Written by: Emily Morehead
Edited by: Peter Milobar
For many, the beginning of March welcomes the end of midterm season and a break from long nights of cramming. Despite this temporary relief, March unfortunately means that the deadline for term papers is quickly approaching.
Term paper season does not need to be stressful or chaotic. If you use your time wisely and prepare ahead, there is no reason to dread your approaching deadlines. To help you with your term paper preparation, here are 5 key tips you should keep in mind!
- Start early! – This may be an obvious tip, but it is the most important. Take a look at your syllabuses ahead of time and take note of when each paper is due. Look at the requirements to each paper and estimate how much time you think you’ll need to properly research and write the paper. If you complete this step far in advance, you can assure that you aren’t starting too late!
- Meet with your professors – It can be really intimidating to meet with your professors, but this is super helpful and you will be happy you did! Before you start writing your paper, go over your topic/essay outline with your professor. By doing this, you can make sure you are headed in the right direction. Often, professors provide you with key tips and insight that they don’t offer in class.
- Research before you decide on your argument – If you are writing a research paper, make sure you read, read, read, before firmly deciding on what you are arguing. Do know a general topic that you are interested in first, but come up with your argument with the help of the information you find. If you already have a firm argument in mind, it may limit your research and make it difficult to find sources.
- Create an outline – If you want to make your paper as clear, concise, and structured as possible, creating an outline is a must. An outline helps you assure that your paper stays in line with your argument and makes the essay easier to write overall.
- Read your essay out loud when you are done – Before turning in your essay, this is the most important step. When you read your essay out loud, it is easier to identify mistakes in grammar and sentence structure. If you read out a sentence and it sounds awkward to say, that means you need to edit it. Try it out!
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