I. The choice of a topic is important.

A. Interest in the subject should determine the choice.

B. Availability of material should be considered.

C. Limitations should be placed upon the subject.

II. A variety of sources should be used.

A. A comprehensive bibliography should be compiled.

1. Bibliographies and other reference books should be consulted.

2. All titles should be checked in the card catalog.

a. The call numbers should be noted.

b. Cards for unavailable books should be saved for future use.

B. Reading and note-taking should follow.

1. Scanning should precede closer study.

2. Relative values should be judged.

3. Notes should be taken in approved style. An abundance of notes should be taken.

III. The writing should represent the student’s utmost skill.

A. Thinking and planning should precede the writing.

1. The controlling purpose should be held in mind.

2. The outline should be thoughtfully constructed.

3. A review of the notes should be made.

B. The following steps may aid in the actual writing.

1. A rough draft may be written rapidly.

2. One revision may verify the content.

3. Another may focus on the whole organization.

4. A third may check accuracy and effectiveness.

IV. The form of the term paper requires attention to details.

A. The paper may be either typewritten or handwritten.

B. Two parts of the paper precede the text.

1. The title page comes first.

2. An outline should follow it.

C. Within the text, specific form should be observed.

1. Pages should have appropriate margins.

2. Footnotes should be scrupulously treated.

3. Quotations should be accurately presented.

4. The pages should be correctly numbered.

D. Certain divisions follow the text of the term paper.

1. Appendixes may include further Information.

2. The bibliography should close the term paper.

term paper

The first step in preparing any term paper is to choose a topic.   Sometimes the instructor assigns a topic or provides a list from which to make a selection.   More often, the student is allowed to pick his own topic, or at least to limit a given subject for his own use.

The instructor usually indicates the desired length of the term paper, whether in terms of “approximately” so many words or “not less than” so many pages, and he also announces the date when the paper will be due.

These requirements – and the demands of other courses—impose practical limitations upon the student when he undertakes to choose or to limit a specific topic.

A few suggestions may help the student make his decision. The most important thing for him to consider is his own interest.   Unless his own interest is aroused, what he writes is unlikely to prove interesting to his reader.   A personal interest, then, coupled with a desire to learn more about the subject, should suggest a particular topic for a term paper.

For a term paper in literature, a student who already knows a good deal about botany might choose to study the flower symbols used in some of Shakespeare’s plays.   For a course in European history, an art student might want to investigate pagan influences on Christian architecture.   Articles in magazines or newspapers often suggest topics.   Or by scanning a general textbook in a favorite course—say in geography, or in economics, or in psychology—the student ought to be able to find some aspect of the subject that will excite his curiosity. Such an aspect may serve as the basis for a term paper.

Besides interest and curiosity, there is another factor that will limit the choice of term paper topic:   the availability of material.   The student must have access to relevant books, reference works, and periodicals from which to gather the data for his term paper.   Some earlier knowledge of the general subject and a certain amount of preliminary library work will help him estimate how much pertinent material is available.   And by “available” Is meant immediately at hand—that is, books and articles in nearby libraries.

Once the student discovers that adequate material is apparently available, he should set about further limiting his topic.   Lack of time, of background knowledge, and of access to authoritative works will make it impossible to develop a comprehensive term paper on a large subject.   What the student can hope to do is cover completely and competently a single facet of his original choice of topic.

Our writers will be happy to help you with your term paper.