A good academic paper starts out with a clearly defined topic which is neither too broad or too narrow. For example, "Cactus" would be too broad a topic. On the other hand, A topic is too narrow if you can't find any information about it. For example, suppose your foreign language subject to, "foreign language policy in South Dakota." Although you might have a strong interest in this topic, South Dakota may not have a specific policy about foreign languages. If you have chosen the topic, "teaching Chinese in elementary schools," and your research attempts have been fruitless, it may be that you are considering a topic that no one else has previously presented. In other words, no one has determined that Chinese should be a major language taught as commonly as Spanish or French.
Using an outline can help you organize your material and can also help you discover connections between pieces of information that you weren't aware of when you first conceived the topic of your paper, After you have identified a topic and prepare an outline of the project, you can begin to gather information from authoritative reference sources: pertinent books, encyclopedias, and articles in magazines and journals. Be cautious when using material from the Internet. Before citing Internet sources, check the credentials of the writer. Are they associated with a university or well-known corporation? What experience and training do they have in the field?
Before you turn in your paper, double check it for errors. If you can, after you have checked for errors, let another person (for example, your parent or an older sibling) check it too. Are there any references missing from the bibliography. Is referenced material from sources properly cited? Do the sentences and reasoning make sense. Did you include an abstract or summary of the paper in the case of APA format papers? As soon as you are satisfied with your paper, run a spell and grammar check. (Check your spell checker setting and make sure that they set to Grammar and style). At that point, you can hand in your paper.
Term paper writing is a serious task that students will have to undertake while pursuing studies in institutions of higher learning. This is necessary to determine the student’s knowledge and understanding of the subject. It is therefore critically important that students devote much of their free time to familiarize with the format of writing term paper. Quite often the efforts needed to write a term paper are similar to writing a research paper though term paper may not be as exhaustive as research papers in content and manner of presentation.In order to present a quality term paper, the student must pay special attention to all details including the term paper format, topic, language style, source materials, grammar, punctuation, creative imagination etc. Prior exposure to academic essay writing is critical for writing a good term paper. Thus for term paper writing or research paper writing or doing a thesis project, a student must have written essays on a variety of subjects in his school days. One should be familiar with the various essay formats like MLA/APA/Chicago/Harvard that are standard and followed everywhere and a student should know each one of them well.Every aspect of the term paper writing is equally important and calls for meticulous preparation and painstaking efforts. The writer should gather as much relevant facts as possible about the topic from all available authentic sources to make the paper informative. The writing should conform to the peculiarities of citation style prescribed by the educational institution. ÂThe components of a standard term paper format are:The cover page should mention the name of the student, the name of the professor, the name of the course, the due date of submission and the title. Care must be taken to ensure the title is appealing so as to kindle the interest of the reader and induce him or her to read the contents.There has to a term paper content outline providing an abstract and a general overview of the topic. This is to be followed by the Introduction, which should present the thesis statement, elaborate somewhat on the issues the paper deals with and explain how they will be supported in parts of the term paper.Body of the term paper is understandably the largest and most critical part of any term paper where the writer expatiates at length the varied aspects of the researched topic, elaborates on the main points and drives home their importance, presents evidence as irrefutably as possible citing facts and figures drawn from different sources.Conclusion is a mandatory part of any research paper or term paper writing. Most term paper writers use Conclusion as a weapon not only to sum up the contents but also to assert their view with a sense of finality to persuade the reader to believe in what is written. There has to be a Reference Page to acknowledge the information taken out from various sources including books, book reports, journals, essays and used by the writer in his term paper. The reference should mention the authors’ names and page numbers.It is an unfortunate fact that many students no very little about the term papers format and the all other components of a research paper. There are of course custom term papers available online and the writers of these custom papers know well both theory and practice and provide some excellent term papers. There are quite a few reliable Websites that offer writing assistance for term papers, research papers, essays, thesis writing and even dissertations.
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NEW BOOK/WEBSITE DEPICTS A PSYCHOLOGY IN CRISIS
by Katherine Moyer
Fireflysun.com Correspondent
WASHINGTON -- Next month, American Book Publishing Group will make available to the public a factual novel by a Ph.D. psychologist that exposes sources of moral and intellectual corruption in departments of Psychology.
On May 1, the American Book Publishing Group will make available for sale to the public a novel that exposes sources of moral and intellectual corruption in our departments of Psychology. Moved by what he calls the "sheer pointlessness of the profession," newly christened Ph.D. J. Wyatt Ehrenfels aborts his pursuit of an improbable career and impossible vocation to publicize the evils of the field in Fireflies in the Shadow of the Sun. Ehrenfels uses his real experiences as a student or instructor in six psychology programs as evidence for his accusation that professional and technical developments within the field have undermined the adequacy, accuracy, and authenticity of our inquiry into the facts of human nature. While the novel seeks to entertain its readers with drama and suspense, the book's website (launch date May 1), which doubles as a portal for reform in psychology, presents over 100 pages of documentary-style discourse on the inherent flaws of the discipline and the twisted psyche of its practitioners. Fireflysun.com has matured into an instrument of educational reform, mobilizing his cause into a campaign to preserve the most conservative principle in Psychology (i.e. human nature) and to oppose the wholesale abandonment of the "psych-" to the "-ology." Brilliantly written to show us the heart of what is at stake, Fireflies details the consequences of the practices by which academics and therapists alike erode the humanity in their students and in their subject matter with a form of professionalism that stifles true callings and true scholarship.
At the heart of the novel's inspiration is the fate of JW Ehrenfels himself, whose career ended when the Student Ethics & Evaluation committee, which convenes as part of the faculty at the end of every semester to discuss student progress, placed him on probation. "I remember exactly how my advisor summarized the decision," conveyed Ehrenfels. "He told me that while there was no evidence for misconduct as a teaching assistant, I was clearly unconventional and the faculty decided that to be unconventional is to be unprofessional. Suddenly, I realized how hard I would have to fight for my doctorate and that no matter what happens - Ph.D. or no Ph.D. -- my career is essentially finished." Ehrenfels grieved for more than just the end to a career. "I did not understand what had just happened to me. Where did I go wrong? I know this sounds aristocratic, but I was born with a special symbiosis to my subject matter, as if at birth there was an inherent connection between my personality and the phenomenon of dreams. I was born to study them. I remembered my dreams vividly as a child, and started to read many books about dreams. Starting at age 10 with those ridiculous astrology dictionaries and pop trash self-help books, I quickly ramped up to a dull and vapid college textbook until I ultimately settled at age thirteen in the original works of CG Jung. Inspired by the hope I could spend my days researching dreams, I worked hard academically, raising my GPA from a grade school 2.5 to a 4.0 in high school. I over-achieved in every course unrelated to psychology to maintain as near perfect a GPA as possible. I improved my standardized test scores from a tepid 1100 on the PSAT to a 1290 on the GRE. I spent $2300 applying to 40 graduate schools over the course of two years, competing with hundreds of other applicants for a paltry five positions. Once in a program, I matriculated faster toward my master's thesis than any other student, presenting to my committee advisor the first draft of my proposal before the first day of the first semester. I was one of a handful of students to finish my thesis 2 years after enrollment as specified in the program handbook, all the while maintaining a 3.90 GPA. And then, at the same faculty meeting at which my advisor announced I had successfully defended my thesis, a small group of faculty led by the stalwart department head dropped the bombshell.
It would seem that I did everything I needed to do, until I was given an opportunity as a graduate student to do what I had always wanted - to work on my masters and to teach a General Psychology class, where I apparently made some choices that revealed my personality to the faculty. Just as I realized I had deviated from the one-size-fits-all professional identity issued by the department, it was too late. It took me a few months to realize the gravity of what I had done - of what I am -- but I never did understand why the faculty reacted the way it did to my choices. This pantheon of professors essentially equated my unconventional decisions with a pernicious non-professionalism and, even more surprising, they seemed to take it personally."
