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Everything You Need to Know to Write an A+ Term Paper

Last Updated: March 4, 2024 Fact Checked

Sample Term Papers

Researching & outlining.

• Drafting Your Paper
• Revising Your Paper

Expert Q&A

This article was co-authored by Matthew Snipp, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Raven Minyard, BA . C. Matthew Snipp is the Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. He is also the Director for the Institute for Research in the Social Science’s Secure Data Center. He has been a Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has published 3 books and over 70 articles and book chapters on demography, economic development, poverty and unemployment. He is also currently serving on the National Institute of Child Health and Development’s Population Science Subcommittee. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,233,360 times.

A term paper is a written assignment given to students at the end of a course to gauge their understanding of the material. Term papers typically count for a good percentage of your overall grade, so of course, you’ll want to write the best paper possible. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to write an A+ term paper, from researching and outlining to drafting and revising.

Quick Steps to Write a Term Paper

• Hook your readers with an interesting and informative intro paragraph. State your thesis and your main points.
• Support your thesis by providing quotes and evidence that back your claim in your body paragraphs.
• Summarize your main points and leave your readers with a thought-provoking question in your conclusion.

• Think of your term paper as the bridge between what you’ve learned in class and how you apply that knowledge to real-world topics.
• For example, a history term paper may require you to explore the consequences of a significant historical event, like the Civil War. An environmental science class, on the other hand, may have you examine the effects of climate change on a certain region.
• Your guidelines should tell you the paper’s word count and formatting style, like whether to use in-text citations or footnotes and whether to use single- or double-spacing. If these things aren’t specified, be sure to reach out to your instructor.

• Make sure your topic isn’t too broad. For example, if you want to write about Shakespeare’s work, first narrow it down to a specific play, like Macbeth , then choose something even more specific like Lady Macbeth’s role in the plot.
• If the topic is already chosen for you, explore unique angles that can set your content and information apart from the more obvious approaches many others will probably take. [3] X Research source
• Try not to have a specific outcome in mind, as this will close you off to new ideas and avenues of thinking. Rather than trying to mold your research to fit your desired outcome, allow the outcome to reflect a genuine analysis of the discoveries you made. Ask yourself questions throughout the process and be open to having your beliefs challenged.
• Reading other people's comments, opinions, and entries on a topic can often help you to refine your own, especially where they comment that "further research" is required or where they posit challenging questions but leave them unanswered.

• For example, if you’re writing a term paper about Macbeth , your primary source would be the play itself. Then, look for other research papers and analyses written by academics and scholars to understand how they interpret the text.

• For example, if you’re writing a paper about Lady Macbeth, your thesis could be something like “Shakespeare’s characterization of Lady Macbeth reveals how desire for power can control someone’s life.”
• Remember, your research and thesis development doesn’t stop here. As you continue working through both the research and writing, you may want to make changes that align with the ideas forming in your mind and the discoveries you continue to unearth.
• On the other hand, don’t keep looking for new ideas and angles for fear of feeling confined. At some point, you’re going to have to say enough is enough and make your point. You may have other opportunities to explore these questions in future studies, but for now, remember your term paper has a finite word length and an approaching due date!

• Abstract: An abstract is a concise summary of your paper that informs readers of your topic, its significance, and the key points you’ll explore. It must stand on its own and make sense without referencing outside sources or your actual paper.
• Introduction: The introduction establishes the main idea of your paper and directly states the thesis. Begin your introduction with an attention-grabbing sentence to intrigue your readers, and provide any necessary background information to establish your paper’s purpose and direction.
• Body paragraphs: Each body paragraph focuses on a different argument supporting your thesis. List specific evidence from your sources to back up your arguments. Provide detailed information about your topic to enhance your readers’ understanding. In your outline, write down the main ideas for each body paragraph and any outstanding questions or points you’re not yet sure about.
• Results: Depending on the type of term paper you’re writing, your results may be incorporated into your body paragraphs or conclusion. These are the insights that your research led you to. Here you can discuss how your perspective and understanding of your topic shifted throughout your writing process.
• Conclusion: Your conclusion summarizes your argument and findings. You may restate your thesis and major points as you wrap up your paper.

Drafting Your Term Paper

• Writing an introduction can be challenging, but don’t get too caught up on it. As you write the rest of your paper, your arguments might change and develop, so you’ll likely need to rewrite your intro at the end, anyway. Writing your intro is simply a means of getting started and you can always revise it later. [10] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
• Be sure to define any words your readers might not understand. For example, words like “globalization” have many different meanings depending on context, and it’s important to state which ones you’ll be using as part of your introductory paragraph.

• Try to relate the subject of the essay (say, Plato’s Symposium ) to a tangentially related issue you happen to know something about (say, the growing trend of free-wheeling hookups in frat parties). Slowly bring the paragraph around to your actual subject and make a few generalizations about why this aspect of the book/subject is so fascinating and worthy of study (such as how different the expectations for physical intimacy were then compared to now).

• You can also reflect on your own experience of researching and writing your term paper. Discuss how your understanding of your topic evolved and any unexpected findings you came across.

• While peppering quotes throughout your text is a good way to help make your point, don’t overdo it. If you use too many quotes, you’re basically allowing other authors to make the point and write the paper for you. When you do use a quote, be sure to explain why it is relevant in your own words.
• Try to sort out your bibliography at the beginning of your writing process to avoid having a last-minute scramble. When you have all the information beforehand (like the source’s title, author, publication date, etc.), it’s easier to plug them into the correct format.

Revising & Finalizing Your Term Paper

• Trade in weak “to-be” verbs for stronger “action” verbs. For example: “I was writing my term paper” becomes “I wrote my term paper.”

• It’s extremely important to proofread your term paper. If your writing is full of mistakes, your instructor will assume you didn’t put much effort into your paper. If you have too many errors, your message will be lost in the confusion of trying to understand what you’ve written.

• If you add or change information to make things clearer for your readers, it’s a good idea to look over your paper one more time to catch any new typos that may have come up in the process.

• The best essays are like grass court tennis—the argument should flow in a "rally" style, building persuasively to the conclusion. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• If you get stuck, consider giving your professor a visit. Whether you're still struggling for a thesis or you want to go over your conclusion, most instructors are delighted to help and they'll remember your initiative when grading time rolls around. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• At least 2 hours for 3-5 pages.
• At least 4 hours for 8-10 pages.
• At least 6 hours for 12-15 pages.
• Double those hours if you haven't done any homework and you haven't attended class.
• For papers that are primarily research-based, add about two hours to those times (although you'll need to know how to research quickly and effectively, beyond the purview of this brief guide).

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.binghamton.edu/counseling/self-help/term-paper.html
• ↑ Matthew Snipp, PhD. Research Fellow, U.S. Bureau of the Census. Expert Interview. 26 March 2020.
• ↑ https://emory.libanswers.com/faq/44525
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/planresearchpaper/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/thesis_statement_tips.html
• ↑ https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/outline
• ↑ https://gallaudet.edu/student-success/tutorial-center/english-center/writing/guide-to-writing-introductions-and-conclusions/
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26731827
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/assignments/writing-an-abstract-for-your-research-paper/
• ↑ https://www.ivcc.edu/stylesite/Essay_Title.pdf
• ↑ https://www.uni-flensburg.de/fileadmin/content/institute/anglistik/dokumente/downloads/how-to-write-a-term-paper-daewes.pdf
• ↑ https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=29803&p=185937
• ↑ https://www.cornerstone.edu/blog-post/six-steps-to-really-edit-your-paper/

About This Article

If you need to write a term paper, choose your topic, then start researching that topic. Use your research to craft a thesis statement which states the main idea of your paper, then organize all of your facts into an outline that supports your thesis. Once you start writing, state your thesis in the first paragraph, then use the body of the paper to present the points that support your argument. End the paper with a strong conclusion that restates your thesis. For tips on improving your term paper through active voice, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Term Paper From Start to Finish

The term paper, often regarded as the culmination of a semester's hard work, is a rite of passage for students in pursuit of higher education. Here's an interesting fact to kick things off: Did you know that the term paper's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where scholars like Plato and Aristotle utilized written works to explore and document their philosophical musings? Just as these great minds once wrote their thoughts on parchment, you, too, can embark on this intellectual voyage with confidence and skill.

How to Write a Term Paper: Short Description

In this article, we'll delve into the core purpose of this kind of assignment – to showcase your understanding of a subject, your research abilities, and your capacity to communicate complex ideas effectively. But it doesn't stop there. We'll also guide you in the art of creating a well-structured term paper format, a roadmap that will not only keep you on track but also ensure your ideas flow seamlessly and logically. Packed with valuable tips on writing, organization, and time management, this resource promises to equip you with the tools needed to excel in your academic writing.

Understanding What Is a Term Paper

A term paper, a crucial component of your college education, is often assigned towards the conclusion of a semester. It's a vehicle through which educators gauge your comprehension of the course content. Imagine it as a bridge between what you've learned in class and your ability to apply that knowledge to real-world topics.

For instance, in a history course, you might be asked to delve into the causes and consequences of a significant historical event, such as World War II. In a psychology class, your term paper might explore the effects of stress on mental health, or in an environmental science course, you could analyze the impact of climate change on a specific region.

Writing a term paper isn't just about summarizing facts. It requires a blend of organization, deep research, and the art of presenting your findings in a way that's both clear and analytical. This means structuring your arguments logically, citing relevant sources, and critically evaluating the information you've gathered.

For further guidance, we've prepared an insightful guide for you authored by our expert essay writer . It's brimming with practical tips and valuable insights to help you stand out in this academic endeavor and earn the recognition you deserve.

How to Start a Term Paper

Before you start, keep the guidelines for the term paper format firmly in mind. If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to reach out to your instructor for clarification before you begin your research and writing process. And remember, procrastination is your worst enemy in this endeavor. If you're aiming to produce an exceptional piece and secure a top grade, it's essential to plan ahead and allocate dedicated time each day to work on it. Now, let our term paper writing services provide you with some valuable tips to help you on your journey:

• Hone Your Topic : Start by cultivating a learning mindset that empowers you to effectively organize your thoughts. Discover how to research a topic in the section below.
• Hook Your Readers: Initiate a brainstorming session and unleash a barrage of creative ideas to captivate your audience right from the outset. Pose intriguing questions, share compelling anecdotes, offer persuasive statistics, and more.
• Craft a Concise Thesis Statement Example : If you find yourself struggling to encapsulate the main idea of your paper in just a sentence or two, it's time to revisit your initial topic and consider narrowing it down.
• Understand Style Requirements: Your work must adhere to specific formatting guidelines. Delve into details about the APA format and other pertinent regulations in the section provided.
• Delve Deeper with Research : Equipped with a clearer understanding of your objectives, dive into your subject matter with a discerning eye. Ensure that you draw from reputable and reliable sources.
• Begin Writing: Don't obsess over perfection from the get-go. Just start writing, and don't worry about initial imperfections. You can always revise or remove those early sentences later. The key is to initiate the term papers as soon as you've amassed sufficient information.

Ace your term paper with EssayPro 's expert help. Our academic professionals are here to guide you through every step, ensuring your term paper is well-researched, structured, and written to the highest standards.

Term Paper Topics

Selecting the right topic for your term paper is a critical step, one that can significantly impact your overall experience and the quality of your work. While instructors sometimes provide specific topics, there are instances when you have the freedom to choose your own. To guide you on how to write a term paper, consider the following factors when deciding on your dissertation topics :

• Relevance to Assignment Length: Begin by considering the required length of your paper. Whether it's a substantial 10-page paper or a more concise 5-page one, understanding the word count will help you determine the appropriate scope for your subject. This will inform whether your topic should be broad or more narrowly focused.
• Availability of Resources : Investigate the resources at your disposal. Check your school or community library for books and materials that can support your research. Additionally, explore online sources to ensure you have access to a variety of reference materials.
• Complexity and Clarity : Ensure you can effectively explain your chosen topic, regardless of how complex it may seem. If you encounter areas that are challenging to grasp fully, don't hesitate to seek guidance from experts or your professor. Clarity and understanding are key to producing a well-structured term paper.
• Avoiding Overused Concepts : Refrain from choosing overly trendy or overused topics. Mainstream subjects often fail to captivate the interest of your readers or instructors, as they can lead to repetitive content. Instead, opt for a unique angle or approach that adds depth to your paper.
• Manageability and Passion : While passion can drive your choice of topic, it's important to ensure that it is manageable within the given time frame and with the available resources. If necessary, consider scaling down a topic that remains intriguing and motivating to you, ensuring it aligns with your course objectives and personal interests.

Worrying About the Quality of Your Upcoming Essay?

"Being highly trained professionals, our writers can provide term paper help by creating a paper specifically tailored to your needs.

Term Paper Outline

Before embarking on the journey of writing a term paper, it's crucial to establish a well-structured outline. Be mindful of any specific formatting requirements your teacher may have in mind, as these will guide your outline's structure. Here's a basic format to help you get started:

• Cover Page: Begin with a cover page featuring your name, course number, teacher's name, and the deadline date, centered at the top.
• Abstract: Craft a concise summary of your work that informs readers about your paper's topic, its significance, and the key points you'll explore.
• Introduction: Commence your term paper introduction with a clear and compelling statement of your chosen topic. Explain why it's relevant and outline your approach to addressing it.
• Body: This section serves as the meat of academic papers, where you present the primary findings from your research. Provide detailed information about the topic to enhance the reader's understanding. Ensure you incorporate various viewpoints on the issue and conduct a thorough analysis of your research.
• Results: Share the insights and conclusions that your research has led you to. Discuss any shifts in your perspective or understanding that have occurred during the course of your project.
• Discussion: Conclude your term paper with a comprehensive summary of the topic and your findings. You can wrap up with a thought-provoking question or encourage readers to explore the subject further through their own research.

How to Write a Term Paper with 5 Steps

Before you begin your term paper, it's crucial to understand what a term paper proposal entails. This proposal serves as your way to introduce and justify your chosen topic to your instructor, and it must gain approval before you start writing the actual paper.

In your proposal, include recent studies or research related to your topic, along with proper references. Clearly explain the topic's relevance to your course, outline your objectives, and organize your ideas effectively. This helps your instructor grasp your term paper's direction. If needed, you can also seek assistance from our expert writers and buy term paper .

Draft the Abstract

The abstract is a critical element while writing a term paper, and it plays a crucial role in piquing the reader's interest. To create a captivating abstract, consider these key points from our dissertation writing service :

• Conciseness: Keep it short and to the point, around 150-250 words. No need for lengthy explanations.
• Highlight Key Elements: Summarize the problem you're addressing, your research methods, and primary findings or conclusions. For instance, if your paper discusses the impact of social media on mental health, mention your research methods and significant findings.
• Engagement: Make your abstract engaging. Use language that draws readers in. For example, if your paper explores the effects of artificial intelligence on the job market, you might begin with a question like, 'Is AI revolutionizing our work landscape, or should we prepare for the robots to take over?'
• Clarity: Avoid excessive jargon or technical terms to ensure accessibility to a wider audience.

Craft the Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for your entire term paper and should engage readers from the outset. To craft an intriguing introduction, consider these tips:

• Hook Your Audience: Start with a captivating hook, such as a thought-provoking question or a compelling statistic. For example, if your paper explores the impact of smartphone addiction, you could begin with, 'Can you remember the last time you went a whole day without checking your phone?'
• State Your Purpose: Clearly state the purpose of your paper and its relevance. If your term paper is about renewable energy's role in combating climate change, explain why this topic is essential in today's world.
• Provide a Roadmap: Briefly outline how your paper is structured. For instance, if your paper discusses the benefits of mindfulness meditation, mention that you will explore its effects on stress reduction, emotional well-being, and cognitive performance.
• Thesis Statement: Conclude your introduction with a concise thesis statement that encapsulates the central argument or message of your paper. In the case of a term paper on the impact of online education, your thesis might be: 'Online education is revolutionizing learning by providing accessibility, flexibility, and innovative teaching methods.'

Develop the Body Sections: Brainstorming Concepts and Content

Generate ideas and compose text: body sections.

The body of your term paper is where you present your research, arguments, and analysis. To generate ideas and write engaging text in the body sections, consider these strategies from our research paper writer :

• Structure Your Ideas: Organize your paper into sections or paragraphs, each addressing a specific aspect of your topic. For example, if your term paper explores the impact of social media on interpersonal relationships, you might have sections on communication patterns, privacy concerns, and emotional well-being.
• Support with Evidence: Back up your arguments with credible evidence, such as data, research findings, or expert opinions. For instance, when discussing the effects of social media on mental health, you can include statistics on social media usage and its correlation with anxiety or depression.
• Offer Diverse Perspectives: Acknowledge and explore various viewpoints on the topic. When writing about the pros and cons of genetic engineering, present both the potential benefits, like disease prevention, and the ethical concerns associated with altering human genetics.
• Use Engaging Examples: Incorporate real-life examples to illustrate your points. If your paper discusses the consequences of climate change, share specific instances of extreme weather events or environmental degradation to make the topic relatable.
• Ask Thought-Provoking Questions: Integrate questions throughout your text to engage readers and stimulate critical thinking. In a term paper on the future of artificial intelligence, you might ask, 'How will AI impact job markets and the concept of work in the coming years?'

Formulate the Conclusion

The conclusion section should provide a satisfying wrap-up of your arguments and insights. To craft a compelling term paper example conclusion, follow these steps:

• Revisit Your Thesis: Begin by restating your thesis statement. This reinforces the central message of your paper. For example, if your thesis is about the importance of biodiversity conservation, reiterate that biodiversity is crucial for ecological balance and human well-being.
• Summarize Key Points: Briefly recap the main points you've discussed in the body of your paper. For instance, if you've been exploring the impact of globalization on local economies, summarize the effects on industries, job markets, and cultural diversity.
• Emphasize Your Main Argument: Reaffirm the significance of your thesis and the overall message of your paper. Discuss why your findings are important or relevant in a broader context. If your term paper discusses the advantages of renewable energy, underscore its potential to combat climate change and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
• Offer a Thoughtful Reflection: Share your own reflections or insights about the topic. How has your understanding evolved during your research? Have you uncovered any unexpected findings or implications? If your paper discusses the future of space exploration, consider what it means for humanity's quest to explore the cosmos.
• End with Impact: Conclude your term paper with a powerful closing statement. You can leave the reader with a thought-provoking question, a call to action, or a reflection on the broader implications of your topic. For instance, if your paper is about the ethics of artificial intelligence, you could finish by asking, 'As AI continues to advance, what ethical considerations will guide our choices and decisions?'

Edit and Enhance the Initial Draft

After completing your initial draft, the revision and polishing phase is essential for improving your paper. Here's how to refine your work efficiently:

• Take a Break: Step back and return to your paper with a fresh perspective.
• Structure Check: Ensure your paper flows logically and transitions smoothly from the introduction to the conclusion.
• Clarity and Conciseness: Trim excess words for clarity and precision.
• Grammar and Style: Proofread for errors and ensure consistent style.
• Citations and References: Double-check your citations and reference list.
• Peer Review: Seek feedback from peers or professors for valuable insights.
• Enhance Intro and Conclusion: Make your introduction and conclusion engaging and impactful.
• Coherence Check: Ensure your arguments support your thesis consistently.
• Read Aloud: Reading your paper aloud helps identify issues.
• Final Proofread: Perform a thorough proofread to catch any remaining errors.

Term Paper Format

When formatting your term paper, consider its length and the required citation style, which depends on your research topic. Proper referencing is crucial to avoid plagiarism in academic writing. Common citation styles include APA and MLA.

If unsure how to cite term paper for social sciences, use the APA format, including the author's name, book title, publication year, publisher, and location when citing a book.

For liberal arts and humanities, MLA is common, requiring the publication name, date, and location for referencing.

Adhering to the appropriate term paper format and citation style ensures an organized and academically sound paper. Follow your instructor's guidelines for a polished and successful paper.

Term Paper Example

To access our term paper example, simply click the button below.

The timeline of events from 1776 to 1861, that, in the end, prompted the American Civil War, describes and relates to a number of subjects modern historians acknowledge as the origins and causes of the Civil War. In fact, pre-Civil War events had both long-term and short-term influences on the War—such as the election of Abraham Lincoln as the American president in 1860 that led to the Fall of Fort Sumter in April of the same year. In that period, contentions that surrounded states’ rights progressively exploded in Congress—since they were the initial events that formed after independence. Congress focused on resolving significant issues that affected the states, which led to further issues. In that order, the US’s history from 1776 to 1861 provides a rich history, as politicians brought forth dissimilarities, dissections, and tensions between the Southern US & the people of slave states, and the Northern states that were loyal to the Union. The events that unfolded from the period of 1776 to 1861 involved a series of issues because they promoted the great sectional crisis that led to political divisions and the build-up to the Civil War that made the North and the South seem like distinctive and timeless regions that predated the crisis itself.

Final Thoughts

In closing, approach the task of writing term papers with determination and a positive outlook. Begin well in advance, maintain organization, and have faith in your capabilities. Don't hesitate to seek assistance if required, and express your individual perspective with confidence. You're more than capable of succeeding in this endeavor!

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Home » Term Paper – Format, Examples and Writing Guide

Term Paper – Format, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Definition:

Term paper is a type of academic writing assignment that is typically assigned to students at the end of a semester or term. It is usually a research-based paper that is meant to demonstrate the student’s understanding of a particular topic, as well as their ability to analyze and synthesize information from various sources.

Term papers are usually longer than other types of academic writing assignments and can range anywhere from 5 to 20 pages or more, depending on the level of study and the specific requirements of the assignment. They often require extensive research and the use of a variety of sources, including books, articles, and other academic publications.

Term Paper Format

The format of a term paper may vary depending on the specific requirements of your professor or institution. However, a typical term paper usually consists of the following sections:

• Title page: This should include the title of your paper, your name, the course name and number, your instructor’s name, and the date.
• Abstract : This is a brief summary of your paper, usually no more than 250 words. It should provide an overview of your topic, the research question or hypothesis, your methodology, and your main findings or conclusions.
• Introduction : This section should introduce your topic and provide background information on the subject. You should also state your research question or hypothesis and explain the importance of your research.
• Literature review : This section should review the existing literature on your topic. You should summarize the key findings and arguments made by other scholars and identify any gaps in the literature that your research aims to address.
• Methodology: This section should describe the methods you used to collect and analyze your data. You should explain your research design, sampling strategy, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques.
• Results : This section should present your findings. You can use tables, graphs, and charts to illustrate your data.
• Discussion : This section should interpret your findings and explain what they mean in relation to your research question or hypothesis. You should also discuss any limitations of your study and suggest areas for future research.
• Conclusion : This section should summarize your main findings and conclusions. You should also restate the importance of your research and its implications for the field.
• References : This section should list all the sources you cited in your paper using a specific citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
• Appendices : This section should include any additional materials that are relevant to your study but not essential to your main argument (e.g., survey questions, interview transcripts).

