Writing a term paper

The page was written by Jennifer Mitchell of the SUNY Potsdam [Writing Center]. It was designed for students taking the online Chem 395 course, but it contains useful advice for all.

Your Term Paper

We call it a “term paper” for two reasons: first, it is submitted near the end of the term, or semester. Second, we expect you to work on it throughout the term and thereby to learn more and, ultimately, to produce a better paper. A “term paper” is also a “research paper,” in which you gather the words of experts in order to present a well-informed discussion of a question about a topic.

Why is this an important form of learning?

Your teacher wants to see that you learn a lot about your research question and that you can understand what you learn well enough to communicate that information clearly to a general reader. You should also show your understanding of relevant course material. Just as important, the information you present must be high quality, from reliable sources.

See http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Rhetoric_and_Composition/Researching.

So you’ll learn a lot about your topic; you’ll learn how to research using reliable sources; and you’ll learn something about composing a long essay which presents information on a complex issue.

What’s easy about writing a term paper?

• Choose a topic of interest and gather information from informed voices.
• You have lots of time to research and to write it.
• Help is available in both researching and writing.
• Your teacher has shown you how to structure your paper: see assignment, paragraph two.

And what’s hardest?

• This project is not a “one-shot deal,” but an everyday project for the term.
• You will have to rewrite in order to make good choices.
• You will have to revise your thesis and introduction as you go.
• You will have to organize many, many kinds of information into one clear discussion.
• You will have to understand the information well enough to communicate it.
• Remember the “newcomer’s” view and revise to be absolutely clear for a reader who has not shared your research process. Think of your college teacher reader as a stand-in for general readers.