I interviewed J.W. Ehrenfels extensively for fireflysun.com, at which time he attempted to make sense of what had happened to him, attempting a formal diagnosis of what he called the professorial pathology. "Professors lack an intrinsic interest in the subject matter of Psychology, usually ending up in the field by default or due to an interest in scientific methodology that could have just as easily landed them in Sociology, Biology, or Actuarial Science. I mean -- where is the psyche in psychology? The only knowledge psychologists choose to acknowledge as valid is one in which human behavior is reduced to neurons or social influence." Ehrenfels refers me to an article written for his book's website by co-expatriate Connie Vaughn, who brilliantly noted, "there is nothing at stake in Psychology." Professors have no intercourse with the world outside the university let alone any measurable implications for lives. Seldom is an academic or even a clinical psychologist consulted by a corporate or government agency. They have to promote - to proactively insinuate themselves - into the world by advertising their services as consultants. "Even within the university itself," continued Ehrenfels, "there is little sake for which professors perform their jobs. If on top of a fundamental disinterest in your work you pile a low salary and no advancement structure, what is there? Why do they do what they do?"
The heart of the Ehrenfels critique is his contention that professors place special conditions on their self-esteem -- that they need to participate in a consensus to feel valid. Part of this "contribution" is a Hippocratic-like promise to the public of a unified theory of psychology and, while this remains a work-in-progress, professors work on an appearance of science and solidarity, constructing a common ethics and methodology intended to conceal and constrain their diversity of theories. It is hyper-technical observance of this consensus to which they refer when they speak of "professionalism."
Thus we see in the professorial psyche both a private pathology (i.e., low self-esteem) and a public persona (i.e., professionalism). Their white-knuckle grasp of their ethics, professionalism, and scientific principles is intended to convey to the public a set of high standards with a social conscience. But in the name of progress and the public good -- in the name of science and ethics -- in the name of competence and community hygiene -- these academics and therapists alike disqualify as unscientific those aspects of human nature which do not readily lend themselves to their methodology much in the same way they disqualify students who do not readily lend themselves to training. "There is much that they fear," claims Ehrenfels. "They see nothing short of chaos outside nothing less than perfect consensus. But in their own viewpoint - which may differ from that of their peers, they see a point on which the profession will ultimately converge. This means they can be schmoozed. It is this viewpoint that a student needs to massage with almost sycophantically sexual strokes. Seldom outside these conditions will a professor choose to defend a student against an attack from his peers."
To readers for whom this depravity seems far-fetched, Ehrenfels provides the grounding in some common sense psychology. Ehrenfels maintains that as long as their self-esteem requires a movement toward consensus, professors need evidence of the conformity of their peers and students about as much as they need oxygen. This may manifest itself acutely as a need for the attention and adoration of undergraduate students, particularly with the older male professors needing to feel loved by their 18-year-old female students and with the younger female professors needing to feel in control of their male students. But loved-starved and power-hungry professors aside, you can always count on this chronic need to see the consensus reflected in their own work, the work of their peers, and the work of their graduate students. The book, hereafter known as "Fireflies," recounts verbatim the histrionic and hyperbolic reactions of professors to students who step one inch to either side of the putative white line. Ehrenfels describes how these overt expressions are needed to fortify a fragile self-esteem rooted in a faรงade, a "a glass house of cards with clay feet built on a foundation of sand." Without a well-differentiated self or purpose in the profession, professors vacillate in the most schizoid way between overbearing confidence and irascible insecurity -- each taking turns concealing while compensating for the other. To obtain the Ph.D., a student can simply hide a doubt or harbor an unconventional point of view, but for the student to accumulate the credentials (i.e., publications, teaching assignments, letters of recommendation) necessary to procure postdoctoral employment, he or she must observe departmental policy and proactively pander to faculty opinion. Ehrenfels believes this trait to be congenital trait in effective graduate students. "If a student has to learn to pander to their professors' insecurities, chances are the student will not survive. You do not want to give the faculty an opportunity to sell you and your future out to preserve the precious group norms that maintain harmony within the department. Each lives for that opportunity to be the key player in the maintenance of consensus. Strangely enough, since the mid 1970s we social psychologists actually have had a name for our own degeneracy - we call it 'groupthink.'"
Fireflies is not only a relentless indictment of professors, but on the effects of their pathology on the study of human nature. "They may not fly our planes or inspect our beef, but they are trusted to present the public with a view of its own humanity." Clearly, the faculty viewed his inclinations -- indeed J.W. Ehrenfels himself -- as antithetical to science, but Ehrenfels contends it was they who created a science so severe and so stingy as to be antithetical to its own mission -- counterproductive to the basic constitution of Psychology as the study of human nature. "Methodolatry," he called it. "As if to compensate for the spiritual function they repress in their own psyches, professors exhibit an almost religious adoration for - and liturgical observance of - the experimental method and philosophy of science." In an attempt to understand this, Ehrenfels unleashed his insatiable curiosity upon the professors themselves, seeking in the plot of his book human motives for their most inhuman science.
Swiss Psychiatrist CG Jung, of whom Ehrenfels believes himself to be somewhat of an atavism, developed a personality typology based on four components to a normal perceptual process: sensation (establish that x exists), thinking (determine what x is), feeling (is x agreeable or disagreeable?), and intuition (what are its implications and where does it go from here?). Ehrenfels uses this theory to contrast persons of human proportions from a perverse professoriate, for whom Materialism is sensation, Doctrinarism is thinking, Credentialism is feeling, and Careerism is intuition. In other words, when the psyche becomes the subject matter for a profession, it is formulated and manualized to the point where it ceases to function and appear as it does in nature, becoming a caricature. Clinical professors who moonlight as therapists weed out students who exhibit personalities or idiosyncrasies - skeptics in research shrink from the direct study of dreams and, in their fear of meaning itself, have unleashed a campaign for rationality so extreme as to dwarf the irrationality, bankruptcy, and fraudulence of the 19th Century spiritual mediums they continue to treat as public health risks. Blinded by their crusade, the professors look at the world around them and see in statistically unique personalities only a potential for maladaptiveness and in phenomena beyond rational explanation only a potential for fraud. If there are two things professors fear, it is being fooled and not fitting in.
And yet readers of Fireflies will come to believe that it is the faculty itself that is fraudulent. While this is just a dry and pale introduction to the book, I believe the book will take readers into a world where they enjoy the horror of every painful realization about this institution. Using scripted dialogue and description, Ehrenfels brings to life a world that is dead to us in a post-apocalyptic retrospective that compels us to consider whether we are indeed too late to change an institution. "I believe in the psyche. I believe if mistreated, that it will reassert itself at some point, but regrettably not in my lifetime. I am too late to save my career, but perhaps I can warn future generations of Carl Jungs so that while they are subjected to the professional equivalent of abortion, they can at least understand why."
Why indeed? Ehrenfels believes that Psychology departments have elevated to the level of supreme principle professional requirements that are entirely irrelevant to scholarship and education. For the mere appearance of science and professionalism - and for the sake of a career within that profession - academics adopt methodologies for teaching and research that constrain independent thinking and limit real productivity. While the field bends over backwards to admit students of diverse race and ethnicity, with an extreme prejudice do professors select out -- or weed out -- students with diverse ideas. Psychology departments effect fundamental changes in the character of students willing to sacrifice their personal standards and intellectual freedom for membership in a profession. This is the vampirism of the times, when student acquiescence to professorial preferences and penchants for the sake of tenure is the nonliterary equivalent of the manner in which a vampire sells its soul for immortality and carnal membership in a fraternal brotherhood. Ehrenfels recalls the likeness of his department head to a head vampire, who once remarked that it was a student's duty to represent your department -- a department which in turn is required to represent the broader field of Psychology - which in turn is required to represent science." I personally am amazed that universities can preserve the illusion of academic freedom. What is academic freedom worth in a place where tenure is needed to guarantee the right to speak freely? In a place where the professors work overtime to ensure that certain people never receive tenure?