Structure of Term Paper

Here’s an example structure for a term paper:

I. Introduction

A. Background information on the topic

B. Thesis statement

II. Literature Review

A. Overview of current literature on the topic

B. Discussion of key themes and findings from literature

C. Identification of gaps in current literature

III. Methodology

A. Description of research design

B. Discussion of data collection methods

C. Explanation of data analysis techniques

IV. Results

A. Presentation of findings

B. Analysis and interpretation of results

C. Comparison of results with previous studies

V. Discussion

A. Summary of key findings

B. Explanation of how results address the research questions

C. Implications of results for the field

VI. Conclusion

A. Recap of key points

B. Significance of findings

C. Future directions for research

VII. References

A. List of sources cited in the paper

How to Write Term Paper

Here are some steps to help you write a term paper:

• Choose a topic: Choose a topic that interests you and is relevant to your course. If your professor has assigned a topic, make sure you understand it and clarify any doubts before you start.
• Research : Conduct research on your topic by gathering information from various sources such as books, academic journals, and online resources. Take notes and organize your information systematically.
• Create an outline : Create an outline of your term paper by arranging your ideas and information in a logical sequence. Your outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Write a thesis statement: Write a clear and concise thesis statement that states the main idea of your paper. Your thesis statement should be included in your introduction.
• Write the introduction: The introduction should grab the reader’s attention, provide background information on your topic, and introduce your thesis statement.
• Write the body : The body of your paper should provide supporting evidence for your thesis statement. Use your research to provide details and examples to support your argument. Make sure to organize your ideas logically and use transition words to connect paragraphs.
• Write the conclusion : The conclusion should summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion.
• Edit and proofread: Edit and proofread your term paper carefully to ensure that it is free of errors and flows smoothly. Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
• Format and cite your sources: Follow the formatting guidelines provided by your professor and cite your sources properly using the appropriate citation style.
• Submit your paper : Submit your paper on time and according to the instructions provided by your professor.

Term Paper Example

Here’s an example of a term paper:

Title : The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity

As the world becomes more digitally interconnected, cybersecurity threats are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Traditional security measures are no longer enough to protect against these threats. This paper explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity, including how AI can be used to detect and respond to threats in real-time, the challenges of implementing AI in cybersecurity, and the potential ethical implications of AI-powered security systems. The paper concludes with recommendations for organizations looking to integrate AI into their cybersecurity strategies.

Introduction :

The increasing number of cybersecurity threats in recent years has led to a growing interest in the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve cybersecurity. AI has the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a security breach. Additionally, AI can automate responses to threats, allowing for faster and more effective mitigation of security incidents. However, there are also challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, such as the need for large amounts of high-quality data, the potential for AI systems to make mistakes, and the ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in security.

Literature Review:

This section of the paper reviews existing research on the use of AI in cybersecurity. It begins by discussing the types of AI techniques used in cybersecurity, including machine learning, natural language processing, and neural networks. The literature review then explores the advantages of using AI in cybersecurity, such as its ability to detect previously unknown threats and its potential to reduce the workload of security analysts. However, the review also highlights some of the challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, such as the need for high-quality training data and the potential for AI systems to be fooled by sophisticated attacks.

Methodology :

To better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with using AI in cybersecurity, this paper conducted a survey of cybersecurity professionals working in a variety of industries. The survey included questions about the types of AI techniques used in their organizations, the challenges they faced when implementing AI in cybersecurity, and their perceptions of the ethical implications of using AI in security.

The results of the survey showed that while many organizations are interested in using AI in cybersecurity, they face several challenges when implementing these systems. These challenges include the need for high-quality training data, the potential for AI systems to be fooled by sophisticated attacks, and the difficulty of integrating AI with existing security systems. Additionally, many respondents expressed concerns about the ethical implications of using AI in security, such as the potential for AI to be biased or to make decisions that are harmful to individuals or society as a whole.

Discussion :

Based on the results of the survey and the existing literature, this paper discusses the potential benefits and risks of using AI in cybersecurity. It also provides recommendations for organizations looking to integrate AI into their security strategies, such as the need to prioritize data quality and to ensure that AI systems are transparent and accountable.

Conclusion :

While there are challenges associated with implementing AI in cybersecurity, the potential benefits of using these systems are significant. AI can help organizations detect and respond to threats more quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of security breaches. However, it is important for organizations to be aware of the potential ethical implications of using AI in security and to take steps to ensure that these systems are transparent and accountable.

References:

• Alkhaldi, S., Al-Daraiseh, A., & Lutfiyya, H. (2019). A Survey on Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Cyber Security. Journal of Information Security, 10(03), 191-207.
• Gartner. (2019). Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2020/
• Kshetri, N. (2018). Blockchain’s roles in meeting key supply chain management objectives. International Journal of Information Management, 39, 80-89.
• Lipton, Z. C. (2018). The mythos of model interpretability. arXiv preprint arXiv:1606.03490.
• Schneier, B. (2019). Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-Connected World. WW Norton & Company.
• Wahab, M. A., Rahman, M. S., & Islam, M. R. (2020). A Survey on AI Techniques in Cybersecurity. International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, 11(2), 22-27.

When to Write Term Paper

A term paper is usually a lengthy research paper that is assigned to students at the end of a term or semester. There are several situations when writing a term paper may be required, including:

• As a course requirement: In most cases, a term paper is required as part of the coursework for a particular course. It may be assigned by the instructor as a way of assessing the student’s understanding of the course material.
• To explore a specific topic : A term paper can be an excellent opportunity for students to explore a specific topic of interest in-depth. It allows them to conduct extensive research on the topic and develop their understanding of it.
• To develop critical thinking skills : Writing a term paper requires students to engage in critical thinking and analysis. It helps them to develop their ability to evaluate and interpret information, as well as to present their ideas in a clear and coherent manner.
• To prepare for future academic or professional pursuits: Writing a term paper can be an excellent way for students to prepare for future academic or professional pursuits. It can help them to develop the research and writing skills necessary for success in higher education or in a professional career.

Purpose of Term Paper

The main purposes of a term paper are:

• Demonstrate mastery of a subject: A term paper provides an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. It requires students to research and analyze the topic, and then present their findings in a clear and organized manner.
• Develop critical thinking skills: Writing a term paper requires students to think critically about their subject matter, analyzing various sources and viewpoints, and evaluating evidence to support their arguments.
• Improve writing skills : Writing a term paper helps students improve their writing skills, including organization, clarity, and coherence. It also requires them to follow specific formatting and citation guidelines, which can be valuable skills for future academic and professional endeavors.
• Contribute to academic discourse : A well-written term paper can contribute to academic discourse by presenting new insights, ideas, and arguments that add to the existing body of knowledge on a particular topic.
• Prepare for future research : Writing a term paper can help prepare students for future research, by teaching them how to conduct a literature review, evaluate sources, and formulate research questions and hypotheses. It can also help them develop research skills that they can apply in future academic or professional endeavors.

Advantages of Term Paper

There are several advantages of writing a term paper, including:

• In-depth exploration: Writing a term paper allows you to delve deeper into a specific topic, allowing you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
• Improved writing skills: Writing a term paper involves extensive research, critical thinking, and the organization of ideas into a cohesive written document. As a result, writing a term paper can improve your writing skills significantly.
• Demonstration of knowledge: A well-written term paper demonstrates your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter, which can be beneficial for academic or professional purposes.
• Development of research skills : Writing a term paper requires conducting thorough research, analyzing data, and synthesizing information from various sources. This process can help you develop essential research skills that can be applied in many other areas.
• Enhancement of critical thinking : Writing a term paper encourages you to think critically, evaluate information, and develop well-supported arguments. These skills can be useful in many areas of life, including personal and professional decision-making.
• Preparation for further academic work : Writing a term paper is excellent preparation for more extensive academic projects, such as a thesis or dissertation.

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What is a Term Paper? Exploring the Basics.

Term papers are a common assignment for students to complete during their academic careers. The purpose of writing term papers is to demonstrate a student’s understanding and mastery of course material, as well as display the ability to use research methods effectively and form compelling arguments backed by evidence. This article will provide an overview of what exactly constitutes a term paper, its components, necessary skills needed for successful completion and examples from various fields such as literature, psychology or history. Additionally, this article will highlight the importance of properly citing sources in order to avoid plagiarism in academic work. Finally, we offer tips on how to choose topic ideas that can lead into meaningful pieces which could have potential real-world application depending on the field being studied.

I. Introduction: What is a Term Paper?

A term paper is a type of research-based writing assignment that students are required to complete at the end of an academic term. It typically counts for a significant portion of their final grade in any given course. In order to write an effective and successful term paper, it is important to understand what constitutes such an essay.

Term papers often require students to demonstrate mastery on various topics by utilizing many sources and making connections between those sources as well as providing valid arguments with evidence from those same materials. The purpose behind these assignments is twofold: firstly, they allow instructors to evaluate how much material has been absorbed over the course; secondly, they offer students the opportunity demonstrate critical thinking abilities while improving their research skills as well as expressing creativity through writing and/or incorporating other media into the presentation format (e.g., poster presentations). What’s more, depending upon its length requirements – which can range from three pages up fifty or more pages – it could include elements such as: conducting original experiments or surveys; creating graphs; taking photographs; interviewing experts or local community members about pertinent issues related to your chosen topic(s); examining artifacts located in museums etc.; analyzing literature texts via close reading techniques….etc . Therefore, regardless if you’re assigned a brief “working definition” essay task involving researching just one primary source document versus tasked with delving deeply into a multi-faceted issue where numerous sources must be examined for accuracy & relevancy before being combined together within your argumentative synthesis essay – understanding what’s expected in terms of formulating quality content remains fundamental prerequisite towards effectively completing this educational project satisfactorily!

II. The Definition of a Term Paper

A term paper is an academic document, usually written by a student, that covers the material studied during a course or term of study. It typically describes research on one particular topic and presents results in an organized format.

• The length of a term paper will vary according to course requirements but generally ranges from 5-15 pages.
• It should include relevant content such as facts and evidence, quotes from primary sources, analysis of concepts discussed in class lectures, textbooks or other resources and your own original insights regarding the subject matter.

Since it often involves personal reflection on what has been learned over the entire semester (or year) and incorporates knowledge gained through independent research outside of regular classroom instruction – students are required to have strong reading comprehension skills for success when writing what’s term paper . As with any academic assignment at higher education institutions across the globe – quality formatting (including references/citations), grammar usage etc., also need to be taken into consideration before submitting what’s term papers .

III. Understanding the Different Types of Term Papers

Types of Term Papers

• Research papers: These are the most common type of term paper assignments, often given as part of a larger research project or coursework assignment.
• Argumentative papers: In an argumentative paper, students must present their own arguments and support them with evidence from sources.
• Analytical papers: Analytical papers focus on providing critical analysis and evaluation of topics using primary and secondary sources for support.

What’s a term paper? A term paper is an academic writing assignment that requires students to conduct extensive research on a subject matter in order to explain it in detail. Generally speaking, these types of assignments involve investigating one’s understanding about a certain topic by researching various aspects related to it. The goal is usually to produce an analytical essay or report based upon what has been discovered through the process of investigation. Students should familiarize themselves with each type before beginning work on any kind of term paper so they know what to expect when approaching this type of task. Research-based pieces require gathering information from multiple sources while argumentative works demand forming claims supported by facts gathered during research; meanwhile, analytical pieces evaluate and discuss different points raised in either research-based or argumentative documents written previously. What’s more important is that all three genres allow room for creativity as well as intellectual curiosity — giving you freedom within limits imposed by instructors — making sure that your ideas flow logically across texts while also demonstrating mastery over language use rules such as grammar, punctuation etc..

IV. Knowing the Requirements for Writing Effective Terms Papers

Achieving a Quality Term Paper

• Term papers should include the student’s original ideas and thoughts, based on their research.
• The paper should demonstrate an understanding of existing knowledge in the field being studied as well as what has been contributed by other researchers.
• An effective term paper will make use of evidence-based resources to support its conclusions or thesis statement.

What is a term paper? It is an academic document that contains substantial research into a particular subject area. A successful term paper must be clear, concise and answer any questions posed at the beginning of the assignment. In order for it to be considered excellent quality, there are several key elements that need to be present: accurate information from reliable sources, logical arguments built upon facts rather than opinion and citations with corresponding references. This type of writing requires careful planning; students must take sufficient time researching and analyzing data before constructing their final piece.

In order to write an effective term paper then one needs not only knowledge on the chosen topic but also awareness on how best present this information correctly through writing style – grammar rules must always followed when creating written content – so ensure you have checked your work thoroughly prior submission. Additionally, knowing which format (APA/MLA) your professor prefers helps guarantee acceptance too! Overall, having strong comprehension skills related to language arts plus proper referencing techniques allows for greater success when producing high-quality results required for good grades; What’s more these same practices develop useful skills sets such as communication abilities needed beyond higher education throughout life!

V. Considering Structural Components in a Term Paper

Including Structural Components When creating a term paper, it is important to take into account the structural components that are needed for an effective piece of writing. A well-structured document will be more successful than one with no structure at all. It is therefore essential to consider these elements when producing a term paper.

The most common sections in a standard academic paper include the introduction, body, and conclusion; but other components may be included as well depending on what’s required for the project. The introduction provides readers with background information about the topic being discussed and should also include your thesis statement. The body paragraphs provide support for your argument by discussing different points related to the main idea of your paper while also citing outside sources where appropriate. Finally, you’ll need to write a conclusion summarizing key points from each section and including possible implications or applications based on those ideas.

• What’s Term Paper: A written report submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements.

After taking care of these structural aspects within a term paper, another factor worth considering is style choices such as word choice or sentence length which can help create cohesion throughout an entire essay—especially if multiple authors were involved in its production.

• What’s Term Paper: An assignment given by university professors typically focusing on some aspect of research.

For example choosing words carefully instead of relying solely on jargon terminology can make understanding easier without sacrificing accuracy while maintaining consistency across all sections – this helps keep focus and demonstrates clear thought processes even amongst complex topics.

VI. Examining Grammar and Formatting Considerations When Writing Term Papers

When composing a term paper, one must pay close attention to grammar and formatting considerations in order for the final product to be effective and well-received by readers. It is important that students understand what’s a term paper as they prepare their work so they can produce an accurate piece of writing with thoughtful content.

For starters, it is crucial to check all elements of spelling, including homophones like “their” versus “they’re;” these small details make up the overall credibility of any written document. Additionally, making sure verbs are conjugated correctly throughout will give strength to arguments presented in your work—it shows careful consideration has been taken when constructing sentences. Furthermore, consider checking passive voice usage within paragraphs; this results in stronger narrative flow from sentence-to-sentence as active voice usually provides more clarity than its counterpart does on what’s a term paper topic being discussed at hand.

It also stands true that correct syntax should always be considered when constructing each paragraph; having properly formatted sentences will help strengthen word choice decisions and show off comprehension levels based on understanding sentence structure rules. Word count is another significant factor which must never be ignored or overlooked—the number of words used should always abide by course guidelines if given any such parameters related to what’s a term paper composition length expectations upon submission (e.g., 1k+ words). Lastly but equally important: make sure you adhere strictly to citation style standards designated for use (APA/MLA), particularly when using direct quotes or incorporating outside sources into argumentative statements.

VII. Exploring Further Resources to Guide Your Research and Preparation

In your research and preparation for the term paper, there are many resources you can use to guide yourself. In this section, we’ll explore a few of these options.

• Library Databases: Many libraries offer access to databases that contain scholarly articles, essays, and other sources related to the topic at hand. These can be an excellent resource when researching what’s term paper .
• Research Journals & Publications: Periodically published academic journals often have content relevant to certain topics or fields of study — particularly those related to your chosen field or subject matter for the term paper. Additionally, specialized publications on particular subtopics may include useful information as well.

How to Write a Term Paper

How to Write a Term Paper - Getting to the Basics

A term paper is generally structured with an opening introduction, followed by several body paragraphs, and culminates with a conclusion. It articulates a central thesis statement, bolstered by corroborative evidence and critical analysis. The writing is formal in nature, adheres to a designated formatting style like APA or MLA, and is complemented by accurate citations and a comprehensive bibliography.

Writing a term paper is a structured process that demands careful planning and execution. Here’s a step-by-step approach to guide you:

• Understand the Assignment : Ensure you grasp the requirements, the topic's scope, and the deadline.
• Choose a Topic : Select a topic that is interesting to you and meets the assignment's criteria. It should be narrow enough to explore fully within the paper's constraints.
• Conduct Preliminary Research : Gather background information to further refine your topic, develop a thesis, and create a research question.
• Develop a Thesis Statement : This is the central argument or claim of your paper. It should be clear, concise, and arguable.
• Create an Outline : Organize your main points and supporting details into an outline. This will serve as a roadmap for your term paper.
• Conduct Detailed Research : Use credible sources to collect evidence and information that support your thesis. Take careful notes and keep track of your sources for citations.
• Write the Introduction : Start with a hook to grab the reader's interest, provide background information, and present your thesis statement.
• Write the Body : Each paragraph should focus on a single point that supports your thesis. Use evidence and analysis to back up each point.
• Write the Conclusion : Summarize your main points and restate the thesis in the context of the evidence you provided. Discuss the implications of your findings or future directions for research.
• Revise and Edit : Look for any gaps in logic or content, check for clarity and flow, and ensure each part of the paper supports your thesis. Edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
• Format Your Paper : Follow the required citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) for your discipline, and ensure your paper adheres to all formatting guidelines.
• Final Review : Give your paper a final read-through, checking for coherence, structure, and formatting.
• Submit : Turn in your paper by the deadline, and ensure you have a copy saved for your records.

You always hear the word “term paper,” and in the most basic sense, it is the paper that sums up everything you have learned in a term or semester. Think of it as the ‘gate pass’ for a checkpoint in a game: you need to secure one by finishing one important challenge.

As every game requires, that particular challenge is not similar to other challenges you have encountered. Thus, you must conserve every remaining energy and time to prepare for the challenge.

Going back to our topic, term papers require your knowledge, effort, and time. You can only produce a faultless and astounding term paper once you have mastered the fundamental things you will continuously see in every paper you will be crafting in the coming semesters.

Research-Based

In a term paper, you may not want to ditch your personal experiences or observations when integrating what you have learned in a single term or semester. Most of the time, integrating salient findings and concepts from literature and other scholarly sources may be required depending on the type of paper you are asked to write.

A topic, especially if it is purely theoretical or academic, may warrant you to do a literature review and background research. Fret not, though, as this blog will guide you through making your term paper a work of research.

Since a term paper is research-based, it is almost always impossible not to involve critical thinking and analysis on a certain topic. After all, the best way to discuss a topic, especially if it is complex, is to break it down into pieces. Once disassembled, you can evaluate the evidence, examine its validity, and draw reasoned conclusions based on your findings.

Thesis Statement

You might be able to equate a term paper to an essay. They seem to get along, especially with the structure and purpose of writing. However, you can never go wrong with formulating a good thesis statement for your term paper.

As it is more similar to a research paper, a term paper can be quite long, so having a good thesis statement reinstates the main argument or purpose of your writing. It guides the entire direction of your paper and helps your reader grasp its focus– no matter how long and winding his or her experience will be.

Logical Flow

We may love a fun, creative, and often chaotic way of writing, especially when reading a narrative essay as a coursework assignment. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but a term paper may not follow the same route.

As a standard term paper is full of concepts, terms, arguments, and ideas, it deserves great attention to logic and organization. This means that each section of the paper must build up from the previous one, and transitions between paragraphs and sections should observe smoothness and coherence.

What is a Term Paper In Terms of Its Various Types and Forms

Writing a term paper entails preparation. You can only wish that you have a ton of brain cells and resources to help you finalize your paper that is good for submission– and a stellar score.

However, preparation is only one thing in the long-lasting process of term paper writing.

The term paper structure will still depend on the scope of analysis, as well as the categories of the term paper. Yes, you saw it correctly: types or categories of term papers may have different structures or, in most cases, purposes.

This part of your journey in term paper writing will acquaint you with different types of term papers according to purpose and structure. 

Analytical Paper

From the word itself, an analytical paper requires you to break down a concept, theory, or phenomenon into several parts. These parts may come in the form of elements, experiences, principles, and many other related components.

An analytical paper aims to examine these parts critically and evaluate them accordingly. Analytical papers are often found in social sciences and humanities, and they are mostly requested for a term paper writing service .

Possible topics that resemble your future topic under the mentioned fields are critiquing a philosophical theory or analyzing globalization's impact on a specific country's pop culture.

Argumentative Paper

What is a term paper without presenting a stance? In an argumentative term paper, your professor might give you a debatable or controversial topic that requires your critical thinking and persuasive skills to be utilized.

In this type of term paper, you must integrate a literature review and empirical evidence to support your stance and counter several opposing views. Argumentations are often found in several branches of the social sciences, such as law, ethics, and literature.

You may stumble upon topics like augmenting a controversial public policy or defending a particular interpretation of a literary piece.

Descriptive Paper

Fulfilling this type of term paper entails more than injecting fancy adjectives, imageries, and vivid narrations. When dealing with descriptive term papers, you must provide a detailed overview of a particular topic, event, phenomenon, or concept.

If you ask me how to format a term paper of this kind, the descriptive language used must be realistic and accurate, not just merely ornamental. This orientation would provide a seamless and truthful picture for the reader of your paper.

Although your term paper may be descriptive, objectivity should not be taken away. Descriptive term papers are mostly required in the natural sciences, such as physics, chemistry, Earth science, and biology. A perfect example is the description of the geological features of a national park. 

Comparative Papers

True to its name, this type of term paper compares and contrasts two or more theories, subjects, schools of thought, and approaches.

Upon taking the two major steps, you will need to analyze the similarities and differences between the elements, and you may formulate conclusions regarding their significance or implications. Comparative term papers are commonly seen in economics, political science, literature, sociology, and history.

A prime example might be comparing two distinct economic systems or analyzing the similarities and differences between political theories, such as Republicanism and Democracy.

Expository Papers

How to start a term paper of this type? We just have to take a hint at its name: it ‘exposes’ a piece of information. Elaborating on this, term papers adhering to this type explain or inform the prospective audience about a specific topic, concept, process, or phenomenon.

Since we are dealing with information, it has to be ensured that the latter must be accurate, truthful, and sufficient. Writing expository papers may also entail a handful of related writing tasks, such as defining key terms and organizing information according to related themes.

The fields that most likely require expository term papers are education, communication arts, journalism, and several liberal arts areas.

Grasping each type of term paper above may be quite a handful. Apart from preparing a term paper, you are confronted with a big challenge to choose a type or, in some cases, integrate one type into another.

Regardless of your writing decisions, you are always in for a treat: your term paper proposal will not be a failure if you are more than familiar with your purpose of writing one.

In addition, writing services like Studyfy let you access term paper help like no other. From your term paper outline to the final touches, an array of professional writers are present to provide personalized writing services for negotiable pricing.

What’s The Proper Term Paper Format? From the Ground Up

I am fully aware that you have been wired up with all the information you need to know about term papers, but do not falter yet, as we are just in the most needed part of this blog: formatting your term paper.

Writing a term paper will not be as polished and organized if you do not prepare your format ahead of your writing preparations. So, from conceptualizing your title to proofreading your paper, our tips and tricks will propel you to the towering heights of marks you have always aimed for.

Start Strong with Your Title Page

A well-established term paper will not be realized without a strong facade through a title page. Many students are seen as not focusing on this part of the paper, thinking that it does not hold as much importance as other parts, but if you are thinking the same, you need to change your mind.

Some instructors and professors look at the title page to check if you adhere to the formatting guidelines. If you are less likely to notice such inconsistencies, your professor might think you are not keen enough to eye important details in the rest of your paper.

Pro-Tip: As early as creating your title page, be sure to follow any specific formatting guidelines provided by your professor or academic institution, such as font size, spacing, and margin specifications.

