Academic Writing
Remember that academic writing is different from writing we've done on our sitcom papers. Here are a couple things to keep in mind when you write your papers:

• the length is not important, but having a complete argument is; make sure you address all aspects of an issue when you write
• complete your thoughts so your readers know exactly what you are trying to say; you can use examples, stats, analogies, etc.
• your introduction should introduce your topic, not what your are going to say in your paper
• your conclusion should tie the elements of your paper together, not summarize what you've said
• when organizing, group similar ideas together, separate different ideas
• don't leave your reader hanging with a conditional clause: "Since the jury decided he was guilty."—they're expecting something more here
• make sure pronouns are clear; don't say "It was bad."—leaving your readers wondering what "it" is referring to
• watch for sentence fragments and conversational writing, like "So anyway..." or "The movie sucked big-time..."
• proofread your papers for correctness; check punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.