Once monuments to academic freedom and havens for intellectuals and introverts, our State university system now fosters conformity that values science and professionalism for their own sake. This technico-professional "knowledge" is most evident where it is most misplaced, i.e. in the instruction of undergraduates. 18-year-old students who have never been exposed to Freud's theory are instructed to summarily dismiss Freud as a charlatan and chauvinist, with nary a clue that their professor's familiarity with Freud extends no further than second-hand hearsay and innuendo. This minimization and belittlement of psychology's forefathers betokens a field at odds with its own constitution. Even undergraduates are required to read and comply with APA writing manuals and professional research methods -- which often includes mainframe statistical software -- and encouraged to publish to bolster their candidacy for admission to graduate school.
If for no other reason, psychologists have created this language and methodology to fill the void in their real knowledge of human nature. Oh, and here is the other reason. In order to call themselves experts in human nature, these professors have to convince ordinary people, who have access to their own psychology, that they are not qualified to claim expertise. I mean, I cannot wander into any physics lab and wander off with Uranium-238, but I can reflect on my life. Professors maintain the illusion of professional superiority in two ways akin to Piaget's mechanisms of (1) assimilation and (2) accommodation. (1) Use your science to portray human beings in a way that they no longer resemble themselves. Case in a point: a statement by my own General Psychology instructor, who once remarked, "if you want to study human nature, read Ann Landers; we study psychological law." Research has all but bowed out of the real business of self-knowledge, replacing the study of individuals with a statistical analysis of behavior samples to produce averages that are thought to be universal laws. But universal laws that are not established on the basis of the study of exceptions (i.e. individuals) cannot claim status as rules. Consequently, most our research findings have no better than a fictional status even worse than the so-called popular myths psychologists love to mock. (2) Invent a secret trade code (i.e., jargon, style, and format) so that people will attribute intelligence to works they can neither find nor understand without comparable training.
The code itself serves within the field as a replacement for real knowledge about human beings. In short, if you don't have any knowledge, invent it. No one will know you have replaced nature with fiction. And while they are busy alienating humans from the enterprise that studies their humanity, they figure they might as well play a little God and surgically remove those parts of human nature they find troublesome or perplexing. No, I am not talking about violence or avarice, I am talking for example about the skeptical abuse of dreams, whereby physiological psychologists -- under white cloak and EEG dagger - announce in support of their predilection that dreams have no meaning or that they have no function greater than that revealed in their highly circumscribed study. "What beauty or value - indeed what purpose - can dreams appear to have once we reduce them to lines of ink on paper roll." Ehrenfels is particular protective of dreams, which he views as the most objective products of human nature, and he seems to excel at pointing out the intellectual impotence of physiological psychologists. "I wouldn't say they're stupid. It's just that they don't know how to think so they hide behind precision equipment and methodology." As impeccable as their canned methods are in self-containment, the veracity of their conclusions also depends on the formulation of theory, hypotheses, and the interpretation of data. Ehrenfels maintains that these academics use their labs as a pulpit from which to voice their aversion to dreams. "Using readings of brain activity to adjudicate intentionality in dreams is the modern equivalent of phrenology. We're reading neurotransmitters like tealeaves. The only difference is that they interpret for the sake of opposing interpretation. Or it's like using a microscope to understand a tornado. In its streamlined form, Science cannot settle the matter of meaning. But that does not stop us from going through the motions and drawing our preconceived conclusions. Surely, if we limit Science, we limit the purpose to which it can ultimately ascribe dreams. " He reminds us that psychologists cannot throw human experience out the window and then call themselves "empiricists." At some point in the history of Psychology, the rules for observation and data recording have become so severe as to ensure rigor at the expense of relevance -- precision and parsimony at the price of authenticity - unassailability at the expense of substance -- efficiency at the price of sufficiency. And Ehrenfels is quite sure that when the public reads Fireflies, it will understand how these oppressive scientific imperatives originated not in nature or on Mount Sinai, but in the dubious psyche of scientists.
Consequently, our university psychology departments have deteriorated into trade schools where students are indoctrinated into a political system by narrow and inflexible professors who use education as an instrument of cloning. "They act like the parents who want their children to live out their dreams for them. This makes sense when you consider that the Game of Science is stacked in such a way as to preclude answers within the individual lifespan." This is a place of (1) anti-intellectual prejudice, (2) self-serving career ambitions, and (3) arbitrary social conventions without equal in this nation. Sadly, our professors and students are in the business of building vitas and public personas - but not knowledge. Professionalism has replaced - and become confused for - scholarship - careers replace vocations - and vapid texts and trade publications replace books.
While this educational conundrum seems "academic" in that the private sector and the public relies little -- if at all -- upon psychological research, Ehrenfels reminds us that our mental health practitioners are trained in the university environment. If the system continues to undermine individual responsibility and freedom - not to mention intelligence - the members of future generations of academics and mental health professionals will become increasingly reliant on the policies and procedures of some central authority like the American Psychological Association. At stake here is mental health, but more importantly, human nature itself. While from time to time, some research is published with limited utilitarian value, by and large there is no place in this profession to survey the structure, dynamics, and development of the psyche - not in clinical psychology and not in research psychology.
As a victim of a profession greater than the sum of its chicanery - artificial policies and practices designed to divert the professionals themselves from their own impotence and impurity, Ehrenfels wrote Fireflies to free the human spirit from the ivory dungeon. "If the academics refuse to study human nature, they should admit as much and release it into the custody of another class of professionals. Instead, the psychologists attempt to destroy it, denying and distorting it at every turn, in the fear others may find meaning and value in what they discard. Until such time, their careers will live on like coma patients on life support -- in need of apparatus to survive. What are the hallways of academe but a smoke-filled labyrinth of mirrors? What is Psychology to human nature but a red herring in the mouth of an albatross?"
But will Ehrenfels be able to prove it? In a country desensitized by scandal - in a country that has sensationalized the smoking gun - how can he prove bankruptcy without billing statements and fraudulence without forensics? - where murder is committed without weapon and pollution without chemical. When I discussed the standard to which his testimony will be held, he smiled sardonically, and I just knew he was remembering the evidence his professors needed to place him on probation. "Academics love to preach evidence, and the clinicians love to preach ethics, and yet having slandered me in faculty evaluation meetings on flimsy and whimsy evidence, they will demand of me now nothing less than a noisy Geiger counter to trace even the faintest doubt." His evidence is his traumatic experience, and when they move to dismiss his life as anecdotal, he will remind them that their disdain for human life disqualifies their claim to psychology.
So join Ehrenfels as he remembers the innocence of four graduate students whose names have been changed to protect those who destroyed it: (1) "Anton Mason," for aligning himself with the name of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung; (2) "Aniela Mason", for sharing his name; (3) Matthew Sykes, for thinking independently and for his symbiosis with his subject matter; and (4) Angela Jewell, for requesting accommodations for her visual disability. The first book of its kind written by an insider, Fireflies delves into this dehumanization as it played out in the real-life political embattlement of four graduate students whose inherent interest in the psyche conflict with requirements for a career in Psychology.
More than just a collection of student horror stories, Fireflies illuminates the consequences of professional attitudes on the study of human nature and, more critically, exposes a chilling vision of the field's impact on humanity itself. Toward this end, Fireflies incorporates real dreams and synchronistic events from the author's incomparable fifteen-year diary to create a credible thriller and incredible journey. Dream interpretations and dream research allowed Ehrenfels to delve deeply into what it means to be human and into the culture of careerism and consensus that beleaguer the study of human nature.