Abstract– Concise Yet Complete

An abstract is likewise an important component of a term paper, just as in a research paper. It encapsulates the crucial pieces of information that the reader must know. It includes the background of the paper, methods, results, and implications of the findings.

While the abstract may require a specific word count that differs from one academic institution to another, it is generally preferred to keep everything short yet complete. Remember: the term paper itself will likely become wordy and extensive, so let us spare space for urgency on the paper’s abstract.

Pro-Tip : Keep everything concise and elaborate on the findings more than the background. The usual word count for an abstract is 150-200 words.

Term Paper’s Background: Where the Thesis Statement is Cleared Its Way

Term paper writing will get as fired up at this point since this part introduces the rationale or context of the paper, asking the question, “What is the topic all about?” In presenting the background, the introduction of the paper's main argument is given– the thesis statement.

This crucial part of the paper is often written as a declarative sentence or a question. To make everything clear and articulated, the paper’s background must provide an extensive exploration of the topic that could lead to formulating the thesis statement. There should be a profound connection between the rationale of the paper and its main purpose.

Pro-Tip : Term papers are more flexible than research papers and journal articles in terms of structuring their introduction. You may hook the reader's attention by putting an engaging opening sentence or anecdote.

Arranging Lit Review: To Each Its Own

Regardless of whether the literature review section of a term paper is separated or integrated into the introduction, this part must provide an extensive overview of existing research and scholarship relevant to the topic.

While one can put empirical and observational studies into the review, it is important to put a premium on reputable articles and research reports that are peer-reviewed and published in indexed journals. When no single guideline talks about a window period for acceptable literature, you may set one for yourself as a guide. 

Pro-Tip: Arrange the literature review thematically, chronologically, or topically, depending on the ways that you desire to highlight some aspects of your term paper.

To an Extensive Results and Discussion Section

Term papers will not be complete without the discussion section. This part seals the deal and is an important piece of a complex puzzle. It interprets the results in conjunction with the questions at hand and assesses their value by comparing them with previous studies according to their agreement or disagreement. 

Pro-Tip: When sourcing previous studies as points of reference for the results, always strive to find ones that both agree or disagree with them. This ensures the polarity and absence of bias in the reporting of the results.

Closing the Curtains with the Paper’s Conclusion

When concluding your term paper writing, always restate the thesis statement. It always feels right and justifiable if the main purpose of the entire term paper is reiterated in the last part of the paper. Apart from that, recommendations and final thoughts may be included in this section.

The conclusion section, deemed shorter than other key sections in the term paper, may come in a short paragraph or bullet format, depending on your guidelines.

Pro-Tip: New information that is not previously included in the paper is not welcome in the conclusion. You might need to write my term paper again if I committed a mistake. You may instead synthesize the key points and results and leave a lasting impression on your reader by either providing a strong closing statement or a reinforcement of the main argument of the term paper.

References and Appendices: Two Pieces That Complete

One may argue that writing term papers may not need references and appendices sections, but the material they provide may prove otherwise. Without the references, sources will not be identified nor assessed, leaving no room for integrity on the writer's part. 

Having no appendices section, on the other hand, does not provide enough context or additional information about the important plans that were executed during the creation of the paper. It is in these sections that small things matter.

Pro-Tip: Double-check the veracity of the references and appendices section. This may entail using the proper citation style for the reference titles and labeling the materials under the appendices section.

What’s a term paper? How to write a successful term paper?

A: A term paper is a type of academic paper that a student, typically from a higher academic institution such as a university, completes at the end of a semester or a term. Since it is considered a terminal requirement, writing a term paper requires one to conduct research, utilize higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, and present findings on a topic or subject by incorporating the knowledge and skills throughout the entirety of the term. 

Since a term paper qualifies as an academic paper, writing services offer custom term paper assistance whenever needed. It is only through tailor-fit writing assistance and professional guidance from seasoned writers that you can achieve a stellar grade without getting down a rough route, thanks to Studyfy.

How to write a term paper if there is a word count?

A word count may be a bummer for some, but it can motivate you to budget how you will use your words efficiently. Make sure to allocate several words strategically. It is recommended that the discussion section gets the highest allocation among all the term paper sections.

Your research and writing process can be influenced by the term paper format and word count. As academic papers often have a specific set of rules, make sure to follow them to the dot.

What is the general structure of a term paper? Is it the same as a research paper?

The universally accepted structure of a term paper is quite similar to a research report: title page, rationale/background, literature review, methodology, results and discussion, and references. An appendices section is optional but necessary for other fields of interest.

A good term paper is like a good research paper. Research papers, like other academic papers, follow the named predictable pattern; just make sure to present your own research through engaging body paragraphs and state primary and secondary sources, including other research papers you used while writing.

Are term papers similar to research papers? How similar and different is the writing process?

Term paper writing is similar to research writing in terms of structure and purpose. However, they differ in scope, audience, and length. While a term paper has a broader scope and is meant to be seen by the course instructor, a research paper has a narrower scope and is written for a wider academic audience. However, what's crucial is the thorough research process.

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How to Write a Term Paper: A Complete Guide With Examples

You just got your term paper assignment and have no idea what to do or how to start? This guide will navigate you through every step of the process, from idea formation to final editing and proofreading. We will start with outlining, drafting and brainstorming, and get you through the writing part in no time. So, let’s dive into the question of how to write a term paper.

If you want to know everything you will need about term papers, this guide, written by the writers at the best essay writing service will help you along.

Table of Contents

What is a term paper.

A term paper is an academic milestone more so than anything else. As a student, you are tasked with learning and then transmitting that knowledge to others. A term paper is just that, a way to show what you have learnt, and disseminate the knowledge to others. Unlike other types of academic writing , a term paper is more detailed, requires more research, and is generally seen as the hardest piece of written work aside from a thesis.

The aim of a term paper is to showcase your understanding of the subject matter and how well you handle pressure and deadlines. In this context, a term paper proves invaluable. In terms of scope, term papers may zero in on an important historical event – if you’re studying history – a scientific concept, or a contentious argument. The choice hinges on the prompt created by your academic advisor. The typical length of a term paper can stretch to five or seven pages, and is generally the prerequisite to attend end-of-semester examination. But, it is also a part of the weighted grade you’ll receive, which only adds to its importance.

For the average student, writing a term paper takes around two weeks, and is a process many do not fully understand. Term paper starts from a very basic element, a question.

Say your teacher wants you to analyze the arguments for and against US involvement in World War II. How would you start? By asking a question; something like: Why did the US enter the war? Or, why did the US waive its neutrality and entered the war.

This opens the door for you and allows you to find an article or two that then leads to the second step, and so on and so on, until you are done. The problem is many students do not know how the process works, or what skills are needed to get the job done. To write an excellent paper you need to plan carefully, adapt to new conditions, be analytical yet persuasive, and understand how referencing works. In addition, the paper has to be formatted to specifications of your chosen citation style – APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard, etc. This is a lot of work!

What is the Purpose of a Term Paper

At its core, a term paper serves to test your ability to understand arguments and defend them using written constructs within a pre-determined time period. Put simply, it tests your ability to navigate complex ideas when faced with a deadline – something that comes in handy in almost every job you’ll ever have later in life. If you can understand a complex event, a scientific theory, or a debatable stance, based on the directive from your academic mentor, you can manage pretty much anything that is thrown your way.

A typical term paper will be between five to seven pages, and represents the pinnacle of writing tasks in the semester. The process of term paper writing, even when the topic is prescribed, can be an arduous and time-consuming undertaking. To succeed you need meticulous planning, good composition skills, and scrupulous analysis, structure, and edit

Doing the Basics Right Saves You Time

As Seneca famously said, “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity.” In short, prepare, prepare, prepare. To create a perfect term paper you need to know, well in advance, how it will look, what will it be about, and how will it be structured. This then allows you to simply fill in the blanks as you go. But, if you start a day before submission, you’re toast – or, you can always ask for help from us J – because the result will be Red Bull frenzy induced compilation of internet’s best hits. And trust me when I say, your teacher has those stored in memory; you’re not the first student to turn a deaf ear on old Seneca….

So, let’s see how to start your term paper:

• Select your topic – If possible choose something that you’re personally interested in. When you choose early, all the good topics are still free, so keep that in mind.
• Research your topic – Once chosen, sit at your computer and run through Google Scholar or your University Library for anything that pops up when you type in your exact topic.
• Create an outline – When you have a basic understanding of the topic, prepare an outline. It’s always going to be fairly standard, so once you get it right, you can re-use whenever you need to in the future.
• Thesis statement – Now starts the tricky part. Just kidding, this is still the Top Lane, we’re not even close to the Jungle. Thesis statements are always pretty similar. Jolt down your guiding question and then, based on what you’ve read, write a one sentence argument. For example, if writing about solar and wind, you might go with: Solar and wind power are the future of energy production because fossil fuels are unsustainable.
• Topics, topic sentences, and paragraphs – Every paragraph starts with a topic sentence that describes what the paragraph is talking about. The easiest way to understand is this. If writing a paper about wind and solar, you would need at least three topic sentences – 1)Wind 2)Solar 3)Benefits of using wind and solar. Naturally, a term paper needs much more than just three, but you get the idea.
•   Conclusion – Once you’ve written down the topic sentences and outlined the paper, note your own expectations of what you’ll find in the conclusion. This will help you understand what is happening, and when you’re actually writing the conclusion it will tell you if you were right or wrong.

Pro tip: If all of this is too much for you, there is always the possibility of asking professionals for help. Our team of term paper writers are here to help, so feel free to reach out!

Structure of a Term Paper

As you’ve probably guessed by now, every paper has to have a specific structure. In general, you can expect to have at least three parts – introduction, body, and a conclusion. However, longer papers may need several sub-sections, perhaps even an abstract or a summary, and a page dedicated to bibliography.

A typical term paper has three to five body paragraphs that form the backbone of your arguments and analytical discourse. A bibliography is always needed, even if your sources predominantly comprise course materials or excerpts from consulted textbooks. Depending on the chosen style, you will need either a Works Cited page (MLA), a Reference page (APA) or a Bibliography (Harvard, Chicago). Given its pivotal role in determining your final course grade, make sure to adhere to the highest writing and editing standards.

Term Paper Outline

• Title page – this is where you enter your name, teacher name, school, class, and date. The formatting will depend on your chosen style
• Introduction – Introduction sets the stage for your arguments. This is where you present statistics, define helpful terms, and finally present your thesis statement. IMPORTANT: Thesis statement is always the last sentence in the introduction.
• Body 1: Historical setting or development
• Body 2: Current state of knowledge about the problem
• Body 3: Main argument and potential implications
• Body 4: Argument for
• Body 5: Argument against
• Body 6: Summary
• Conclusion : Bring all of the body arguments together and restate your thesis statement.
• Bibliography : Provide references for all sources cited in the term paper using the style of your choice

Now let’s get to the nitty gritty of the writing process.

Topic Selection – In most cases teachers or instructors will provide students with a list of pre-approved topics to choose from. But, in some cases you will get the opportunity to choose for yourself. This is both a blessing and a curse, because it can lead you into a deep pit of despair if you are not careful.

Length – Every paper will have an assigned length. You should never go under the minimum or the maximum word/page count, as that will take points away from your final score. If the prompt asks for 10 pages, write that.

Sources – Consult your school library, Google Scholar, and any other database that has access to journals and books on your topic.

Simplify – While it is admirable to be able to write in a high-brow voice, it’s much better to use plain language as much as possible, but staying within the confines of academic jargon. No don’t’s, couldnt’s, or should’ve. If something is too complicated to explain simply, you do not understand it properly. Ask for clarification.

Do not be afraid to wander – Choosing a common topic may be a safe bet, but your teacher will grade you higher if you take a topic nobody else even though about. Brownie points are there for the taking. Just make sure you know what you’re talking about!

Don’t overextend – While the entire combined histories of all monastic orders may seem like an interesting topic (well, to us at least), it is waaaaaaay too broad to cover in 5 or 10 pages. Heck, that would probably take an entire compendium with multiple volumes. In short, don’t be a megalomaniac and choose a topic that fits in 5 pages.

How to Write a Term Paper: The Writing Process

Before starting your write up, the teacher will expect a proposal. This is a very short summary of the topic, your thesis statement, and a few sources. The goal is to present a topic that you can defend and ask the teacher to approve it.

So how do you write a proposal? Start by writing down your thesis statement and guiding question. Then identify three to four sources and jolt down key statistics and pieces of information that are linked to your thesis statement. The goal is to show you’ve done the work. The proposal will generally have a full outline (see above) so that the teacher knows what you are planning to do. If you explain what the topic is and why it is important in writing , the teacher will accept the proposal.

Introduction, well, Introduces the Term Paper

Your essay has to start strong, which is why 99.99%  of all introductions start with a hook that captivates the audience. A hook can be anything, a statistic (like 40% of people in the US have no savings whatsoever, which means around 140 million people are completely broke – now that’s a hook, line, and sinker).

Once you know the reader is hooked, you present a brief overview of the topic you will discuss. This is where you bring statistics, data, and broader theories or concepts that may relate.

The end of the introduction is always reserved for the thesis statement, which is the last sentence of the introduction.

Try to be concise – not more than ¾ of a page (cca 200-250 words), but detailed enough so that the reader understands what the paper is about.

Writing the Body Sections

When you are certain you can understand the concepts and arguments presented in the literature, it’s time to write your body paragraphs.

The goal is to provide the reader with enough context and argumentation to prove your point. So, if you’re writing about the advantages of nuclear energy, you have to provide evidence from the literature as well as a thorough analysis of all benefits and drawbacks. The goal is to be as objective as possible, while ensuring your results are accurate.

Do not dwell on too much detail, you cannot fit all of the information in a 5 – 10 page paper. Isolate the most important pieces of evidence, maybe 3-4 and focus on those.

As a rule of thumb, you will aim for 4 – 5 body paragraphs minimum, but in most cases you will need more. The first section should be the literature review, where you analyze state-of-the-art of the topic you are writing about.

Following the literature review is your analysis, which draws from the information you’ve collected. It’s important to note, do not try and make up new stuff, or draw conclusions in this section. Simply analyze and summarize the findings in your own voice.

The last paragraph of the body section can be your own summary, where you present a different opinion. Be concise and do not go into too much detail, simply note if you think there are any discrepancies in the literature.

Remember : Always start your paragraphs with a topic sentence and try to contain the information within the paragraph to the topic.

Writing the Conclusion

Conclusion is the most important part of the term paper, even though many do not give it enough attention. This is where you put everything you’ve written together and summarize key findings.

Important : Conclusion is not the place to add new information or knowledge!

To write a good conclusion keep in mind your initial research question and thesis statement. The goal of the term paper is to answer the question and prove your thesis statement is correct. Has your paper done this? Write it down and explain why or why not your initial proposal was correct. A thesis statement can be wrong, and you must acknowledge this in your conclusion.

In the conclusion:

• Summarize your findings
• Discuss implications for future reseasrch

Editing and Finalization

The final word of the conclusion has been written, references added and alphabetized, the paper and the title page formatted. You are finally done. Or, maybe not! Now is the time for the final edit.

Teachers, above everything else, hate reading papers with spelling mistakes and poor grammar. To make sure your paper does not annoy the teacher (you don’t want a lower grade), make sure it is completely free of any errors.

The best way to do this is by using a machine learning tool combined with close reading on your own. The machine will weed out the glaring errors, and you will finish the job.

Read through the draft carefully. Remove any fluff or excess words that add nothing to the argument. You will likely find several sentences you will want to change. Do this now. Once done, start the second read-through.

In this read-through you will hone in on the arguments. Do they make sense? Are statistics properly cited, and do you sound coherent? If the answer is no, you will want to fix the mistakes until satisfied.

Now, finally, you are done! Congratulations. Pat yourself on the back. Oh, wait, we forgot about the abstract!

Abstract Comes First, or Last

In no uncertain terms, do not write the abstract before you’ve completed the term paper. This is always the last part of the writing process, but strangely enough the one your paper starts with. Go figure.

When you do get to this stage, use our secret formula. Well, it’s not really secret but we like to think so. The abstract needs three parts to work well, the introduction, the method/procedure, and the conclusion/findings. Depending on the topic these will vary slightly but you will always find them in an abstract.

Introduce your topic and what you plan to do in two to three sentences.

Describe what method you will use – such as literature review, an experiment, or something else. Two to three sentences.

Define the results you obtained after using the method. Two to three sentences.

Remember : The abstract should be between 120 and 200 words in length, no more is needed.

No, they are not. A research paper is an original piece of writing that comes after some type of original research has been done. Maybe you’ve found a new civilization during a dig, or a new chemical element. The research paper is meant to publicize this finding so other scientists can critique, refute, or confirm its validity. A term paper is a much simpler version that requires no original research. But, a term paper is your preparation for writing a research paper later in life.

This will depend on your teacher. In many cases, you will get a pre-defined format to follow, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. If not, we recommend using APA or Harvard, as they are relatively simple to learn and have a ton of resources to help you along.

It is important to remember you are not writing a book, so keep the topic narrow. For example, if writing about renewable energy, choose only one type of energy or just one region. Do not try to cram everything into 5-10 pages; it won’t work.

Writing a term paper is certainly a challenge, but it is also manageable if you dedicate yourself to the process. Prepare well in advance, read a lot, and do not be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Your teachers are paid to help you, so email them if you get stuck. Above everything, make sure you are interested in the topic, as that will make the process so much easier.

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How To Write a Term Paper: A Guide That Works

30 June, 2020

16 minutes read

Author:  Mathieu Johnson

Once you’ve started your university career, you are going to be asked to present a term paper. What’s the difference between a term paper and a research paper? How can you write a good term? What’s the best way to structure it? Where can you find some tips to make the writing process faster? In this article, we’ll discuss a few tips to help you prepare a term paper quickly and professionally.

What Is a Term Paper… And What Is The First Step?

A term paper is a critical and analytical report on the topic or subject that you covered within the course of studies. It usually consists of two separate but equally important aspects: your own thoughts about the topic and a demonstration of your understanding of the existing literature. The main goal of this assignment is to summarize the material you learned and showcase your understanding of the topic. This aspect makes the term paper a universal instrument for assessing a student’s proficiency. It also explains why term papers cost so many points of your course grade.

We usually associate a term paper with a research paper , but although the concepts are quite similar, a research paper requires a more academic approach and a deeper investigation into the literature of your field of study.

To write an outstanding college term paper, you must understand that your professor has requested it in order to test your analytical thinking skills. You must collect relevant data, analyze it, and then make a summary or solve a particular problem. Such skills are highly relevant to the business world, so this type of the task is as practical as it is educational.

So, let’s start the preparation!

Before you begin writing

Unfortunately, there is no magical recipe that allows you to get everything done fast. You will need to choose the best way forward in whatever situation you find yourself, but here are some tips to help you prepare for the assignment.

To begin with, take the research stage seriously . Sometimes, when students are really interested in a topic, they only want to present their personal ideas about the problem. Unfortunately, if you’re not completely familiar with all the data from the various sources, you will need to reinvent the bicycle.

Term paper writing was never an easy ride. Well, not for our expert writers. Place an order with our term paper writing service and secure yourself an “A!”

In the initial stages of your research, investigate everything you can find on the topic . This may sound like a tall order, but you’ll find that it doesn’t actually entail that much reading. At this point you are only compiling the research, so you will be skimming through numerous prospects rather than reading them completely. Bear in mind that your aim is to get acquainted with the various aspects of your problem. The term paper summarizes the knowledge you gained within a course and requires to familiarize yourself with the research that other people have already made on your topic.

Thinking that your opinions are completely original and unique is quite egocentric, and it can get you into trouble. So, “your” thoughts about the problem are usually just somebody else’s statements that you have rephrased (or even a well-established academic concept!). Remember that your professor will be familiar with all the literature surrounding the issue: if you merely rewrite someone else’s thoughts and present them as your own (even if you don’t realize doing it), be prepared for criticism!

Applying a Structure To Your Term Paper

Once you have read all the leading authors and their approaches to your problem, it’s time to create a structure for your work. This is not yet an outline; you just need to decide what to write about. Sketch out the topic for the theoretical portion of your work and think about practical aspects and how you can approach the research in the best possible way.

At this point, you really need to call or email your supervisor . Your professor will have seen hundreds of term papers like yours (i.e., they have not yet been written, but a definite idea exists!) and will be prepared to give you feedback and advice. He or she will tell you what literature you have omitted, offer suggestions about what you should read, and give you feedback about your paper. It may well be that your approach has already occurred to somebody else, in which case there is no need to repeat it.

Choosing a Topic: Easy as Riding a Bike?

When you choose your topic, make sure you choose something that you are interested in . That’s our advice if you want a painless term paper. If you prefer to investigate a field that you’ve never really explored before, you can challenge yourself to do that, too. That might be sophisticated, but why not?

If you decide to investigate a topic or a problem that you are pretty familiar with, your writing will be more fluid. You will focus your attention on a specific aspect of the chosen field and expand your knowledge within that scope. On the contrary, choosing an unfamiliar subject matter can wash out your expertise.

Be prepared to change the topic if you find out that your research isn’t going anywhere. It might occur that you presuppose that your topic has a potential but somewhere at the stage of initial research, you find that it just won’t work. It’s always a good idea to consider two or three topics when you kick off the term paper writing – even if they are just different ways of examining the same problem. By doing this, you will be able to choose the best version, which may not be the one you started with at all!

Related Post: 100 Persuasive essay topics

Formulating a Thesis statement

Writing a proper thesis statement can also be challenging. To begin with, write down a couple of prominent ideas or concepts, then try to make rough drafts of them to see how they’ll work in the structural framework. You will probably find that one idea fits your style, interests, and knowledge base: you can choose that one as your thesis statement.

Remember that the thesis statement is the skeleton, the central concept of your paper. It is the elemental attribute of almost any academic paper – from master’s thesis to a simple five paragraph essay. If you do a thorough job on it, you will find that writing (and defending!) your argument is much easier.

Be aware that all of these stages are parts of a procedure – one leads to another. When writing a term paper, you should collect the material and wrap it up at the same time.

Planning – The Key To Success

Some people claim that they can write a term paper without any planning. In our opinion, this is impossible. If you don’t have a postgraduate degree and you aren’t a certified genius, you need to prepare an outline for your project. It may come as a surprise, but even people who claim otherwise actually prepare outlines – in their heads. But if you don’t have that much experience, use a pencil and your notebook to ensure that you don’t forget anything.

Don’t procrastinate on your College or University papers anymore. Get professional help with our essay writer !

That’s when we get to preparing your first draft . There’s only one thing to add here: do as many drafts as you need in order to achieve your goal. Understand that your aim is to create an excellent term paper and keep working at it until you are satisfied.

Term Paper Outline: Write Everything In The Proper Section!

In the Introduction , state the topic that you are going to investigate and the context of your work. This is the critical ‘selling’ moment of your work. In a nutshell, your introduction combined with a conclusion should give a sneak peek into what the whole paper is about. If your introduction is well-prepared, it will be quite complacent about the body of your project. The introduction must include an abstract that presents your thesis statement . You should explain your motivation (why should the reader be concerned about this problem?) , your methods (what scientific tools did you use?) , and the results (what you achieved) .

The Literature Review totally corresponds to its name – it is here to review the literature you compiled. Your professor will double check it to make sure that you understand the context of your argument. One more thing to add is: collect all the information you can! Ideally, you should read or at least glance through every book and author that you can find on the topic. Think of your task as a fascinating journey: if you approach it like that, reading hundreds of pages won’t seem like that much of a challenge.

