Common Term Paper Fallacies

Term paper writing is not easy – that is a given. Students understand the intricacy that envelopes such academic task. They know the delicate process they have to accomplish. They are aware of the tremendous amount of workload that they must efficiently handle. However, the problem is rooted on the beliefs, rather, misconceptions of many students regarding writing term papers.

• It is alright to cram. Most students think that when they rush things up, their creativity and ability are on peak. As it may work for some people, cramming is not a healthy academic writing practice. Every detail in a paper is subjected to proper scrutiny and critical evaluation. Likewise, the arguments and facts to be presented must be researched in credible resources – assessing the relevance of every detail.

• Outlines are irrelevant. One of the most common mistakes of students is the failure to appreciate outlines and drafts. That’s why the common illness of undergraduate term papers is not having an organized and cohesive thesis, main points and evidence. The best way to cure this is to do an outline. It must have an introduction that can hook the reader, a logically presented body and a conclusion that efficiently wraps the paper up with clarity.

• Bibliography or works cited page is unimportant. To prevent issues concerning plagiarism, it is critical to have proper citation methods. Each source must be listed stating details such as the article title, author, publication date, and page numbers.

• Proofreading is not crucial. Any form of technical errors can diminish the overall value of a paper. Students usually take proofreading for granted. They often fail to thoroughly proofread the final term paper before it is turned into the professors. Proofreading is essential to create great papers.

With a lot of tasks on every student’s shoulder, they often tend to believe shortcut methods in their writing assignments. The best way is to start early, plan ahead and do every part of the study with full responsibility.

Send the Message Clearly

Any writer need not be told that in order to send the message of a term paper clearly, one has to write clearly. This is a no-brainer tip that even a student who is just starting to write a term paper already knows. Sadly, however, many students, no matter how often they hear professors emphasize the importance of writing clearly, still submit works that appears as if they were written by a six-year old. This enduring problem can be attributed to the disinterest of students to learn how to write coherent and well-executed grammars. The basic principle of term paper writing seems to have been side-tracked by research and other concerns of the writing process.

A student who wants to get an A-mark in his term paper should take necessary steps to improve his paper writing skills. Those who already have a flair for writing only need to enhance their talent, but for students who are just starting, it is advisable that they read books about basic writing first. Knowing how to write will boost a student’s grade in all his written assignments, not just in term paper. Effective term paper writing also eliminates the frequent use of the weak verbs. Active verbs are more appropriate because they make sentences look powerful.

Problems also arise when a student who writes well becomes too confident in his work. There is a chance that he will not allow other people to read his work, resulting to an unedited term paper. The best novelist and authors have their work proofread several times before being published, so students, no matter how good they are, should follow these admirable writers’ example. By writing flawless grammar and by reading one’s work, or by allowing someone to read one’s work, over and over again before submission will produce a term paper that sends out a clear and coherent message that is sure to get a high-flying mark.