Only an A+ essay earns a place on your grandmother's fridge or your own fridge.Are you busting your butt just to get good results?If you want to take your term papers to the head of the class, you should follow these steps.
Step 1: Pick a topic.
If you're given the chance to choose your own, take advantage of it.Pick something you're particularly interested in because this will make it easier to write; in particular, try to select the topic as a result of pressing questions you already know you want to search for answers to.Once you've decided on a topic, be sure to hone it in to a do-able topic which will make it impossible to complete within the allotted time and space.Pick a topic that can be worked within the paper's boundaries.If the topic is already chosen for you, start exploring unique angles that can set your content and information apart from the more obvious approaches many others will probably take.The reader will be drawn into and fascinated by whatever angle your topic takes.Don't choose a topic and be so focused on the outcome of your paper that you're closed to new ideas and avenues of thinking as you work through the paper.This is called "premature cognitive commitment".It can mar an otherwise good paper because an outcome that is pre-determined in your head, regardless of the research findings along the way, will be molded to fit the outcome.Asking continuous questions about the topic at each stage of your research and writing will give you a "hypothesis" rather than a conclusion.You will be prepared to be challenged and have your opinion changed as you work through the paper.Reading other people's comments, opinions and entries on a topic can help you to refine your own, especially where they say that further research is required or that they don't know anything.You can see how to establish a research topic.
Step 2: You should research.
It's pointless to start writing until you've done the research.You need to understand the background to the topic and the current thinking, as well as finding out what future research is needed in the area.If you want to learn anything from the research and writing process, you should avoid re-telling information you already know.Go into research with a sense of adventure and an openness to learning, as well as being ready to discover new ways of looking at old problems.Both primary text and document are used when researching.Secondary sources include interpretations and explanations of the primary source.There is a place for discussing with like-minded students and even finding online discussions about the topic if you feel comfortable doing this, but these discussions are for idea-sharing and helping you to gel your ideas and are not usually quotable sources.How to research a paper is one of the helpful resources to check out.How to take better notes, taking notes from a book, and taking Cornell notes are some of the things that can be done.
Step 3: Make your thesis statement better.
Think about the topic after you've done the research.To make it clear to a reader what they're about to learn about and be given a conclusion on, it's important to know the single strong idea you'll be discussing, your assertion that you can defend throughout the paper and that.The idea that you'll defend in the paragraphs that follow is what your thesis statement is about.The rest of the paper will be bland if you serve it half-baked.Make a thesis that is interesting to you and you won't have to worry about backing it up.Your first draft should be written after you're satisfied with your topic.The research doesn't stop here.The thesis statement does not.As you continue to work through both the research and the writing, you may wish to make changes that align with the ideas forming in your mind.Do be careful not to be a continuousseeker who never alights upon a single idea for fear of confinement."Enough is enough to make my point here!" is what you will have to say at some point.There is always a chance of postgraduate study if you are taken with a topic, but remember that the term paper has a finite word length and due date.
Step 4: The paper should have an outline.
Some people can skip this step and work on a term paper.If you want to know where you're going, it's better to have an outline than a road map.Like the entire paper, the outline is subject to change.It gives you a sense of structure and framework to fall back on when you lose your way mid paper and it also serves as the skeleton of your paper, and the rest is just filling in the details.You can have your own preferred method for developing an outline.Some of the basic elements of an outline should include: introduction, discussion paragraphs/sections and conclusion or summary.The background or theme is set byDescriptive or explanatory paragraphs following the introduction.There are analysis and argument paragraphs.Write out the main idea for each body paragraph using your research.You're not sure about any outstanding questions or points.You can see how to write an outline.
Step 5: In the introduction, make your point.
Don't turn the introductory paragraph into a hurdle.As you continue to work through the paper, it's most likely to be rewritten as you experience changes of direction, flow and outcome.It's always revisable, so see it as simply a means of getting started.This approach allows you the freedom to fix it as you please.The breakdown of the term paper is something the reader will need to be aware of from the beginning.If you want to get your introduction going, try using a question or a quote.In the context of the thesis, relate a curious anecdote that will make absolute sense to the reader.Talk about your topic.It's important to be succinct, clear and straightforward.Hesis statement.This should have been explained in the previous step.Define the words contained in the question.It's important to state which words you'll be using in your introductory section because they have different meanings.
Step 6: The reader should be persuaded with your body paragraphs.
Make sure the paragraphs support your argument in a new way.Do you not know if your body is up to the task?They should read like a list of evidence that proves your thesis if you try isolating the first sentence of each paragraph.If you know something about the growing trend of free-wheeling hookups in frat parties, try to relate the actual subject of the essay to that.Make a few generalizations about why this aspect of the book is so fascinating and worthy of study, such as how different the expectations for physical intimacy were then compared with now.
Step 7: Go for it.
Estate your thesis statement using the ROCC method.An important detail is usually found in your last paragraph.Wrap it up.There is something left for the reader to think about.
Step 8: Show off some style.
Is it possible to use outside sources?If you're not in the USA, you can find out which citation style your instructor prefers.The manual can be found at owl.English.Purdue.EU, if you're unsure of the rules.Peppering quotes throughout your text is a good way to help make your point, but don't use so many quotes as the embodiment of your points that you're basically allowing other authors to make the point and write the paper for you.Cut and paste from other people's arguments.Don't say anything other than "A says... B says..." if you want to back up your own thinking.The reader wants to know what you have to say.To avoid having a last minute scramble, it's helpful to sort out your bibliography from the beginning.
Step 9: Burn fat, build muscles.
Finding ways to cut words in a graded paper is always a good idea.Is your sentence in good shape?Determine if you've used the least words possible while still retaining meaning by examining each one.Weak "to-be" verbs can be traded for stronger action verbs.I wrote my term paper.
Step 10: Do not be a slob.
The first step in making sure your paper is correct is running your spelling-checker.A spell-check won't catch errors like "how" instead of "show", nor will it pick up on double words, unless you useMS Word, which can be configured to check grammar.There's a good chance you didn't put much effort into your paper, if you're too careless to proofread.To address the mess, ask a friend to read through your essay and mark any mistakes.It should be a given.You need a teacher to give you the benefit of the doubt, not correct it.The message is lost because of a few too many errors.
Step 11: Don't think of a title that is too long or short, but one that catches the attention of the reader.
For some essayists, a great title appears at the beginning of writing, while for others, it only becomes apparent after reading the entire paper.If you're still stuck, you might be surprised how a fresh mind unacquainted with the topic can come up with a pithy title at a moment's notice.