In the Discussion , you must present the interpretations of the problem. Be honest, explain what you pieces of data you don’t agree with and what ideas and concepts you support. This section connects the dots between theory and practice when writing a term paper. Wherever possible, provide several interpretations of the subject matter, then choose the one(s) that are most relevant to the case you are presenting.

In the Body , focus on those arguments that prove your thesis statement. This section must be absolutely logical. If you have chosen a more complicated topic, use heading and sub-headings to improve the appearance of this section. While writing the body, keep your target audience (your professors) in mind. In other words, don’t just record the obvious causes/effects/solutions but also showcase your own findings – what you have discovered and how that proves your thesis statement. Demonstrate that you are familiar with the details and you will stun your readers with the prolific mastery of the topic.

Now, the Conclusion   is her to summarize both the content and the purpose of the paper. The most challenging part is not to make it too dry. Reiterate your thesis statement and briefly show how your results justified your proposition. At the very end, you can suggest a call to action or pose a rhetorical question or statement that leaves your reader wanting more.

What to do next?

When you have finished, reread your work a couple of times. You will almost certainly find a few faults, whether they are contextual, factual, syntactical, grammatical, or even simple spelling mistakes. A very useful tip is to wait for two or three days after writing your final draft to proofread it afterward. Your brain will have time to process the information, and you’ll be able to look at it with a fresh view.

When proofreading, take care to polish the structural problems. The skeleton (the logic and the thesis statement) should make sense. If they don’t, try to approach the problem from another perspective. The changes may take some time, but bear in mind that your objective is to produce professional work. Be patient!

After that, print the term paper. The human eye processes information differently on the paper than on a computer screen; that’s why you need to print it and take one final look for any possible mistakes. Even if you don’t see any serious defects, pay attention to formatting, punctuation, and synonyms. It’s an academic text, so make it shine!

Term Paper Sample

Be sure to check the sample of a term paper, completed by our writers. Use it as an example to perfect your own writing. Link:  Term Paper Sample: Consumer Buying Behavior .

The Do’s and Don’ts of Term Paper Writing

There you have the most important tips to help you succeed in writing a term paper. Now it’s up to you to stop reading and start writing!

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Home » Write the Perfect Term Paper – A Step-by-Step Guide

Write the Perfect Term Paper – A Step-by-Step Guide

Writing a term paper can be a daunting task – especially if you’re a student who’s never written one before. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this blog post, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for writing the perfect term paper. We’ll cover everything from choosing the right topic to crafting the perfect conclusion. So, let’s get started!

What is a term paper?

A term paper is an academic paper that is usually written at the end of the school year. It requires students to conduct thorough research on a given topic and compile their findings into a well-structured paper. It often requires students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

The length of a term paper can vary. However, it is typically longer than a regular essay and can take anywhere from 10 to 20 pages. It is important to note that a term paper is not the same as a research paper . While there are some similarities, a term paper is more focused on the student’s own opinion, whereas a research paper is more focused on existing research and data.

What to consider when choosing a topic

Choosing the right topic is one of the most important steps in writing a term paper. You want to make sure that you select a topic that is interesting, relevant, and has enough research material available.

When choosing a topic, make sure to consider your interests and the course material. It’s important to pick a topic that you have an understanding of and can easily research. It’s also helpful to pick a topic that is not overly broad or narrow.

If you’re having trouble deciding on a topic, it can be helpful to brainstorm ideas. You can also talk to your professor or classmates to get their input.

Preparing to write the term paper

Before you begin writing your term paper, it’s important to do some preparation. This includes gathering all of the research materials you need and organizing them in an easy-to-access way.

Make sure you have access to all of the resources you need to research your topic, such as books, journals, and websites. You should also create a bibliography of all of the sources you use so you can easily reference them in your paper.

You should also take some time to familiarize yourself with the topic. This will help you to better understand and analyze the material you’re researching.

Structuring your term paper

Once you’ve done your preparation, it’s time to start structuring your term paper. A good term paper should have a clear structure that makes it easy to follow.

The structure of a term paper typically consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should provide an overview of the topic and explain why it is important. The body paragraphs should provide an in-depth analysis of the topic and use evidence to support your argument. The conclusion should summarize your findings and reiterate why the topic is important.

Creating an outline for your term paper

Creating an outline for your term paper is an important step in the writing process. An outline will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that you stay on track.

Your outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You should also include a list of the sources you plan to use.

We recommend using the following format for your outline:

• Introduction
• Background information
• Thesis statement
• Paragraph 1
• Paragraph 2
• Paragraph 3
• Reiteration of the thesis
• Bibliography/Sources

Writing the introduction

Now that you have an outline, it’s time to start writing your introduction. The introduction should provide an overview of the topic and explain why it is important.

The introduction should also include a thesis statement, which is a sentence or two that summarizes the main point of the paper. This will help guide the rest of your paper and make it easier to stay focused.

It’s important to keep your introduction short and to the point. You don’t want to give too much away or get too bogged down in detail. The goal of the introduction is to provide a general overview of the topic and to draw the reader in.

Developing an argument

Once you’ve written your introduction, it’s time to start developing an argument. This is where you will use evidence to support your claims and explain why your argument is valid.

When developing your argument, make sure to use facts and evidence from reliable sources. It’s also important to include counterarguments to show that you are aware of other perspectives.

It’s also helpful to use a variety of sources, such as books, articles, and websites. This will help make your argument more convincing.

Writing the body of the paper

The body of the paper is where you will expand on your argument and provide evidence to support it. Each body paragraph should have a clearly defined topic sentence that explains the point of the paragraph.

Make sure to use evidence from reliable sources to back up your claims. You should also make sure to explain how the evidence supports your argument. This will help make your argument more convincing.

You should also use transitions between paragraphs to make the paper flow more naturally. This will help the reader follow your argument more easily.

Crafting the conclusion

The conclusion is where you will summarize your argument and explain why it is important. It should also include a call to action, which is a statement that encourages the reader to take a certain action.

Start your conclusion by summarizing the main points of your argument. You should also explain why your argument is important.

Next, you should reiterate your call to action. This can be a statement that encourages the reader to further explore the topic or take a certain action.

Finally, make sure to end your conclusion on a strong note. This can be a powerful quote or a statement that wraps up the paper.

Revising and editing your term paper

Once you’ve written your paper, it’s important to take some time to revise and edit it. This is where you will make sure that your paper is clear and concise.

First, read through your paper and make sure that it flows logically. Look for any areas where the argument could be strengthened and make sure your evidence is accurate and up-to-date.

Next, read through your paper for any grammar or spelling mistakes. It’s important to make sure that your paper is free of errors before you submit it.

Finally, have someone else read your paper to get their feedback. This can be helpful in identifying any areas that need improvement.

Final tips for writing the perfect term paper

Writing a perfect term paper requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Here are a few final tips to help make the process a bit easier:

• Start early: Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing your paper. Give yourself plenty of time to research, write, and edit your paper.
• Stick to the structure: Make sure to follow the structure of your paper. This will help ensure that your paper flows logically.
• Take breaks: Writing a term paper can be a long and tedious process. Make sure to take regular breaks to give your mind a rest.
• Get help: If you’re having trouble writing your paper, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to your professor or classmates for assistance.
• Use reliable sources: Make sure to use reliable sources when researching your topic. This will help ensure that your paper is accurate and up-to-date.
• Proofread your paper: Take the time to read through your paper for any grammar or spelling mistakes before submitting it.

Writing a term paper can be a daunting task – but it doesn’t have to be. By following our step-by-step guide, you can easily write the perfect term paper. Just remember to start early, stay organized, and use reliable sources.

If you’re having trouble writing your term paper, AcademiaWriting.com can help. Our team of experienced writers can help you get the perfect term paper written quickly and efficiently. So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your term paper today!

By Erin Cross

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How to Write a Term Paper 101: A Tutorial to Takeover

As the end of the semester draws closer, many students are losing their sleep over the thought of writing a term paper. But you’re worrying pointlessly because  PaperPerk  has brought expert help to your doorstep! 

Our comprehensive guide on how to write a term paper is sure to help you with every step. So read this article thoroughly because we cover everything from definition to steps on composition and templates with examples.

Table of Contents

What Is a Term Paper?

A term paper is a written project required at the end of a semester. It is designed to evaluate a student’s knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. Typically, it takes the form of a discussion or analysis of an assigned topic. 

But it can also resemble a scientific report,  reflective essay , or even a research paper. As an essential component of a student’s academic journey, a term paper is characterized by its in-depth exploration of a specific subject matter.

Key Characteristics

One of the key features of a term paper is that it requires a significant amount of research , as it aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. This research-intensive nature of the term paper sets it apart from other academic assignments. 

Additionally, term papers demand technical writing skills, as they need to be well-organized, structured, and adhere to specific formatting requirements. A high-quality term paper should be well-written, thoroughly researched, and analytical. 

It should demonstrate critical thinking and provide valuable insights into the subject matter. With an Impactful term paper, a student showcases their ability to synthesize and analyze information, ultimately contributing to their overall academic success.

How to Write a Term Paper: A Comprehensive Guide

The biggest step in learning how to write a term paper is to understand the importance of creating a term paper outline. This  research paper outline  is the beacon that will guide through your writing process. The following part of this post contains steps on composing an outline and its component. 

How to Write a Term Paper: Outlining a Term Paper

Below are the essential components of an outline. Once you gather your information, you’ll incorporate it within these compartments to avoid creating a chaotic cluster of random data. 

Introduction

Let’s look at these a bit more closely and understand how to use these elements in the best way. 

Also known as the  title page , the cover page of a term paper is the first impression of the paper. It provides all the necessary information about the paper along with a neat and professional look. It should include the following information:

• Title of the paper
• Course name and code
• Instructor’s name
• Date of submission

Steps to compose a cover page:

• Centrally align the title of your paper in the middle of the page.
• Add your name, course name, and number below the title.
• Include your instructor’s name and the date of submission at the bottom.

You might be required to add more than these common elements if your professor asks you to. Many students additionally write the name of the university, department or other relevant details. 

The abstract is a brief summary of your term paper, usually between 150-250 words. It should highlight the main points, including the research question, methods, results, and conclusions. 

Using an  abstract  optimally allows readers to quickly grasp the main points and significance of your term paper. The abstract is usually placed at the beginning of the paper, right after the cover page. 

Steps to compose an abstract:

• Write a concise summary of your paper’s purpose and research question.
• Briefly describe the methods used in your research.
• Summarize the main findings or results.
• Conclude with a brief statement of your paper’s implications or significance.

Ensure that all the information you incorporate within your abstract accurately reflects the content and findings within your paper. Double-check that there is consistency between the abstract and the main body of the paper in terms of the research objectives, methodology, and conclusions. 

The  introduction  sets the stage for your term paper. It provides background information, states the research question, depicts the purpose of the study and explains the paper’s significance. 

Steps to compose an introduction:

• Begin with a hook to capture the reader’s attention.
• Provide background information on your topic.
• Clearly state your research question.
• Explain the significance of your research and its contribution to the field.

The body of your term paper is where you present your arguments , evidence, and analysis. It should be organized into sections or subheadings, each focusing on a specific aspect of your research.

Steps to compose the body:

• Organize your content into logical sections or subheadings.
• Present your arguments and support them with evidence from your research.
• Analyze the evidence and explain its relevance to your research question.
• Use appropriate citations to acknowledge the sources of your information.

The results section presents the outcomes and the findings of your research study. It should be clear, concise, and focused on the data collected during your study.

Steps to compose the results section:

• Summarize the data collected during your research.
• Use tables, charts, or graphs to visually represent your findings.
• Describe any patterns, trends, or relationships observed in the data.
• Ensure that your results are relevant to your research question.
• Avoid repetition of any information. 

The  discussion section  interprets the results of your term paper and explains their implications. It should also address any limitations of your research and suggest areas for future study.

Steps to compose the discussion section:

• Interpret your results and explain their significance.
• Discuss any limitations or weaknesses in your research.
• Compare your findings to previous studies and explain any differences.
• Suggest areas for future research based on your findings.

The  conclusion  brings your term paper to a close by summarizing the main points. This final section of your paper also restates the significance of your research.

Steps to compose a conclusion:

• Restate your research question and summarize the main points of your paper.
• Emphasize the significance of your research and its contribution to the field.
• Offer recommendations or suggestions for future research.
• End with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

By following this comprehensive guide, you can write a well-structured and impactful term paper that demonstrates your understanding of the subject and contributes valuable insights to the field.

How to Write a Term Paper Proposal: A Tutorial

A term paper proposal serves as a blueprint for your research. It helps in organizing your thoughts and ideas. Lets focus on the essential features of a term paper proposal and understand steps on how to compose each part.

Essential Features of a Term Paper Proposal

Relevance and importance.

The title of your term paper proposal should attract your readers and provide them with a clear idea of your work. It should be clear, concise, and accurately reflect the subject of your research.

Steps to compose a title:

• Identify the main topic or theme of your research.
• Choose relevant keywords that represent the key concepts of your research.
• Combine these keywords to create a clear and informative title.
• Ensure that your  title  is not too long or overly complex.
• Consider your audience’s ability to understand your title.

The objectives section outlines the specific goals of your research. These goals should be clear, measurable, and achievable within the scope of your term paper.

Steps to compose objectives:

• Begin by stating the general purpose of your research.
• Break down this purpose into specific, measurable objectives.
• Ensure that your objectives are achievable within the timeframe and resources available for your term paper.
• Keep your objectives focused and relevant to your research question.

The relevance and importance section demonstrates the significance of your research within the context of your field of study. It should explain why your research is necessary and how it contributes to the existing body of knowledge.

Steps to compose the relevance and importance section:

• Explain the context of your research by providing background information on the topic.
• Identify gaps or limitations in the existing literature that your research aims to address.
• Explain how your research contributes to the field by offering new insights or perspectives.
• Emphasize the potential impact of your research on the broader academic community or society as a whole.

Putting It All Together: Writing a Term Paper Proposal

Now that you clearly understand the essential features of a term paper  proposal , it’s time to put it all together. Follow these steps to create a well-structured and compelling proposal:

• Begin by writing a clear and concise title that accurately reflects the subject of your research.
• Compose a brief introduction that overviews your research topic and its significance. This introduction should also include a clear statement of your research question.
• Outline the specific objectives of your research, ensuring that they are clear, measurable, and achievable within the scope of your term paper.
• Explain the relevance and importance of your research by demonstrating its significance within your field of study. Highlight the gaps or limitations in the existing literature that your research aims to address.
• Provide a brief overview of your research methodology, including the methods you plan to use for data collection and analysis.
• Include a tentative timeline for your research, outlining the milestones and deadlines for each project stage.
• Conclude your proposal with a summary of the main points and a restatement of the significance of your research.

By following these comprehensive steps, you can create a well-structured and persuasive term paper proposal that demonstrates the importance of your research and sets the stage for a successful term paper.

How to Write a Term Paper: Formatting

A term paper format refers to the set of rules and standards that dictate the structure and presentation of a term paper. Formatting is essential to learn how to write a term paper as it ensures consistency, enhances readability, and maintains a professional appearance. 

A proper structure allows readers to concentrate on the content rather than the presentation. Several formatting styles are used in term papers, with the American Psychological Association (APA) style and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style being the most common.

Using APA Style in a Term Paper:

• Choose a standard font, such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 12-point Times New Roman.
• Apply double-spacing throughout the paper, including the abstract, main text, quotes, tables, figures, and references.
• Create a title page containing the paper’s title, author’s name, affiliated institution, and a running head.
• Organize the content using headings that adhere to  APA guidelines for different heading levels.
• Incorporate the author-date citation method for in-text citations and format the reference list according to APA guidelines.

Using MLA Style in a Term Paper:

• Opt for a standard font, such as 12-point Times New Roman.
• Double-space the entire paper, including the main text, quotes, and the Works Cited page.
• Include a header with the last name of the author and page number on the top right corner of all pages.
• Use parenthetical citations within the text and format according to  MLA guidelines .
• Follow MLA guidelines for formatting headings and subheadings, if applicable.

Adhering to the appropriate style guide when formatting term papers is crucial for maintaining academic integrity and ensuring that your work is easily comprehended and properly cited.

Choosing the Perfect Term Paper Topics

Writing a term paper can be a daunting task, but choosing the right term paper topics can make all the difference. In this part, we will provide you with some useful tips and tricks to make the process as smooth as possible.

The Starting Point

In most cases, students are assigned term papers by their professors. These topics are related to course outline to assess pupil’s understanding of the course material. As well as their ability to think critically and conduct research on a specific subject. 

Other times, teachers provide students a chance to choose a topic of their liking. But before you go on and pick a topic for your term paper, put the following concerns at the forefront. 

• The course objective 
• Your own interest. 

The Course Objective

Your term paper is essentially assigned to assess your command on the subject. Prioritize your course outline or objective before picking your  research paper topics . This will ensure that your paper is relevant and reflects what you have learnt so far about the subject. 

Your Interests

Your personal interests play a significant role in the success of your term paper. When you choose a topic that genuinely interests you, you are more likely to engage in  writing a research paper . This enthusiasm will not only make the writing process more enjoyable but also result in a higher quality term paper. 

Before picking a specific topic, make sure to conduct thorough research and align your personal liking to your course objective. The following tips on how to pick the perfect term paper topic will assist you in acing your grade.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Term Paper Topic

While picking a topic for yourself, be mindful of certain things:

Adjusting Topic Length

Consider if the topic would adjust your required length for a term paper. Suppose you’re to write a  10-page research paper , what kind of topic would adjust within those 10 pages? Registering the narrowness or broadness of the topic can help.

Authentic Resources

The second thing you need to consider is the resources of your information. Check if the source you’re working with is authentic. Reliable  sources for a research paper  include academic journals, books, think tanks, and reputable websites.

Complexity of the Subject

To ensure the clarity of your topic, consider its complexity. It is important that the chosen subject can be effectively presented to your audience. Additionally, ensure that you have a solid understanding of the subject matter yourself.

By considering the length, resources, and complexity of your chosen topic, you can ensure that your term paper is engaging, informative, and well-researched. So, take the time to select the perfect topic and get ready to ace your term paper!

How to Write a Term Paper: A Template With Example

This template also contains examples that are highlighted in a different color. 

Title Page 

Abstract .

• Remember to never exceed the abstract more than 250 words.

1.1 Background

1.2 problem statement, 1.3 objectives, 2. literature review, 3. methodology, 5. discussion, 6. conclusion, 7. references.

• The references section uses the appropriate citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).

8. Appendices

• If necessary, this section includes additional material such as raw data, survey questionnaires, interview transcripts, or any other supplementary information that supports the research.

This guide on how to write a term paper must have been helpful to you. But we understand that wrapping your head around something so detailed can be difficult when you’re stressed out. And most students are stressed out by the end of the semester due to multiple deadlines.  That’s why we have brought you our  term paper writing service  so you can relax and focus more on your upcoming exams. Our experts are dedicated to helping students excel academically with quality content and on-time submission. Check us out today and bid goodbye to academic worries!

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How to Write a Term Paper With Examples and Tips

• 11 December 2023
• 22 min read

Students in higher learning institutions must submit their term papers at the end of each semester. Basically, these papers play a crucial role in evaluating the learner’s knowledge of a specific subject. In this case, scholars should engage in adequate preparation before writing a complete term paper. Then, some of the essential steps include defining a topic, finding credible sources, creating and revising a paper’s outline, and drafting a term work. Moreover, an outline of a term paper differs from that of other essays since it must include subsections. Further on, writers should ensure that all the subtopic relates to a thesis statement. Besides, each body paragraph must contain a topic sentence, supportive proof, appropriate descriptions, and a concluding and transitioning statement. In turn, the term paper’s conclusion should include a concise summary of the main points discussed in such work. Hence, students need to learn how to write a term paper to pass their academic goals.

Definition of a Term Paper

Students must prepare research papers for them to succeed in their studies. For example, a term paper refers to a serious research paper that a student should submit at the end of a semester. In this case, professors use these works to track and evaluate their learners’ knowledge about the area of expertise. Moreover, the process of organizing a term paper involves comprehensive research and methodological writing skills. Then, outstanding term papers contain analytical and organized structures. Besides, they have well-researched evidence that supports significant claims. In turn, learners in higher educational institutions prepare term papers when reflecting on their knowledge in a specific study area.

Possible Topics for Term Papers

Students in higher learning institutions may come across different topics for writing their term papers. In practice, term paper themes vary from one subject to another and require one to engage in detailed research. Hence, possible topics for writing a term paper that one may come across are:

• Is there a cancer epidemic due to industrial chemicals in the environment?
• Should federal courts be bound by the “original intent” of the framers?
• Do foreign investments threaten U.S. economic independence?
• Should morality and human rights influence foreign trade policy?
• Do rich nations have a responsibility to help developing countries?
• Partnership benefits at state and federal institutions.
• Same-sex adoption and access to reproductive technologies.
• Execution of juveniles.
• The lengthy appealing process for death row inmates.
• The Constitutional question of “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Term paper topics have a broad scope. Basically, term paper themes given above show that a writer must carry out extensive research to provide a comprehensive response. Also, students decide on the content that they must include in their term papers to give a comprehensive analysis of a subject.

Step-by-Step Guide for Writing a Term Paper

A student must prepare a term paper to achieve desired grades and complete a study course. Basically, adequate preparation allows scholars to gather relevant evidence and draft a term paper effectively. Hence, the necessary steps in writing a term paper that one should take to organize an academic piece are:

Step 1: Preparation

A. defining a topic for a term paper.

Defining a specific subject for a term paper is the first and most crucial activity that a writer must consider. For instance, describing an issue allows scholars to understand their course prompts and understand key ideas required to complete a term paper. In this case, one must understand the meaning of essential terms with the paper’s context. Moreover, students should use resources, like a dictionary and thesaurus, to obtain the necessary definitions. In turn, writers may opt to seek help from peers and lecturers when defining a topic for a term paper.   

B. Preparing Ideas

Preparing ideas for a term paper leads to outstanding works. For example, writers should identify all the relevant ideas and points needed to be covered before engaging in the actual writing process. Unfortunately, many learners fail to consider preparing thoughts as an essential step when writing a term paper. As a result, they prepare low-quality papers and achieve low grades. In turn, students need to redo their papers to pass their classes. Hence, writers should prepare ideas for writing a term paper by using acceptable methods.

