A Term Paper has many reasons. You can write a Term Paper to explain the steps necessary to complete a task. It is also used to state your objectives and you can also prove the development of your argument. The basic format for all term papers will remain the same. Your basic theme is to provide the paper with ideas and you will find that once you start writing the main premise, the paper writes itself with your guidance. Let’s find out what makes a term paper perfect.
FORMATTING
It is important to note, however, that institutions or departments may vary from these recommendations somewhat and that it is always wise to consult with your instructor before formatting and submitting your work.
Paper: Use white, twenty-pound, 81/2- by 11-inch paper. Erasable paper tends to smudge and should be avoided for a final draft. If you prefer to use erasable paper in the preparation of your paper, submit a good photocopy to your instructor.
Margins: Except for page numbers, leave one-inch margins all around the text of your paper -- left side, right side, and top and bottom. Paragraphs should be indented half an inch; set-off quotations should be indented an inch from the left margin (five spaces and ten spaces, respectively, on standard typewriters).
Spacing: The MLA Guide says that "the term paper must be double-spaced," including quotations, notes, and the list of works cited.
Heading and Title: Your term paper does not need a title page. At the top of the first page, at the left-hand margin, type your name, your instructor's name, the course name and number, and the date – all on separate, double-spaced lines. Then double-space again and center the title above your text. (If your title requires more than one line, double-space between the lines.) Double-space again before beginning your text. The title should be neither underlined nor written in all capital letters. Capitalize only the first, last, and principal words of the title. Titles might end with a question mark or an exclamation mark if that is appropriate, but not in a period. Titles written in other languages are capitalized and punctuated according to different rules, and writers should consult the MLA Guide or their instructors.
Page Numbers: Number your pages consecutively throughout the manuscript (including the first page) in the upper right-hand corner of each page, one-half inch from the top. Type your last name before the page number. Most word processing programs provide for a "running head," which you can set up as you create the format for the paper, at the same time you are establishing things like the one-inch margins and the double-spacing. This feature makes the appearance and consistency of the page numbering a great convenience. Make sure the page-number is always an inch from the right-hand edge of the paper (flush with the right-hand margin of your text) and that there is a double-space between the page number and the top line of text. Do not use the abbreviation p. or any other mark before the page number.
Tables and Figures: Tables should be labeled "Table," given an Arabic numeral, and captioned (with those words flush to the left-hand margin). Other material such as photographs, images, charts and line-drawings should be labeled "Figure" and be properly numbered and captioned.
Binders: Generally, the simpler the better. Why spend money on gimmicky, unwieldy binders, when instructors prefer nice, flat stacks of papers they can stuff into their briefcases and backpacks? A simple staple in the upper left-hand corner of your paper should suffice, although the MLA Guide suggests that a paper clip can be removed and this facilitates reading. Your instructors or their departments may have their own rules about binders, and you should consult with them about this matter
STRUCTURING
A term paper presents the results of your investigations on a selected topic. Based on your own thoughts and the facts and ideas you have gathered from a variety of sources, a term paper is a creation that is uniquely yours. The experience of gathering, interpreting, and documenting information, developing and organizing ideas and conclusions, and communicating them clearly will prove to be an important and satisfying part of your education.
If your instructor requires any other format than APA, MLA, CHICAGO, you can ask that instructor how such a format will be different from the recommendations made and make the appropriate adjustments.
COLLECTING MATERIAL
Once your term paper topic has been approved, begin to gather information from authoritative reference sources: pertinent books, encyclopedias, and articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers. Librarians will be happy to show you how to use the various research tools within the library and may suggest other sources of information which will be helpful to you in writing a term paper. Important new resources are now available to you through electronic services which provide many learning and reference tools as well as access to the Internet, where you can often discover an abundance of information.
Using an outline of the term paper can help you organize your term paper and can also help you discover connections between pieces of information that you weren't aware of when you first conceived the plan of your term paper. It can also make you aware of material that is not really relevant to the purposes of your term paper or material that you have covered before and should therefore be removed from your paper.
OUTLINING A PAPER
A Working Outline of a term paper might be only an informal list of topics and subtopics which you are thinking of covering in your term paper. Sometimes, however, an instructor might require that a working outline of the term paper be submitted at the beginning of your work; then your instructor might suggest ways in which the work needs to be further developed or cut back. Your instructor might also see that you're trying to accomplish too much or too little for the scope of the term paper he or she has in mind.
The working outline can be revised as you discover new material and get new ideas that ought to go into your term paper. Most word processing programs have outlining features with automatic formatting that make it easy to create and revise outline of the term papers. It is a good idea to keep copies of old outline of the term papers in a computer folder in case new versions of the outline of the term paper lead you in false directions that you will later have to abandon.
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