Have you ever had this feeling when you needed to write a paper but didn't know which topic
to choose or even what to write in the first sentence?
Or maybe you need some examples to understand the full picture of what the instructor actually
wants from you?
Hi, I’m Vlad from EssayPro.
Our professional writing team prepared this tutorial to help you understand the process
of writing A Term Paper.
A term paper is a paper that you write throughout your course.
It has to be formal, full of research, and with high technical writing skills.
To get full marks, the paper must be: Well-written, Analytical, Organized , and Well-researched.
Now, let’s talk about how we can fulfill each of those objectives!
Let’s begin our dos and don’t with: The Topic
Typically, instructors give you the topic you need to work with.
But, there are times when you’re allowed to choose your own.
So, how do you do that?
Well, if you’re not given one by your instructor, google the subject of your course.
Or, if there is a specific topic covered during class that you genuinely enjoyed learning about,
EssayPro recommends that you choose that one.
It’s much more bearable to create well written content on something that interests you, rather
than on something you really couldn’t care less about.
Now, if you’re taking Art History, you may wisely decide to spend your time writing about
the History of Cubism, for example.
If you’re taking Psychology, you can write about Memory.
That is, what science knows about it now, and what it still needs to figure out.
For examples of what Not to do:
Do not write a term paper based on work from authors that are infamous for being failures
in their field.
Do not place multiple supporting arguments in one paragraph.
Do not give examples that are irrelevant to the supporting arguments.
Most importantly, do not write your term paper about a subject that is not relevant to the
course you’re taking.
How do you avoid doing this?
It’s pretty simple.
Step 1: Pay attention in class Step 2: Lots of research
If you’re worried about how complicated your topic is, be sure to do as much research as possible
so that you’ll be able to explain the difficult details in a simple and understandable manner.
I like using the Feynman Technique, and it goes like this:
Step 1: Choose a concept Step 2: Teach it to a toddler Step 3: Identify the gaps in knowledge
Step 4: Review & Simplify Try the same approach.
No need to try and impress the instructor by showing your passion using a thesaurus.
If you don’t know enough about the subject, do your research thoroughly.
Don’t try to hide how little you know behind a wall of synonyms.
That’s just stupid.
Anyways, let’s get you started on the process of actually writing a Term Paper.
How to Start?
For those of you who are totally new to this, your task is to do the following:
take a topic (we already went through this – use the internet or other sources);
do a lot of research on it (because if you don’t, you’re likely not to accurately argue your position);
now, take a position on the topic (whether you agree or disagree with the methods proposed in it,
or the whole topic itself) – this is called your thesis;
come up with arguments that support the thesis, and prepare example-based evidence for each argument;
follow the term paper outline to organize
your data into the universal format.
Your instructor will take marks off if you don’t follow this basic structure.
So, here’s an example.
A topic we can take is: William Shakespeare.
We can begin researching by doing things such as browsing the Internet and looking at reputable
sources like bbc.com, for example.
We can also check out various university websites, such as the University of Southern California,
which has resource guides on his work.
Let’s take a position on the topic: Shakespeare’s Writing helped shape the English language.
Here are examples of Supporting Arguments: Shakespeare’s writing produced a series
of common names that are still used today, such as Jessica, Olivia, Imogen, and Miranda.
He also invented words that are commonplace all over modern media: fashionable, addiction,
inaudible, jaded, assassination, and the list goes on.
Continue developing the rest of your supporting arguments, and organize them into the
Term Paper outline – which we will explore a bit later in this video.
Also, remember: If anything is unclear about the instructions
you were given by your teacher or professor, do not hesitate to clarify any and all questions
you may have.
If you don’t do this, and you don’t fully understand the assignment, then you’re gonna
have a rough time.
To really drive the point home, let’s explore a Good Example / Bad Example scenario.
Good example: the causes of the Civil War in the United States.
The South wanted to secede to become the Confederate States of America because of an economic disagreement
involving human rights – that is, the abolition of slavery.
Historians state that the Southern States of the US made most of their money on the
backs of slavery, with industries like cotton, tobacco, and sugar acting as funnels that
raked in tons of money into the country.
This wasn’t unique to the United States, because the rubber industry boomed in Brazil
on the backs of slaves imported there, and on enslaved native Amazonians.
That is what we call a High Quality Research.
Now, a bad example would be to pick the same topic, do incomplete research, and cite people
who don’t have credibility on the subject.
Or, you cite people from way back in history who did not have all the data we have today
to analyze and make proper conclusions.
Take the idea that our brains are sponges and we’re born as blank slates.
Understand that genes aren’t solely responsible for structuring our personalities.
What matters is your understanding of how important complete analysis is in the full
spectrum of the subject.
If there is a universal consensus among those who study the topic that position A has all
the evidence, while position B is crazy talk, obviously go with position A.
To recap, remember to do the following: • Pick a topic;
• Do your research; • Analyze where the research was pointing,
based on what experts say about it; • Compile the supporting arguments;
• Provide evidence in the form of what experts in the field said to prove your supporting arguments.
Now
Term Paper Outline
If your term paper is about a scientific subject, it will overlap with the structure of a research
paper, which is the following: Cover Page – This contains your name, course
number, teacher’s name, and deadline date.
Abstract – This is usually less than a page long, the abstract describes your paper.
You write this section after your paper’s completely finished.
It summarizes the thesis, method, results, findings, and overall conclusion.
Introduction – It contains your Thesis, which is the core idea that you’re trying
to express throughout the entire paper.
Methods – Describes how you collected and analyzed the data.
Results – Explains what you discovered.
Discussion / Findings – Everything from what the results imply, to limitations, to
ideas for future research.
Conclusion – A brief summary of everything in the paper and outcomes that were reached.
If you’re not dealing with a scientific subject, structure your term paper like this:
Introduction, Body, Conclusion.The introduction should have your thesis statement and introduce
your supporting arguments.The body is made up of your supporting arguments and evidence
to prove each one.The conclusion is a restatement of the thesis and why it’s true.
It should contain your opinion, suggestion, or prediction.
Finally, if it’s relevant, add a Call to Action.
As for the length of the term paper, there really is no length requirement, but you have
to show that you did your research.
Generally, it’s acceptable to have 10 to 15 pages, double-spaced, which is 5 to 7.5
pages single-spaced.
The point is to have these pages filled with relevant content.
Don’t add a bunch of words that stretch out an idea just to fill up space.
That’s how you get an F.
Instructors usually ask their students to write in APA or MLA format.
For instructions on how to do this, click the link in the description below to watch
our videos on APA & MLA formatting.To recap, pay attention to what your sources say.Don’t
write based on what your hunch is.
Report on the research and where it points to.
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Also, leave a comment below if you have any questions, that you would like us to address.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you on the next video!
Peace