Introduction to Term Paper, Outline of Term Paper, Format of Term Paper Ideas for writing Effective Term Paper Term Paper Types

1. M. A. Rehman

2. ▪ A term paper is a type of research-based writing assignment that a
student has to submit at the end of an academic term.
▪ Typically, a student tries to discuss elaborately on a topic that was
assigned to him or her.
▪ It tracks and evaluates students’ knowledge about the course/topic.
▪ The topic could be an event description, a case study, a concept, or
an argument.
▪ This academic writing assignment must be well-written, analytical,
organized, and well-researched.
▪ It is mandatory that the paper must be unique – plagiarism is not
allowed.

3. ▪ The outline should be produced before and while researching and
writing a term paper because it will serve as the basis around which
you will build your work.
▪ The main parts should include an introduction, a body, and a
conclusion.
▪ The structure should be organized and well-researched.
▪ Technical writing skills should be crucial in organizing your ideas.

4. TERM PAPER OUTLINE
The following is a general term paper or layout that you should follow in presenting
your topic:
▪ Title/Cover Page
▪ Acknowledgment
▪ Abstract
▪ Introduction
▪ Literature Review
▪ Body
▪ Results & Discussion
▪ Conclusion
▪ References

5. TERM PAPER OUTLINE
▪ Title/Cover Page: A separate page with paper title, student’s name, course title,
teacher’s name, and submission date.
▪ Acknowledgment: Include your inspiration for the subject and other relevant
introduction.
▪ Abstract: A brief overview or summary of the paper.
▪ Introduction: Should begin with a statement of the topic to be discussed. Explain
the significance of the topic and write about how you plan to address the issue.
▪ Literature Review: Mention and briefly discuss previous related research works and
studies that helped you in constructing your approach and methodology.
▪ Body: Should contain the main points from your research. Provide information
about the topic so that the reader can further understand what is being discussed.
▪ Results & Discussion: show measurable results and the analysis of your research
you have done
▪ Conclusion: Conclude your findings from your research
▪ References: Enlist all your resource materials in a particular order, i.e., alphabetical

6. ▪ Before writing a term paper, you must write a term paper proposal.
▪ Basically through the proposal, you should be able to defend your topic to your
instructor.
▪ The proposal must be handed in and approved of before writing the actual term
paper.
▪ Include recent studies or research on your topic.
▪ State the relevance of your topic to your course effectively by submitting a short
article with a clear explanation.
▪ Provide your objectives and organize the flow of your ideas.
▪ Include proper referencing.

7. FORMAT OF TERM PAPER PROPOSAL
▪ Title: This is the draft title of what you want to research. Make it clear
and comprehensible.
▪ Objectives: This part should define your outcomes after your
research.
▪ Relevance and Importance: Include recent news, social events,
articles, and blogs that convey the importance of the topic.Your topic
should be up to date and capture the attention of the reader.

8. There are a few simple ideas you can follow in creating a brilliant piece of writing.
Here are some effective ideas for you.
▪ Be prepared for Research
▪ Creating an Outline
▪ Compelling Introduction
▪ Avoiding Fluff Words
▪ Selection of Citation Style
▪ Proofreading

9. IDEAS TO WRITE A TERM PAPER EFFECTIVELY
▪ Be Prepared for Research: Research is a must for writing a term paper. Some
students make a mistake by starting to write right away. Although it seems that
there is no progress as not a single word is being written, research would make
your writing phase much faster and fluent. Moreover, you could come up with a
better approach and idea if you thoroughly research a topic first. Think of it as the
investment for writing the paper.
▪ Creating an Outline: Creating an outline prior to writing gives you a sense of
control. You can determine how much time it would take to complete the whole task
and which part would take more time. At the same time, you would render a
smoother writing and reading experience, and everything would be in
chronological order.
▪ Compelling Introduction: If you have an impelling introduction, the reader will get
more interested in reading through. If you lose the grip in the introduction, no
matter how good your content is, your reader will give it an average feedback.

10. IDEAS TO WRITE A TERM PAPER EFFECTIVELY
▪ Avoiding Fluff Words: Fluff words are attention killers. Especially, when you are
writing formal academic writing, the reader would seek constructive information
all along the writing. You don't need to unnecessarily blabber about anything as
long as you are talking about something relevant.
▪ Selecting a Citation Style: Proper formatting or following a citation style is a must
while writing a research paper or a term paper. Following the MLA or the APA
format is a wise decision. However, make sure you are sticking to either MLA or
APA, a mix between these two is not recommended and may pose negative impact
on your writing.
▪ Proofreading: You must proofread your work in order to check if there are any
mistakes. Although it sounds really painful to proofread, you might correct A LOT
OF misspellings and simple grammatical mistakes.

11. ▪ When you have researched a certain topic, you are required to use a specific
citation style.
▪ Citation
▪ If you neglect to reference properly, you might be accused of plagiarism.
▪ A term paper is an academic writing assignment; therefore APA or MLA citation
styles are commonly used.
▪ APA – American Psychological Association
▪ MLA – Modern Language Association

12. APA FORMATTING
▪ Use APA (American Psychological Association) term paper format for social
sciences.
▪ The text should be typed on A4 white paper with the dimensions of 8.5" x 11".
▪ You need to use a 12pt Times New Roman font since it is easy to read.
▪ Use double spacing throughout the paper.
▪ Margins of 1" should be set on all sides, i.e. at the left, right, top and bottom of your
paper.
▪ Set paragraph indention to 1/2 inch, it can be easily done with the Tab button in
your word processor.
▪ You need to create a first page header which consists of the page number and as
well as capitalized running head you have on your title page.
▪ To cite in an APA style term paper, the author’s name, the year of publication, title,
the publisher, and its location are needed.

13. MLA FORMATTING
▪ The MLA (Modern Language Association) format is most commonly used in liberal
arts and humanities.
▪ You should use 12-point Times New Roman font.
▪ Your paper should be double-spaced. Make sure that there no extra spaces or
single spacing throughout your paper.
▪ At the upper left corner of your first page, you need to list your name, instructor's
name, class, and the date. All should be at the new row.
▪ You should have a one-inch margin on each side of your paper.
▪ Your last name and page number should be added to the upper right corner of
each page, including the first one.
▪ You should have a title of your paper which is centered and appear under your
heading details.The title is formatted like the rest of your paper. Never underline
your title, don't use bold or italics, as well as quotation marks.
▪ Indent each paragraph to the right. Indentation should be set to 1/2 inch.

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