My son Tommy finished his first semester in college. A huge chunk of his grade was writing a research paper. It was a daunting task for him, because the paper needed to be at least 4-5 pages long. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it.
I had to write many research papers, so I gave him some tips that I used.
1. Write notes on what you want your paper to be about first. This will help keep your thoughts organized. Pick a top that you're passionate about. Tommy's topic was How To Succeed In College When You Have Autism. Obviously this works for him because he has autism and he wants to succeed in college.
2. Make sure you have several places to cite your work. Pay attention to the instructions on how many you need to have. Tommy needed to have 5. Professors will take off points if you don't have them all.
3. Read your paper out loud. This helps find mistakes. This might need to be done several times.
4. Ask someone else to read it. I did read Tommy's paper. There were some parts that I felt didn't make sense, but he insisted on keeping it in, so I let him. Remember: you don't have to take other's opinions if you don't agree. It is YOUR paper.
5. Breathe. I'd say not to wait until the last minute, but I'd be a hypocrite. I usually waited until the last minute to finish my papers. But Tommy didn't. He was finished the day before. Take breaks when you feel overwhelmed.
Curious on what Tommy got on his paper? A 90. So yes, the tips do work. Good luck!
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These are helpful tips.No wonder Tommy got 90 for his paper after he followed these tips.Citing is really important in any research paper following the appropriate format such as APA style.
ReplyDeleteI don't even have to write essays anymore and this stressed me out. I wish I had this back in my school days.
ReplyDeleteGood tips for our youth to follow when they have this task ahead of them. I always avoided courses in college that were based on term papers for the final grade.
ReplyDeleteOh my this post brought back memories of college life. I wrote a research paper on Debit Cards, this was back in the late 70's and the idea was just coming out. I was a Computer Science major also. I followed all the guidelines and my teacher gave me a C on the paper saying that my paper format was great but she didn't understand the subject. HUH!!!!!! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteOh my this post brought back memories of college life. I wrote a research paper on Debit Cards, this was back in the late 70's and the idea was just coming out. I was a Computer Science major also. I followed all the guidelines and my teacher gave me a C on the paper saying that my paper format was great but she didn't understand the subject. HUH!!!!!! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteReading what you wrote is so important! I always find so many mistakes!
ReplyDeleteSounds like your son is an excellent student. I remember the days of college when I had to pay someone to type up my papers.
ReplyDeleteIt's been so long since I have had to write a research paper! I remember reading mine out loud though each time to help find mistakes. These are all great tips!
ReplyDeleteReading the paper out loud is one of my favorite tips. Often our eyes go blind to the errors on the page. Our ears are able to hear the mistakes in time for us to make corrections.
ReplyDeleteExcellent step by step instructions. Writing a research paper can be time consuming and stressful.
ReplyDeleteNice grade,your tips are so effective. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly how I do it. Happy New Year x
ReplyDeleteWriting a research paper can be exhausting. Been there, done that. But these are great tips. -LYNNDEE
ReplyDeleteVery nice tips. Definitely don't miss doing research papers, lol.
ReplyDeleteThese are some wonderful tips. This is one thing I never enjoyed while being in school. Research papers could be really long and difficult at times.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of writing a research paper would freak me out lol...Thanks a lot for the insights and tools, that is awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to have a strategy, and not be overwhelmed with anxiety. Great tips - these are helpful for a lot of projects!
ReplyDeleteIt has been AGES since I've written a research paper. But I ALWAYS waited til the last minute. DO NOT recommend. LOL
ReplyDeletehahaha thankfully I am okay with research papers. Been doing that for a fee for some professionals, too.
ReplyDeleteI think having an outline of points you want to make is good too.
ReplyDeleteI would rather write research papers than solve problems in Algebra. Your tips are perfect. No wonder your son got a good grade on his paper. You did a good job with the advice.
ReplyDeleteThis post is really helpful, I can't wait to share this with my son.
ReplyDeleteThis was totally me in college. It is good to have a strategy for getting work done and not panicking.
ReplyDeleteReading your paper out loud helps a lot to identify mistakes and editing your paper. This made me miss my college days
ReplyDeleteThis is such a very informative post! I really enjoy reading this I'm gonna share this to my son
ReplyDeleteThis is a really helpful post, it is really important to have strategies for work. I really love this post!
ReplyDeleteI always begin to prepare for the research paper by writing down some notes that help a lot! Love your tips especially that someone else needs to read it.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips. I studied medicine and good references are important.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to write papers anymore but these tips are amazing and good job Tommy!
ReplyDeleteI don't write papers anymore! but I use to have my mom read them all the time. these are super great tips
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas. I'm past that now, but I remember having to really organize all my thoughts before writing my first word!
ReplyDeleteYep, important work. These days there are so many ways to check your work.
ReplyDeleteThese are really great tips! I would be a number 1 fan if I saw this post when I was young.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tip from your list is the one about reading the paper out loud. I am always amazed by how may mistakes I catch in the read out loud that I did not catch when proofreading silently.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, I have so many memories of writing long research papers from college (biology major so lots of scientific data).
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