Tell students to perform enough background research until they have fully familiarized themselves with the subject of the paper. This means that they should conduct both online research and traditional book research. Sometimes middle school teachers don't want students to use particular types of sources, so be sure they don't use questionable references like personal blogs. Instead, students should stick with more credible online sources such as university websites and sites run by government agencies. Students who consult several credible sources will write papers with strong research foundations. Have your students write down all the important information that they want to use later on.
Tell students to organize the layout of the paper before actually writing it. Most well-written papers aren't thrown together haphazardly, so it's important for students to implement structure. In general, students will want to start with an introduction, followed by three main points to make up the paper's body, followed by a conclusion. The introduction will give a brief overview of the paper, the body will explain each point and the conclusion will tie everything together and finalize the paper.
Tell students to write out rough drafts of their papers before writing the final product. No matter how talented your students might be with writing, it's important for them to start with a rough draft. For the initial draft, students should outline the entire structure of the paper without worrying about all the details. The rough draft gives students a template to rewrite and improve on afterward.
At least one person, perhaps a parent or classmate, should go over each student's rough draft and highlight any problem areas. This review should focus on the overall structure of the paper but should also mention spelling and grammar issues. Then the student should revise the paper to correct the errors. Students should read their papers out loud to themselves before turning them in.