C. Brainstorming

Scholars should consider brainstorming as an acceptable method to prepare ideas for a term paper. For example, brainstorming helps learners to come up with fresh and new facts. In this case, students think of the ideas that relate to their research topics. Moreover, the process generates unique ideas that can make one’s work to stand out. Hence, some ideas for brainstorming that one may use when preparing concepts and thoughts for term papers are:

• Come up with bad ideas first – Learners should think about research concepts related to their topics. In this case, successful students do not consider raising positive thoughts during brainstorming. Instead, they should present both good and bad ideas concerning their subjects. Also, writers should not feel stupid for raising bad ideas since the strategy helps identify weaker and more robust ideas. Then, one should allow ideas to flow during the brainstorming strategy. Besides, scholars should focus on raising positive opinions after exhausting throwaway thoughts. Hence, authors should increase both bad and good ideas that relate to their research topics.
• Breaking and building ideas – One of the most effective strategies of turning a few ideas into many is to break them down. Basically, learners should identify general themes that relate to a term paper and break them into smaller details. In this case, the process helps authors to see if some narrower ideas branch from main themes. Alternatively, one may combine different ideas to create a broader subtopic for a term paper. Hence, writers should break down more general concepts while combining narrow ones.
• Play word games – Outstanding term papers contain original and unique ideas. For example, word games are instrumental tools that prevent learners from producing generic and unoriginal ideas. In this case, word games motivate some out-of-box thinking. Moreover, “word storm” is an excellent method for a student to generate related ideas. In turn, this method allows authors to create thoughts naturally without overthinking.
• Creating a mood board – Learners should rely on methods that motivate them to generate fresh and unique ideas related to a research topic. For instance, combining imagery, color, and visual-spatial elements evoke emotions and feelings that spark fresh and new thoughts. In this case, students manage to recall some concepts acquired during learning by improving the term paper’s quality.
• Doodling – Successful students spur creativity insights and increase attention when generating essential ideas for a term paper. Basically, doodling allows a learner to engage with visuals that spark new thoughts. Also, practical doodling approaches help authors to break out of the traditional brainstorming approaches that rely on reading and talking. In this case, learners should break visual objects into small objects or combine unrelated items. Hence, these approaches motivate the brain to generate unique ideas for supporting a central theme.
• Changing a physical environment – Ordinary motivation plays a crucial role in the generation of new ideas. For example, students should change the physical environment to avoid boredom. In this case, enriched and attractive environments affect how the human brain works and speeds up how one generates new ideas and thoughts. In turn, a successful learner must select the location for brainstorming effectively. 

Reading is an appropriate method that students may consider when generating ideas for term papers. For instance, reading is a traditional method that writers use to raise arguments related to a specific topic. In this case, scholars should identify credible sources that relate to a research topic and read them to understand an assigned subject better. Also, this strategy plays a crucial in raising viable and accurate ideas about the term paper’s topic. However, scholars must take the necessary precautions since extensive reading is a tedious and monotonous process.   

E. Considering an Academic Audience

Different scholars read term papers for specific reasons. Basically, students must consider the target audience as academic readers to ensure that term papers meet their needs. In most cases, writers must use the official language when expressing thoughts. Moreover, formal language suits academic documents because it reveals professionalism and academic excellence.

Step 2: Setting Up the Stage

A. researching for sources.

Terms papers must contain credible evidence obtained from academic sources . Basically, scholars must gather adequate evidence from different reliable sources , like books, journal articles, financial and laboratory reports, credible websites, and magazines. As a ground rule, all sources must provide adequate and irrefutable evidence to support the main arguments. Also, one should find scholarly sources published in the last ten years because they contain the latest evidence and facts on research issues. Hence, writers should look for credible sources to support the main arguments in their term papers.

B. Making Notes for a Term Paper

Taking notes is a crucial step when writing term papers. Basically, scholars should read all the sources critically. In this case, the strategy allows one to understand the major concepts and ideas that relate to a research topic. Moreover, students should consider writing short notes to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding of the main messages made by authors of credible sources. Then, successful scholars take notes and revise them to ensure that they obtain the most substantial evidence that supports their research work. In turn, improving research notes involves breaking broader ideas into smaller ones and combining others to make them stronger and sensible. Therefore students should take the necessary points to support the main arguments in their term papers.    

C. Developing a Term Paper Outline

Organizing thoughts play a crucial role in preparing a quality paper. Basically, one should combine research notes obtained from scholarly sources and those gathered during brainstorming and put them into developing a term paper outline. Basically, an essay outline helps writers to connect ideas. However, a term paper outline should contain a research topic with the main thoughts and concepts needed to be covered. Besides, clear outlines have smaller ideas that relate to the main ones. In turn, the strategy allows one to see direct connections between the main ideas and leads to an organized term paper. Hence, students should follow the basic steps below to create a clear term paper outline:

• Organize notes and relevant evidence into groups of related ideas.
• Review a thesis statement to determine if it communicates the intended message.
• Identify the main points that support a working thesis statement or research hypothesis .
• Include ideas and thoughts that support the main points.
• Match supportive ideas with relevant sources obtained through research.
• Organize all the ideas to achieve a unique flow of information logically.
• Identify if some of the points presented need more research and where thoughts require development.
• Revise points and ideas to enhance the overall quality of a term paper.

D. Writing an Annotated Bibliography for a Term Paper

Successful scholars prepare annotated bibliographies that contain relevant and irrefutable research. Basically, each entry in an annotated bibliography for a term paper should include citation information with a short description and analysis. In this case, scholars should follow accepted citation styles, depending on instructions given by professors. Besides, an annotated bibliography must focus on a research topic of a term paper. The scholar should ensure that all sources remain relevant to the topic. However, one should remember that the annotated bibliography requirements may vary depending on the topic and term paper’s requirements. In turn, a useful annotated bibliography should help learners to keep track of research readings and gain a sense of a literature review . Hence, one should prepare an annotated bibliography for a term paper when conducting research.

Step 3: Start Writing a Term Paper

A. organizing a first draft of a term paper.

Drafts of the term papers help one to organize ideas in a good flow. Basically, students should use their outlines and annotated bibliographies to write the first draft of a term paper. In this case, scholars should focus on presenting all the ideas in this draft. Moreover, an appropriate draft enables one to test an outline and elaborate theories to support the central argument. In practice, good drafts resemble complete term papers. Also, good drafts should contain a title page, abstract or executive summary , introduction, body, and conclusion with a reference page.

B. Putting Everything Together

A scholar should put all the ideas together into a complete term paper. For example, learners should ensure that a written document contains a logical flow of ideas. In this case, the strategy enables students to identify some research gaps in the presented concepts of a term paper. Besides, putting everything together helps authors to identify some points that require more investigation.

C. Finding New Sources or Deleting Old Ones

Term papers must contain compelling ideas and arguments. For example, learners must review their drafts to determine if all sources provide relevant and credible evidence. In practice, scholars must change some sources that offer weak arguments. Besides, writers should remove previous scholarly sources that provide weak points of view or are irrelevant to a study since a research hypothesis may be changed during writing the first draft. Hence, one must change credible sources where necessary.

D. Altering an Outline

Learners should change their outlines of the term papers to make such pieces more substantial and compelling. For instance, one must use the first draft and new scholarly sources to make relevant changes in a term paper’s outline. Besides, the primary goal of this strategy is to strengthen study arguments and improve their clarity.

E. Creating a Working Thesis

Compelling term papers must contain well-organized thesis statements by considering research hypotheses and rationales. Basically, scholars must develop a working thesis statement that includes the claim and significant points that scholars try to make. In this case, writers should create a sentence that explains their positions taken on topics in question based on their hypotheses and rationales. Also, lecturers evaluate all the body paragraphs and how they relate to the thesis and research question. In this case, one should use a revised outline, draft, and annotated bibliography to create the working hypothesis and ensure that it meets the necessary quality.

Step 3: Wrapping It Up

A. revisions.

Outstanding term papers contain minimal or no flaws. Basically, learners must revise their drafts to remove all the mistakes. For example, some of the factors that one must consider are spelling and grammatical errors, various writing technicalities, and idea flow. In this case, revisions play a significant role in improving the term paper’s overall quality and ensuring that readers develop the motivation to evaluate all its sections. Hence, students must revise the term paper’s draft to remove unnecessary mistakes.  

Editing is an important task that helps authors to make term papers compelling. In particular, students must focus on enhancing the readability and relevance levels of a term paper. Hence, when writing a term paper, one must consider:

• Scholars should change the order of words during the editing process. In this case, the primary purpose of enhancing the term paper’s euphony is to improve the rhythm and other dynamics. Also, students should replace weak expressions to remove clichés and conversational style.
• Effective editing helps authors to enhance the brevity of statements and claims made throughout a term paper. In turn, short and concise words sound better than long or wordy statements.
• An effective editing process improves the honesty of claims made and evidence presented throughout a study work. In this case, term papers should include proven facts in each paragraph. Moreover, one should specify scholarly sources of any data used in supporting topic sentences.
• Students should edit their term papers to improve the quality of their literacy levels. For instance, one must proofread the work to remove punctuation, spelling and syntax mistakes, and typos. Also, this process requires reading a term paper several times to identify all errors and correct them accordingly.

C. Topic Sentences

Every paragraph in the body of a term paper must begin with a topic sentence. For example, learners must ensure that each section dwells on a single point related to the thesis statement. Moreover, one should reread the work to ensure that all paragraphs have the necessary opening statements.

E. Concluding Sentences

Every paragraph of a term paper should end with a concluding sentence. In this case, students should summarize covered ideas in a section. Besides, last sentences of paragraphs should include a summative claim that brings all the concepts and thoughts into a unique closure.  

F. Transitions

All ideas presented in a term paper must have a unique transitioning of ideas. For example, writers should use the necessary phrases to transition sentences and paragraphs. In particular, the approach improves the overall readability and flow of ideas in a research paper. As a rule, each paragraph’s last sentence must act as a transition to the next section. Hence, readers must find connections between all the paragraphs in a term paper.

G. Formatting

Any learning institution requires students to follow specific formatting rules. In this case, learners must follow such guidelines when writing their term papers. Also, marking rubrics are useful tools that each learner must use to format their works.

H. Peer Reviewing

Peer review is an essential step in enhancing the term paper’s quality. Basically, one should identify scholars who are familiar with a study subject to read a term paper. Also, qualified scholars help students to identify some mistakes that may undermine the term paper’s readability. Besides, peers provide positive criticism that allows students to make the necessary changes to their works.

Step 4: Writing a Final Draft of a Term Paper

The term paper’s final draft must include all the changes made during revisions, editing, formatting, and peer review. In this case, scholars should focus on submitting flawless documents that do not contain any forms of plagiarism. Besides, the final draft must capture all the aspects covered during a research study with results , discussion, recommendations, limitations, and information for further research.

Basic Outline Template of a Term Paper Format

Cover Page with a Title of a Term Paper

Abstract (150 words)

Outline (if needed)

I. Introduction

A. Relevance of research.

B. The purpose of a term paper or a discussed problem.

C. Personal reaction to a study subject.

D. Hypothesis and Rationale

E. Short descriptions of methodology and key findings.

F. Principal conclusions and thesis statement.

A. Literature Review

• Topic sentence.
• Explanation.
• Concluding sentence and transition.

B. Methodology

D. discussion.

E. Recommendations and Limitations (if needed)

III. Conclusion

A. Summary of the main points.

B. A strong response to the thesis statement.

C. A summative statement.

The outline of the term paper appears different since it contains different sections. For example, a term paper includes various subheadings that relate to the main topic. Each subheading may have several body paragraphs. However, each paragraph must contain a topic sentence, a supporting example, and a relevant explanation.

Explanations for Key Aspects of a Term Paper’s Outline Format

1. introduction part of a term paper.

The introduction must state the primary purpose of a term paper. Basically, scholars should ensure that the first part of the work acquaints readers with a problem under discussion. Besides, one must include a compelling and robust thesis statement in this section. As a rule, the introduction should not take up a large part of the entire paper. Hence, the introduction should provide an overview of the whole work in a straightforward and precise manner.

The term paper’s body should have different headings and subheadings that connect to the topic. In this case, scholars must ensure that the process of dividing a term paper into different sections enhances the clarity of the message. Moreover, the strategy should not distract readers from appreciating the intended message.

3. Conclusion

The closing paragraph should restate the thesis statement included in the introduction. Basically, students must sum up the ideas presented in all the body paragraphs. Also, the most effective strategy that one may use is to restate all the topic sentences. Besides, authors must provide a concluding statement that brings the entire work into a unique closure.

How to Write a Term Paper Proposal

A term paper proposal outlines the structure of the future work that scholars must complete. Basically, practical recommendations provide crucial elements that support the research included in the actual term paper. In this case, term proposals aim to constrict a wide area of interest into a complicated or specific topic. Moreover, writers define the intention to discover a study issue and base the decision on the need to make changes, improve the condition of the matter, or advance scholarly knowledge in the specific area of interest. In turn, one should select essential parts of a term paper and put them together in a unified format. Besides, one should briefly describe each section and tie key details to a chosen topic. Hence, a good term paper proposal should include the following parts:

• Title – A term paper should have a concise and brief title. In practice, this title should resemble that of the actual term paper.
• Objectives – Term paper proposals should state the research goals of a study. In this case, one must include the intended purpose of the research.
• Research question – An outstanding proposal must state research questions that scholars intend to answer through adequate research.
• Thesis statement – Term paper proposals should include a clear thesis statement that responds to the research question directly. In this case, a suitable thesis should be factual, clear, and subjective. Besides, one must ensure that the central claim is a verifiable statement.
• Methodology – Research proposals should state study methods used to gather and evaluate the relevant data. Moreover, students should use appropriate and proven methods to conduct their research.

Possible Writing Formats for Term Papers

Different educational institutions require learners to use writing formats when preparing term papers. For example, the most common formatting styles that one may come across include MLA 8, APA 7, Harvard, and Chicago/Turabian. In turn, each of these formats has specific guidelines that one must observe.

Term papers formatted in MLA 8 do not require a cover page unless specified. In particular, writers must include a header that contains surnames and page numbers. Moreover, one must flush these details to the right margin of the page. In turn, all in-text citations should have the author’s last name and the exact page containing the evidence used.

Term papers formatted in APA 7 should contain a title page that includes the relevant heading and identifies the student, date, and relevant institution. In this case, each page must contain a header that consists of a shortened title of the term paper and the specific page. However, the first page should have the phrase “running head” preceding the shortened title. In turn, in-text citations should contain the author’s last name and publication date.

Term paper formatted in Harvard style must contain a title page that includes the title and other details identifying the student, professor or tutor, and the relevant institution. Also, one must write the title in capital letters. Then, the header should contain the title and page number. However, one must flush these details to the right margin. As a result, in-text citations should include the author’s surname, publication date, and the page containing the relevant evidence.

4. Chicago/Turabian

Term papers formatted in Chicago/Turabian should contain a title page that has the title and identifies the author. Basically, one must capitalize all the letters in the heading. Moreover, page numbers should begin on the second page and must appear on the top right side. In turn, in-text citations should appear as footnotes that contain full bibliographic details of sources.    

Sample of Writing a Simple Term Paper

Research Topic: Is the “war on terror,” a global civil war?

Scholars develop different conceptions of the term “war on terror.” Basically, some scholars argue that the United States uses the war on terror to control the weaker nations. In this case, the current research examined whether the war on terror is a civil war. Then, a review of relevant literature was an effective method of gathering the necessary data. In turn, study results show that the United States uses the war on terror to protect citizens’ rights, which proves the alternative hypothesis to be a valid statement.

Keywords : War on terror, hypothesis, and review of literature

I. Sample of a Term Paper’s Introduction

The term war on terror became standard after the extremist attacks of September 11, 2001. Basically, President George W. Bush’s government confirmed a global campaign that involved open and secret military actions, new security lawmaking, and determinations to block extremism’s sponsoring, among other factors. In this case, the movement rallied for support from other countries, which willingly joined in the fight against terrorism. Although most scholars argue that the war on terror is an American strategy to control other countries, civil war theories prove otherwise.

Hypotheses:

H 0 – The United States uses the war on terror to control other countries.

H 1 – The United States uses the war on terror to protect the rights of its citizens.

II. Example of Body Paragraphs for a Term Paper

Different theories of civil wars prove that persistent rebel groups that engage in criminal activities. For example, some of the civil war philosophies include motivation and feasibility, ideas of rebellion, organization of the uprising, and evidence of the causes, among other factors (Kimbrough & Sheremeta, 2019). In turn, these theories prove that civil war results from the emergence and persistence of a rebel army. Moreover, motivation and feasibility theories argue that rebels with excessive power engage in terrorism. Hence, persistent rebel groups engage in terrorism as a way of addressing their interests.

A review of relevant literature is a suitable method for gathering the necessary data for the essay. According to Reale et al. (2017), a literature review is an effective method for gathering information for research papers in history and other social sciences. Therefore, reviewing scholarly sources related to civil war and terrorism will contribute to gathering the necessary data.

Standard game theory shows that economic grievances lead to terrorism. According to traditional game theory, economic dissimilarities in the community motivate some people to engage in crime (Kimbrough & Sheremeta, 2019). In this case, the less productive but healthy groups tend to participate in violence against industrious but weak groups. Besides, such conflict levels undermine fairness, equity, or coercion, depending on the analyst’s political standpoint. Hence, economic grievances motivate some groups to engage in terrorism.

Study findings show that the United States targets specific terror groups since their predatory behavior in a country or region leads to adverse economic and social outcomes. In this case, militant groups lead to redistribution through violence when productive and weak agents engage in defensive actions. Moreover, militant groups engage in activities that cause other people to reiterate. In turn, research results from such activities include reciprocated hatred that inflicts harm to innocent citizens. Hence, the United States participates in peacekeeping missions that can lower the negative impacts of such conflicts.

III. Conclusion Sample in a Term Paper

Most scholars argue that the war on terror is an American strategy to control other countries. In this case, different theories on civil wars prove that terrorism results from grievances and economic interests of some specific groups. Moreover, such activities destabilize the economic and social welfare of ordinary citizens. Thus, citizens focus on such terror groups intending to protect citizens of the affected countries. 

Kimbrough, E. O., & Sheremeta, R. M. (2019). Theories of conflict and war. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization , 159 , 384–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2019.02.007

Reale, E., Avramov, D., Canhial, K., Donovan, C., Flecha, R., Holm, P., Larkin, C., Lepori, B., Mosoni-Fried, J., Oliver, E., Primeri, E., Puigvert, L., Scharnhorst, A., Schubert, A., Soler, M., Soòs, S., Sordé, T., Travis, C., & Van Horik, R. (2017). A literature review on evaluating the scientific, social, and political impact of social sciences and humanities research. Research Evaluation , 27 (4), 298–308. https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvx025

Summing Up on How to Write a Good Term Paper

Term papers refer to a research assignment completed by learners toward the end of educational semesters. In this case, students must ensure that research papers meet the necessary quality since they track and evaluate one’s knowledge. Hence, when writing a term paper, one should remember:

• rely on comprehensive research and methodological writing skills.
• include analytical and organized structures;
• present well-researched evidence that supports significant claims;
• consider various formatting strategies as required by learning institutions. 

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Term paper – master your fear of writing.

Just be honest and tell me, how many words? And how much time have you got to do it? If you’re about to embark on writing a term paper, I have excellent news for you – this is a crash course! I’m about to introduce you to the fine art of writing term papers for any topic. We will look at an airtight outline example, some life hacks, and the usual formatting tips. Let’s dive right in!

What Is a Term Paper? Definition and Guidelines

If you’ve only just started university and have already been slammed by this frightful word, welcome to this new level of study! University is not only about cramming from tons of books: It should also, ideally, foster critical thinking, teach you how to argue your points effectively, and help you develop research skills. And you will need all three of these to write a stellar term paper!

But hang on a sec, what is a term paper? A term paper is a longer type of research-based homework on a particular topic. Term papers range from 15 to 25 pages because any less is considered lazy and any more is too much for any professor to read (trust me, I teach at a university).

In general, you should be free to select a topic for your term paper, but regardless of whether you’re free to do it or are assigned one, term papers mostly have the same goal. Namely, they test your ability to formulate and support your arguments and locate yourself in a particular theoretical framework. Sound scary yet? Don’t worry! I’m here to illuminate some of the vaguer aspects of term paper writing.

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Structuring Your Term Paper Outline (+ Sample Term Paper Outline PDF)

Before you begin writing, it’s advisable to have an idea about where exactly your writing is going. The best way to achieve this is to write an outline, or (as we sleep-deprived academics like to call it) an abstract. An abstract is a short description of your paper/article/project that outlines your main research questions and the theoretical framework you will be working with.

I generally suggest that people start with a very simple pyramid structure when writing an abstract:

• The foundation. This is where you introduce a broad, general statement on the topic of your choice. You can clarify and specify this in a few more sentences to ease your readers into the research project.

Example: Contemporary drama boasts the power to transform the audience through careful selection and crafty delivery of impactful images. By creating faux-reality, drama sometimes appeals to the affective side of the audience in order to provide commentary on a number of social and psychological issues. Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing capitalises on its affect-inducing potential, tackling the issue of suicidal depression.

• The middle. In this part of the outline, you state the aims of your study. Some of my favourite phrases to signal your intentions include: this paper aims to shed light on, the goal of this research paper is, the idea behind this term paper is, etc. Feel free to add some powerful verbs of action such as examine, assess, illuminate, discern, analyse, cross-reference, etc. to emphasise your ideas.

Example: This paper aims to explore how the play creates a more realistic setting by deviating from the audience’s expectations, thus blurring the line between drama and real life. It may be argued that simulated reality, exemplified through a number of exaggerations, impacts the affective component in the audience’s attitude formation and that its neglect of the cognitive reinforces the transformative power of Every Brilliant Thing .

• The top. The final part of your outline should highlight coherent hypotheses or research questions that your study will answer. While academic papers usually dream of some originality, this should not concern you yet – you don’t need to invent hot water in your term papers, but as you gain experience, novel conclusions will become easier to form.

Example: This paper will then take a final look at how the structure of the play simulates depression in order to sensitise the audience and to which extent it attains its goal of conveying the message of the universality and repercussions of the disease.

Writing an outline is a good way to organise your thoughts, figure out what kind of books you need, and anticipate your results.

In the abovementioned examples, the books you’d need would have to do with theatre, psychological influences, and simulation of reality.

This process applies to any subject. The outline can be more detailed, but it needn’t go over 300 words. A word of advice: if you cannot summarise the key points of your topic in 300 words, you should do some more brainstorming until you reach the specific goal.

PS Check out this excellent term paper outline sample !

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Term Paper Format – The Safety Net

Each term paper should follow a relatively familiar structure and way of arguing your points. Let’s start with the basics:

• Cover page. This is where your title goes (centred, bolded, pt24 ideally). The cover page should also list your personal details, such as name, address, email, student ID number, phone number (maybe), and the institution and the department for which you are writing your term paper. Each university tends to have its own layout for the cover page, but the rule of thumb is that institutional information goes above the title, whereas personal information is below.
• Table of contents – your readers need to know what to expect!
• Introduction. This is a more elaborate version of your project outline. You should specify what the paper is dealing with, what theoretical framework you’re using, and what your hypothesis is. My pro tip is to write the introduction last because term papers tend to grow as you write and you may end up with vastly different results from those you had expected.
• Theoretical framing. Explain which theories or ideas you’re using.
• Methodology. This is mostly present in scientific papers where you must explain what methods will guide your study (i.e. experiments).
• Analysis. Close readings, experiments, data surveys – whatever your project is doing, it should be doing it here.
• Discussion . Feel free to start interpreting your results in this section. A great paper does not simply list data – it compares and contrasts. You must be able to draw conclusions about what your analysis has shown you. Results as expected? Hypothesis confirmed. Results not ideal? There’s something to write about. Consider why something turned out differently and what that means for future studies.
• Optional: pitfalls and future improvements. Again, this is more present in sciences than humanities, but you could address possible pitfalls or blind spots in your study and suggest how they can be improved upon in the future. You can also talk about what lines of research your project can inspire.
• Conclusion . Time to wrap it all up. Briefly summarise the key points of research and main results. If you haven’t already devoted a separate section of the paper to this, you can also write about indications for future research in your conclusion.

Term Paper Structure Example

To give you a more precise example of a structured term paper, here’s a more detailed structure of the above-described example on theatre:

Still Unsure about How to Write a Term Paper?

