On choosing a subject

Choosing a subject that is too general is the most common error that students make when making a term paper. Bear in mind that a term paper is just an attempt to write a resourceful answer to whatever question you decide upon as well as using of facts to prove or support your argument.

Looking up for sources

The norm suggests that you have to limit your sources to those that are only available on the campus and to those materials that are not two decades old—unless the nature of your research paper delves on studying older writings from a historical viewpoint.

You can start by making a list of subject headings under which you might expect the subject to be listed. You may also start a card file and use these formats: for a book or magazine article, take note of the subject, author, title, facts of publication and library call number; for a news story, pay attention to the subject, facts of publication and headline; for periodicals, jot down the name of author, title and its name, volume and page number as well as the month and year. Sort these cards into books and each volume of periodicals. Look up for its call numbers and other periodicals and sort out those for each branch library—doing this saves your time.   

Refer to the card catalog in the library to locate books as well as record author, title, publisher, date of publication and call number. You may also consult guides to periodicals such as education index, readers’ guide, international index to periodicals, and psychological abstracts as these are aids to finding articles on any topic.

Gathering of notes

When examining your sources, read them quickly, but make good notes of them like including quotes and information for footnotes. Make these notes on separate cards for each author.

Be accurate and honest in taking notes. Do not distort authors’ meanings nor ignore other facts and opinions: You don’t only collect things that will support your thesis—you have readers who want to know other sides of the question as well. In getting the right kind of material, get the facts, not only the opinions. Compare facts with the author’s conclusion.

Outlining the paper

Think over again on your subject and purpose of the study would be, as well as the kind of materials you have found—do not hurry into writing. And to find the main sub-divisions of your topic, review your notes written on cards. Sort those cards—narrow down your subject further by taking out one of the piles of cards—under each main division to find sub-sections for your outline.    

The first draft

Follow the old steps in writing your research paper: First, tell the reader what you are going to say (statement of the purpose); second, say it (main body of the paper); and then tell the reader what you’ve said (statement of summary and conclusion). Keep away from short bumpy sentences and long straggling sentences.

‘Polishing’ the paper via editing

After writing the first draft, read it aloud—it’s a good way to be sure that the language isn’t awkward, and that it flows smoothly. Spot errors on spelling, phrasing and construction of sentences; be sure that pronouns directly refer to nouns; check for proper footnotes, quotes and punctuations.

          See if the quotations you used in your research paper showed evidence of what the author said; avoid misrepresentations through restatements and save needless writing when ideas have been expressed well by the original author.