Fictional elements are incorporated into the last third of the book to entertain readers with a penchant for action and mystery and to provide a suspenseful, fast-paced conclusion. More than wanting to appeal to a diverse audience, Ehrenfels wanted his message to meet each member of his audience on a broader front. For this reason, he incorporated into the making of Fireflies devices that appeal to each of Jung's phases of perception. For the sensation-oriented readers, Ehrenfels delivers the dramatic facts of his embattlement. For the intuition-oriented readers, there is symbol - and by that I mean the dreams and synchronistic events -- tools by which Ehrenfels makes plain to his readers the significance of these facts for humanity and for the study of human nature. For the feeling-oriented readers, there is fiction and drama that underscore the fact in a way the fact cannot underscore itself - expressively, placing the fact on an emotional plane. For the thinking-oriented readers, there is theory, and in his own theories of human nature, Ehrenfels offers explanations for this inhumanity, placing the fact on an intellectual and interpretative level that demonstrates how the student-victims not only understand psychology better than their teachers but how they understand the teachers better than the teachers understand themselves. More than any standard thriller, Fireflies boasts twists in plot that educate readers about the structure, dynamics, and current social context of the human spirit. By its end, the book intertwines fact, symbol, theory, and fiction to capture and expose the forces that profane the inherent beauty of human nature. He invites you to wander the halls of academe and to make a choice: "who is the public health risk here - JW Ehrenfels or psychology?"
"In this solid earth do I build the foundation for my house. At present I have no house to show, but if only the professionals would let you into their house would you see it has no foundation. And some day soon, it will wash away or collapse under its own weight. Unlike the academics I have nothing bold to claim, but then I have nothing to hide either." As an apostate from academia, Ehrenfels hopes the book will be an apocryphal blight on Textbook Psychology. Ehrenfels does not view the book as a career change, because he does not consider himself a professional author. And while more elegant and polished writers than Ehrenfels can be found, I doubt that there exists a vision as spiritually fulfilling and intellectually titillating as the one that unfolds in Fireflies. An extension of the purpose for which he believes he was put on this earth, Fireflies subsumes under his singular vision no less than all the superlative dreams, experiences, wisdom, and imagination across his thirty-year career as a human being. Ehrenfels seems to have realized in writing this book how much his life originated in Something outside itself - in Something to which it will one day return greater than the mass of its material. Ehrenfels tells me -- and I quote - "I have failed if I did not help you -- my reader -- to seize an obscure glimpse of this transcendental contribution to your life. Welcome to the tension between scholarship and professionalism -- calling and career -- human nature and scientific law. Welcome to Fireflies in the Shadow of the Sun."
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Good writing is mainly based on close interrelation writer-reader where reader is to be the primary person. This reader-oriented approach breaks down some strict rules which usually cut down writer's freedom and fresh ideas in writing. However, the general knowledge of structure, content, style, referencing, spelling and grammar are still very important.
An essay content is the primary step to start writing. Usually work comprises ideas statement, problem question and its definition and author's arguments for this question. The statement and problem mainly come from available resources: books, reviews, journals, magazines which can be easily found in libraries and electronic sources. When a writer gathers all needed materials his next step is to construct an appropriate scheme which is usually called a plan or outlines. Both composing and structure are aimed to produce qualitative link of chains which are closely connected and reflect the initial statement. Thus, essay structure consists of three parts: introduction (beginning), body (middle) and conclusion (end) which must have smooth transitions between each other.
Introduction must clearly show the subject and its back ground in order to explain a reader what you are going to write about. Sometimes questions are of great help to set up your subject clearly. Many instructions recommend such sort of questions: What is the important thing for your reader to consider? What can your reader learn? According to the reader-oriented viewpoint it is necessary to explain all the terms that a writer is going to use because some of them are difficult to understand by a reader. The subject appointed in introduction must be developed in the main part - body.
The classic guides demand three paragraphs of the body. This number should vary because paragraph is not a structural part but a writer's completed thought which is included into the whole subject. The aim to complete your whole idea or statement may demand different sizes and even numbers of paragraphs. Thus, the only thing that should not be neglected is a sentences completion and logic interaction between them. One of the most valuable and reliable things to not loose logic link is avoiding long and complicated sentences.
Conclusions are aimed to: 1) summarize all previous information; 2) sum up and point out the most important things; 3) introduce a new question or idea for further researches. Successful combination of summary and closure with new suggestions is considered to be 'the very best endings'. Summarizing helps to emphasize the most important argument and therefore, to identify gaps or uncertain arguments in the subject. This identification of problem opens new direction for further research. The new fresh ideas can be expressed by questions which a writer sets in the last sentences of his work.
The students' essays are usually assigned with necessary styles. They can be MLA, Harvard, APA or any other styles which are widely used in modern writing. They vary in citation and reference presentation but these differences are easily available in Internet resources. Different styles and assignments can bring some variations into structure, grammar usage, syntax and morphological features. The only thing that should not be omitted is the whole picture of completed and easy understandable work.
It is a very good idea to remind your reader why you write this work and what it is about. Although the statement remains the same, the conclusion should develop it. According to the body content, which can approve or deny the statement in the introduction, the conclusion statement either confirms or opposes to the introduction. Certainly, conclusion, which is contradictory to introduction, draws larger interest because of intrigue. This intrigue encourages reader and involves him in further research.
A master's thesis in the United States is conferred on students who have gone beyond the requirements of an undergraduate course and demonstrated scholarship and advanced knowledge of their field of academic study. Whether the degree is a Master of Arts or a Master of Science, one of the ways candidates are often expected to show their understanding of the subject matter is by submitting a thesis or dissertation.
Every university or college, and within those institutions every faculty, has its own specific criteria for assessing and passing - or failing - master thesis. Length, format and content may vary, within certain general limits; but the keys to success in creating a master's thesis remain more or less consistent.
The key words to bear in mind are content, citations and style. All are equally important: the thesis must express the candidate's understanding of the subject matter; must do so with precision and clarity; and must also do so in the format required, first by the candidate's individual supervisor, and ultimately by the examiners. Let's look at these in turn.
First, content. A master's candidate, having chosen a topic within the applicable field of study, usually with the advice of his or her individual supervisor, needs to develop relevant, engaging and novel content with respect to that topic. Different fields of study have different requirements. Candidates in some fields will need to conduct original research - surveys, interviews, field research or finding and reading original documents. In other fields it will be enough to develop and express original and interesting views on relevant material. In almost every case, the candidate will need to demonstrate familiarity with existing opinions on the same topic - usually through what is called a literature review: a referenced summary of what other scholars have said about the topic of the thesis.
It is important to gather as much information and material as possible. Whatever the required length of the thesis (and this can vary greatly), it is much easier to for a candidate to produce several thousand words when there is plenty of information to convey. As for citations, best practice is carefully to note citations to books, papers, articles or websites while developing the material for the thesis. Much better to pause and make a careful record of author, source, date, and any other necessary information while you are working on it, than go back and try to recover it later. It is easy to underestimate the amount of time required to compose an adequate reference section for the thesis, and much effort is saved by capturing the data during the research phase.
It is also very easy to underestimate the time and effort involved in conforming the text of the thesis to the specific demands of the examiners. Institutions have different requirements as to style - Chicago, for example, of APA - and in every case there are very precise expectations, not only as to formatting of pages and text, but also with respect to citations. Smart candidates know the details in advance, and are always conforming their writing and their references to what the end product requires. This approach saves an enormous amount of time.
Content, citations and style. Successful completion of a master's thesis depends on developing something to say, while constantly paying attention to how it will be said.
Mike Shane is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known writer and consultant. His area of writing includes master thesis, dissertations, articles, and books. Every year he publishes a list of master's thesis, books and dissertations.
