- the critical planning stage leading up to the writing of a term paper.
- the important stage of polishing the final draft before handing in your term paper.
Here are two easy-to-follow schemes that should make writing a typical 10-page term paper a more manageable process and your final essay a higher quality result.
A Plan for Developing Your Work Schedule
Let's imagine that you've been given a due date of one month for your term paper. (Adjust the following schedule accordingly to accomodate shorter deadlines.) Starting with the due date, work backward chronologically. After you have set the deadlines listed below, you should set some intermediate goals to stay on track during the process.
__________ Due date to hand in your term paper.
__________ Start polishing your paper's final rough draft (3 days before due date).
__________ Complete first rough draft (1 week before due date).
__________ Begin first rough draft (2 weeks before due date).
__________ Draft your paper's thesis statement and rough outline based on your research
of a sharply focused topic (2 1/2 weeks before due date).
__________ Start researching your paper's topic, gradually refining and narrowing it down
(3 weeks before due date).
__________ Decide on your paper's general topic (3 1/2 weeks before due date).
A Checklist for Polishing Your Final Draft
__________ Does each sentence lead the reader clearly from one idea to the next?
__________ Does each paragraph efficiently lead the reader from one major point to the next?
__________ Is your first paragraph engaging and clear? Is the thesis stated clearly?
__________ Does your last paragaph restate the main points of your essay?
__________ Is your word choice appropriate and correct?
__________ Are all abbreviations clearly explained to the reader?
__________ Are all quotations in their proper form?
__________ Are all titles in your paper in the proper form?
__________ Is the grammar of each sentence correct?
__________ Has the essay been carefully proofread for spelling and punctuation errors?
__________ Have all citations been double-checked for their accuracy?
