Introduction

Your introduction should specify what you’re reflecting upon. Make sure that your thesis
informs your reader about your general position, or opinion, toward your subject.

 State what you are analysing: a passage, a lecture, an academic article, an experience,
etc...)
 Briefly summarize the work.
 Write a thesis statement stating how your subject has affected you.

One way you can start your thesis is to write:

Example:
“After reading/experiencing (your chosen topic), I gained the knowledge of…”

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs should examine the ideas and experiences you’ve had in context to your
topic. Make sure each new body paragraph starts with a topic sentence.

If you are writing about a book or an academic article, your reflection may include quotes and
passages. They give your reader a point of reference to fully understand your feedback. Feel free
to describe what you saw, what you heard, and how you felt.

Example:
“I saw many people participating in our weight experiment. The atmosphere felt nervous yet
inspiring. I was amazed by the excitement of the event.”

Conclusion
As with any conclusion, you should summarize what you’ve learned from the experience. Tell
the reader how your newfound knowledge has affected your understanding of the subject in
general. Describe the feeling and overall lesson you had as a result of the reading or experience.

There are a few good ways to conclude a reflection paper:

 Tie all the ideas from your body paragraphs together, and generalize the major insights
you’ve experienced.
 Restate your thesis and summarize the content from your paper.

We have a separate blog post dedicated to writing a great conclusion. Be sure to check it out for
an in-depth look at how to make a good final impression on your reader.

Do you need a helping hand with your reflection paper outline? Count on the support of our
professional writers.

GET STARTED

How to Write a Reflection Paper: Step-by-

Step Guide
Step 1: Create a Main Theme

After you choose your topic, write a short summary about what you have learned about your
experience with that topic. Let readers know how you feel about your topic—and be honest.
Chances are that your readers will likely be able to relate to your opinion or at least the way you
form your perspective, and that will help them have a better understanding of your reflection.

For example:
After watching a TEDx episode on Wim Hof, I was able to reevaluate my preconceived notions
about the negative effects of cold exposure.
Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas and Experiences You’ve Had
Related to Your Topic

You can write down specific quotes, predispositions you have, things that influenced you, or
anything memorable. Be personal and explain, in simple words, how you felt.

For example:
• A lot of people think that even a small amount of carbohydrates will make people gain weight
• A specific moment when I struggled with an excess weight where I avoided carbohydrates
entirely
• The consequences of my actions that gave rise to my research
• The evidence and studies of nutritional science that claim carbohydrates alone are to blame for
making people obese
• My new experience with having a healthy diet with a well-balanced intake of nutrients
• The influence of other people’s perceptions on the harm of carbohydrates, and the role their
influence has had on me
• New ideas I’ve created as a result of my shift in perspective

Step 3: Analyse How and Why These Ideas and

Experiences Have Affected Your Interpretation of Your
Theme

Pick an idea or experience you had from the last step, and analyse it further. Write your
reasoning for agreeing or disagreeing with it.

For example:‍
‍Idea:  I was brought up to think that carbohydrates make people gain weight.
Analysis:Most people think that if they eat any carbohydrates, such as bread, cereal, and sugar,
they will gain weight. I believe in this misconception to such a great extent that I avoided
carbohydrates entirely. As a result, my blood glucose levels were very low. I needed to do a lot
of my own research to finally overcome my beliefs. After, I adopted the philosophy of
“everything in moderation” as a key for having a healthy lifestyle.
Step 4: Make Connections Between Your Observations,
Experiences, and Opinions

Try to connect your ideas and insights to form a cohesive picture for your theme. You can also
try to recognize and break down your assumptions, which you may challenge in the future.

There are some subjects for reflection papers that are most commonly written about. They
include:

 Book – Start off by writing some information about the author’s biography and
summarize the plot—without revealing the ending to keep your readers interested. Make
sure to include the names of characters, the main themes, and any issues mentioned in the
book. Finally, express your thoughts and reflect on the book itself.
 Course – A good place to start is to include the course name and its description. Then,
you can write about the course flow, explain reasons you had for taking this course, and
tell readers what you learned from it. Since it is a paper about reflection, express your
opinion, supporting it with examples from the course.
 Project – The structure for a reflection paper about a project has identical guidelines to
that of a course. One of the things you might want to add would be the pros and cons of
the course. Also, mention some changes you might want to see, and evaluate how
relevant the skills you acquired are to real life.
 Interview – First, introduce the person, and briefly mention what the interview was
about. Touch on the main points, controversies, and what your opinion is on that person.

Writing Tips
Everyone has their own style of writing a reflective essay – and that’s the beauty of it, you have
plenty of leeway with this type of paper – but, there are still a few tips everyone should
incorporate.
Before you start your paper, read some examples of other papers, they will likely help you get a
better understanding of what they are and how to approach yours. When picking your subject, try
to write about something unusual and memorable — it is more likely to capture your readers’
attention. Never write the whole essay at once. Space out the time slots when you work on your
reflection paper to at least a day apart. This will allow your brain to generate new thoughts and
reflections.

 Short and Sweet – Most reflection papers are between 250 and 750 words. Don’t go off
on tangents. Only include relevant information.
 Clear and Concise – Make your paper as clear and concise as possible. Use a strong
thesis so that your essay can follow it with the same strength.
 Maintain the Right Tone – Use a professional and academic tone—even though the
writing is personal.
 Cite Your Sources – Try to cite authoritative sources and experts to back up your
personal opinions.
 Proofreading – Not only should you proofread for spelling and grammatical errors, but
you should proofread to focus on your organization as well. Answer the question
presented in the introduction.

