...How to Write a Term Paper or Thesis Michael A. Covington Artificial Intelligence Center The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602 http://www.ai.uga.edu/mc Revised May 11, 2011 Abstract This is a basic style guide for writing scientific papers under my direction. It was written for internal use in the Artificial Intelligence Center. However, other science departments may find it helpful. You are encouraged to share it with colleagues. 1 What is a term paper or thesis? In the Middle Ages, in order to be admitted to a trade guild, a craftsman had to demonstrate his ability by producing a piece of work, called his masterpiece, for examination by the officers of the guild. He was then granted the title of Master of his trade. When universities were founded, they immediately emulated this practice and began to grant the degrees of Master and Doctor to people who had proved their ability to do scholarly work. A thesis or dissertation today serves the same purpose as a medieval craftsman’s masterpiece. It is proof of ability to do a certain kind of work. Specifically: • To get a doctor’s degree, you must become familiar with current scientific knowledge of your subject, add to this knowledge by making an original discovery, and then report the results in a dissertation. 1 • To get a master’s degree, it is sufficient to make a new synthesis or application of knowledge already available, and report the results in a thesis. • To pass certain courses, you must write a term paper...
Words: 5028 - Pages: 21
...How to Write a Term Paper or Thesis Michael A. Covington Artificial Intelligence Center The University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602 http://www.ai.uga.edu/mc Revised May 11, 2011 Abstract This is a basic style guide for writing scientific papers under my direction. It was written for internal use in the Artificial Intelligence Center. However, other science departments may find it helpful. You are encouraged to share it with colleagues. 1 What is a term paper or thesis? In the Middle Ages, in order to be admitted to a trade guild, a craftsman had to demonstrate his ability by producing a piece of work, called his masterpiece, for examination by the officers of the guild. He was then granted the title of Master of his trade. When universities were founded, they immediately emulated this practice and began to grant the degrees of Master and Doctor to people who had proved their ability to do scholarly work. A thesis or dissertation today serves the same purpose as a medieval craftsman’s masterpiece. It is proof of ability to do a certain kind of work. Specifically: • To get a doctor’s degree, you must become familiar with current scientific knowledge of your subject, add to this knowledge by making an original discovery, and then report the results in a dissertation. 1 • To get a master’s degree, it is sufficient to make a new synthesis or application of knowledge already available, and report the results in a thesis. • To pass certain courses, you must write a term paper...
Words: 5028 - Pages: 21
...development. It is a responsibility of all health care professionals. Unfortunately, many health care professionals, especially those outside of academia are unfamiliar with the publication process. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed description of the publication process from conception of the idea through actual publication. The topics addressed include finding a publishable idea, finding the right journal for publication, contacting the editor and preparing and submitting a manuscript. The paper will also discuss actual and perceived obstacles to publication. Chapter One Introduction In this world of evidence based practice, it is becoming more and more important for health care professionals to share their clinical successes and their failures. Health care professionals have a responsibility to themselves, their colleagues and their patients to read what others are saying, to evaluate the relevance of what they are reading and to write so that their successes can be implemented by others. The opportunities to be published are growing every year. Albarran and Scholes (2005) state that: In the past two decades there has been a phenomenal rise in the number of peer reviewed publications, either as paper-print or as online journals, and this has been in response to the growing demand for information, research activity and the necessity to apply empirical findings to the delivery of patient care. (p. 72) For the novice...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...international student. It is a big challenge to write an academic paper by using the second language. The argument, thesis, word choices and grammar always bother me. However, I know that writing is the most important skill for a college student, so I never stop practicing and improving it. I took a writing class 20C and 39A in my first year. Both of them helped me a lot to improve writing skills. Last quarter, I took 39B, which was my first time to know rhetorical writing. When I take writing 39C this quarter, I learn deeply about the rhetorical and research...
Words: 2375 - Pages: 10
...could not have said it better. After reading this selection from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, I let out a huge sigh of relief, as I had no idea that even expert, published writers go through the same struggles in writing that I myself do. 2. Do you write “shitty first drafts” and then clean them up and turn them in? Or do you try to work out what you’re going to say in your head first so that you write only one draft? Or do you just turn in the “shitty first draft”? In the past, I have always been extremely cautious to let anyone else read my shitty first drafts. It always pained me when a teacher would ask us to bring a rough draft to class so that others could peer-edit my work. Because of this, I developed a tendency to attempt to work out what I was going to say in my head so that I would only have one draft. I would sit at my computer for hours typing, erasing, and re-typing my work, almost as if I was cleaning up my rough draft as I was writing my rough draft. I always tried not to just turn in the shitty first draft, as I knew it was far from my best work, but sometimes I would get stuck and would ultimately be forced into turning in my shitty first draft. 3. Based on your answer to question 2, are you happy with how you go about writing? Why or why not? Overall, no, I am not happy with how I go about my writing. One line that really hit home to me while reading this selection from Lamott was when she talked about “trusting the process.” This is something...
