As the term implies, a "term paper" is an original composition that is written by a student to demonstrate learning that has taken place over the course of instruction such as a semester. While "term paper" and "research paper" are commonly used interchangeably, a term paper usually accounts for a large percentage of a grade for a class, is written near the end of the course, and will probably be longer in length with more resources used than a research paper.
Many of the same rules that apply to research papers also apply to term papers, but most especially the "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them" principle.
Term papers are also highly structured, and while the exact format will vary according to your academic institution's requirements, they typically assume the introduction (this section should include some broad, sweeping – and attention-grabbing – statements as well as your thesis statement), the main body (which contains the bulk of your research) and conclusion (which is used to summarize the term paper's findings) type of format. There are some other similarities between term papers and research papers as well. For instance, term papers generally assume two different forms: (a) argumentative term papers and (b) analytical term papers. Argumentative term papers present and develop arguments that are supported by the opinions of various authoritative sources. In this type of term paper, the student must express an opinion about the topic and support it throughout. By contrast, an analytical term paper, like a research paper, typically focuses on the facts related to an issue rather than the opinions of authorities. In this type of term paper, students do not take a pro or con position, but rather attempt to present a balanced view of the issue,
One of the biggest mistakes that many students make in writing their term papers is choosing a topic that is too broad in scope. Therefore, it is important to narrow the focus of the term paper so that it can be addressed in an in-depth and comprehensive fashion. For example, if you are writing about the Vietnam War, rather than attempt to explain the entire war in a single term paper, you might want to focus on the effects the war had on the domestic front in the United States and how popular opinion about the war changed over the years.
Another mistake that many students make is failing to proof-read their term paper after it is completed. Certainly, word processing programs have grammar and spell checkers that are highly useful, but these are not fail-safe and it is important to carefully review what you have written in order to ensure that there are no noun-verb disagreements, inappropriate uses of words (i.e., except/accept) and that there are appropriate transitions between paragraphs and the term paper's major sections.
Finally, it is usually helpful to do some preliminary research to see what information is available and what others have written about a give topic before formulating a thesis statement for your term paper. Once you have determined a topic with a sufficiently narrow focus, the thesis statement, which is usually the last sentence in your introduction, will serve as a guide for the remainder of the term paper. The preliminary research will also help you develop an outline for the term paper that can be used to incorporate new material as the research progresses. While it is acceptable to "copy and paste" research material directly into the outline during this process, as with all types of academic writing, it is absolutely essential that you cite your sources and include the resources in your term paper's references.