Reflection Paper: Video Guide

Free Reflection Paper Example
Now that we went over all of the essentials about a reflection paper and how to approach it, we
would like to show you some examples that will definitely help you with getting started on your
paper.

Reflection of Angela Jones’ Lecture on Poverty

The lecture started off with a quote: “If we can conquer space, we can conquer world hunger”
— Buzz Aldrin. This quote had already got me thinking about how incredible of a feat it is that
we’ve sent humans and animals into space. If it’s possible to survive in the infinite vacuum we
know as Space, how are there billions of people who have a hard time surviving on Earth? This
relatively simple idea reached out to get my attention and make me feel sympathy for all of the
starving children and families in the world. On a morning like any other, our guest professor
gave a lecture that truly impacted me to my core.

Do You Need a Well-Written Reflection Paper?

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11/19/2020
Slide 3 of 3.
It is essential to be a global citizen in order to develop cultural awareness and empathy, to
preserve the planet that all humans share, and to better prepare yourself to thrive in the
increasingly global community.
The ethics of global citizenship have their potential value in education because they prepare
learners to face the global issues and provide them with the necessary skills
and ethical concepts, such as respect, empathy, cooperation and many other standards in
order to create global ethical societies.

This is the third article in a series in which philosophers discuss the greatest
moral challenge of our time, and how we should address it.

The erosion of trust in a civil society is one of the greatest moral challenges
facing the world today.

Democratic societies are anxious. Leaders, and the general public, are
worried about extremism, terrorism and radicalisation. Educators and experts
are rightly concerned about those who perpetuate approaches that resemble
indoctrination. Such threats are making us less trusting of others, particularly
of those we see as somehow different from ourselves.

A remedy may be found in educating people to be “global citizens”, who are

not just caring, but are also critically engaged with ideas, beliefs and attitudes
exhibited across the world. These global citizens can help to rebuild the lost
trust in civil society in an increasingly diverse and globalised world.

The good life

In order to live among others in a harmonious manner, we must recognise that
others wish to live a good life, much like ourselves. As Tim Dean points out,
the “good life” looks different for different people at different times. There is no
“one size fits all” when it comes to the good life.

The expression of diversity is an important component of a world that

celebrates liberty. Yet such freedom must be coupled with respect and care if
we are to have any hope of promoting ethical decision-making on a local,
national or international level. We must think of ourselves as alike even amidst
our diversity.
As individuals who live in communities, we must co-operate in order to
achieve our goals, whether they be small or large. A life is shaped by our
interaction (or lack thereof) with others: family, friends, colleagues and
strangers.

We crave and seek out connection and a sense of belonging. With the
technological tools available to us, we may now connect at any minute of any
day with people we have never met in places we have never been.

The importance of trust

Trust is one of the most important pro-social attitudes we have. Philosophers
such as Annette Baier and Martha Nussbaum have written about the
vulnerability as well as the necessity of trust.

If we don’t trust others or treat one another with respect and compassion, our
interactions can be unsettling, sources of anxiety or even fear. Yet, if we
approach others as friends – as more or less like me – a reciprocal and
mutual goodwill is shared and is conducive to pleasant interactions and life-
affirming experiences.

Granted, blind trust is as dangerous as blind faith. Trust, and compassion,

must be accompanied by an appropriately engaged critical mind. But we must
not go so far as to think that trust and care are unreasonable just because the
world is a scary place.

As I have previously written, empirical studies conducted in the United States

demonstrated that people think the world is a less trustworthy place than
previous generations. However, proportionally, crime has not increased. What
has increased is the number of crimes reported in the broadcast news and the
amount of news we consume.

Reading too many sensationalised news stories may lead us to perceive the
world as an unhappy, unfriendly place in which people are not to be trusted.
Yet if this really were the case, it would be very difficult to go about our daily
lives. Our perception matters, and how we see others and how we are seen
shapes our experiences in the world.

Global citizens
The global citizen is someone who recognises others as more alike than
different from themselves, even while taking seriously individual, social,
cultural and political differences.

Global citizens come together and unite in the recognition that we should all
care about planet Earth and that all people have a shared interest in living
well.

Caring about others we have never met and who may seem very different
from ourselves can be a challenge, particularly in a climate of fear. Yet there
are some well-known voices calling for such a compassionate and inclusive
attitude to be adopted.

Peter Singer defends the concept of “one world” and Kwame Anthony Appiah
supplements this idea with his writings on cosmopolitanism.

Martha Nussbaum highlights the importance of cultivating our “inner eyes” and
being able to “see the world from the perspective of minority experience” as a
way of overcoming fear and intolerance.

In her bestselling No Logo, Naomi Klein notes that, “with globalization, there
needs to be some common standards”.

All argue in support of the notion of the global citizen.

In a pragmatic sense, global citizens will support policies that extend aid
beyond national borders and cultivate respectful and reciprocal relationships
with others regardless of geographical distance, gender, religion or race.

Have you read?

 International trade is slowing. What does this mean for globalization?

 Globalization has created wealth – but for whom?

 How is inflation affected by globalisation?

Global citizens are compassionate even while being critically engaged in a

search for truth and wisdom. They make use of technology (social media,
blogs and wikis) to further their understanding as well as their causes. They
have the skills required to be creative and adapt to the rapidly changing global
market.
Granted, all of this may not be easy to achieve. There are certainly
educational aims that must be considered if we are to cultivate the habits of a
compassionate, yet critical, global citizen. Yet I, for one, believe
these educational goals are worth striving for.

The great moral challenge is to find a way to live together ethically as global
citizens, and celebrate the connectedness of our technological world.