Words: 854 - Pages: 4
...from his love of Sherlock Holmes. Thirty years ago Ryan published his first book, “The Official Sherlock Holmes Trivia Book,” paying homage to his favorite childhood detective. “I have always liked Sherlock Holmes,” Ryan explains enthusiastically. “Sherlock seems to be everywhere lately.” With hopes of getting fans to venture back to the original Sherlock Holmes novels and television series, Ryan continuously focuses his writing on Holmes. Due out this coming November is Ryan’s next novel, “The Vatican Cameos: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure,”...
Words: 888 - Pages: 4
...theory, you must have a clear understanding of the variety of conceptions of theory, types of theories, and ways of contributing to theory and be able to justify how, exactly, your study contributes to theory. Part 1 Using Gelso (2006), Harlow (2009), Stam, H. (2007, 2010), Wacker (1999), and five additional peer-reviewed articles from your specialization, discuss scholarly views on the nature and types of theory. Compare and contrast at least three views of what constitutes a theory, including the view you will use in Part 3 of this question. Be sure to distinguish theory from related concepts, such as hypothesis, paradigm, model, and concept. Part 2 Using Ellis & Levy (2008), Harlow, E. (2009), and five additional peer-reviewed articles, review the scholarly literature on the relationship between theory and research and the ways research (quantitative and qualitative) can contribute to theory. Discuss at least three ways research can contribute to theory. Part 3 Pick a theory (in one of the views of what constitutes a theory that you identified in Part 1) of current interest directly related to the topic area of your dissertation. A theory is currently of interest if there are articles published on it in the past five years. Using at least 10 published, peer-reviewed research articles: 1. Explain how the theory adds or may add to our understanding of your field and/or...
Words: 1585 - Pages: 7
...interested in and that is related to the job or field to which you are applying. Avoid controversial or politically based topics. You want the employer to focus on your style and skill as a writer, not judge what you write. Appropriate Writing Samples Just like your resume and cover letter, tailor your sample to fit the job if possible. Follow the instructions provided by the employer or in the job description. If the requirements are not specified, use the following guidelines to help you choose an appropriate sample: * Use the job posting to guide your choice and show the employer you possess the required skills. For example, if the position is research-based, provide an example of research work from your college career or for a previous employer. * Newspaper article, story for a newsletter, press release, policy brief, or research report or any other published piece. When submitting a previously published piece to an employer, be sure to indicate where the piece was published. Provide a clean copy, not pieces taken directly from the original source. * Reports or presentations from past jobs or internships. Samples from related employment are best, but you may still use a sample if you do not have relevant experience. * Class projects, papers, presentations, or speeches, free of instructor comments, are acceptable....
Words: 728 - Pages: 3
...RESEARCH and WRITING CUSTOM EDITION Taken from: Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide, Eleventh Edition by James D. Lester and James D. Lester, Jr. To the Point: Reading and Writing Short Arguments by Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener ISBN 0-558-55519-5 Research and Writing, Custom Edition. Published by Pearson Custom Publishing. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Custom Publishing. Taken from: Writing Research Papers: A Complete Guide, Eleventh Edition by James D. Lester and James D. Lester, Jr. Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. Published by Pearson Longman, Inc. New York, New York 10036 To the Point: Reading and Writing Short Arguments by Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. Published by Pearson Longman, Inc. Copyright © 2006 by Pearson Custom Publishing All rights reserved. Permission in writing must be obtained from the publisher before any part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 0-536-97722-4 2005240359 AP Please visit our web site at www.pearsoncustom.com ISBN 0-558-55519-5 PEARSON CUSTOM PUBLISHING ...
Words: 70562 - Pages: 283
...How to Conduct Academic Research Students and professionals both know that conducting accurate, valid, and timely research into academic topics such as history, literature, or anthropology is critical to success in the classroom and at work. Writing the results into a paper is also a major step in the process. Here are some basic steps in performing secondary research. 1. Determine your research topic/question. In some classes, students are told to find a topic; this means the exercise is for the purpose of learning the research process. In other situations, the required topic is clearly indicated from the class, your own work, or your professional needs. Your topic can be aroused from a sense of curiosity, hunch and interest over a particular perceived problem that you feel needed to be filled in the gap of knowledge. 2. Understand the difference between primary and secondary research. a. Primary research means doing original research, meaning that this knowledge doesn't appear in any other paper. You might be reading through original treaties, newspaper articles, or authentic letters from authors or statesmen. You might be conducting scientific, medical or engineering experiments. b. Secondary research, the focus of this wikiHow article, means reading other experts' published papers to learn something new about your topic, to survey what others have said and written about it, to reach a conclusion about your ideas on the topic. 3. Determine your scope...
Words: 1723 - Pages: 7
...Writing the Empirical Journal Article, covers how to write an empirical article after conducting scientific research. An empirical article is defined by Georgia State University as, an article that reports on research conducted by the author or authors, based on observations or experiments (GSU, 2016). One of the first topics discussed was which article should you write; the article you planned to write when you designed your experiment or the article that makes the most sense now you have all the findings. The answer to that question, according to the required reading, is the second option. One of the most important criteria for a sound scientific article is accuracy and clarity in your writing. Accuracy is important in ensuring that the results and findings are clear and that you do not publish incorrect data. Clarity is for the reader’s sake, allowing them to become educated on the subject on the article and to understand the results. According to Daryl Bem, author of Writing the Empirical Journal Article, clarity in a scientific article is achieved in two ways; first good organization and standardized format, and second writing simply and directly (Bem, nd). One of the requirements for the standardized format is, according to the American Psychological Association, writing in APA format (American Psychological Association, 1984). The topic of writing simply and directly takes us to the next point of the article, for whom you should write. No matter the subject, no matter the intended...
