Term paper ideas :: Lesson Six :: Strategies
 
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Building Your Argument Part Three: Strategy

Now that you've done some good analysis within your paragraphs, it's necessary to examine how they fit in to the goal of your overall paper.

Avoid Chronology - When looking at your paper as a whole, it is much better for your paragraphs to relate according to a process of thought, rather than of chronology. If it seems as though your paragraphs are divided according to the order of your source (In other words, "first this happens," then "this happens," then "and finally..."), there's a good chance you're lapsing into plot summary.

Ordering according to thought process - Here's where your highlighting becomes useful again. Follow each of the ideas you developed throughout the text individually. If you highlighted in different colors, make all your pink highlights one section, your blue highlights another, and your yellow ones a third. In this manner your writing flows in an ordered progression, but according to the development of an argument, rather than recapitulation of the text.

Make your paragraphs build off of each other - It's best to try to arrange your paper in a manner that grows increasingly more specific. In subsequent paragraphs, try to refer back to what you mentioned in previous ones, and explain how your current subject extends or re-examines it in a new light.

Transitions - In order to give your paper unity and flow, it's important to always make smooth transitions between paragraphs. Consider the relationship between the two paragraphs, and use it as a way of moving from one to the other. You might address a similarity in argument, by saying "In a similar manner...", "This argument may be allied to "subject B" in terms of... ", "Likewise... ", or "The idea of X recurs again with respect to... " To express a dissimilarity, you might use "In contrast...", "On the other hand... ", or "Nevertheless".

 

 
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Students will write more effective term papers with this guide to 500 term paper ideas and thousands of print and nonprint sources on twentieth-century U.S. history. This guide presents entries on 100 of the most important events and developments in twentieth-century U.S. history organized in chronological order, from the Spanish-American War to the creation of NAFTA. Each entry consists of a short description of the event, followed by five specific suggestions for term papers about the event, and a wide-ranging annotated bibliography of 15-35 books, articles, videos, and a web site appropriate for student research. In every case the emphasis is on recent and up-to-date material, as well as landmark works and primary sources. This unique guide is valuable not only to students, but to teachers and librarians who guide students in research, and is an excellent purchasing guide for librarians who serve student needs.


A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)
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For nearly sixty years Kate L. Turabian's Manual for Writers has offered comprehensive and detailed guidance to writers of research papers - term papers, theses, and dissertations. Now the editors of The Chicago Manual of Style have revised Turabian's Manual to bring the details of style into conformity with the fourteenth edition of the Chicago Manual. This new edition of "Turabian" reflects the way students work today, taking into account the role of personal computers in the preparation and presentation of their papers. This new edition includes information on the components of a long formal paper; the mechanics of writing style, from abbreviations to quotations; how to prepare and refer to tables and illustrations; the most commonly used systems of citation, including how to cite electronic documents; manuscript preparation and hints on word processing software; and formatting some of the complex features found in many research papers, including over two dozen sample pages.

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