Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tips For Writing A Term Paper Throughout The Semester

By Franklin Skribbit


Research papers, essays, and any other written assignment can make a student feel like they've stepped through a portal to the underworld and into the presence of Hades himself. Citation is complicated, detailed and can be overwhelming when you don't fully understand what's going on.

What is interesting is that most citation errors have nothing to do with the citation, but the grammar contained within the body of the work. Let's review some common mistakes and help you learn what to be on the lookout for.

One reason why this ease with deadlines and difficulty with long term projects might be is because a paper or term paper that is due in a relatively short amount of time gives the student a structure to work from by which they can organize their efforts and produce a quality paper.

As I mentioned above, many of the mistakes in a research paper have nothing to do with the citations in the bibliography however, there are a few things you want to be aware of. First, an annotated bibliography does not count as a works cited page or a bibliography for your actual research paper. They are a completely separate work. Every research paper requires a works cited page regardless of whether or not you are also doing an annotated bibliography.

Still, however, the common thread among college students and returning college students of business in National City is that with a far off due date there are many that struggle to stay on task with the assignment. Writing with a distant due date can be managed by understanding a few tips on how to successfully complete a paper without a deadline attached.

Finally, whether you're using a laptop or pen and paper, you want to make sure that you are keeping your notes well organized. Keep all of your files stored digitally by class and make sure each entry is dated to make finding the information easier. If you hand write your notes, have a binder for each class and again, store your notes in order by date.

Here is where we get down to the nitty gritty details of where most points are missed or docked in a research paper. Most professors will be lenient with occasional mistakes, but if they catch too many of them, they'll start to dock points for every single one.

First, we'll discuss commas and apostrophes. Commas are the bane of Grammar Nazis everywhere. Most people use them too little or too much and quite frequently in the wrong places altogether. The only way to fix this is to study a reliable resource or ask someone who knows and then truly internalize the rules for comma usage. Now to apostrophes; never use an apostrophe to indicate a plural. Ever. Apostrophes are used to denote a contraction, or the combination of two words where some letters are removed like 'they're' for 'they are', and to denote possession as in, 'that is Mary's book.' Additionally, remember that possessive pronouns never take the apostrophe. (his, hers, theirs, yours, ours, and its)

By breaking up the paper with an outline containing specific sections, a student can write out a schedule as to when they will write each section or broken down piece of the paper. For example, a page or so may be dedicated to a specific point that can be written one week with another part of the paper written the next week.

As you work to learn these rules and others, you will find yourself able to implement them without thinking about it rather than having to pour over some handbook to make sure you are following the rules. Persistence pays off and the professors at your college in National City will be pleased with your progress.




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