Research Writing and College Life

Most research and management reports begin with a one-page summary of the main points so that the reader can quickly see whether reading the report will be beneficial. This summary is usually referred to as an abstract, and it is placed first although it is obviously written after the results have been analyzed and discussed. In many organizations the term “executive summary” is used. The heading “Abstract” should appear on all copies presented to the University even though you are welcome to use “Executive Summary” on any copy of your project you present to anyone in your organization.

People read abstracts and summaries mainly to decide whether they want to read the entire document that the abstract paraphrases. Abstracts are also used to provide access to documents in data base systems, the kind of information system managers have to rely on more and more. To write an abstract you need to know two things: (1) What to include in it, and (2) How to gather and present information for it. An abstract or summary contains the following information elements, as relevant, that describe or extract information from the basic document.

• Purpose
- the problem
- the study objective

• Scope
- the population(s)
- the organization(s)

• Methodology
- hypotheses
- research design
- data-gathering method(s)

• Results
- statistical
- nonstatistical

• Conclusions
- findings from the results

• Recommendations
- actions to take

Karen Term Paper "How To's"

If you struggle with the part of writing term papers and research papers that calls for you to absorb the knowledge, ideas and opinions of others and put it down in your own words, you should find the conclusion section a relief. Not only because it means that you have reached the end of your paper but also because the conclusion is where you are allowed to draw “your own conclusions”. Read more…

Karen Term Paper "How To's"

The most substantial part of term papers and research papers is the body, that portion which follows the introduction and precedes the conclusion. Just as the body can vary among human beings, the body can vary in term papers and in research papers, not only in terms of size but content as well. The body of a term paper contains what some people refer to as “the meat” of the paper but that are otherwise known as the paragraphs. Read more…

Karen Term Paper "How To's"

Starting a term paper is often the hardest part of writing. Some call it writer’s block but whatever makes the term paper hard to start is a major hurdle towards moving on into the meat of the paper. We can help you start any term paper or research paper with just a few simple tricks that will guarantee you never struggle with that opening sentence again!

Read more…

Karen Term Paper "How To's"

We discussed in last week’s post some easy ways to come up with a topic for a term paper. This week, we can take that topic and turn it into something that will blow your professor away with its insight and originality. Let me give you an example – You find Shakespeare dull and boring and you have a term paper on Romeo and Juliet. How can you relate Romeo and Juliet to what you love and write about something that will wow the professor? How about writing an English term paper that compares the All-American Rejects song “Dirty Little Secret” to Romeo and Juliet? That is what I mean by making the paper relevant and contemporary, no matter what the topic is. Read more…

Karen Term Paper "How To's"

Have you ever stared at a blank computer screen, heard the clock ticking in the background, the research paper due the next morning and you don’t even have a topic picked out yet? Picking out the topic is one of the hardest parts of writing a research paper. If you pick a topic too narrow, you won’t be able to find enough information to write on. If your research paper topic is too broad, the whole paper will sound like fluff and there will be no focus to the writing. You must pick a topic that is narrow enough to be relevant to what you discuss each day in class, yet broad enough to be able to find interesting and informative resources. So how do you pick the perfect topic for a research paper? It really quite simple to pick a research topic and you can do it five minutes or less! Read more…

Karen Term Paper "How To's"