Every day students need to face tens of different assignments: essays, reports, research papers, reviews, lab works and much more. That is why they are often lost in multiple requirements and outlines, especially if the task is not so common.
This also concerns a term paper, which should be completed at the end of the course or semester. It gives teachers a chance to evaluate knowledge of the students and to see how well they are able to conduct research and analyze obtained information.
The structure of your paper must be easily readable and organized, so your technical skills in writing must be at a very high level. Below we have made a list of all the sections your assignment should consist of if you want to present all of the arguments in a solid and consistent way.
- Cover page. Write down your name, number of the course, the name of your teacher and deadline date;
- It should be no longer than a page and describe your paper’s aim. It gives the reader a chance to understand where your paper will take them, what issues are addressed and why the topic is so important and interesting that you decided to cover it;
- The first paragraph of your paper should start with the main statement. You should also give a brief insight into the topic, discussing social events that surround the matter. Write several sentences on how you are planning to solve the issue;
- Body paragraphs. Main paragraphs of the essay must contain all the information you have collected on the research. Provide all of the details in a simple and clear manner, so that readers can easily understand what you are talking about. Don’t forget to back every issue and argument with credible information and facts that you have found during your research;
- Give an explanation of why conducted research made you think about certain things about the subject. Did you change your views since the beginning of the project? Or did it stay the same? Link everything you have mentioned to a thesis statement, introduced in the beginning;
- Close your paper with a brief summary and conclusion on the topic question. You can finish the work with an open question or with a call-to-action to make the reader want to conduct research further.
Important Term Paper Writing Tips
For most of the students writing papers becomes a real disaster, because not many of them are able to express their thoughts freely. However, with proper preparation and mastering a few tricks, you will be able to succeed even if you don’t have writing experience.
Our writers are ready to share the best term paper tips with you! They include:
- Make research. It is impossible to create a solid paper without any information. Moreover, such papers require only credible facts, so you should pay attention to academic books and publications, not web pages and forums. Make sure the author is reliable and reputable, so you won’t have to rewrite the paper anew if your tutor rejects the sources you have used;
- Processing information is the key to understanding the subject and making conclusions. There are multiple analysis techniques depending on your goals. However, if you don’t want to waste your time, just try to make notes and remember key details on the subject. This will help you to build links and to see interconnections;
- Organize the writing process to have enough time and energy for every stage. Try to plan your day in advance and devote plenty of time to writing without any distractions;
- Classify found information to distinguish important from irrelevant;
- Examine the background to be able to answer tutor’s and readers’ questions on the reasons why a certain issue happened and how it influences modern society;
- Choose the right facts, which are not only directly linked to your subject but are also credible and relevant;
- Find a paper example on a similar topic and look through it. This will help you to get an idea of how your paper should look like, and you may even learn a few useful tips.
Term Paper Formatting
Unfortunately, it is not enough to know how write term assignments, as you may easily get a low grade simply because of a wrong formatting style. That is why knowing formatting peculiarities is a must not depending on the topic and subject.
When you start working on the format, you should first consider the length of the paper and the required formatting style. Once you have researched the subject, you need to apply a certain citation style.
If you fail to reference all the sources, you may not only get a lower grade but also be accused of plagiarism. The most commonly used styles in these types of works are MLA and APA.
MLA or the Modern Language Association style is used for humanities and liberal arts. If you need to reference a source, you should indicate the name of the author, date, and location of the publishing.
APA or American Psychological Association is a style for social sciences. When referencing a source in an APA style, you need to indicate the author’s name, a title of the book, publication year, publishing and its location. We recommend you making notes on every source, while you are processing them in order to keep track of all of the necessary details.
Great Term Paper Topics
If you are lost in term paper writing and don’t know what topic to choose, we have made a list of the most popular and modern topics that will boost your imagination and will help to get started.
- Outsourcing;
- Violence on campus;
- Legalization of drugs;
- Animal rights;
- Gun control;
- Drunk driving;
- Distance education;
- Assisted suicide;
- The brutality of police;
- Sex crimes.
These topics are quite controversial, so you will surely grab the attention of the audience and will cause a discussion. Good luck!