Say you've prepared your e-learning content and are ready to upload it to an LMS for in-house distribution or outside syndication. To ensure its success on the marketplace or within your organization, follow a few simple guidelines.
Strong e-learning material is based on your own subject matter expertise and personal experience. And since there are an endless variety of courseware subjects, learners and contexts, not every guideline will necessarily apply to your LMS course. That said, one crucial element of a successful e-learning course is early communication with students. This includes pre-course basic training on how to use the LMS and other online tools, as well as how to navigate the online course itself. If collaborative tools like wikis or discussion boards are involved, clearly indicate how you'd like students to participate.
Guide students in course navigation through the use of videos. Take advantage of the easy-to-use video creation tools that LMSs often offer. Video tours are a great way to walk your students through their new virtual learning environment and make them feel comfortable.
The three basic aspects of communication are speech, gesture, and visuals. The online combination of these three elements helps recreate the natural ways people work in groups when they are physically present together. Utilizing these three elements--particularly the emotional signals of voice and tone--allows you to create a sense of trust and comfort for your students.
Another key to successful communication with students--which will ensure their ease of use and comfort with the online course--is the creation of a course outline or syllabus. A syllabus provides a space for you to break down and explain the course expectations and objectives for learners, and should be presented before any actual learning begins.
Particularly for the comfort of first-time e-learners, it's critical for them to understand as early as possible what to expect from a course.
A syllabus should include a few pieces of information about the online course. It should provide the instructor's email, office and/or phone number; the course date, length, and expected involvement; textbooks and other learning materials required; an outline of the LMS and course format and explanation of navigational features; a description of the course content; an assessment and project schedule; an overall evaluation plan; expectations related to student participation; and an outline of how learners are intended to interact using wikis, discussion boards, and other Web 2.0 tools.
In the course outline, advise learners to familiarize themselves with the LMS and the different kinds of information that can be found in each section of the course. Remind them that they will have to check it regularly for course updates and assignments. Be as specific as possible, describing in full detail the solutions for and consequences of missed classes or homework assignments, how students will be graded, class meeting times (if there are any), and any suggestions you can offer them.
Another useful function of the course outline or syllabus is to outline to learners the plagiarism policy. Although most people vaguely understand that plagiarism is wrong or not allowed, some may still be unsure about what exactly counts as plagiarism. And even though intentional plagiarism is more common, instances of accidental or uninformed plagiarism also occur and with your help, are quite preventable. Many learners are simply may not aware of the correct way to cite the sources they'd like to reference.
Along with your syllabus, attach a citation guide that tells how to cite articles, web pages, books, and other published information. MLA/APA style citation guides are easy to find online.
With the help of videos and a well-developed syllabus, you can help students feel secure and confident navigating their e-learning course and the learning management system. Help them feel at home in their online learning environment by quickly and clearly to establishing the features, scope, and tone of your e-learning course. Doing so will also help prevent any potential confusion or miscommunication, and create a harmonious learning and instructing experience for everyone.
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The question sometimes arises as to how students can fully participate in online classes. This question arises because students do not have a clear picture of the responsibilities of a student in an online program. As a student, you will need a working knowledge of a text editing program and you must learn to navigate the particular digital interface of the college. Often, one text editor, for example, will not work for in one group of online classes but will work in another group of online classes. Given these parameters, it is important for an online student can to lean how to maximize their participation in online classes.
The student will play a dual role in discussion threads. First the student must post an original response to a question or prompt posted by the professor. For example, the instructor might ask: "How does a direct quotation differ from a paraphrase?" Students, in response to the question, post their answer. Then a secondary goal kicks in. The student who is responding changes hats and is called upon to critique the postings of at least two classmates.
The critiques are of two types: mechanics and substantive. To do a thorough job with mechanics, the student must be able to recognize a fragment, run-on, agreement problem, reference, for example. If the student cannot recognize these common errors, they must refer to a grammar program such as OWL, an online writing lab offered by Purdue University. OWL will show them how to recognize common errors and how to correct them. These, then, are some ways of participating fully in an online class.
Fully Participate in Online Classes via Dual Roles in Discussion Threads
Participating fully in online classes requires cognitive reflection on the part of the student. The student must be aware of standard organizational patterns such as classification, cause and effect, comparison-contrast, and argumentation and to apply these modes of organization where appropriate. Moreover, the use of logic and the spotting of logical fallacies are also relevant. These, then, are some ways of participating fully in an online class.
Full participation in online classes is demonstrated through completion of assignments, fulfilling assignments, developing a final research essay and regular postings to the drop box, making sure that the submissions are on time. Keep in mind that the Quizzes are computer scored and timed and must be complete to obtain credit. These, then, are some of the ways students can fully participate in online classes.
Practice Exercises and the Research Paper in Online Classes
When frequent participants do not know, they ask. For example, perhaps you are having difficulty deciding how to document a source using APA style. Instead of guessing or staying confused while trying to decipher your text, you can go directly to your instructor for help. How do you do this? You can use the functions such as Ask the Professor, e-mail, Problems and Solutions, and even in the discussion thread. First, however, be sure to comb the Announcements for postings that might answer your questions. These, then, are some ways of fully participating in online classes.
Finally, the high participator in online classes makes use of the support services offered by the college. For example if you are having personal problems, inquire about free counseling; if financial, there are experts to guide you toward scholarship and loans; if content problems, there are tutors available; if specialized, such as the use of APA, there are experts in formatting waiting to guide you. There are even online libraries that can be accessed with a click of the mouse. There is no reason you cannot become a student who participates fully in online classes.
Michael Greene has taught hundreds of college students in various online degree programs over the past few years. Greene is convinced that it is important for every college student to carefully consider which distance education degree is the best fit.
Education is not only a product of formal learning, but is also created from engagements with others and our own research. Life is a continuous learning experience where new ideas come from articles we read, lectures we hear, or conducting research on the Internet.
If one ever wishes to express these ideas in conjunction with thoughts he/she has developed than one must give credit to the creator of those original ideas. If no acknowledgment is given then the result is plagiarism.
In order to avoid plagiarism one must record where specific information was found. Even though there are various citation styles depending on the type of information researched, every citation requires the same parts: Author, Title, Title of Periodical (if available), Volume (if available), Page(s), and Date. To make it easy, before doing a research paper create an organizational template to copy down this information as research is gathered.
There are various styling formats for work citations. The most common ones are MLA style, APA style, Chicago Manual of Style, and CBE style. One's field of research will often dictate what style is used. Most college research is cited in the MLA Style (Modern Language Association). The American Psychological Association (APA) established its own style. It is mainly used for research in social and behavioral sciences. These sciences include psychology, sociology, anthropology, business, education, etc. The Chicago Manual of Style is commonly used in the publishing industry and may also be referred to as the Turabian style. CBE style is based on the rules set forth by the Council of Biology Editors and is used mainly for science research papers.
When creating a research paper or article one must see the Works Cited page as a part of the paper rather than an addition to it that requires more time and effort. By organizing the citation parts while conducting the research one will save time when it comes to creating the work citations.
Many students underestimate the importance of referencing but from an academic perspective, referencing is vitally important.
The cornerstone of any academic writing be it a term paper, essay, research project or dissertation is the dissemination of ideas.
References, i.e., source material based on the views, opinions and research findings of others provide the conceptual framework necessary to engage in analytical debate.
Imagine you had to write an academic answer to the following question without references.
Criminal profiling is unscientific: discuss
Impossible. However, passionate or valid your personal view on the topic is e.g. "I disagree, I actually think criminal profiling is scientific because..."
I'm afraid from an academic perspective an unsubstantiated personal opinion is not worth the paper it's written on. This is why the convention within academia is to write in the third person?
A key aspect of referencing that students tend to overlook is the fact that they allow the reader to identify, access and use the material themselves.
