Tracing paper works well for covering, especially if you're eating and drawing (a double especially for greasy food xD) This is to help pick up the oils in your hand, so you don't get that smudge (WARNING: Sometimes this does not work as the tracing paper can pick up graphite on the other side. Usually happens if you use the same piece too much/long).
For pens and inking, plain white paper works well- I don't reccomend trcing because that sometimes smudges fesh inks even more than your hand emo It sucks so much...
I also find going toward the direction of your dominant hand works (in the sense it smudges less than the opposite way... ie: right-handed artists go left to right, left-handed artists go right to left).