subject: Fatal mistakes to avoid in term papers [print this page] Fatal mistakes to avoid in term papers Fatal mistakes to avoid in term papers
"Precaution is better than cure" and it can't be any more rightly said. Ignorance of any matter usually leads to unrecoverable disasters, so it's better to know what problems can come along the way rather than meet a dead end.
Mistake#1: Taking the topic lightly.
"No worries, we have the net to help us; I have a friend who has already done It." and there the slouch behavior appears in the students. No topic is easy even if it's given on baby's diaper. Term Papers isn't just writing a story, it is a complete research paper, which requires authentic and strong data to make itself acceptable even for an A grade.
Mistake#2: Not clarifying the details.
Just as soon as the students get the assignment, they begin discussing it between themselves rather than listening to the instructor and this is where they lose half of the marks. The instructor is there to give instructions so listen carefully that what your topic requires and what not.
Mistake #3: Not getting help.
Usually students don't go straight to the professor for help, either because they are too shy or just not really bothered about the topic given to them. There might be the problem with the professor's attitude, and thus the students end up with a grudge but for a grade, you have to make truce with those feelings because without help you might end up with a bad grade and a low self esteem. If that professor isn't ready to help then contact another professor for help.
Mistake#4: Research.
Students sometimes end up believing that they already know enough so why do research, they just go to Wikipedia.org and get all the information they need. True that Wikipedia does have the entire information in it database, but Term Papers are about you researching about it, not already writing the published details. Students should research about the topic from blogs, scholars, newspapers and other sites to get more strong and authentic details.
Mistake#5: Writing the obvious.
Term Papers is no ordinary game; it requires the best of the best data that can be found anywhere. It's a common mistake that students always end up writing the most obvious like "This software has been published by Microsoft". The instructor would obviously cut half marks right there. So find the insignificant detail.
Mistake#6: The teensy weensy details.
Font size, font style, commas, capitalization, putting the data in the wrong part of the topic; citing references, quotations etc in incorrect style, underprivileged usage of paragraph breaks etc, are the common Term Papers mistakes. The assignment sheet has all the details of indent; paragraph style etc. Don't forget to follow the writing format that the instructor has given, usually its APA, MLA and Howard. Another point to be added that some students don't properly bind their Term Papers so there is a danger of loss of the documents along the way.
Mistake#7: Proofread, Recheck and Re-Read.
"Ok done" and full stop. Term Papers aren't something that can be given without giving it a second thought. Use the grammar and spell checker and see if all the instructions have been followed thoroughly and check the deadline just in case.
