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The Basics of Writing a Term PaperTerm paper writing can be a difficult task for some people. It usually takes a lot of time and effort tocomplete a term paper. Although, if the person writing it knows the basics of term paper writing, itcan actually be an enjoyable and easy task.

Term paper is basically a research paper. It has been part of the different academic curriculumssince the start of the 19th century. A term paper aims to describe a topic in detail. It is considered asa backbone to many academic courses. In order to have good term paper, it is important that thetopic is feasible. Also, the writer should be specific with his/her objectives in writing the paper. Thewriter should not also hesitate to ask for assistance from the experts and advisers wheneverneeded.

The term paper is often described as the final product of a research process. The first step intermpaper writingis choosing a topic. It is best that the writer will choose a topic which interests him/her.After the topic has been chosen, it is now time to create a thesis statement. A thesis statement isimportant because it will serve as a guide on writing the term paper. Once a good thesis statement

has been chosen, the research part should be done. After all the needed sources are collected, thewriter can now start the writing process. Before passing the term paper, the writer needs toproofread and revise the paper. A good term paper should be free of errors.

In order to write and good term paper, it is vital to know its basic parts. In general, a term paper is

composed of the following:

1. Cover Page. The cover page should contain the title of the paper or research. It should alsocontain the name of the writer, the class where the writer belongs and the name of the

professor or instructor.

2. Introduction. This part of the term paper is also called abstract. It shows readers what youwrote about. In general, it should contain the purpose of the paper or the reason why the

study or research was conducted. In this section, pose a question or a problem and discuss

how you will be reach a conclusion to this question or problem. The length of the introduction

or abstract is around one to two paragraphs.

3. Body. The most basic part of the term paper is called the body. It contains facts, charts andfindings of the study. It is basically the bulk of the paper. You discuss the problem. Give

arguments for and against each side of the issue and show how you came to your

conclusion. The body of a term paper may be around three to forty pages.4. Conclusion. The most important part of the term paper is the conclusion. The findings of the

term paper are tackled on this part. The writer should be able to explain the findings in a

straightforward and understandable way. Show in the conclusion section what you have

come to know or believe after your careful research and discussion. Reiterate your topic, this

time with a sense of closure.

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5. Citations. In term paper writing, the writer will need to use different references and citationsall throughout the paper. The writer should give credits to all the sources he/she used.

Each course has a different set of term paper requirements. It is best to follow all the instructions

given. Term paper writing may be a daunting task, but it can become more fun if the paper is about

something which the writer can relate to. That is the reason why picking atopic for the term paperis

very important. It can basically make or break the outcome of the paper. Some people may think that

writing a term paper can be a very tedious job, and that is very true. Writing a paper will require a lot

of time, effort and sacrifice. A good term paper cannot be produced overnight. The writer will need to

devote a lot of time for the paper.

PAPER GUIDELINESThese guidelines were developed for term papers, but with appropriate qualifications, they apply toall written work in this course.

1. INTRODUCTION. Begin by stating the issue that you will discuss and explain why the issue isimportant. The issue should be one that arises out of the course readings and will require you todiscuss and criticize the views of at least one of the authors in the course readings.

2. CRITICAL SUMMARY. Summarize the relevant views and the arguments in the course readingsor in other readings that you believe are of importance. Usually in a critical discussion of aphilosophical view it is not sufficient to merely summarize the view. Your attention should be focusedon the author's development of the view--that is, on his/her arguments, in the broadest sense of theword. In most cases, an author will begin from statements that s/he expects the audience to agreewith, and will use them to support conclusions that s/he expects to be more controversial. Theargument need not be a purely deductive one, though it may be. In critically evaluating the author'sview, you must reconstruct how the author reaches the conclusions s/he does and must evaluatewhether the considerations that s/he takes to support her conclusions do in fact support them.

3. CARE IN CITATIONS. Make sure you accurately state the position of any author you discussand always include page references for each quotation or attribution.

5. USE CARE IN INTERPRETING AN AUTHOR, PARTICULARLY SOMEONE YOU DISAGREE

WITH. If on your interpretation of an author, the author either is inconsistent or has made an obviouserror of reasoning, begin by assuming that you have misinterpreted the author. Reread the relevantpassages carefully to see if you can put together a consistent position that is not obviouslyerroneous. If you cannot do so, make an appointment to talk to me so that I can make somesuggestions.

6. CRITICAL EVALUATION. A purely expository paper is not acceptable in this course. Yourexposition--even a critical exposition--of an author's views should NEVER take up more than half ofyour paper. At least half of your paper must be devoted to a critical evaluation of the views of the

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authors you are discussing. A satisfactory critical evaluation will require you to raise objections to theviews of the authors you are discussing and to critically discuss them.

7. WHENEVER YOU CRITICIZE AN AUTHOR'S ARGUMENT OR POSITION, BEGINWITH INTERNAL CRITICISMS (IF YOU HAVE ANY) AND THEN PROCEEDTO EXTERNAL CRITICISMS. An internal criticism is a criticism that uses only premises and

evidence that the author accepts or is committed to accepting. An external criticism is a criticism thatemploys premises or evidence that the author is not committed to. External criticisms of an authorare not complete unless you provide arguments for all premises or evidence that go beyond thepremises or evidence that the the author you are criticizing accepts or is committed to accepting.

8. CONSIDER POSSIBLE RESPONSES TO YOUR OBJECTIONS. Whenever you offer an objectionto an author's position, explicitly consider whether the author has said anything that might indicatehow s/he would respond to the objection. If so, develop and evaluate the author's response. If not,you should take the author's side and formulate the best response that you can to the objection. Ifyou cannot think of any good responses to the objection, make an appointment to talk to me so that Ican make some suggestions. Your grade will be based not only on the quality of the objections youraise but also on the quality of the responses that you make to your objections.

9. REPLY TO THE RELEVANT RESPONSES. After you have formulated the best response(s) thatyou can to your objection(s) (8 above), reply to the response.

10. CONCLUSION. Conclude by summarizing the results of your argument and their significance forthe relevant issues.

11. ALL PAPERS SHOULD BE TYPED OR PRINTED DOUBLE-SPACED. Although papers areevaluated chiefly on their philosophical merits, grammar, spelling, and diction will also be evaluated.You are expected to express your thoughts in clear, grammatical, English sentences.

12. AVOID PLAGIARISM. Whenever you turn in any assignment in this course, the understanding isthat what you are turning in is your own original work, except to the extent that you explicitly creditothers for their contributions. You have an obligation to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, byalways attributing any argument or idea that you have borrowed, even if you have modified it, to itssource. The source may be written or oral. For example, if an argument was suggested by a fellowstudent, include that information in a footnote.