Writing a term paper- a step by step guide

The term paper is the most critical document that you, the student, submit to his or her professor as
part of your course study. It is usually submitted at the end of the course and makes up a substantial
portion of your overall grade. As you will continue to explore your topic, you term paper will keep on
growing. And hopefully, in the end, you will have a refined and well-structured term paper, ready for

Beginning

It is very important to thoroughly understand the instructions given to you by your professor before
beginning to write your term report. Focus on what has been asked, and before starting with the
process of planning for your term paper, clear all your misconceptions. If in doubt, discuss the task with
your course instructor, and do not procrastinate.

Moreover, account for unexpected events, such as laptop crashes, unavailability of the internet, etc. You
must draft your term paper based on your topic and mode of writing. You also need to keep in mind
your audience, in other words, the reader of your paper. The reader could be anyone, ranging from your
peers to your instructor or professor. Make sure that you plan is such a manner that you are able to
complete your report on time, because a late submission reflects badly not only on yourself, but also on
the report submitted. And throughout your term paper writing journey, keep reminding yourself of the
fundamentals which are: prepare research, think critically, and then write.

Topic selection

Either the topic would be assigned to you by your professor or it would be up to you to choose the topic
that you want to write on. If you are choosing your topic yourself, then don’t be hasty. Think rationally
and then decide on the most suitable topic. You can choose whatever topic you want, as long as it
serves your purpose. However, it is always better to choose a topic that you are familiar or comfortable
with—if given a free hand, best approach is to choose a topic that interests you the most. Choose a topic
that is in line with the length of your paper, your resources, and your support material. Once the topic
has been selected think about it deeply.

Research

Your research is what your term paper is based on. It is the mortar on which the building of your term
paper stands. So the more time you devote to this part of your term paper writing, the better would be
your paper.

Make effective use of the electronic data available to you. In this day and age, almost everything is
available online, and so are your journal articles. Harness this ease of accessibility, as it can make your
term paper richer, better informed, and more specific. Explore and read up on articles and material
related to your topic. Keep track of everything that you are reading, so that you can make proper
references at the time of writing.

Resources

You have innumerable resources at your disposal, thanks to the World Wide Web. From books to news
articles to research journal, everything is just a click away. If, however, you do not have access to certain
articles, search engines, etc., contact your librarian, as most colleges have usually subscribed to expert
research portals. By doing this you will not only be able to enhance your research, but will also add to
your knowledge base—all the while nailing that ‘A’ grade.

Organizing

Your paper must be technically sound; in other words, it shouldn’t contain any grammar, spelling, or
mechanical mistakes. If you aspire to hit all the right points when writing your paper, then you must
make a solid outline. Your outline would serve as the back-bone of your term paper. All the subsequent
developments within your term paper will stem from your outline.

An outline supplies you with a clear plan of action. From the outset, you have to be clear about what it is
that you want to convey through your term paper, and an outline helps you in doing that.

You must keep in mind that your aim is to convince your reader of the utility of your work. And you can
do this only if you get the three main parts, namely the introduction, the body, and the conclusion, of
term paper writing right.

Work on the proper structuring of your paper, make sure that the different components of the main
body are logically laid out, and make sure that your conclusion doesn’t leave your reader asking for
more.

When writing your term paper, you must ensure that you are both analytical and relevant. You must
keep your reader engaged and for that you must enrich your paper with useful insights and touch
points.

Writing

Make sure that while writing the paper you keep your tone as formal as possible. You are writing an
academic essay, thus, you cannot afford to sound non-serious. Let your reader know that you have
covered all the bases with regard to your term paper assignment. What is more, this will lock in you’re A
grade for you!
Work on your style and keep on improving your diction and sentence structures. You don’t want to
sound clumsy and pretentious. You must craft your paper with all the essentials of effective writing in
mind, such as, Standard English, subject-verb agreement, consistent tenses, smooth transitions, clutter-
free paragraphs, active tenses, varied and properly structured sentences, fresh words, etc.

Flexibility

When writing your term paper makes sure that you adopt a flexible approach. You would be constantly
adding to or deleting from your term paper. As you will move ahead in your research, you will come
across different and often contradicting ideas. Hence, it would be beneficial for you to adopt a holistic
approach towards your term paper writing, as this can prevent you from making avoidable mistakes.

References

What makes term paper writing different from essay writing is the amount of research put into it. All
term papers make use of work done by previous scholars, writers, or professionals. Thus, it is important
to accredit them for their work and that is where referencing comes in.

If your paper is not properly referenced, it is not only an indication of your lack of a sense of
responsibility, but also of an intellectual crime. Using someone else’s ideas without acknowledging
them is nothing short of stealing.

It is your duty as an honest student to cite all your sources. Moreover, these citations would give your
reader an opportunity to make use of the material which you made use of for further research on the
topic. A well-cited term paper is the hallmark of professional and authentic writing.

Final touches

Before handing over your term paper, make sure that you have gotten all the technical aspects of term
paper writing right-such as spacing, font size, margins, etc. You must insert the title page, the body, the
references, and the appendix sequentially or as prescribed under the set rules for term paper writing.
Give ample amount of time to the presentation of your paper; remember that no matter how well-
researched or insightful your paper might be, if it has a shoddy look, it will ruin your prospects of
standing out.

At the end of the day, do not forget to have fun. By devoting time to creating a commendable term
paper, you will not only be adding to your repertoire of knowledge, but will also be making interesting
and thought-provoking discoveries. So do have some fun!