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

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While this might sound elementary, there are actually many students who don’t know the elements of a proper paragraph. The paragraphs that make up the body of your term papers or research papers help your reader to understand the purpose of your paper, which we have seen is explained in the Introduction.

Paragraphs should contain a topic sentence that includes the important concept or idea that will be addressed in the paragraph as well as the information necessary to support that idea.

Paragraphs can be as long as necessary to get a specific point across however there may be some cases where only one or two sentences are more than sufficient, especially if they make a strong statement about what your term paper or research paper is about. Strong statements are an important segue to the Conclusion, which we will address in our next post.

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First begin by writing down the main points of your term paper. You only need to write two or three main points on a piece of paper. Then look at them and think “why did I choose those points”? “What ties these things together?” For example, if I’m doing a term paper on the civil rights movement, I may write down: Martin Luther King Jr., the 1960’s, and segregation. Obviously I chose these points because they are important to the civil rights movement but why? Ah ha! I get it! A good opening sentence of a term paper starts by catching your attention with previewing what the paper is going to be about.

So in my sample topic of the civil rights movement, I begin my paper by telling the reader why my main topics are important. In my example, the beginning goes something like this:

It took strong leadership (Martin Luther King Jr.), an era of uprising and rebellion (the 1960’s) and the ultimate travisty of dehumanizing men and women (segregation) to incite the civil rights movement in the United States.

And there you go! Three easy steps that take only 5 minutes and you are off to a great start in any paper. 1) Make a list of main points 2) Ask your self why are these important 3) Tell your reader why they are important and how they tie together = Opening sentence that is informative and interesting.

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The key to a great a term paper topic is that it is relevant (which we already showed you how here) and contemporary. The key to making a term paper great is is to work writing that is creative into the paper. More precisely you will want to consider developing you skills in observation and imagination as well as becoming ardent readers and conversationalists. It is the skills in observation and imagination that establishes the experience knoweldge base that writers may draw upon when you are writing your term paper.

There are many other ways to create interesting topics. Initially, one can generate ideas by freewriting that is a technique for idea development, brainstorming, reading other sources, utilizing questions used by journalists, and reviewing memories. Once an idea is selected, the authors recommend that the writer “establish a chronology” and “show what happened”. These techniques assist in creating the first draft or outline, but it is not finalized until the work is sufficiently revised and edited, ensuring that the author has stated clearly and precisely what he or she has intended to write. Each step in this process is crucial to producing a term paper that is effective relevant and contemporary.

Another way to pick a topic is by what is called the resource of observation. This method has an advantage over memories in that the author has the capability to fully use his or her senses in obtaining this information. Thus, in observing some event, it is possible to capture the full array of sensation, such as the smells and tastes that are part of the overall observation. In developing ideas through observations, there are three suggestions. Brainstorming is recommended in order to generate numerous ideas that provides a pool from which to select one’s topic. Perhaps the most important advice here is to get out and look, record your observations and include images. This advice enhances one’s ability to make observations that can be utilized within the context of writing in the present or in the future. Additionally, one might find it useful to write down reactions to works or phrases that are encountered in works that are especially noteworthy. This necessitates and facilitates maintaining a reading journal. Such a book becomes a handy reference source for current and future projects.

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The first step to picking a research paper topic is to ask yourself a few questions such as, What do I like about what we are studying now in class? What do I find interesting? What caught my attention when I was either in class or studying for the class? The goal with this question is to find a topic that is interesting to you and that will keep your attention. It is much easier to write on something that you find interesting and you will also remember what you research if you can relate to it.

You should now have an idea of what you find interesting in the class. Now take this broad area that you find interesting and open your textbook to the chapter that has information about the topic. Scan through it and make a list of headings that catch your eye. After you have 5 or 6 written down, pick one that you feel would be a good topic. Google the topic and see what kind of information you can find. Are there enough resources available? If yes, you have a topic! If no….pick another topic on your list and Google again. Do this until you have a topic you are happy with.

Picking the perfect research paper topic is more about you than you think. While keeping in mind what the professor expects is important, you cannot write a good research paper without some personal connection to the topic. If your professor is kind enough to allow you to pick the topic, make sure you connect with the topic of your research paper!

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