Writing Your Best Term Paper The Easy Way |
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By: Jonathan Miller Posted: 2011-02-17 01:37:40 |
| If you have just started college then you may find that the notion of term papers is rather different from the term papers you wrote when you were in high school. In college you will be expected to reference your work properly and to summarize the work of others in structuring your argument. There are a number of ways of writing a paper, some of which are easier than others; the purpose of this article is to give you some ideas that will make writing a term paper a lot easier.Researching Your PaperWhen you're in college, the main purpose of your reading is to find the information you need to present a good argument in your paper. If you have been assigned a title for your paper; this is superb because that will at least give you a starting point.Most college term paper questions will be centered on whatever aspect of your chosen subject you have been studying that term; which means that at least some of the information will be in your class notes.Before you visit the library and come out with a pile of tomes on the subject of your paper, you should go through your own notes. See what points about the subject were emphasized in your notes as these will give you an idea of the things you should be looking for in the books and journal articles that you use for your research.Framing QuestionsOnce you have two or three points that you think are important, write down a couple of questions connected to those points e.g. what further information do I need on this, who wrote about this aspect, who disagreed with the first person's point of view are all valid questions for what you should be looking for.Don't forget the internet when you're doing your research, just framing a question, e.g. which of Shakespeare's plays is the one that actors are most superstitious about. Putting it in Google Scholar will give you some basic information that you can research further in the books and articles you have chosen.Journal articles are sometimes more useful than books, especially if you're only writing a short paper of 750-1,000 words. Most academic journals have what are known as abstracts, which is a short summary of an article that may contain at least one of the answers to your questions. Write notes down while you're reading and highlight those areas that you think are most important.Putting it All TogetherOnce you have finished your reading and listed the points that you think are important you can write your first draft. Start with the middle of the article and argue the points that you want to make by summarizing the arguments of other writers and reference those writers in the style used by your college. What you have written is the meat.Once you have completed this you can write your introduction by outlining what you have done in the middle of the paper. Write your conclusion last, revisiting the nub of your argument and taking up your position at the end. Put the paper away for a day or two then pull it out and edit and rewrite sections that you think are weak and you are ready to submit. |
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