Excellent, I love good questions! The truth is, writing a term paper is a labour of love (it is hard labour, especially if you’re carrying all the books!), so I will give you some tips on how to make it an enjoyable experience.

• Pick a topic you’re interested in. There’s nothing you can say to convince me that your subject is so absolutely wretchedly uninteresting that you simply cannot find such a topic. You just haven’t done your work yet. Start digging and follow the internet clicking abyss until you stumble upon something that takes your fancy. My master thesis idea was based on a single line I read in a magazine about Neil Gaiman’s American Gods – I managed to turn it into 80 pages, two scientific articles, and two talks just fine, even though it may not have been researched previously. So, whatever you’re writing about, there’s got to be a fun angle to it.
• Start reading. You cannot write a term paper from nothing. Once you have a general topic and an outline, you should start collecting your materials. Check out your library and inform yourself about the inter-library loan. Get acquainted with various scientific databases like JSTOR and ResearchGate – your university probably has wide access to many knowledge repositories you can use through an official VPN or library computers. Search by keywords and titles and save everything that sounds interesting. Learn to recognise important elements and ideas in those texts and be ready to use them to support your arguments.
• Know when to stop, too. Sometimes you’ll find yourself deep in the excitement of learning something new, but there will come a point when you realise you’re ready to put what you’ve found into your own words. Set up an experiment, survey, or study and follow up on the results. In humanities, this may mean a closer analysis of selected texts. This is where you start writing – again, leave the introduction for later and jump right into the core of the work.
• Mind the style. When writing a term paper, you need to keep certain standards up. Term papers are written in the ‘academic’ style and involve lots of passive voice, verbs of enlightenment (illustrate, examine, assess), and words marking cause-effect relationships. Don’t be afraid to use transition words to make your text and conclusions flow easily.
• Cite properly! Oh, how I hated learning all the citation styles when I was just starting out, but once you do learn the ropes, it gets easier. It’s a bit of drudgery, but my advice is to write down your sources meticulously as you go along. As soon as you cite someone, make sure you add the full citation at the end of the text (I like having them in a separate document), and don’t forget in-text citations. Depending on what field you’re studying in, you will have different citation styles (like MLA, Chicago, APA) at your disposal – make sure you check the requirements for each course and consult the corresponding websites with guidelines.

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Don’t Forget about Term Paper Editing!

And there goes the last-minute churning of text and hitting send before passing out for the next two days. Writing a term paper at university should not be left for the last minute. If you’re a chronic procrastinator, it’s time to learn to organise your time and devote enough of it to your assignments.

When you’re done with writing, you should leave your paper alone for a few days – sleep on it, as they say. You can treat this distance like any good study break – it’ll help you clear your mind, prevent resentment towards the subject, and allow you to see it through new eyes. Before submitting, re-read your text carefully and edit the writing. Weed out spelling and grammatical errors and prune unnecessary examples or repetitive statements. A good way to do this is to change the font or even font size in your writing software – this engages your perception and makes spotting mistakes easier.

Editing is also the time to consider how your arguments are holding together and whether you need to add or replace some text and/or rearrange your points. It’s an extremely important part of the writing process, but you shouldn’t overdo it either. Perfectionism can get you into the editing spiral that usually leads to messing up parts that were initially good. A few re-reads are fine, but anything more and you might as well start to rewrite the whole thing.

The last question to consider is whether you are happy with your result. Remember, this is a term paper and you’re still learning, so nobody expects it to be perfect, but you should be satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.

The Key Takeaways of Writing a Term Paper

Writing a term paper is a longer commitment than a simple essay. To ensure your success, start well ahead of time or you might find yourself rushed and stressed .

• Try to find a topic of personal interest to you.
• Scribble an outline to work out your angle or general direction of the paper.
• Read enough materials. Your library and online databases are your friends.
• Form hypotheses and set up experiments or analyses.
• Get down to business (and stop procrastinating !).
• Don’t forget to edit the paper well and format it correctly.

Source: Danica Stojanovic, ‘Theatrical (Hyper)Reality: The Effects of Breaking Formal Boundaries in Every Brilliant Thing ’, Over The Horizon, London, 2020, pp. 81‑100.

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What is a term paper?

How do you write a term paper, how do you write a term paper proposal, how do you write a term paper outline, how long should a term paper be, how do you prepare a term paper, how do you write a conclusion for a term paper, how do you write a term paper introduction.

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Introductions for a Term Paper

A term paper is the result of a great deal of research, so once you are ready to begin writing, it can be difficult to know where to start. An introduction should briefly summarize your paper's argument and the information you will be using to prove it. Figuring out what you want your paper to prove is the first step in writing a strong introduction.

Central Argument and Thesis

Before you begin writing your introduction, you should figure out what you want your term paper to say. This will be based on the topic you chose when you began working on your paper, and the information you found in your research. This is your paper's thesis , the central argument you are trying to prove in your writing. You should pick a thesis that is specific and can be supported by your sources.

Your thesis should be expressed in a way that can be proven either true or false. For example, compare the following theses:

"Increasing poverty leads to an increase in crime."

This is too general of a statement, the ideas are too broad to be proved or disproved with specific information.

"In the 1970s, New York City's increasing poverty led to an increase in crime."

By narrowing your thesis to a specific time and place, you have made an argument you can prove or disprove using the information found in your research.

Supporting Details

Once you have figured out your thesis, you can determine which pieces of information you will use in your paper to prove it. Be sure to choose at least three distinct pieces of information that strongly support your argument; you want your paper to be as convincing as possible. Note what this information contributes to your paper and the order in which you want to present it. You should also determine how you will analyze the information you have drawn from your sources. When you have determined your thesis and the general structure of your paper, you are ready to begin writing your introduction.

Topic Sentences and General Introductions

The most important part of your introduction is your topic sentence . The topic sentence is a brief description of what you want to prove in your paper. In other words, it's a sentence that states your thesis. Your topic sentence should be short and direct, so your reader gets the point.

For example, evaluate these:

"The Catholic Church's sale of indulgences factored greatly into the arguments of the Protestant Reformation."

This is a stronger topic sentence than the following approach:

"The Catholic Church, a 1,500-year-old institution, began selling indulgences in the Middle Ages, which factored greatly into the arguments of Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther."

Secondary information can be included elsewhere in your paper; placing it in your topic sentence distracts your reader.

Beginning your introduction with your topic sentence is a strong way to introduce your argument to your reader. However, since your reader may not be familiar with the subject you are covering, it can be helpful to introduce your topic sentence with two or three sentences that provide background information. If you were writing a paper based on the topic sentence above, for example, you might begin your introduction with two or three sentences describing the state of the Catholic Church and the practice of selling indulgences at the time of the Protestant Reformation.

Summarizing Your Argument

In addition to introducing and defining your thesis, use the introduction to summarize the key evidence that supports it. In some cases, you can include an overview in your topic sentence. In more sophisticated arguments, you may wish to add some sentences to indicate to readers what kinds of support they can expect to read ahead.

For example, if your term paper includes Salvador Dali's journals and quotes from art critics to show how his surrealistic paintings were influenced by psychoanalysis, you might include the following sentence in your introduction:

"The influence of psychoanalysis on Dali's work was documented in his personal writings and was discussed in the art circles of his time."

In a more extended introduction, you might even include a brief summary of a significant secondary arguments made in your paper.

For instance, if several paragraphs of your paper center on connecting the symbol of the egg in Dali's work and the writings of Sigmund Freud, mentioning this information in your introduction might be a good idea.

• Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Developing Strong Thesis Statements
• Cambridge Rindge & Latin School: Writing an Introduction
• Indian River State College: Writing the Research Paper

Jon Zamboni began writing professionally in 2010. He has previously written for The Spiritual Herald, an urban health care and religious issues newspaper based in New York City, and online music magazine eBurban. Zamboni has a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Wesleyan University.

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How to Write a Research Paper Introduction (with Examples)

The research paper introduction section, along with the Title and Abstract, can be considered the face of any research paper. The following article is intended to guide you in organizing and writing the research paper introduction for a quality academic article or dissertation.

The research paper introduction aims to present the topic to the reader. A study will only be accepted for publishing if you can ascertain that the available literature cannot answer your research question. So it is important to ensure that you have read important studies on that particular topic, especially those within the last five to ten years, and that they are properly referenced in this section. 1 What should be included in the research paper introduction is decided by what you want to tell readers about the reason behind the research and how you plan to fill the knowledge gap. The best research paper introduction provides a systemic review of existing work and demonstrates additional work that needs to be done. It needs to be brief, captivating, and well-referenced; a well-drafted research paper introduction will help the researcher win half the battle.

The introduction for a research paper is where you set up your topic and approach for the reader. It has several key goals:

• Present your research topic
• Capture reader interest
• Summarize existing research
• Position your own approach
• Define your specific research problem and problem statement
• Highlight the novelty and contributions of the study
• Give an overview of the paper’s structure

The research paper introduction can vary in size and structure depending on whether your paper presents the results of original empirical research or is a review paper. Some research paper introduction examples are only half a page while others are a few pages long. In many cases, the introduction will be shorter than all of the other sections of your paper; its length depends on the size of your paper as a whole.

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Table of Contents

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The introduction in a research paper is placed at the beginning to guide the reader from a broad subject area to the specific topic that your research addresses. They present the following information to the reader

• Scope: The topic covered in the research paper
• Context: Background of your topic
• Importance: Why your research matters in that particular area of research and the industry problem that can be targeted

The research paper introduction conveys a lot of information and can be considered an essential roadmap for the rest of your paper. A good introduction for a research paper is important for the following reasons:

• It stimulates your reader’s interest: A good introduction section can make your readers want to read your paper by capturing their interest. It informs the reader what they are going to learn and helps determine if the topic is of interest to them.
• It helps the reader understand the research background: Without a clear introduction, your readers may feel confused and even struggle when reading your paper. A good research paper introduction will prepare them for the in-depth research to come. It provides you the opportunity to engage with the readers and demonstrate your knowledge and authority on the specific topic.
• It explains why your research paper is worth reading: Your introduction can convey a lot of information to your readers. It introduces the topic, why the topic is important, and how you plan to proceed with your research.
• It helps guide the reader through the rest of the paper: The research paper introduction gives the reader a sense of the nature of the information that will support your arguments and the general organization of the paragraphs that will follow. It offers an overview of what to expect when reading the main body of your paper.

What are the parts of introduction in the research?

A good research paper introduction section should comprise three main elements: 2

• What is known: This sets the stage for your research. It informs the readers of what is known on the subject.
• What is lacking: This is aimed at justifying the reason for carrying out your research. This could involve investigating a new concept or method or building upon previous research.
• What you aim to do: This part briefly states the objectives of your research and its major contributions. Your detailed hypothesis will also form a part of this section.

How to write a research paper introduction?

The first step in writing the research paper introduction is to inform the reader what your topic is and why it’s interesting or important. This is generally accomplished with a strong opening statement. The second step involves establishing the kinds of research that have been done and ending with limitations or gaps in the research that you intend to address. Finally, the research paper introduction clarifies how your own research fits in and what problem it addresses. If your research involved testing hypotheses, these should be stated along with your research question. The hypothesis should be presented in the past tense since it will have been tested by the time you are writing the research paper introduction.

The following key points, with examples, can guide you when writing the research paper introduction section:

• Highlight the importance of the research field or topic
• Describe the background of the topic
• Present an overview of current research on the topic

Example: The inclusion of experiential and competency-based learning has benefitted electronics engineering education. Industry partnerships provide an excellent alternative for students wanting to engage in solving real-world challenges. Industry-academia participation has grown in recent years due to the need for skilled engineers with practical training and specialized expertise. However, from the educational perspective, many activities are needed to incorporate sustainable development goals into the university curricula and consolidate learning innovation in universities.

• Reveal a gap in existing research or oppose an existing assumption
• Formulate the research question

Example: There have been plausible efforts to integrate educational activities in higher education electronics engineering programs. However, very few studies have considered using educational research methods for performance evaluation of competency-based higher engineering education, with a focus on technical and or transversal skills. To remedy the current need for evaluating competencies in STEM fields and providing sustainable development goals in engineering education, in this study, a comparison was drawn between study groups without and with industry partners.

• State the purpose of your study
• Highlight the key characteristics of your study
• Describe important results
• Highlight the novelty of the study.
• Offer a brief overview of the structure of the paper.

Example: The study evaluates the main competency needed in the applied electronics course, which is a fundamental core subject for many electronics engineering undergraduate programs. We compared two groups, without and with an industrial partner, that offered real-world projects to solve during the semester. This comparison can help determine significant differences in both groups in terms of developing subject competency and achieving sustainable development goals.

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You can use the same process to develop each section of your article, and finally your research paper in half the time and without any of the stress.

The purpose of the research paper introduction is to introduce the reader to the problem definition, justify the need for the study, and describe the main theme of the study. The aim is to gain the reader’s attention by providing them with necessary background information and establishing the main purpose and direction of the research.

The length of the research paper introduction can vary across journals and disciplines. While there are no strict word limits for writing the research paper introduction, an ideal length would be one page, with a maximum of 400 words over 1-4 paragraphs. Generally, it is one of the shorter sections of the paper as the reader is assumed to have at least a reasonable knowledge about the topic. 2 For example, for a study evaluating the role of building design in ensuring fire safety, there is no need to discuss definitions and nature of fire in the introduction; you could start by commenting upon the existing practices for fire safety and how your study will add to the existing knowledge and practice.

When deciding what to include in the research paper introduction, the rest of the paper should also be considered. The aim is to introduce the reader smoothly to the topic and facilitate an easy read without much dependency on external sources. 3 Below is a list of elements you can include to prepare a research paper introduction outline and follow it when you are writing the research paper introduction. Topic introduction: This can include key definitions and a brief history of the topic. Research context and background: Offer the readers some general information and then narrow it down to specific aspects. Details of the research you conducted: A brief literature review can be included to support your arguments or line of thought. Rationale for the study: This establishes the relevance of your study and establishes its importance. Importance of your research: The main contributions are highlighted to help establish the novelty of your study Research hypothesis: Introduce your research question and propose an expected outcome. Organization of the paper: Include a short paragraph of 3-4 sentences that highlights your plan for the entire paper

Cite only works that are most relevant to your topic; as a general rule, you can include one to three. Note that readers want to see evidence of original thinking. So it is better to avoid using too many references as it does not leave much room for your personal standpoint to shine through. Citations in your research paper introduction support the key points, and the number of citations depend on the subject matter and the point discussed. If the research paper introduction is too long or overflowing with citations, it is better to cite a few review articles rather than the individual articles summarized in the review. A good point to remember when citing research papers in the introduction section is to include at least one-third of the references in the introduction.

The literature review plays a significant role in the research paper introduction section. A good literature review accomplishes the following: Introduces the topic – Establishes the study’s significance – Provides an overview of the relevant literature – Provides context for the study using literature – Identifies knowledge gaps However, remember to avoid making the following mistakes when writing a research paper introduction: Do not use studies from the literature review to aggressively support your research Avoid direct quoting Do not allow literature review to be the focus of this section. Instead, the literature review should only aid in setting a foundation for the manuscript.

Remember the following key points for writing a good research paper introduction: 4

• Avoid stuffing too much general information: Avoid including what an average reader would know and include only that information related to the problem being addressed in the research paper introduction. For example, when describing a comparative study of non-traditional methods for mechanical design optimization, information related to the traditional methods and differences between traditional and non-traditional methods would not be relevant. In this case, the introduction for the research paper should begin with the state-of-the-art non-traditional methods and methods to evaluate the efficiency of newly developed algorithms.
• Avoid packing too many references: Cite only the required works in your research paper introduction. The other works can be included in the discussion section to strengthen your findings.
• Avoid extensive criticism of previous studies: Avoid being overly critical of earlier studies while setting the rationale for your study. A better place for this would be the Discussion section, where you can highlight the advantages of your method.
• Avoid describing conclusions of the study: When writing a research paper introduction remember not to include the findings of your study. The aim is to let the readers know what question is being answered. The actual answer should only be given in the Results and Discussion section.

To summarize, the research paper introduction section should be brief yet informative. It should convince the reader the need to conduct the study and motivate him to read further. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure, choose trusted AI academic writing assistants like Paperpal to effortlessly craft your research paper introduction and other sections of your research article.

1. Jawaid, S. A., & Jawaid, M. (2019). How to write introduction and discussion. Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia, 13(Suppl 1), S18.

2. Dewan, P., & Gupta, P. (2016). Writing the title, abstract and introduction: Looks matter!. Indian pediatrics, 53, 235-241.

3. Cetin, S., & Hackam, D. J. (2005). An approach to the writing of a scientific Manuscript1. Journal of Surgical Research, 128(2), 165-167.

4. Bavdekar, S. B. (2015). Writing introduction: Laying the foundations of a research paper. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 63(7), 44-6.

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Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper PDF

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• May 14, 2024

Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper : With the help of our website, which has an extensive collection of Previous Paper of Class 10  CBSE Board , you may successfully prepare for your Class 10 CBSE Board Exam. Get access to a large selection of past exam questions that have been carefully chosen to cover subjects related to the  Class 10 CBSE Board course . Download practice tests in several formats, such as multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and descriptive questions, to help you prepare for exams and increase your confidence. With the help of our platform, you can revise with concentrate and recognize important themes and question formulation trends . Get ongoing help and direction to help you prepare for and pass the CBSE Board Exam .

Introduction : Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper

Download : class 10 science term 2 sample paper with solution, syllabus : class 10 science term 2 sample paper.

• Exam Pattern : Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper

Significance of Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper

Tips for good preparation : class 10 science term 2 sample paper, faqs : class 10 science term 2 sample paper.

The Class 10 Science exam usually covers quite a number topics together with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. In Physics, students are tested on principles like light, strength, and resources of strength. Chemistry subjects include chemical reactions and equations, acids, bases, metals and non-metals, carbon compounds, and periodic classification of elements. In Biology, college students look at existence methods, heredity and evolution, our environment, and control of herbal resources. Practical exams might also involve experiments related to reflection, electric circuits, and biological specimens. Students also are predicted to attract and label diagrams correctly. Understanding of NCERT textbook principles, their applications, and problem-fixing competencies are critical for fulfillment inside the examination.

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Numerous medical topics, inclusive of as physics, chemistry, and biology, are blanketed within the Class 10 Science curriculum. Students gain analytical and important questioning competencies as they work with theories, experiments, and real-international applications. In order to prepare students for future academic endeavors and real-global packages within the fields of science and technology, learners broaden a radical understanding of clinical principles through theoretical examine and palms-on activities.

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The learning goal is to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of scientific principles and processes, enabling them to apply critical thinking skills and problem-solving strategies to real-world situations.

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Practical implementations in technological know-how education encompass palms-on experiments, projects, and real-global applications that make stronger theoretical principles. Students interact in laboratory activities, fieldwork, and simulations to deepen their understanding of scientific standards and increase trouble-fixing abilties. Through sensible studying experiences, freshmen gain perception into the software of scientific information in diverse contexts, preparing them for destiny educational pastimes and careers in technology and technology . These sports promote important thinking, creativity, and collaboration, nurturing a nicely-rounded technique to scientific inquiry and exploration.

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The importance of science training lies in its capability to domesticate a scientifically literate society ready with the abilties and understanding to cope with complicated worldwide challenges. By fostering crucial questioning, trouble-solving, and inquiry-based totally gaining knowledge of, science schooling empowers people to make informed choices, innovate, and make a contribution to improvements in various fields. Furthermore, a strong foundation in technology promotes economic development, environmental sustainability, and public health tasks. Ultimately, technology schooling plays a important position in shaping the future through inspiring interest, fostering medical reasoning, and selling a deeper understanding of the natural global.

In conclusion, the Class 10 Science exam is complete, overlaying key principles of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Students are required to understand theoretical standards, realistic packages, and be capable of remedy troubles associated with these topics. A thorough examine of the NCERT textbook is vital, as questions often draw immediately from it. Success inside the examination calls for not best memorization however additionally the capability to use found out concepts to real-global eventualities. Through this exam, students broaden a strong foundation in scientific principles, vital questioning, and analytical capabilities, which can be valuable for in addition educational interests and normal lifestyles.

Exam Pattern : Class 10 Science Question Paper 2023

The CBSE Class 10 Science theory exam will be of 80 marks and will be conducted for 3 hours. Students will also get an additional 15 minutes to read the question paper.

There will be 39 questions in total, broken down into 5 areas on the CBSE Class 10 Science Question Paper :

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the CBSE Class 10 Science Question Paper’s structure:

Internal Assessment

The significance of Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper lies in their ability to serve as valuable study resources for candidates preparing for the CBSE Board examination. Here are some key reasons why these question papers are important:

Exam Blueprint Revealed:

The actual exam is modeled by these papers . You can learn a lot about the arrangement of the questions, the relative importance of the various areas on the syllabus, and even the degree of difficulty by carefully examining them. This enables you to customize your study and give priority to the subjects that need greater attention.

Improving Your Skills:

Using past year papers for practice is similar to taking practice exams in a real exam setting. You get to put your speed, accuracy, and conceptual understanding to the test in a virtual setting. This assists in determining your areas of strength and weakness prior to the exam, enabling you to improve your strategy and reinforce your comprehension of important subjects.

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The Class 10 CBSE Board exam may have a time limit, therefore success depends on your ability to manage your time well. You can improve your endurance and time management abilities for the test by using previous year’s papers. You can learn to pace yourself, prioritize questions , and stay away from becoming bogged down on any one problem by practicing in a timed environment.

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Although the precise questions won’t be asked again, reviewing previous exams frequently identifies patterns in the subjects and question types that are asked again. This enables you to create focused strategies for answering the kinds of questions you might encounter on the actual exam by anticipating their types.

It’s like having a secret weapon when you use the Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper in your preparing approach . They sharpen your abilities, give you confidence boosts, and offer priceless insights, all of which considerably raise your chances of succeeding on test day.

Recognize the test and syllabus:

Visit the CBSE  Board website   to download the official announcement and curriculum. Recognize the format of the exam (number of sections, weighted scores, time allotment). Learn everything there is to know about the subjects included on the curriculum for each area.

Create a Timetable and Study Plan:

Make a realistic study schedule with time allotted for each section based on the syllabus and your preferred method of learning . Establish study times on a daily or weekly basis, and try your best to maintain them. Be adaptable and make necessary changes to your plan, but consistency is essential.

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Pay close attention to the fundamental ideas in each area, paying particular attention. Learn the fundamental, shortcuts, and approaches to solving problems .

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Every day, complete practice questions from different sources. Prioritize precision while progressively picking up speed. Examine your errors and determine what needs to be improved.

By following these tips and dedicating yourself to consistent preparation, you can significantly increase your chances of success in the Class 10 Science Term 2 Sample Paper Exam. Remember, the key is to start early, work hard, and stay focused on your goal.

Q1: What topics are covered in the Class 10 Science exam?

A1: The exam covers physics, chemistry, and biology topics outlined in the curriculum, including motion, forces, chemical reactions, life processes, and more.

Q2: How is the Class 10 Science exam structured?

A2: The exam typically consists of multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions, covering theoretical concepts and practical applications.

Q3: Are practicals included in the Science exam?

A3: Yes, practical assessments are an integral part of the Science exam. Students are evaluated on their experimental skills, observations, and ability to draw conclusions.

Q4: How can I prepare effectively for the Class 10 Science exam?

A4: Practice solving sample papers, previous years’ question papers, and engage in regular revision of key concepts. Focus on understanding fundamental principles and their applications.

