When your teachers and faculty members assign you a
term paper, they are generally looking for you to demonstrate several
specific sets of skills:
- Your
ability to define a researchable, writable topic.
- Your ability investigate what others have
written and said about your topic, both online and in the library.
- Your ability to write a convincing argument
using research (which means incorporating the research into your
essay).
Term papers, usually argumentative or expository
essays supplemented with outside research, is one of the best ways to
develop (and assess) these skills
However, these skills do not develop
all at once,
even for the best writers. It takes time, care, attention, and patience. You should not
expect to get to this point with a single draft or in an all
nighter.
Good academic writing (and almost
all types of writing) actually involves rewriting many
times, each revision with a different focus in mind.
The lessons that follow ask you (1)
to go through your writing with different emphases in mind and (2) to
pay attention to different aspects of your essay.
Always keeping your thesis in mind, each facet
of the essay should contribute to the reader understanding (and
be convinced by) your thesis, your argument, and the evidence you
present. If it doesn't support your thesis, get rid of it--no matter how
hard you've worked on that sentence, paragraph, or page!
At the same time, you should not be afraid to
adjust your thesis as your ideas develop throughout the writing
process.
In my personal writing, I find that one of the last things I
finish rewriting is often my introduction because my point of view and
thesis may have changed slightly during the composing process. It's one
of the things I love about writing and researching because I learn as I
go! |
