A term paper is essentially a major piece of academic work that is done by a student during a semester. Whether you are a student in college or in University it is mandatory for you to work on this assignment for every semester of your academic years until you graduate. This is so because a term paper helps students to acquire the various necessary writing, organization, critical thinking and professional skills that are essential in their respective areas of specialization or career paths. If you are a student at college or university level and you are confused about how you can write a term paper then we are glad to share this information with you.
Perhaps choosing the topic of your term paper is the most difficult part of writing a term paper. Sometimes lecturers and course instructors provide students with topics but other times, such topics are not provided. If the topic is already provided for you then you can go straight ahead to start reviewing the available literature in order to get to know what has been done and what has not. If you belong to the category of students who have the freedom to choose their own topic then there are a number of things that you need to consider before settling on any one given topic. First you need to come up with a topic from an area that genuinely interests you. Second, you must confirm that availability of literature that is relevant to your topic and thirdly you ought to consider the scope of your topic. It is quite important to limit the scope of your research so that you don’t superficially cover your problem of study.
It is important to note that there are a number of sections that your term paper must contain. These parts are; an abstract, introduction, methods, findings, discussion and discussion. An abstract gives a brief summary of your term paper. Stated differently, an abstract briefly describes; the topic of your term paper, the reasons why you feel that it is important to study that given topic, the methods used in studying the topic, the various findings of your study and the conclusion. In most cases, students are normally given a limit of the words that they can use when writing an abstract. It then follows that brevity is the most important thing to adhere to when writing an abstract of a term paper.
Introduction is yet another important component of conventional term paper. You are supposed to always ensure that the introduction of your term paper is very strong. Specifically, a good introduction should clearly define the problem of your study, convince the reader that the problem is significant, show that you are aware of the various studies that have been conducted in your area of study and lastly you ought to let the reader know the various methods that you have used in this academic assignment. It is always a wise thing to keep it in mind that how good your introduction is will to a great extent determine if the reader will read the rest of your work. It is therefore imperative to make your introduction not only informative but also interesting.
A conventional term paper for college or University should also have a section clearly labeled “methods”. In this section, you are expected to describe the various methods that you used in this study. Here, you must be sure to let the reader know the criteria that you used in determining the relevant data. Specifically, you are supposed to unambiguously explain the data collection instruments that you used in gathering the information in your term paper. The most important thing to remember when writing this section is that you ought to convince the reader that the data collection instruments and methods that you used are valid and hence your term paper is not only valid but also reliable.
Moreover, your term paper should have a section dealing with the findings of your study. Remember when writing a term paper what you are required to do is essentially to try and solve a problem. This implies that your study will most definitely come up with the findings. Basically, the findings are what you have discovered in your efforts to try and solve a given problem. Such findings are explained in this section of term paper.
A good term paper should also have a discussion. This is quite an important part as this is where you are expected to explain what the findings mean in depth. It is based on this discussion in light of the given research problem that you are supposed to draw a conclusion and make some recommendation of how the given problem can be solved or ameliorated.
Lastly, you must be sure to include a list of references at the end of your term paper. In order to avoid being accused of plagiarism, it is important to make sure that you properly acknowledge all the sources of the information used in your term paper. This is the main reason why all academic institutions insist that an acceptable term paper must have a “References” or a “Works Cited” page depending on the writing style that you decide to use.
Writing A term Paper is a Process
Above all else, in order to write an impressive term paper for college or University you ought to manage your time properly. Writing a term paper is a process and as such, you must come up with a work plan and time line that you should strictly adhere to. Starting writing your term paper early enough is particularly a good way of increasing your chances of submitting your work before the set deadline. It is therefore needless to over-emphasize the fact that you should be time-conscious right from the identification of the topic all the way through the various writing stages to proofreading and editing the final copy of your term paper. If you would like to learn more about writing a term paper for college or university or if you would like personalized assistance in writing your term paper, then do not hesitate to contact us.