Why do so many published student papers fail in their essential
purpose? (The same question might well be asked about non-student
academic writing.) The simple answer is that most students have no
clue what to write about, or how to go about writing it. Finding a useful
and interesting topic; determining the scope of the paper; developing a
thesis and testing its viability; avoiding sudden death through preemption;
and getting it placed in the best possible journal—these are
among the tasks that most students aren’t trained to perform. My applicant,
smart though he was, went off track because no one showed
him where the track was or how to stay on it. Many students make the
same mistake every year.