Writing a term paper is an important part of college studies. It is a great way to show what you've learned and to really strut your stuff. However, writing a term paper can be a confusing process. How much research is enough? What should your thesis statement be? What makes a good topic? Understanding the in's and out's of composing a term paper can help turn a mediocre term paper into an excellent one.
Choose Your Topic Carefully
First and foremost: Don't pick a topic that you know nothing about or that bores you. While it can be instructive and rewarding to learn about new things, picking something that you have no interest in will make writing your paper exceptionally hard. Narrow your options. If you choose to write about Abraham Lincoln, focus your paper on a certain aspect of his life---say, his assassination or his role as a state legislator from Illinois. Writing a paper on too broad a topic will only make your paper impossible to write. Most important, it will likely cause your professor to give you a less-than-stellar grade or ask for a rewrite.
Research
When doing your research, find a good variety of sources that present multiple viewpoints on what you are discussing. Don't pick resources that only present one side, which will make your paper biased and unrounded. Pick reliable, academic sources. Don't use personal websites that focus only on opinions with no research; such websites will not give you the kind of credible information you need or that your professor will demand.
Don't do too much research. While perusing 16 books and 15 articles may make for a comprehensive paper, you will hardly have the time to read all those materials or the space to integrate all those sources. Stick with about five to 10 sources, at the most.
Come Up With A Thesis
After you have finished your research, focus your paper on the specific point you are trying to make. This is the thesis. Make it specific. Don't have a thesis like "Abraham Lincoln was a good president." That may be true, but it's too broad, too basic and too unimaginative to constitute a good thesis. If you want to say Abraham Lincoln was a good president, focus on why. Say "Abraham Lincoln's most important contribution to American history was the Emancipation Proclamation." Your thesis statement must be something you can prove, and shouldn't be based on personal opinion.
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