What is a Reflection Paper?

The Major Definition

A reflection paper allows you to take a personal approach and express thoughts on
topic instead of just providing bare facts. It can be a discussion on any subject – from
your favorite movie to visiting Grand Canyon and reflecting on a certain theory of
evolution. A reflective paper can be educational, professional, and personal. Each has a
slightly different tone:
 educational is a response to some book, film or lecture studied in class;
 professional is a common task for teachers and social workers, focused on
analyzing their person’s behavior;
 personal expresses your feelings regarding a more intimate subject.

Tips on Writing a Reflection Paper

Your thoughts on the legacy of John F. Kennedy and the famous winter storm in New
York City may need a different approach, but you can follow these steps regardless of
the topic you are working on. Here are some nuances that may be useful for reflection
writing.

Critical reflection paper

This is one of the most challenging tasks when you are thinking about how to write a
reflection topic. Critical reflection is a culmination of your studying process. It results in
intensive thinking that presents your abilities to observe, question, evaluate, and apply
personal experiences to the interpreting of the subject.
 Describe an experience – provide some details on an object or an event.
 Examine the experience – integrate personal and academic contexts.
 Provide in-depth analysis of those experiences.
 Tell readers what you learned after analysis.
 Clarify how analyzed subject will be useful in your future.
 You may also suppose how everyone else reading should feel about it.
Reflection paper on a book
 Start with brief information about the author.
 Give a summary with a minimum of spoilers.
 Focus on the main characters.
 Explain what issues a writer touches upon.
 Explain the allusions and influences.
 React to reading, share your impressions.
Course reflection paper
  Write the course name and its short description.
 Write a summary of discussed materials.
 Tell about the course flow and the instructions.
 Give a reason why you decided to take this course.
 Define the main concepts and theories learned.
 Interpret those theories on your own.
 Express your opinion by using real-life examples.
 Evaluate your course relevance.
Reflection on a project
 You can use the same structure you use for a previous paper.
 Try to talk about the task’s pros and cons and offer changes.
 Estimate the difficulty and relevance in real-life conditions.
Reflection paper on an interview
 Hint on a conclusion in the intro.
 Introduce a person at the beginning.
 Discuss notable viewpoints.
 Focus on the controversies.
 Expresses what you like or don’t like about the person.

Reflection Paper Outline

There are two approaches to writing a reflection paper – a traditional and an original
(though a risky one):
1) Express the main idea in a thesis statement, develop it in body paragraphs by
providing supportive arguments, and conclude facts by supporting the thesis statement
once more.
2) Start a conversation on topic and hint on a conclusion. Suppose where the subject is
going to lead but leave the room for some doubts. Provide an analysis in the body.
Come up with a conclusion that is slightly or entirely different from what you expected at
the beginning.
Introduction
Express your feelings on a subject is the most critical thing in how to write a reflection
paper. Just don’t be too emotional. You should express your ideas in a reasonable, not
sentimental way. It should fit the academic style. Provide insight: tell a reader what they
are to expect in the following paragraphs. Build a strong idea: summarize the central
claim in one sentence to drive attention.
  It should be informative, brief, and catchy.
 You can ask a reflective question in the text.
 Don’t start from the thesis, come back to it later.
Body
This is a part where you explore the thesis. You should explain the case in several
paragraphs. Use a three-paragraph structure. In the first one, introduce the experience
and how it influenced you. In the next one, compare the experiences of others. Then,
tell what you learned from it.
 You can start with the reasons for choosing the topic.
 Dig into nuances to explain everything well.
 Be logical.
 Include solid examples and quote sources.
 Show how the subject has affected you.
Conclusion
The conclusion should be solid, even striking. It is the bottom line of the paper which
demonstrates that your ideas have been fully formed. Wrap up the discussion by
placing the strong accents. Leave the conceivable image of your experience, so readers
get some food for reflection. If you want to read more information, we can show you
how to write a conclusion.
 Highlight the main points.
 Make it effective and sound persuasive
 Answer what you asked in the intro.

15 Topics for a Good Paper

If you want to write college papers well, you should choose a good topic – something
that is familiar for you, bothers you, stimulates to share your viewpoint with others. Very
often you don’t have an opportunity to choose. That’s when you need to rely on your
skills. To learn how to write a proper paper, you need some practice. Here are some
topics for you as an exercise or at least for understanding what people speak about in
such papers.
 The things that inspire you.
 How to deal with stress.
 Are we alone in the space?
 Your favorite place in the world.
 How to admit you were wrong.
 What do you feel when telling lies?
 The biggest challenge in your life.
 Top ten qualities that are important in people.
 The most unusual place you have been too / wished to visit.
 The role of school/college/university in your life.
 A person/event/situation that has changed your life.
 An outstanding person (you choose) and their role in history.
 How social media and television affect how we make decisions.
 How technologies will alter the future in 100 years.
 What is your childish dream that has come true and which one never will?