The semester research paper usually comprises a sizable portion of the grade, making the paper a highly important assignment that demands that students “get it right.”
Getting a good grade on a semester research paper begins by asking the right questions on the first day of class or on the day the professor publishes the assignment. Paper requirements are usually listed in the course syllabus, but often only generally in terms of the due date and grade percentages. Once the full scope of the paper is known, a personal essay writer should ask clarifying questions if they are not covered in the assignment description or rubric.
- Is there a required length?
- What are the topic limitations?
- Does the professor prefer a particular method of sourcing?
- May students give personal opinions in the conclusion?
- Does it matter what sources are used to complete the paper?
Professors usually don’t like creating a specific “formula” for papers, but most will gladly clarify their requirements. In many cases, professors simply announce the paper or create a short notification on Blackboard or some other website that they maintain: A ten-page research paper on Twentieth-Century American History; a 12-15 page paper on the modern American novel, etc.
It is important to seek clarifications, given idiosyncrasies within the academic community. Will an Education professor accept the MLA format? Can a History paper be sourced using APA? Is it permissible to include relevant pictures, graphs, or other demographic material?
Topic Limitations
This may be the most difficult area for students. In most cases, students will focus, at least initially, on broad topics. Students should clarify topic limitations, especially if the chosen research might be questionable. A Hispanic student wants to research a paper on the Mexican-American War, but the course is American History Survey II, starting in 1877. A student in a Western Civilization II class wants to write a paper on the Haitian slave revolt, justifying the topic in that it corresponds to the 19th-century European revolutions such as in Belgium and Greece.
Students that type “paper topics” into Google or some other search engine will get several pages of advertisers offering stock papers for sale or custom-written research papers sold at exorbitant rates. The point is that even earnest students seeking guidance in selecting interesting and appropriate topics will experience difficulty. Professors may be so removed from the topic process that they are unable to fathom a student’s dilemma is simply focusing on a topic. Thus, students should meet with professors to discuss possible topics and solicit guidance in narrowing the focus of the research. In most cases, professors appreciate honest attempts by students to select and research relevant topics.
Personal Opinions
Although most professors prefer that the paper be written in the third person (Education professors perhaps being the exception), it is still possible for a student to give a personal opinion: “Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was a success, despite the continuing high unemployment numbers throughout 1941.” However, it is very important to clarify whether or not the professor wants personal opinions in the conclusion.
Some professors merely want a dispassionate, objective research paper and they simply don’t care what the opinions of the student-writers are. Although arrogant, the professor’s predilections must be known before writing the paper. Personal opinions on delicate topics can affect grades! There are few “academic saints” in the Ivy League community that can honestly divorce personal preferences from objective grading when it comes to student opinions. When in doubt, avoid personal opinion.
Preemptive Planning and Inquiry
Research papers in some classes can “make or break” a student’s grade. Traditional classes feature a mid-term, a final exam, and the dreaded “paper.” Hence, much depends on the paper. Students can submit a well-researched paper, superbly written and edited, and still see a grade below the expectation solely because the basics were not addressed. Shyness never led to excellence: students must ask clarifying questions either at the time the paper is assigned or during the research and writing process. Finally, no two professors are the same. What worked in one class may not work in another, even if the discipline is the same.