Words: 669 - Pages: 3
...September 6, 2010 10 Tips on How to Write Less Badly Brian Taylor Enlarge Image Brian Taylor By Michael C. Munger Most academics, including administrators, spend much of our time writing. But we aren't as good at it as we should be. I have never understood why our trade values, but rarely teaches, nonfiction writing. In my nearly 30 years at universities, I have seen a lot of very talented people fail because they couldn't, or didn't, write. And some much less talented people (I see one in the mirror every morning) have done OK because they learned how to write. It starts in graduate school. There is a real transformation, approaching an inversion, as people switch from taking courses to writing. Many of the graduate students who were stars in the classroom during the first two years—the people everyone admired and looked up to—suddenly aren't so stellar anymore. And a few of the marginal students—the ones who didn't care that much about pleasing the professors by reading every page of every assignment—are suddenly sending their own papers off to journals, getting published, and transforming themselves into professional scholars. The difference is not complicated. It's writing. Rachel Toor and other writers on these pages have talked about how hard it is to write well, and of course that's true. Fortunately, the standards of writing in most disciplines are so low that you don't need to write well. What I have tried to produce below are 10 tips on scholarly nonfiction...
Words: 1581 - Pages: 7
...Shana Miller Intro to Literature I-search Paper Choosing a topic for a paper such as this one was really difficult for me. I have always been an avid reader and have always loved so many different authors. There are many questions I have about authors, their works and literature in general. For this paper I choose to write about someone who is a little more modern day; someone who everyone would be familiar with, regardless of whether they are a fan or not. I choose to write about the very famous author, Stephen King. Stephen King has always fascinated me, not only as an author but as a person. This is a man who seems to have an imagination that is never ending, with a soul and mind so dark, is it beyond compare. How else could you write and publish over 60 horror books? All of which are unique, intense, and ultimately terrifying. My question is, who is this person and what is it that inspires this creativity and horror? As a child, I grew up in a household of readers. There was never a time I that I can recall my mother, father, brothers, or myself not having one or more books that each of us were reading. My mother’s favorite author was (and is) Stephen King. There was something that intrigued me about this, though I was not allowed to read most of his works for the longest time; of course my mother was concerned that they would be inappropriate for me to read. This only made the intrigue of the author that much more. Once I was old enough to begin discovering his...
Words: 3352 - Pages: 14
...as your particular position or claim. Before you can create your first paragraph, consider these “pre-writing” tips. You can use this template to help you format your paper. For longer papers, include sub-headings or levels of heading. The Writing Process Spend time planning your paper. A good practice is to brainstorm ideas and decide how to express the main idea or thesis. Once you have a rough idea of what you want to say or argue, create an outline or list to help you organize the evidence you plan to present. For more suggestions, please read about thesis statements on our Ashford Writing Center website: Thesis Statements. Other helpful tools on our website are the Thesis Generator and Moving from Prompt to Thesis. Writing the Body Paragraphs Each paragraph of your assignment should be clear and easy to follow. We have several good resources to help you write a strong paragraph, such as How to Write a Good Paragraph and the P.I.E. Paragraph Structure. Using Citations Correctly In addition to being well-written, each paragraph should include an in-text citation to all ideas, references, or quotations that are from outside sources and research. The Ashford Writing Center provides many resources to help you follow correct citation style (primarily APA) and gives lessons and examples of how to paraphrase and cite sources. The APA Key Elements page is a good place to start. References The following are commonly used references. Please fill in the required...
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...influenced me to write novels like The Outsiders. Viking published that book, my first novel, in 1967.Once published; The Outsiders gave me a lot of publicity and fame, and also a lot of pressure. I was becoming known as “The Voice of the Youth” among other titles. This kind of pressure and publicity resulted in a three yearlong writer’s block. My boyfriend (and now husband), who had gotten sick of me being depressed all the time, eventually broke this block. He made me write two pages a day if I wanted to go anywhere. This eventually led to the book “That was Then, This Is Now.” Which is known to be a much more well thought out book than The Outsiders. Because I read a lot of great literature and wanted to better myself, I made sure that I wrote each sentence exactly right. I continued to write my two pages a day until I finally felt It was finished In the summer of 1970, I got married a few months later. That Was Then, This Is Now was published in 1971. In 1975, I published Rumble Fish as a novel (I had published a short story version In a 1968 edition of Nimrod,which was a literary supplement for the University of Tulsa Alumni Magazine). Rumble Fish was the shortest novel I had published. It received a great deal of contrasting opinions, with one reviewer claiming It to be my best book and the next claiming It to be my last. The latter was apparently wrong. Tex was published in 1979, four years after Rumble Fish. It received great reviews and people raved about how the writing...
Words: 673 - Pages: 3