It also crucial to reference properly so that there can no possible suggestion of plagiarism i.e. taking and using the writings of others and passing it off as ones own. Plagiarism is an extremely serious offence and can result in a student been expelled if found guilty.
When you begin your school, college or University course you should at some point (usually in the first week) be given specific guidelines on the standard referencing style required. In most cases this will be the APA referencing format, although many UK institutions favor the Harvard system.
Make sure you have these guidelines to hand whenever you do any form of academic writing. It's the best form of referencing quality control you can have, so use the guidelines as intended.
Most Common Referencing Mistakes
Without doubt the most common referencing format mistakes relate to the increasing popular practice of obtaining source material via electronic means e.g. the Internet.
Most Internet references will have been accessed via a specific web page, however, remember there are other Internet sources e.g. newsletters, online newspapers, e-books etc.
APA style referencing guidelines suggest that an Internet source should provide a document title or description, a date (either the date of publication or update or the date of retrieval), an Internet address (URL) and Whenever possible, the author(s) of the source material as well.
Number One Referencing Tip
Whenever you do an academic assignment make sure you write down the full reference of each source as you find it. Many students, including myself in the past, fail to do this.
Taking notes from the source for possible inclusion in the written assignment is fine but if you do decide to use the material, you can find yourself wasting hours of your valuable time trying to remember the name of the book you returned to the library etc.
This problem is particularly acute when students are doing a thesis or dissertation, involving literally hundreds of references.
Writing references as you go along may mean You record a host of references that you don't actually end up using, however, the time wasted doing this pales into significance compared with the alternative.
You can get more information on referencing and the best free student resources available on the topic by visiting
http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/apa-referencing.html
Having worked as a lecturer in psychology in the UK, I recently moved to sunny Spain with my family, where I now work as a distance learning tutor and research dissertation supervisor.
Since 2000, I've been involved in collaborative research with teams of forensic scientists in the UK, US and Canada.
To find out more about the fascinating world of forensic psychology visit my website http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com.
You are probably concerned with writing according to a particular documentation style, such as the APA writing style, when you write papers. In this day and age, high school students are sometimes asked to write papers, while college students are required to write them for almost all their courses. Writing using a documentation style is required so that the writer can credit his or her sources. This means that some of the ideas, and findings that are not yours should be properly labeled as the original author's. The readers can use these source citations, which point to the original authors and titles for their own research.
The APA (American Psychological Association writing style) was originally created for psychology and some science documentation. However, the APA writing style is now being used by many other disciplines such as medicine, and education. In this writing style, the documentation is very rigorous. It also differs from other styles in in-text citation, which requires all authors and dates to be named in the parenthetical.
I'm not going to attempt to cover all of the specifics of the APA writing style in this article because they would fill a book. Let me give you a few of the most commonly used APA writing style conventions in this article. In the in-text citation of this documentation style, the writer must acknowledge the original author whenever he or she uses that particular author's language. This is usually done by putting the citation information inside a parenthesis.
You have to include the date of the publication in the parentheses when you use the APA writing style. It is also required that you use the author's name in the parentheses, followed by n.d., which means no date if you mention the author's name in your statement and no date is available.
The footnote is also used in a documentation that uses the APA writing style. Footnotes are now used less often although they were the singular way to cite sources fifty years ago. Nevertheless, writers should still know how to use them when assigned to or when asides are too intrusive in the main text.
The end notes are similar to the footnotes. They explain the document further and cite valuable sources. This way the reader can use the writer's paper when he or she begins a research. All notes can be placed on one page at the end of the paper in the APA writing style.
The references page is also an important element in documentation. It is also known as the works cited page or the bibliography. The references page thoroughly records or identifies each and every source that the writer used or quoted in the text. Every entry in this page includes the author, title, place and date of publication. The order of the entries must be alphabetical, and they must be punctuated, indented, and styled according to specific rules.
A number of students get perplexed when it comes to writing their academic papers in a particular referencing style such as APA. High school students are at times asked to write term papers, essays etc, where as college or university students have to indulge in academic writing for all their courses. A referencing style is required in all academic papers for the student to give credit to his sources of information. This means that all the ideas and findings mentioned in the paper which are not yours must be referenced as the original author's work. This also enables readers to use these sources to conduct their own research.
When to Use APA Writing Style?
The APA (American Psychological Association) writing style was basically created to cite sources in psychology and certain science documentation. But with time, APA format has started to be used by several others disciplines such as medicine and education. The documentation in this writing style is very rigorous.
Specification
It would be just about impossible to cover all the specification of the APA format as it just might fill up a book. A few of the most important specifications of the APA writing style can be mentioned in this article. Those are:
In-Text Citation
When using the APA format, in-text citations must be used to credit the original author. Citations are to be put in parenthesis. The name of the author as well as the publication date must be provided in the parenthesis. Mention 'n.d.' if the date of publication is not available.
Footnotes
Footnotes are also used in all academic papers that are referenced according to the APA writing style. Footnotes are not commonly used now, but were used as the only citation source a long time back. Still, it is important for writers to know how to use them in case they are required.
Endnotes/Bibliography
Endnotes are very similar to footnotes. They are used to provide information about the sources. All of the references must be placed on a page at the end of the paper. The bibliography page is extremely important. It identifies every single source that has been used for the production of the paper. All of the sources included in this page must consist of the author's name, title, place and date of publication. The entries must be put in alphabetical order, must be punctuated, indented, and styled according to specific rules of APA format citation.
Terence Reed is an Academic Writing Specialist, working with Essays Aid to serve a diverse body of students with their term papers.
A writer's style is a distinctive signature that allows an individual to personalize not only the content of his or her message, but also the manner in which the content is received.Famed communications scholar Stuart Hall argues that the nature of communication is such that language is little more than a vehicle for delivering meaning.The words we use to communicate with others represent only a very small part of the meaning that we intend to convey.That is to say, there are a number of ways to tell a story, but the version told with the most enthusiasm and style is the one that becomes most memorable and therefore the most dominant.Communication is more than information exchange, and the manner in which we choose to interact with one another is almost as important as the meaning that is conveyed.
So many different styles exist that when we come to write an essay or document, for example, we are almost using a whole new language.Here are some grammatical differences between MLA and APA:
The Serial Comma:
Whenever you write a list of terms, items or phrases, grammatical guidelines dictate that you must separate each item with a comma.However, in the case of any list, there is inevitably a conjunction separating the final two items, and this comma is often referred to as the "serial comma".The Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines do require the use of a comma before the conjunction and the final term, whereas the Associated Press (AP) guidelines generally omit the serial comma unless the list is excessive, in which case a serial comma should be used to reduce ambiguity.
Bullets:
The American Psychological Association does not use bullets, unless the information traditionally found in a 'bullet' point appears in full sentence format as part of a numbered list.Similarly, the Modern Language Association also discourages bullets that are not numbered with full and complete sentences.MLA and APA styles are typically associated with scholarly work, and abbreviated points do not usually provide the level of detail one would expect from work of this caliber.
Citation:
The Modern Language Association encourages citation in two parts.First is the parenthetical reference, which appears at the end of the sentence in between the last word and the period.Material quoted directly from a secondary source must be identified in this manner, and the author's last number and the corresponding page number upon which the quotation can be found should appear at the end of the sentence:
"... suggesting that every quotation must be properly referenced"
(Author's Last Name, Page Number).
This parenthetical reference must also be accompanied by a full citation that should appear on your Works Cited page, which must accompany your work:
Author, Joe. How to Create a Proper Works Cited Page.London: RoutledgePublishing, 2009.
As demonstrated here, the author's first name appears after the last name, followed by the title of the novel, the publication information and the year the book was published.
Similarly, the American Psychological Association guidelines dictate a two-step citation process.As it is with the MLA style, APA requires that quoted material be accompanied by the author's last name and the page number, but also the year the information was published:
"... suggesting that every quotation must be properly referenced"
(Author's Last Name, Year, Page Number).
