Writing a term paper is part of the academic requirements in every academic session. At times, it’s also part of college and university Continuous Assessment Tests. It is often a big task that requires extensive work and a lot of commitment. If you feel that you’re capable all by yourself, well and good, take on the task ahead. But if you need some help with the term paper, you can use a cheap essay writing service. In essence, it is important to note that writing a term paper is not a walk in the park. You have to get a solid understanding of how to do so. Failure to do so might put your academics in jeopardy.
This article gives a guide that will ultimately make you write an excellent term paper.
The General Overview
Start by having a general overview of what you want to write. In this overview, you will have to choose a broad issue to focus on. The broad issue is actually the topic and subject of your term paper. Your overview should have all the points that you want to talk about in the term paper.
Narrow Down to a Specific Subject
Once you’ve chosen a subject, start narrowing down to the finer aspects of it. Gather all facts and figures that pertain the subject matter. Go ahead and determine the objective of your term paper. This should be the ultimate goal that your paper is seeking to achieve.
Research
After you’ve determined the objective of your paper, start doing some preliminary research. You can review various literature that relates to the subject at hand. Go ahead and draw up a bibliography.
Create an Outline
At this point, you have the necessary aspects that can help you create an outline. The outline should succinctly give points that you want to focus on the entire term paper. You can list all the headings and subheadings, and later, you can list all points under each subheading.
As you come up with a rough draft of the term paper, make sure that you do more research into the subject matter of the paper. Get some incremental resources for your paper. You can also use online resources to add gist to your term paper. Get as many perspectives as you can from various quarters.
Finally, when your rough draft is conclusive and has some weight, prepare the final draft. This should be followed by rigorous proofreading and editing.
The Structure of your Paper
The basic and popular structure of a term paper is as follows:
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- References
Some term papers might also include a table of contents, an acknowledgment, and an appendix, but this is not always the case.
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Your introduction should do the following:
- Give a background on the topic
- Give a basic definition of terms and concepts
- Give the direction of the paper and your purpose
- It should clearly state your plan in terms of organization
When conducting research have the following in mind:
- Taking advantage of your school library’s catalog. Utilize the bibliographies that are present in journals and professional papers. Add the sources that are suggested to you by your professor.
- Always have a mastery of what you are going to write even if it’s a general mastery. Gain initial knowledge by reading through general articles that discuss the subject matter.
- Have a preference for primary sources rather than secondary sources. This is a good practice that will ensure that you get first-hand information.
- When you have a collection of sources, and you’re not sure which one to use, just use the most recent one.
What Else Should You Include In Your Paper?
Synthesis
This involves creating relationships between the information that you have gathered for your term paper. The relationships has to be made evident. Show the cause and effect relationships of variables.
Analysis
This should be the hallmark of your term paper. It should be solid in order to uncover the facts and evidence that try to prove the thesis statement of your term paper. Always have something that’s concrete to back your arguments.
Clarity
The language of your term paper should be a simple, informative and easy to understand language. Your focus is on the ultimate reader. They should get the information that you’re trying to convey without too much hustle.
Examination
When writing your term paper, show the readers how the subject matter of your research fits in the general field of study that you’re pursuing. Show your examinations skills by noting aspects such as the historical significance of the subject and its relation with other fields.
Selection
Once you’ve gathered a variety of information of your sources, ensure that you subject them to a vigorous selection process. Not everything that you had gathered might be feasible in your term paper. Weed out any irrelevant material. Remain with the most relevant material that’s closely aligned to the subject of your term paper.
Concluding your Term Paper
Conclusions are the most challenging aspects of term papers. This is because they entail summarizing the whole term paper in just a paragraph. A conclusion, therefore, requires careful selection of words and vivid descriptions of main ideas. The conclusion should serve as what the reader will take home from your research. It is what you want them to remember out of the volumes of information that you may have included in the term paper. Consider facts that relate to your subject matter in a general way; this is not the place to get into details. Close with a call for action or restate your position as regards the subject of your term paper.
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Lastly, pay attention to the required standards and formats. Scientific term papers normally have their specific rules. Your instructor can give you a guide to the required rules. Most papers use the APA format. But you can also acquaint yourself with other writing styles such as MLA and Harvard. Some formats might require you to write footnotes in your text. Your instructor might also demand figures and tables in your work.
Conclusion
Writing a term paper can be a technical and demanding task. Even so, if you follow the above techniques, you are sure to encounter less hustle in writing your term paper. Your term paper will be excellent in all aspects.