Q5: What is the marking scheme for the Class 10 Science exam?

A5: Marks distribution varies, but typically, theoretical questions carry more weightage compared to practicals. It’s essential to understand the marking scheme provided by the examination board.

Q6: How can I score well in the Class 10 Science exam?

A5: To score well in the exam, focus on understanding concepts rather than rote memorization. Practice solving sample papers and previous years’ question papers to familiarize yourself with the exam pattern and improve time management. Pay attention to diagrams, labeling, and practical aspects as they carry marks too.

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Deep causal speech enhancement and recognition using efficient long-short term memory Recurrent Neural Network

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Investigation, Supervision

Affiliation School of Information Science and Engineering, NingboTech University, Ningbo, China

Roles Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Writing – original draft

* E-mail: [email protected]

Roles Methodology, Project administration, Software, Writing – review & editing

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Validation

Affiliation Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan

• Zhenqing Li, 
• Abdul Basit, 
• Amil Daraz, 

• Published: January 3, 2024
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240
• Peer Review
• Reader Comments

Long short-term memory (LSTM) has been effectively used to represent sequential data in recent years. However, LSTM still struggles with capturing the long-term temporal dependencies. In this paper, we propose an hourglass-shaped LSTM that is able to capture long-term temporal correlations by reducing the feature resolutions without data loss. We have used skip connections in non-adjacent layers to avoid gradient decay. In addition, an attention process is incorporated into skip connections to emphasize the essential spectral features and spectral regions. The proposed LSTM model is applied to speech enhancement and recognition applications. The proposed LSTM model uses no future information, resulting in a causal system suitable for real-time processing. The combined spectral feature sets are used to train the LSTM model for improved performance. Using the proposed model, the ideal ratio mask (IRM) is estimated as a training objective. The experimental evaluations using short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) and perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) have demonstrated that the proposed model with robust feature representation obtained higher speech intelligibility and perceptual quality. With the TIMIT, LibriSpeech, and VoiceBank datasets, the proposed model improved STOI by 16.21%, 16.41%, and 18.33% over noisy speech, whereas PESQ is improved by 31.1%, 32.9%, and 32%. In seen and unseen noisy situations, the proposed model outperformed existing deep neural networks (DNNs), including baseline LSTM, feedforward neural network (FDNN), convolutional neural network (CNN), and generative adversarial network (GAN). With the Kaldi toolkit for automated speech recognition (ASR), the proposed model significantly reduced the word error rates (WERs) and reached an average WER of 15.13% in noisy backgrounds.

Citation: Li Z, Basit A, Daraz A, Jan A (2024) Deep causal speech enhancement and recognition using efficient long-short term memory Recurrent Neural Network. PLoS ONE 19(1): e0291240. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240

Editor: Mohamed Hammad, Menoufia University, EGYPT

Received: March 23, 2023; Accepted: August 25, 2023; Published: January 3, 2024

Copyright: © 2024 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the paper.

Funding: This work is supported by“ Talent Introduction Fund Project of Ningbo Tech University under grant no 20211009. The funder Dr Li is the main author of this work and he contributed fully to this work in the way of simulations and original paper writing. He is the project leader of the “Talent Introduction Fund Project of Ningbo Tech University under grant no 20211009."

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Speech enhancement is a signal processing technique that aims to improve the quality and intelligibility of speech signals that are degraded by various types of noise, such as background noise, reverberation, and channel distortions. In practice, speech enhancement techniques typically operate in the time-frequency domain, where the speech signal is represented as a sequence of short-time Fourier transforms (STFTs). By analyzing the speech signal in the frequency domain, it is possible to identify and isolate the components that are corrupted by noise, while preserving the underlying speech components. Speech enhancement is a crucial component in many applications, such as hearing aids, telecommunication systems, and speech recognition systems. By improving the quality and intelligibility of speech signals, speech enhancement techniques can significantly enhance the performance and usability of these systems. There are many different signal processing techniques that can be used for speech enhancement, such as spectral subtraction [ 1 ], Wiener filtering [ 2 ], and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) [ 3 ]. These techniques aim to reduce or remove the noise component from the speech signal while preserving the speech content. One of the key challenges in speech enhancement is to distinguish between the desired speech signal and the noise component. This is particularly challenging in the presence of non-stationary noise, which can vary in both time and frequency domains. To overcome this challenge, speech enhancement systems often use adaptive algorithms that can track the changes in the noise statistics and adjust the filtering parameters accordingly. The performance of speech enhancement systems is typically evaluated using objective measures, such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ), as well as subjective listening tests. In general, speech enhancement can significantly improve speech signals’ perceived quality and intelligibility, particularly in noisy environments.

Deep learning techniques have shown a lot of promise in improving speech enhancement performance in non-stationary noisy environments, where the characteristics of the noise may change over time [ 4 – 6 ], and show its effectiveness in other applications [ 7 – 10 ]. Deep neural networks (DNNs) are effective models for speech enhancement because they can learn the nonlinear relationship between input and output features. In particular, deep learning-based speech enhancement models, such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), can learn to extract features that are robust to various types of noise and can adapt to changing noise conditions over time. Deep learning-based speech enhancement models have shown significant improvements in speech quality and intelligibility, particularly in challenging environments, such as noisy speech in cars, on cell phones, or in crowded public places. There are two main types of DNN-based speech enhancement algorithms: masking-based [ 11 , 12 ] and mapping-based [ 13 – 15 ]. Masking-based algorithms have been found to be more effective because they can estimate time-frequency (T-F) masks as training targets, which can better track the target speaker and produce better de-noising results. Fully connected feedforward DNNs (FDNNs) have been commonly used in speech enhancement, but they are limited by short context windows and cannot capture long-term context information. Multi-layer networks are used in DNN-based speech enhancement methods to overcome this limitation and provide better performance in non-stationary noisy environments. Overall, DNN-based speech enhancement techniques can provide superior de-noising results without requiring statistical features or distribution assumptions. However, they require large amounts of training data and computational resources, which can be a limitation in some applications.

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are a type of neural network that can process sequential data and capture long-range temporal dependencies. They are particularly well-suited for natural language processing (NLP) tasks that involve variable-length sequences of data, such as speech waveforms, text, and time series. RNNs have also been successfully used for other NLP tasks, such as speech recognition and dialogue modeling. For example, in speech recognition, RNNs can be used to model the relationship between an input speech waveform and its corresponding text transcription. According to research [ 16 , 17 ], it is preferable to structure speech enhancement as a sequence-to-sequence process in order to regulate long-term context windows. RNNs [ 18 ], CNNs [ 19 ], and GANs [ 20 ] have been presented where networks are trained and evaluated with various noise types and speakers of both genders. The authors propose a four-hidden-layer LSTM model for speaker generalization [ 16 ]. Regarding speech intelligibility, the findings demonstrated that the LSTM model generalized better to untrained speakers and significantly outperformed a DNN-based model. Numerous studies demonstrate that with sequence-to-sequence processing, LSTM may successfully manage long-term context windows and be effective in SE [ 21 , 22 ]. The difficulty of capturing long-term dependencies is a crucial obstacle RNN models face when attempting to model extended sequences of input data. In addition, training RNNs via Back Propagation Through Time (BPTT) exposes gradients to vanishing and explosion. LSTM [ 23 , 24 ] and gated recurrent unit (GRU) [ 25 , 26 ] are examples of RNN variations that use unique transition functional units and optimization strategies to address these difficulties. Layered RNNs [ 27 ] and skip RNNs are two of the existing focused architectures [ 16 ]. A causal dynamic model using attention LSTM encoder-decoder is proposed for SE with excellent noise reduction and speech recognition results- [ 28 ]. A time-domain brain-assisted speech enhancement model incorporates electroencephalography signals to extract the target speaker from monaural speech mixtures. The proposed SE model is based on the fully convolutional time-domain network [ 29 ]. Another study [ 30 ] proposes a cooperative attention-based speech enhancement model and combines local and non-local attention operations in a learnable and self-adaptive manner. The study [ 31 ] proposes a multi-scale attention metric generative adversarial network to avoid the mismatch between the objective function used to train the speech enhancement models and introduces the attention mechanism in the metric discriminator. Another study uses a Convolutional attention transformer bottleneck in the encoder-decoder framework for speech enhancement and obtains better SE and automatic speech recognition results [ 32 ].

In this paper, we describe LSTM models that are capable of capturing long-term temporal correlations and avoiding gradient decay across layers. The significant contributions of this study are emphasized as follows. (i) It is suggested that an hourglass-shaped LSTM model can capture long-term temporal sequence-to-sequence data and decrease feature resolutions without data loss in layers. (ii) In order to avoid gradient decay in nonadjacent layers, skip connections are introduced. (iii) In the skip connections, an attention gate is utilized to suppress irrelevant input and emphasize the critical spectral regions of features. (iv) Combined feature sets are extracted from the noisy speech to train LSTM models reliably. (v) IRM is estimated to be the training target for suppressing the additive noise from the target speech in order to obtain higher-quality and more intelligible speech.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. The proposed speech enhancement system is explained in Section 2. Experiments and setups are presented in Section 3. Results and discussions are presented in Section 4. Finally, conclusions are drawn in Section 5.

Proposed speech enhancement

Problem formulation.

Consider that a clean speech signal s ( t ) is deteriorated by additive background noise d ( t ) and that the resultant noisy speech y ( t ). Using the short-time Fourier Transform (STFT), the noisy speech y ( t ) is transformed into the frequency domain, yielding the frequency-domain representation of y ( t ) as | Y ( f , t )|, where t represents the frame index and f represents the frequency index. A combined set of acoustic features is extracted to train the LSTM model reliably. The learned parameters estimate the time-frequency mask (IRM) as a training target during the testing phase. The calculated magnitude mask | M ( t , f )| is then multiplied by the magnitude of the noisy speech | Y ( t , f )| to reduce background noise signals in the underlying clean speech | S ( t , f )|. During waveform reconstruction, the predicted magnitude and the noisy phase are combined to generate improved speech. Fig 1 depicts the block diagram of the proposed speech enhancement.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g001

Proposed LSTM architecture

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g002

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t001

Features combination

Here d denotes the dimensions of features, f S and f Y are the combined feature vectors of clean and noisy speech. The gamma tone filterbank energies features are derived from the Cochleagrams, which is a T-F representation often employed in computational auditory scene analysis (CASA). It explains the operation of the human auditory system. A filter bank of 64 channels is used to generate the Cochleagrams. The delta features are also calculated and attached to the features. Table 2 briefly compares the models in terms of features, training objective, DNN type, and loss function.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t002

Experiments

Various tests are undertaken using speech sentences selected from the TIMIT [ 34 ], LibriSpeech [ 35 ], and VoiceBank [ 36 ] to evaluate the performance of SE. LibriSpeech comprises 1000 hours of speech data at a 16 kHz sampling rate. The TIMIT also contains phonetically balanced speech data at a sampling rate of 16 kHz. The Voice Bank is composed of male and female speakers of the English language. In our research, only clean speech samples from databases were utilized. The Aurora-4 database [ 37 ], NOISEX-92 database [ 38 ], and DEMAND database [ 39 ] are selected to obtain background noises for evaluating the proposed speech enhancement methods. Four input SNRs (-8 dB, -4 dB, 0 dB, and 4 dB) are utilized to create noisy sentences. To train the proposed LSTM network, sentences from VoiceBank, TIMIT, and LibriSpeech are used in order to estimate the T-F mask. For a more accurate generalization of the speaker, the training sentences include male and female speakers combined with all noise sources. Consequently, a large quantity of speech sentences is selected for model training. In addition, a separate set of speech sentences is prepared at random from three databases (TIMIT, LibriSpeech, and VoiceBank) for model testing. Only two noise sources are excluded from training and these noises are termed unseen noises(factory2 and café).

Network setting

In this article, a five-layered LSTM network is used where the input layer has a size of 1230 dimensions using the context windows of 11 frames. Every layer of the LSTM is comprised of N units and M time steps, while the output layer consists of 257 units. The BPTT (Backpropagation through time) is employed during training. Optimization is performed using adaptive gradient descent with momentum. There are 512 samples in each batch. During processing, the AGD scaling factor is fixed at 0.0010 whereas the learning rate is reduced linearly from 0.06 to 0.002. There are 80 epochs in all. is set at 0.4 for the first epochs, then momentum is raised to 0.8 for subsequent epochs. With a dropout rate of 0.2, dropout regularisation is implemented. During mask estimation, the MSE loss function is applied. The LSTM models do not employ future information, which is equivalent to causal systems. 11 frames of features are concatenated as the network input at each time step. The input to the model is causal. However, as demonstrated in Table 1 , the network’s computing process varies. There are different time steps in different layers, the calculation of the first time step of the second layer requires the output of the second time step of the first layer, and the calculation of the first time step of the third layer requires the output of the second, third, and fourth time steps of the first layer; therefore, when calculating the first time step of the output layer, the future time step of the first layer must be used. The deep model hyperparameters are listed in Table 3 . Here Units indicate the neurons.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t003

Evaluation metrics

Representation of algorithm

Various SE systems are designed with an interpretation indicating the neural network type, with and without skip connections and mask type. (i): LSTM-NoSkips-IRM: This model estimates the IRM training objective by using the proposed LSTM without skip connections. (ii): LSTM-WithSkips-IRM: The model estimates the IRM by using the proposed LSTM with skip connections. (iii): LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM: This model estimates the IRM by using the proposed LSTM with attention skip connections. The baseline LSTM [ 16 ] is represented as LSTM-IRM with IRM as a training target. TIMIT, LibriSpeech, and VoiceBank datasets are used to train all networks.

Results and discussions

Table 4 presents an evaluation of the proposed SE using STOI in three seen noises. The proposed LSTM model using the combined features and attention skips outscored the networks that are using no skips or using skips with no attention. We observed better STOI (intelligibility) and PESQ (quality) than the counterparts and unprocessed noisy speech with the proposed model. For example, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM improved the STOI by 7.7% over unprocessed speech (UNP stands for noisy speech) at -8dB babble noise. Similarly, LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM increased STOI by 23.9% over unprocessed speech at -4dB of car noise. Also, at 0dB factory noise, LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM increased STOI by 20.2% over unprocessed noisy speech. In comparison to the LSTM-WithSkips-IRM, the proposed models with attention skips improved the STOI by 2.1% at -8dB babble noise. Also, the proposed model with attention skips improved the STOI by 9.1% with LSTM-NoSkips-IRM at -8dB babble noise. As a whole, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM outperformed and increased average STOI over unprocessed noisy speech as well as SNRs by 1.23%.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t004

Table 5 evaluates the proposed SE models in terms of PESQ for three seen noise types with IRM as an estimated training target. For the PESQ, the suggested LSTM model with combined feature sets and attention skips outscored other models that have no skips or skips with no attention mechanism. We achieved a better perceptual speech quality as compared to the counterparts and noisy speech with the proposed models. For example, in Table 4 , the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM improved the PESQ by 0.34 (20.98%) over unprocessed speech at -8dB factory noise. Similarly, LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM improved the PESQ by 0.54 (26.21%) over unprocessed speech at -4dB babble noise. Moreover, at 0dB car noise, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM improved the PESQ by 1.04 (39.1%) over the noisy speech. In contrast to the LSTM-WithSkips-IRM, the proposed models with attention skips improved the PESQ by 0.09 (3.04%) at 4dB car noise. It indicates that at good SNRs (SNR≥4dB) the proposed LSTM model performs almost similarly. In addition, the proposed model with attention skips improved the PESQ by 0.14 (5.28%) with LSTM-NoSkips-IRM at 4dB babble noise. Again, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM outscored and increased the average PESQ score over the unprocessed noisy speech as well as SNRs by 3.07%.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t005

The results indicate that LSTM-AttenSkips achieved better PESQ and STOI values. The average PESQ and STOI improvements (PESQi and STOIi) in background noises are depicted in Figs 3 and 4 , respectively.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g003

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g004

In other sets of experiments, we used the LibriSpeech dataset and Ideal Binary Mask (IBM) to evaluate the proposed SE models. The LibriSpeech is obtained from audiobooks and is composed of 1000 hours of speech sampled at 16 kHz. In experiments, we selected only clean utterances and again mixed them with noise types: airport, babble, street, cafeteria, and car noise at the same SNRs. The average PESQ and STOI values using 5 noises are given in Table 6 . The LSTM-WithSkips-IRM and LSTM-WithSkips-IBM have increased the average STOI by 16.44% and 14.9% over unprocessed noisy speech. Further, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM and LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM have increased the average PESQ scores with 0.78 (33.19%) and 0.71 (31.14%) over unprocessed noisy speech. We used the VoiceBank dataset to further evaluate the proposed SE models. In experiments, we selected only clean utterances and again mixed them with noise types: airport, babble, street, cafeteria, car, sports field, and well-visited city park noise at the same SNRs. The average STOI and PESQ scores for different noises are given in Table 7 . The LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM and LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM have increased the average STOI by 17.21% and 15.4% over unprocessed noisy speech. In addition, LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM and LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM have increased the average PESQ with 0.81 (35.22%) and 0.75 (34.31%) over unprocessed noisy speech.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t006

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t007

Generalization performance

To examine the proposed SE models in terms of generalization, Table 8 provides the PESQ and STOI scores in two unseen noise types (factory2 and cafeteria). The proposed SE models outscored the baseline and the competing networks with significant margins in unseen noises. During analysis, it is observed that the proposed LSTM-WithSkips-IRM and LSTM-WithSkips-IBM obtained the highest 7intelligibility (STOI) and perceptual quality (PESQ) scores since the network architecture is modified to obtain better results. As the suggested models have been treated using robust acoustic feature sets and modifications, their performances are not drastically altered both in unseen or seen noisy conditions. The average STOI values have increased from 63.1% to 78.0% and 76.8% with LSTM-WithSkips-IRM and LSTM-WithSkips-IBM, improving the STOI by 14.9% and 13.7% over unprocessed speech. At low SNRs such as -4dB and -8dB, LSTM-WithSkips-IRM and LSTM-WithSkips-IBM have increased STOI by 1.90% and 1.80% over the baseline LSTMs (LSTM with IRM and LSTM with IBM). Further, the average PESQ values are increased from 1.50 to 2.22 (32.43%) and 2.17 (31.90%) with LSTM-WithSkips-IRM and LSTM-WithSkips-IBM, improving the PESQ significantly over the UNP in unseen noisy conditions. The proposed LSTM models have increased STOI by 1.80% and 2.90% over the baseline LSTMs. The proposed models have increased PESQ by 0.10 (4.54%) and 0.16 (7.27%) over the baseline LSTMs. The proposed models for SE achieved the best performance in unseen noises.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t008

The computational load of the proposed model is measured with trainable parameters and FLOPs (floating-point operations), useful metrics for calculating computational complexity and optimizing the performance on specific hardware platforms. The parameters count and FLOPs for the proposed LSTM model are 26.47M and 127.72 [G] whereas the parameters count and FLOPs for the baseline LSTM are 53.93M and 245.67 [G], respectively indicating the better performance in terms of model complexity and trainable parameters.

Comparisons with other DL methods

This section examines the performance in terms of average values (STOI and PESQ) obtained by the proposed models and the competing DL models. The experimental results indicate that the proposed LSTM models improved the speech quality, intelligibility, noise suppression, and speech distortion, and also outperformed the baseline LSTM [ 16 ], DNN [ 42 ], CNN [ 43 ], GAN (3-layer ReLU MLP) [ 44 ], CNN-GRU [ 45 ], and FCNN [ 46 ]. Table 8 indicates the generalization capabilities of the suggested LSTM and other DL models. All DL models have been trained using a similar dataset comprising male and female speakers. The experimental values are averaged over all SNRs (-8dB, -4dB, 0dB, and 4dB) and noises. The results in Table 9 indicate that the suggested LSTM models have increased intelligibility and perceptual speech quality. The LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM and LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM have increased STOI by 4.4% and 6.7% over the DNNs with IRM and IBM as training targets. Further, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM has increased STOI by 5.10% (over CNN) and 9.7% (over GAN). Moreover, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM has increased STOI by 4.90% (over CNN) and 9.50% (over GAN). Using PESQ, the LSTM-AttenSkips-IRM, and LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM have increased values by 0.20 (9.09%) over CNN and 0.31 (14.09%) over GAN. The overall average improvement of competing models over noisy speech is shown in Fig 5 .

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g005

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t009

To visualize spectral regions of the speech processed by deep learning models and the proposed LSTM models, we show spectro-temporal analysis. Fig 6 demonstrates the spectrograms of the utterances. The underlying clean utterance (depicted in Fig 6a ) is contaminated at 0dB babble noise in order to create a noisy utterance (depicted in Fig 6b ). The babble noise (originated when many people talk simultaneously) is a difficult noisy situation because the noise signal follows the attributes similar to the underlying clean speech. The enhanced speech produced by the LSTM-IBM is illustrated in Fig 6(c) , where the background babble noise is considerably eliminated. The enhanced speech produced by the LSTM-IRM (depicted in Fig 6d ) shows minimum residual noise and speech distortion in comparison to the LSTM-IBM. Fig 6e illustrates the speech enhanced by the LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM. Minimum speech distortion and residual noise are noticeable. Fig 6f depicts the speech enhanced by the LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM. We can observe that the proposed model reduced the background noise leaving minimal residual noise and speech is not distorted, as confirmed by the spectrogram of noisy speech enhanced by the proposed LSTM-AttenSkips.

The underlying clean speech (a), the babble noise-contaminated noisy speech (b), speech processed by LSTM-IBM (c), speech processed by LSTMIRM (d), speech processed by the LSTM-AttenSkips-IBM (e), and speech processed by the LSTMAttenSkips-IRM (f).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.g006

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)

The SE evaluations show that the proposed LSTM models greatly suppressed the background noise and recovered high-quality and intelligible speech. As a result, we expect better speech recognition performance in challenging noisy backgrounds. The proposed SE models are implemented at the front end to achieve better ASR results. We implemented the Kaldi toolkit [ 47 ] which uses the GMM-HMM system and trained deep neural networks with Mel-frequency filter-bank features. The training system is motivated by Tachioka [ 48 ]. We evaluated ASR performance in terms of word error rates (WERs). We randomly selected 2000 speech utterances from the TIMIT and LibriSpeech datasets to train the proposed LSTM-based speech enhancement models. With the trained LSTM models, we performed the speech enhancement and then synthesized time-domain utterances to create new training and testing datasets. We trained ASR models using the new training dataset and tested the ASR models using the new testing dataset. As given in Table 10 , the ASR systems when trained with the utterances processed by LSTM-AttenSkips performed better. The WERs gradually decreased with the favorable SNR levels. On average, 19.13% WERs are achieved with the utterances processed by the proposed LSTM-AttenSkips, demonstrating that the proposed SE can be employed as a front-end to boost the ASR performance.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291240.t010

In this paper, we propose a speech enhancement algorithm that is based on recurrent neural networks trained with robust acoustic feature sets. An hourglass LSTM model is proposed which successfully captures the long-term temporal dependencies by reducing feature resolutions. We used skip connections between the nonadjacent symmetrical layers to prevent the gradient decay over layers. Moreover, an attention mechanism is adopted in skips to highlight the important features and spectral regions. A combined robust feature set is extracted from the magnitude of the noisy speech to robustly train the proposed models for better performance. Two masks, IRM and IBM, are estimated independently. The results have concluded the following aspects of the proposed SE algorithm.