Again, this parenthetical reference must be accompanied by a citation that appears on the References page at the back of your paper:
Author, J. (2009) How to Create a Proper Works Cited Page.London: RoutledgePublishing.
Unlike the MLA style, the APA citation format dictates that the year must follow the author's name, and the title must appear in italics as opposed to being underlined.While both formatting styles have similarities, there are a number of differences that can be easily overlooked.It's important to become familiar with one style so that you naturally become more proficient with practice.
With copywriting and editing experience in the advertising industry and currently completing a Doctorate in Communications and Culture from York University, Adam has extensive experience with all forms of writing. He also holds a Master's Degree from Windsor University and an Honors Bachelor Degree from the University of Toronto, both in English Literature and Language. Currently, he is a teaching assistant at Ryerson University in the English Department, and has recently completed a two-year contract as an instructor at the Ryerson University Writing Centre. He is experienced with Style Editing. Adam is an editor at http://www.editingoffice.com
No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.
No matter what type of paper you're writing, be it a literature review, research report, summary, or analysis, rest assured that you'll be required to name your sources. There are several different types of resource lists, not to mention a number of different styles for writing entries.
A reference list, also called a list of works cited, is a catalog of all the sources you cited or otherwise referred to in your paper. A citation involves giving another author credit for a quote, idea, finding, or phrase that you use in your paper. You should cite all direct quotes, as well as instances of paraphrasing; original or novel ideas, perspectives, and facts; and research findings. This is necessary so that authors receive due credit for their work. It's also an academic obligation: it provides your readers the opportunity to locate the sources you used, read and interpret the evidence themselves, and perhaps even challenge your conclusions.
In contrast to reference lists, you list all the sources you read in a bibliography. Even if you do not cite the source, it must receive a mention in the bibliography if you used it in any way throughout the research and writing processes. Thus, books and articles you consulted for reference early on must be included in your bibliography, receiving the same attention as those sources you cited extensively.
In addition to various types of resource lists, there are also different styles in which you can compile them. Your professor will tell you whether she wants you to use a reference list or bibliography, along with what style your list should be presented in. This information will most likely be in the assignment itself, so read through your handouts carefully. When in doubt, it's better to ask the professor than guess!
One of the most popular styles is Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Founded in 1883, the MLA is a professional association that promotes the study and teaching of - you guessed it - language and literature. MLA Style is the format recommended for bibliographies by the Association. Along with the styles developed by the University of Chicago Press and the APA, it's one of the "big three" styles. The MLA guidelines are used by more than 125 scholarly journals, newsletters, and magazines, and are quite common in high schools and colleges. You are likely to encounter them at some point in your academic career.
The University of Chicago Press also publishes a style guide, called The Chicago Manual of Style. Now in its 15th edition, the manual explains not only how to document your resources, but also how to deal with copyright issues, design and produce a book, and everything in between. The manual has humble origins, starting out as a sheet of typographical basics in the 1890s, morphing into a short pamphlet first published in 1906, and now weighing in at a hefty 986 pages. Aimed at publishers, editors, and writers, you might have to learn this style if you are majoring communications or related fields.
Also mentioned earlier were the guidelines developed by the American Psychological Association (APA). If you're taking a psychology or other social science course, odds are that you'll be using this style for your reference list. The APA is the largest association of psychologists, with over 150,000 members and 53 divisions. The APA's Publication Manual is a comprehensive resource for both students and professionals who wish to publish their research. Along with guidelines for writing a reference list, the Publication Manual also includes information on how to organize your paper's content; how to express your ideas coherently; ethical standards for reporting research findings; and how to develop and submit a manuscript for publication. If you ever plan on publishing work in psychology, sociology, social work, criminology, nursing, business or economics, you will need to know APA style forwards and backwards!
There are a number of other style guides available; each field prefers a specific style, and many have developed their own guidelines. Thus, you should always double check with your professor to see what style she wants you to use.
Even though the reference list falls at the end of your paper, make no mistake - it's extremely important! Any errors you make could inadvertently deny an author credit for her work. Incorrect citations might make it difficult or impossible for your peers to do their own research on the topic. Failure to properly credit your sources could get you in big trouble, whether it's an intentional omission or not. Compiling the list in the incorrect format, while not as serious as excluding it altogether, may still annoy your professor.
The reference list is more than an afterthought. Afford it as much attention as you do the rest of your paper, and be well on your way to a stellar research report!
Copyright Kelly Garbato, 2005
Kelly Garbato is an author, ePublisher, and small business owner. She recently self-published her first book, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper," now available at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) or through Peedee Publishing (http://www.peedeepublishing.com).
To learn more about the author, visit her web site at http://www.kellygarbato.com.
The various citations are done perfectly for fetching right degree of compliance. The referencing style would make sure that all various sections are taken care well for fetching right style.
The paper formatting usually complies with basic rules required in accordance to various Term Paper Format like APA, MLA, Harvard and many others. The usual Term Paper Format is of fetching right kind of behavior for text.
The format of Term Paper cover page makes sure that all various compliances are learnt and used for fetching right information and its framework.
The citation and referencing requirements make Term Paper outline quite usable for fetching right standard for doing so. The citation style makes sure that all various sources are acknowledged to its great extent and would make sure that all contributions are focused. The footnotes also to some extent explicitly engage in better communication and style for fetching right implication for getting sources mentioned well. Term Paper Format is a creator of entire subject and will to focus for fetching right justice to educational paper and its style of getting job done.
Term paper is quite a complex task that has many requirements. Students have chosen an interesting topic, collected all necessary materials, studied and analyzed them. Students conducted real research that discloses problem of their work fully. To cut a long story short, students are doing everything that is needed for composing a perfect term paper. But! There is one more thing that students must not miss under any circumstances. Perhaps it looks a bit asinine. Maybe students think that grade students will get cannot depend on a term paper style. This is their main inaccuracy! Term paper style is obligatory and it is a half of grade on their term paper. This is because keep on reading this basic writing formats.
Nowadays, there are many styles for educational writings and some of them are most frequently used ones. The choice of a term paper style depends on a discipline, on which students are writing their term paper. For example, students must choose MLA term paper style if students are writing their work on Humanities and Liberal Arts. APA term paper style is used for writing works on Psychology and additional disciplines like that. So, students must think carefully what term paper style fits their work best.
All these term paper styles have a lot of necessities and peculiarities. They concern appearance of their work in general, as well as some specific points like arranging citations and references. For each term paper style students can find different manuals and guides, where students will find all necessary information. What is more, students must definitely talk to their tutor and find out whether he/she has some additional requirements for their term paper.
Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation, or are a student, there are numerous sources that you can turn to for help with writing. Businesses need to be able to effectively communicate with their customers, their employees and their potential customers. Effective verbal communication is equally important, but nonverbal communication in the form of copy writing, article writing, press release writing, and more requires a certain level of expertise and experience. The typical small business wants to focus their efforts on their core business activities without spending too much time on projects that can easily be outsourced to consultants or freelance professionals. Many small businesses turn to freelancers to help them save time and money. For example, a certified public accountant opened his own accounting practice after working in another accounting firm for the last ten years. One of the ways he decided to search for new clients was to embark on an advertising and promotional campaign. Although some of his previous clients followed him to his new practice, he wanted to increase the number of accounts he currently handled. These accounts included various individuals and small businesses from around the town. Rather than hire new employees or handle the projects himself, he decided to hire a consultant through a freelance web site to work on copy writing for a local newspaper ad campaign as well as to help with press releases and company news distribution. By outsourcing these non-core business activities to an independent consultant, he is able to save himself time and money and also gets the expertise of an established professional who specializes in the types of writing that he needs assistance with. He decides to list his writing projects in a freelance marketplace and receives bids from independent consultants and freelance writers. He was able to choose a service provider based on factors related to cost, the service provider's experience, references, and previous feedback from clients. All small businesses have a decision to make about whether to outsource certain projects or to complete the work in house. Using economics as a deciding factor, it makes sense economically for businesses to outsource writing projects when the projects are non-core business activities that do not contribute to the company's bottom line.
