips on Writing Your Paper

 

The ideas from your body paragraphs can vary, and there are countless examples. But, we have decided to provide you with some writing tips that can make all of this easier. These ones below are used by all the experts, and in fact, they were developed by professionals. As such, you will want to implement them into any piece of writing you can. We will try to keep all of this simple and easy. We believe that the best tip is the one that is simple but has huge importance.

 

• • Choose the topicWe already have mentioned this, so we will not waste a lot of your time. It is essential to choose the topic if possible. It will make the title page and the essay much easier task for you. You will need one topic that you fully understand and are passionate about it. If you have this, the assignment will be much easier, and you can enjoy the outcome better. If you have to work on something you don’t understand, you probably won’t be able to explain all the elements as you should.

 

• • Start soonAs you can see, this will be a complicated task. As with any other, you are going to need days or even weeks to produce high-quality content. This means one thing only. You need the time to get the job done, and you need a lot of it. As such, start as soon as possible, and you can complete it. Even professionals like this tip, and they have been using it for ages.

 

• • Make a detailed outlineThis is another fact you need to know, and we have mentioned it countless times. An outline is a path you will follow. It can help you avoid any mistakes and focus on the most important facts. You will need to complete this before you start with the actual writing, and it will apply to all papers and all types of writings out there.

 

• • Never use slang wordsHere we can see one mistake and one tip that you will need. If you use slang words, you can end up with a problem. Professors don’t like these, and they don’t have any room for professional papers. Instead, you will need to use proper and professional words. Use big words when you can so you don’t see any problems. But, you also need to be direct, and you need to stay focused at any given moment. These are mandatory elements, and they deserve a special spot for all students.

 

• • Use the first person singularIf you think for a second, you will realize that here you will work on something that affected you. As such, you need to use first-person singular! This is another mistake a lot of students make, and it can have a huge side effect on the whole content. There are no exceptions, so you can memorize this tip and always use it.

 

• • It must be deepThese papers are deep, and they don’t need to touch the idea in a shallow way. You need to explain as much as you can and use a lot of details. The more details you use, the better. In other words, this is not a simple summary you will need to provide, and you are done with it. This is complicated content that needs to explore emotions, opinions, and reflections in the deepest way imaginable. Deeper you get, the easier it is to connect with the readers.

 

• • Don’t describe too muchThe description must be focused on the experience and how it affected you and not on the objects or locations. Many students believe the opposite, so they will waste a lot of time explaining the wrong element here. Keep in mind that this is not an essay where you need can explain all the elements at the same level of detail. Some elements like the experience are far more important than others.