By using the combined features learning, the model includes additional information which enabled the model to better learn the non-linear relation between noisy and clean speech which is confirmed by the results in Tables 4 – 8 . The proposed LSTM models successfully captured long-term temporal dependencies and reduced the feature resolution by using an hourglass architecture to estimate the model parameters for testing which are confirmed by a comparison in Table 8 in the results. The memory overflow is avoided by using the proposed architecture. The skips and attention gate in the skips considerably improved the gradient decay over the layers and also highlighted the important features and spectral regions. The addition of attention gates in the skips obtains better results as indicated by Tables 6 and 7 on two different databases. With the hourglass strategy, the proposed models performed better than the baseline in terms of trainable parameters (18.89M with the proposed and 46.18M with the baseline). The proposed models performed better and outscored the recent deep learning models in different noises as indicated by Table 9 . The proposed models also outperformed the related deep-learning methods in unseen noises as confirmed by Table 8 . The Kaldi ASR results demonstrated that the proposed LSTM-AttenSkips SE can be employed as a front-end to boost the ASR performance in noisy backgrounds, confirmed by Table 10 where the proposed model achieves lower WERs.

Phase plays a vital role in improving the perceptual speech quality where a complex Phase spectrum can add significant quality and intelligibility improvements in speech enhancement system [ 49 – 51 ]. The focus of this study is to estimate speech magnitude enhancement where the noisy phase is used during speech waveform reconstruction. Our future study will focus on the simultaneous estimation of the magnitude and phase of the speech and intend to integrate the estimates with the proposed model topology. Further, robust loss functions and feature sets will be developed for improved speech quality and intelligibility.

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Impact of long-term dust accumulation on photovoltaic module performance — a comprehensive review

• Review Article
• Published: 09 November 2023
• Volume 30 , pages 119568–119593, ( 2023 )

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• Hussein A. Kazem   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5034-2485 1  

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This paper reviews the impact dust accumulation for long-term on the performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules. It examines accumulation impact on the PV efficiency, their solar energy production, and their lifetime. The paper also discusses the various strategies for preventing dust accumulation, such as waterproof coatings, hydrophobic coatings, and anti-static coatings. Finally, the paper provides a comprehensive review in dust control and highlights potential future research directions. This review provides an in-depth analysis of PV behavior and its effect by dust accumulation and provides useful information for researchers and practitioners in the solar industry.

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Data availability.

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

PV collector area (in m 2 )

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Number of parameters of the most elements with the highest percentage (greater than 80%, unitless

Resistance (in ohm)

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Voltage (in V)

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• Published: 13 May 2024

Some convergently three-term trust region conjugate gradient algorithms under gradient function non-Lipschitz continuity

• Wujie Hu 1 ,
• Jinzhao Wu 1 &
• Gonglin Yuan 2  

Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  10851 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Applied mathematics
• Computational science

This paper introduces two three-term trust region conjugate gradient algorithms, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG, which are capable of converging under non-Lipschitz continuous gradient functions without any additional conditions. These algorithms possess sufficient descent and trust region properties, and demonstrate global convergence. In order to assess their numerical performance, we compare them with two classical algorithms in terms of restoring noisy gray-scale and color images as well as solving large-scale unconstrained problems. In restoring noisy gray-scale images, we set the performance of TT-TR-WP as the standard, then TT-TR-CG takes around 2.33 times longer. The other algorithms around 2.46 and 2.41 times longer, respectively. In solving the same color images, the proposed algorithms exhibit relative good performance over other algorithms. Additionally, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG are competitive in unconstrained problems, and the former has wide applicability while the latter has strong robustness. Moreover, the proposed algorithms are both more outstanding than the baseline algorithms in terms of applicability and robustness.

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Introduction.

This paper considers following model

where the objective function \(h:R^n\longrightarrow R\) is continuously differentiable. The conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm is widely used to solve ( 1 ), in which the iteration formula is written as:

where \(x_{k+1},\) \(\alpha _k\) and \(d_k\) are next iteration point, step size and search direction respectively, where \(d_k\) is generally defined by formula

where \(g_k\) is called the gradient of objective function h ( x ) at iteration point \(x_k\) , and \(\beta _k\in R\) is a scalar. Some CG algorithms are proposed to solve large-scale optimization problems and engineer problems. In Ref. 4 , general conjugate gradient method using the Wolfe line search is proposed, with a condition on the scalar \(\beta _k,\) which is sufficient for the global convergence. In Ref. 16 , a projection-based method is proposed to solve large-scale nonlinear pseudo-monotone equations, without Lipschitz continuity. In Refs. 19 , 20 , 21 , Sheng et al. proposed some trust region algorithms to solve nonsmooth minimization, large-residual nonsmooth least squares problems and optimization problems. Yuan et al proposed some nonlinear conjugate gradient methods to restore nonlinear equations and image restorations in Ref. 24 , 25 . In Ref. 5 , Dai summarized some analysis of conjugate gradient method. In Ref. 9 , authors adopted conjugate gradient solvers on graphic processing units. In Ref. 12 , authors proposed a new conjugate gradient method with guaranteed descent and an efficient line search for optimization. In Ref. 18 , authors proposed a hybrid conjugate gradient algorithm combining PRP and FR algorithms. In Ref. 23 , Wei et al proposed a conjugate gradient algorithm which designs a negative coefficient in the formula of the search direction. In fact, an important work is the design of \(\beta _k,\) and some classical expressions are widely used, including the Hestenes-Stiefel (HS) 8 , 14 , 27 , Liu-Storey (LS) 22 , Polak-Ribière-Polyak (PRP) 11 , 25 , 26 , 28 , Dai-Yuan (DY) 6 , 29 and conjugate descent method (CD) 10 , 13 , Fletcher-Reeves (FR) 15 , where the first three algorithms have relatively good numerical performance but fewer theoretical results, while the others are inverse. The definitions are listed in Table  1 , where \(\Vert .\Vert \) is the Euclidean norm.

The primary components of conjugate gradient algorithms encompass the search direction, step size (when applicable), and global convergence. The ultimate objective is to achieve a satisfactory balance between numerical efficiency and theoretical scrutiny.

In fact, the adequate descent property is a prerequisite for theoretical analysis and is governed by the following equation

where \(t>0.\) Moreover, the trust region technique illustrates that the search radius plays a crucial role in determining the numerical efficacy. The search direction is obtained by solving the subsequent quadratic function, where \(\Delta _{k}\) denotes the trust region radius.

The search direction in CG algorithms is also called satisfying the trust region property if following formula holds.

where \(t_1 > 0\) . Equations ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) are intimately connected with the global convergence. Furthermore, an inexact linear search approach is frequently utilized to determine a suitable step size \(\alpha _k\) . This paper adopts weak Wolfe-Powell (WWP) inexact linear search, which is formulated as follows:

where \(\delta \in (0,\frac{1}{2})\) and \(\tau \in (\delta ,1)\) .

The aforementioned discussions are intricately linked to global convergence, which necessitates certain fundamental assumptions. These include: (i) the objective function must be continuously differentiable; (ii) the level set \(S=\{x\in R^n: h(x)\le h(x_0)\}\) must be bounded; and (iii) the gradient function g ( x ) must be Lipschitz continuous, where \(x_0\) denotes an initial point. The FR method 1 , modified HS method 7 , modified LS method 17 , and modified DY method 29 achieve global convergence through the formula

In other words, the Lipschitz continuity of the gradient function is a prerequisite for existing works, prompting us to consider whether global convergence can be attained in the absence of Lipschitz continuity. This paper proposes some three-term trust region conjugate gradient methods that converge under non-Lipschitz continuity condition, with the main properties summarized as follows:

Objective algorithms possess both the sufficient descent and trust region properties, without any additional conditions. The trust region property is derived from the trust region algorithm, while the algorithm design is based on classical approaches such as Hestenes-Stiefel (HS) and Polak-Ribière-Polyak (PRP).

These algorithms achieve global convergence even under conditions of non-Lipschitz continuity of the gradient function and weak Wolfe-Powell linear search techniques.

The applications of these algorithms include image restoration of noisy gray scale and color images, as well as solving large-scale unconstrained problems. The case studies illustrate that TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG possess superior numerical performance.

The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: “ Motivation and TT-TR-WP ” provides an overview of the motivation behind TT-TR-WP; “ The global convergence of TT-TR-WP ” presents the convergence analysis; “ TT-TR-CG and theoretical analysis ” describes the TT-TR-WP algorithm and its convergence analysis; “ Case studies ” presents the case studies, including image restoration and large-scale unconstrained problem-solving; and finally, the last section offers concluding remarks.

Motivation and TT-TR-WP

The first three-term conjugate gradient formula is proposed by Zhang et al. 30 , in which the search direction is defined by

Formula ( 8 ) satisfies the sufficient descent property without any additional conditions, while the trust region property is closely related to the objective function, Lipschitz continuity, and level set.

Formula ( 9 ) was introduced by Yuan et al. 28 under the weak Wolfe-Powell linear search technique, where the search direction is given by the following expression:

The step size \(\alpha _{k-1}\) is included in the search direction ( 9 ). This formula not only satisfies the sufficient descent property without other conditions, but also guarantees global convergence under non-Lipschitz continuity conditions, while the trust region property is closely linked to the formula \(\alpha _{k-1}d_{k-1} = x_{k} - x_{k-1}\) , objective function, and level set.

To summarize, while formulas ( 8 ) and ( 9 ) do possess the sufficient descent property without additional conditions, there are several limitations. The trust region property, vital for both theoretical analysis and numerical performance, unfortunately depends on the objective function, basic assumptions, and complex analysis. Additionally, there exist simpler and more cost-effective algorithms that simultaneously achieve better numerical performance and theoretical results.

Aforementioned discussions inspire us to propose following formula.

Formula ( 10 ) possesses the sufficient descent and trust region properties that are independent of any additional conditions.

Global convergence is guaranteed even under conditions of non-Lipschitz continuity of the gradient function.

The classical HS algorithm’s excellent numerical performance is incorporated into TT-TR-WP through a specified denominator.

This section presents Algorithm 1, while the subsequent section provides the theoretical analysis.

TT-TR-WP : A convergently three-term trust region algorithm with the weak Wolfe-Powell linear search

Step 0: Initialize \(x_0\in R^n\) , \(d_0=-g_0\) , constants \(\epsilon \in (0,1)\) , \(\delta \in (0,\frac{1}{2})\) , \(\tau \in (\delta ,1)\) , \(\sigma >0\) , and set \(k=0\) .

Step 1: Stop rule \(\Vert g_k\Vert \le \epsilon \) .

Step 2: Choose step size \(\alpha _k\) under formulas ( 6 ) and ( 7 ).

Step 3: Update iteration point \(x_{k+1} = x_k+\alpha _kd_k\) .

Step 4: Stop rule \(\Vert g_{k+1}\Vert \le \epsilon \) .

Step 5: Update search direction under formula ( 10 ).

Step 6: Set \(k=k+1\) , and go to Step 2.

The global convergence of TT-TR-WP

This section analyzes the global convergence of TT-TR-WP, in which the properties of sufficient descent and trust region are firstly given.

The search direction ( 10 ) simultaneously has the sufficient descent ( 4 ) and trust region ( 5 ) properties , i.e. ,

If \(k=0\) , \(d_0=-g_0,\) and \(\Vert d_0\Vert \le \Vert g_0\Vert \le (1+\frac{2}{\sigma })\Vert g_0\Vert ,\)

If \(k\ge 1\) , following formulas can be obtained from the formula ( 10 ):

then completes the proof. \(\square \)

The Lemma  3.1 proves the sufficient descent and trust region properties of search direction ( 10 ), which are independent of any assumptions and linear search techniques.

From formula ( 11 ), we can obtain

this means that

thus following formula holds from formula ( 12 )

To achieve global convergence, certain basic assumptions are proposed.

The level set \(S=\{x| h(x)\le h(x_0)\}\) is well-defined and bounded, where \(x_0\) is the initial point.

The function h ( x ) is continuously differentiable and bounded below.

Under these assumptions, the following significant properties hold:

Property 1: The iteration sequence \(\{x_k\}\) is bounded.

Property 2: The gradient function g ( x ) is continuous on the level set.

Now pay attention to the global convergence of TT-TR-WP.

Theorem 3.1

If sequences \(\{x_k,d_k,\alpha _k,g_k\}\) are generated by TT-TR-WP , then, following formula holds

We adopt proof by contradiction, and firstly make an assumption

where \(\varepsilon _C\) is a positive constant.

Additionally, there exists a convergent subsequence \(\{x_{k_i}\}\) since iteration point \(\{x_k\}\) is bounded, it means that

Similarly, the gradient function is continuous, thus there exists \(\epsilon _1>0\) and an integer \(N_1>0\) such that

From formula ( 13 ), there exists \(\epsilon _2>0,\) and an integer \(N_2>0\) satisfying

From ( 16 ), ( 17 ) and ( 11 ), following formula holds

On the other hand, following formula will be obtained from ( 7 )

then taking the limit on both sides and set \(N=\max \{N_1,N_2\},\) with the subsequence \(\{x_{k_i}\},\) we can deduce that

It means that there exists a subsequence \(\{x_{k_i}\},\) such that

while this contradicts the relation ( 11 ), i.e. the original formula holds and the proof is completed. \(\square \)

Non-Lipschitz continuous gradient functions are prevalent. For instance, \(g(x) = \sin (\frac{1}{x})\) and \(g(x)=x^{\frac{3}{2}}\sin (\frac{1}{x})\) for \(x\in (0, 1].\)

The global convergence of TR-TR-WP is established under the weak Wolfe-Powell linear search technique and gradient function non-Lipschitz continuity.

The sufficient descent and trust region properties, ( 11 ) and ( 12 ), simplify the convergence analysis.

TT-TR-CG and theoretical analysis

This section will propose the other modified three-term trust region CG algorithm, TT-TR-CG, and prove some properties.

In TT-TR-CG, the search direction has following form:

where \(\mu > 0.\)

This subsection will firstly describe contents of objective algorithm.

TT-TR-CG: A convergently three-term trust region CG with the weak Wolfe-Powell

Step 0: Initialize \(x_0\in R^n\) , \(d_0=-g_0\) , constants \(\epsilon \in (0,1)\) , \(\delta \in (0,\frac{1}{2})\) , \(\tau \in (\delta ,1)\) , \(\mu >0\) , and set \(k=0\) .

Step 5: Update search direction under formula ( 19 ).

The search direction ( 19 ) satisfies both the sufficient descent and trust region properties simultaneously.

Global convergence analysis is established under the gradient function non-Lipschitz continuity and weak Wolfe-Powell linear search technique.

The good numerical performance of the classical PRP algorithm is partly incorporated into TT-TR-CG through the specified denominator.

The search direction ( 19 ) has the sufficient descent ( 4 ) and trust region ( 5 ) properties simultaneously without any conditions , i.e. ,

The proof is similar with the TT-TR-WP, thus omits it. \(\square \)

To obtain the global convergence, some basic assumptions are proposed.

the level set \(S=\{x| h(x)\le h(x_0)\}\) is defined and bounded, where \(x_0\) is an initial point;

the objective function h ( x ) is continuously differentiable and bounded below.

Theorem 4.1

If sequences \(\{x_k,d_k,\alpha _k,g_k\}\) are generated by TT-TR-CG, then, following formula holds

The proof is similar with the “ The global convergence of TT-TR-WP ”, then completes the proof. \(\square \)

Case studies

This section utilises objective algorithms to restore noisy images and solve large-scale unconstrained optimisation problems to test their numerical performance.

To further test the numerical performance, this paper introduces two baseline algorithms in Ref. 26 , 28 , namely MPRP and A-TPRP-A, and the formulas are ( 8 ), ( 9 ), respectively. The former is the first three-term conjugate gradient algorithm and is widely cited. The latter is the latest algorithm which updates the search direction with the step size and possesses global convergence without Lipschitz continuity. The baseline algorithms possess both good numerical performance and theoretical properties in the existing works.

The experimental environment consists of an Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8250U CPU @ 1.60GHz 1.80 GHz with 16 GB RAM running on the Windows 11 operating system.

Image restoration

The restoration of noisy images is of great practical importance and is widely used. This subsection uses the TT-TR-WP, TT-TR-CG and baseline algorithms to restore noisy images to test their numerical performance, in which three figures are chosen because they are widely used and classical test figures, see Refs. 24 , 25 .

The objective function and experimental settings are described as follows: The candidate noise index set is denoted as N , the objective function as \(\omega (u)\) , and the edge-preserving function as \(\chi \) . The true image containing \(K\times L\) pixels is denoted as x . For a more detailed explanation of image restoration, please refer to Refs. 3 , 24 , 25 , 28 .

where \(I = \{1, 2, \ldots , K\} \times \{1,2,\ldots ,L,\},\) \(\zeta _{i, j}\) is the observed noisy image and \({\bar{\zeta }}_{i, j}\) is the verified image, \(s_{min}\) and \(s_{max}\) are the minimum and maximum noisy pixel. Consider following optimization function

\(\phi _{i, j} = \{(i,j-1), (i,j+1),(i-1,j),(i+1,j)\}.\)

where \(\nu > 0.\)

where MSE is the mean square error between the original image and processed image and num is the number of bits.

The stop rule of algorithm is \(\frac{\Vert h_{k+1}-h_k\Vert }{\Vert h_k\Vert }<\varepsilon \) , and the parameters are \(\delta =0.2, \tau = 0.895, \sigma =0.1, \mu = 0.1, \varepsilon =10^{-6}.\)

In restoring noisy gray-scale images, from Table  2 , we can conclude that TT-TR-WP exhibits the best numerical performance in terms of running time, TT-TR-CG is the second best, MPRP is third, and A-T-PRP-A is the slowest. Furthermore, if we set the performance of TT-TR-WP as the standard, then TT-TR-CG takes around 2.34 times longer. The other algorithms take around 2.46 and 2.42 times longer, respectively. In Table  3 , the time proportion among all algorithms in each figure and all figures is proposed, in which the biggest gap is 1.68, TT-TR-WP is far ahead than the others, and TT-TR-CG is pretty good in most situations. Additionally, results in Table  4 further demonstrate that all algorithms obtain highly similar SSIM and PSNR values. Combining the above discussion, we can make a conclusion: to obtain highly similar results, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG perform relatively well and the proposed algorithms are competitive.

In summary, TT-TR-WP exhibits impressive numerical performance, and TT-TR-CG is highly competitive with the others. To save space, this paper only records numerical results but abandons the display of figures obtained by diverse algorithms with noise ratios of 70%, and 90%, see Fig.  1 . In each row, the first column is obtained by TT-TR-WP, the second column by TT-TR-CG, the third column by A-T-PRP-A, and the last column by MPRP.

From left to right, the images disturbed by 50 \(\%\) salt-and-pepper noise, the images restored by TT-TR-WP (first column), TT-TR-CG (second column), A-T-PRP-A (third column) and MPRP (last column), respectively.

Color image restoration

To further evaluate the performance of the objective algorithms, this section applies various algorithms to restore color images with different levels of noise. Peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) and Mean Squared Error (MSE) are widely used measurements for image quality assessment and are used in this section. To save space, this paper only records numerical results but abandons the display of figures obtained by diverse algorithms with noise ratios of 20%, 60% and 80%. The stop rule of algorithm is \(\frac{\Vert h_{k+1}-h_k\Vert }{\Vert h_k\Vert }<\varepsilon \) , and the parameters are \(\delta =0.0885, \tau = 0.885, \sigma =0.0015, \mu = 1.1555, \varepsilon =10^{-4}.\)

In Table  5 , the total running time of four algorithms is 73.83, 74.88, 80.02, 74.52 s, respectively. Additionally, from Tables  6 ,  7 ,  8 , the PSNR, MSE, and SSIM of algorithms are highly similar, but object algorithms are relatively competitive. The images restored by various algorithms under different noise ratios are presented in Fig.  2 that corresponds to noise ratio 40%. In each row, the first column is obtained by TT-TR-WP, the second column by TT-TR-CG, the third column by A-T-PRP-A, and the last column by MPRP.

From left to right, the images disturbed by 40 \(\%\) salt-and-pepper noise, the images restored by TT-TR-WP (first column), TT-TR-CG (second column), A-T-PRP-A (third column) and MPRP (last column), respectively.

General unconstrained optimization

To further test the numerical performance, this subsection applies the algorithms to solve large-scale unconstrained optimization problems. Sixty-five classical functions are randomly selected from 2 , as shown in Table  9 , with dimensions of 3000, 6000, and 12,000. The stopping criterion is \(\Vert g(x_k)\Vert <\varepsilon \) or \(NI > 8000\) , where NI is the iteration number, and \(g(x_k)\) is the gradient value at the point \(x_k\) . The parameters used are \(\delta =0.2, \tau = 0.9, \sigma =0.001, \mu = 0.1, \varepsilon =10^{-6}\) .

The running time in seconds is used as the reference standard for evaluating numerical performance, as shown in Table  10 . The relative numerical performance of solving large-scale problems is illustrated in Fig.  3 , in which the red line denotes TT-TR-WP, black line denotes TT-TR-CG, blue line denotes A-T-PRP-A, and the other denotes MPRP. TT-TR-WP has a high initial value, which means that possesses relatively good robustness. TT-TR-CG exhibits gradually increase trend all time which means that possesses relatively good applicability. TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG both possess relatively good robustness and applicability than the others.

In summary, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG possess relatively good numerical performance than baseline algorithms, in terms of applicability and robustness, in which TT-TR-WP has the best robustness and relatively good applicability and TT-TR-CG is the opposite.

This paper introduces two three-term trust region conjugate gradient algorithms, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG, which are capable of converging under non-Lipschitz continuous gradient functions without any additional conditions. These algorithms possess sufficient descent and trust region properties, and demonstrate global convergence. In order to assess their numerical performance, we compare them with two classical algorithms in terms of restoring noisy gray-scale and color images as well as solving large-scale unconstrained problems. To obtain highly similar SSIM and PSNR values in noisy gray-scale images, TT-TR-WP exhibits the best numerical performance in terms of running time, TT-TR-CG is the second best, MPRP is third, and A-T-PRP-A is the slowest. Furthermore, if we set the performance of TT-TR-WP as the standard, then TT-TR-CG takes around 2.34 times longer. The other algorithms take around 2.46 and 2.42 times longer, respectively. In solving the same color images, the proposed algorithms exhibit relative good performance over other algorithms. Additionally, in comparative experiments of algorithm performance, the curve of TT-TR-CG has the maximum initial value, while the curve of TT-TR-WP is the second-best, indicating that TT-TR-CG and TT-TR-WP are relatively more robustness and have high stability when facing diverse situations. In summary, TT-TR-WP and TT-TR-CG exhibit relatively better performance in terms of applicability and robustness.

The running time of diverse algorithms on tested problems.

Data availability

All images are sourced from published papers or the internet, and there are no copyright disputes. All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

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Acknowledgements

We firstly thank the editor and the referee for their useful suggestions and comments which greatly improve this manuscript. This work is supported by Guangxi science and technology base and talent project Grant AD22080047, Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education Grant YCBZ2021027, National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 12261027, and the special foundation for Guangxi Ba Gui Scholars.

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Hu, W., Wu, J. & Yuan, G. Some convergently three-term trust region conjugate gradient algorithms under gradient function non-Lipschitz continuity. Sci Rep 14 , 10851 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60969-9

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Received : 22 May 2023

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60969-9

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