Small businesses also need to be able to effectively communicate with their current customers. Some of the more effective ways to get help writing effective communication for current customers involve using tools such as newsletters, email lists, and articles written by outsourced consultants. Newsletters are very effective ways to keep customers informed of current events and happenings within the company. They also offer you the opportunity to gain new clients as the newsletter gets passed around and is often seen by more than one person during its life cycle. It makes sense and is a smart move to outsource corporate communications instead of keeping it in-house. Hiring a separate professional will save your business money and time. For less than the cost of hiring a full time employee, and because it will contribute to allowing more concentration on the activities that will earn your business money, contracting with a consultant or freelancer for your corporate communications (writing of press releases to distribute company news, getting publicity through pieces in newspapers and magazines, and getting help writing newsletters or articles) simply makes sense. An expert in the field who has amassed many years of experience with business writing, persuasive writing, and copy writing in addition to having experience writing press releases, articles, essays, and possibly academic or technical research and term papers will have a lot to offer you and your business.
Large corporations use writing to effectively communicate on all levels of business. Business writing and corporate communications are essential elements that keep the public informed and give companies their corporate image. A company's image, or its publicly perceived notion of credibility and reliability is extremely important to its bottom line. For example, upon its introduction many years ago an American car company introduced a car known as the "Nova". After some time, it was discovered that the car was not selling well in many Spanish speaking countries. Because in Spanish, "No va" translates to "doesn't go", the car sales in these countries were dismal. Effective corporate communication can have far reaching effect. Ineffective corporate communication can result in lower sales as shown in the car sales example. Large corporations also need to be effective communicators with their current employees. Internal corporate communications are equally important and keep your employees abreast of company accomplishments, events and human resource issues.
Finally, students also need to be able to write effectively as well. Writing assignments can include writing essays, writing term papers, report writing, and thesis writing not to mention having to demonstrate writing ability in other subjects outside of English class. For example, law students need to be able to write not only persuasive but argumentative writing as well. Foreign language students need to be able to translate into their native language and then back again. Science and technology students need to be able to demonstrate scientific writing ability. Taking writing tips from college professors that teach correct formatting and usage, including APA style, and improving you're proofreading and editing skills will result in quality writing assignments. For the student that is looking for writing help and homework assistance for their assignments, freelance marketplaces that allow you to hire a consultant or tutor could be a productive and time saving solution.
From a freelance or independent consultant's standpoint, marketing writing skills to potential service buyers is important to keeping any consulting business thriving. Registering with freelance marketplaces will enable you to showcase your writing skills, talents and abilities. Previous experience with all kinds of writing ranging from grant writing, fiction writing and interactive writing to writing short stories, articles and eBooks or even technical pieces, in addition to all forms of business writing will enable you to prove your varied background and skills. All of which can be showcased in your freelance marketplace profile. Creating and managing a profile is important to make you stand out from the crowd of freelance writers competing for new writing projects. All in all, those looking for writing help can find a vast array of resources in the form of consultants who are more than willing to lend a helping hand.
Whether you are working for a small business, large corporation, or are a student, there are numerous sources that you can turn to for help with writing. Businesses need to be able to effectively communicate with their customers, their employees and their potential customers. Effective verbal communication is equally important, but nonverbal communication in the form of copy writing, article writing, press release writing, and more requires a certain level of expertise and experience. The typical small business wants to focus their efforts on their core business activities without spending too much time on projects that can easily be outsourced to consultants or freelance professionals. Many small businesses turn to freelancers to help them save time and money. For example, a certified public accountant opened his own accounting practice after working in another accounting firm for the last ten years. One of the ways he decided to search for new clients was to embark on an advertising and promotional campaign. Although some of his previous clients followed him to his new practice, he wanted to increase the number of accounts he currently handled. These accounts included various individuals and small businesses from around the town. Rather than hire new employees or handle the projects himself, he decided to hire a consultant through a freelance web site to work on copy writing for a local newspaper ad campaign as well as to help with press releases and company news distribution. By outsourcing these non-core business activities to an independent consultant, he is able to save himself time and money and also gets the expertise of an established professional who specializes in the types of writing that he needs assistance with. He decides to list his writing projects in a freelance marketplace and receives bids from independent consultants and freelance writers. He was able to choose a service provider based on factors related to cost, the service provider's experience, references, and previous feedback from clients. All small businesses have a decision to make about whether to outsource certain projects or to complete the work in house. Using economics as a deciding factor, it makes sense economically for businesses to outsource writing projects when the projects are non-core business activities that do not contribute to the company's bottom line.
Small businesses also need to be able to effectively communicate with their current customers. Some of the more effective ways to get help writing effective communication for current customers involve using tools such as newsletters, email lists, and articles written by outsourced consultants. Newsletters are very effective ways to keep customers informed of current events and happenings within the company. They also offer you the opportunity to gain new clients as the newsletter gets passed around and is often seen by more than one person during its life cycle. It makes sense and is a smart move to outsource corporate communications instead of keeping it in-house. Hiring a separate professional will save your business money and time. For less than the cost of hiring a full time employee, and because it will contribute to allowing more concentration on the activities that will earn your business money, contracting with a consultant or freelancer for your corporate communications (writing of press releases to distribute company news, getting publicity through pieces in newspapers and magazines, and getting help writing newsletters or articles) simply makes sense. An expert in the field who has amassed many years of experience with business writing, persuasive writing, and copy writing in addition to having experience writing press releases, articles, essays, and possibly academic or technical research and term papers will have a lot to offer you and your business.
Large corporations use writing to effectively communicate on all levels of business. Business writing and corporate communications are essential elements that keep the public informed and give companies their corporate image. A company's image or its publicly perceived notion of credibility and reliability is extremely important to its bottom line. For example, upon its introduction many years ago an American car company introduced a car known as the "Nova". After some time, it was discovered that the car was not selling well in many Spanish speaking countries. Because in Spanish, "No van" translates to "doesn't go", the car sales in these countries were dismal. Effective corporate communication can have far reaching effect. Ineffective corporate communication can result in lower sales as shown in the car sales example. Large corporations also need to be effective communicators with their current employees. Internal corporate communications are equally important and keep your employees abreast of company accomplishments, events and human resource issues.
Finally, students also need to be able to write effectively as well. Writing assignments can include writing essays, writing term papers, report writing, and thesis writing not to mention having to demonstrate writing ability in other subjects outside of English class. For example, law students need to be able to write not only persuasive but argumentative writing as well. Foreign language students need to be able to translate into their native language and then back again. Science and technology students need to be able to demonstrate scientific writing ability. Taking writing tips from college professors that teach correct formatting and usage, including APA style, and improving you're proofreading and editing skills will result in quality writing assignments. For the student that is looking for writing help and homework assistance for their assignments, freelance marketplaces that allow you to hire a consultant or tutor could be a productive and time saving solution.
From a freelance or independent consultant's standpoint, marketing writing skills to potential service buyers is important to keeping any consulting business thriving. Registering with freelance marketplaces will enable you to showcase your writing skills, talents and abilities. Previous experience with all kinds of writing ranging from grant writing, fiction writing and interactive writing to writing short stories, articles and eBooks or even technical pieces, in addition to all forms of business writing will enable you to prove your varied background and skills. All of which can be showcased in your freelance marketplace profile. Creating and managing a profile is important to make you stand out from the crowd of freelance writers competing for new writing projects. All in all, those looking for writing help can find a vast array of resources in the form of consultants who are more than willing to lend a helping hand.