Term papers

The first is the topic, which will either begin as or will quickly be narrowed down to a specific hypothesis, or thesis statement. If a topic is too broad or too vague, it will be difficult to research efficiently. Start by collecting some general information on the topic, and then begin the thesis statement development process.

For instance, suppose you were interested in sand dunes along the west coast. This alone is a broad topic— too broad to put together a paper that presents a specific problem or argument. A few books on sand dunes might lead you to narrow down your interest to just those dunes located in California, and to further limit your discussion to the factors threatening sand dunes along the California coast. After reading some of the literature, your thesis statement or hypothesis might propose that shoreline development has magnified the rate and scale of dune erosion along the California coast.

Second, LBRPs include a literature review. This may be its own section, as in a field or lab report, or it may be incorporated into the whole of the paper. A literature review is a discussion of the existing research that has been conducted specifically on or related to your issue.

For instance, suppose you were writing a paper on BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve. As part of your research process, you would look for literature on the ALR itself, as well as literature on agricultural land protection more generally, as well as (depending on the scope of your paper) the environmental and economic benefits of agricultural land protection and urban-agricultural conflicts. In short, do not limit the research process to just your topic in the narrowest context. Consider the other issues that may also influence the discussion.

Within the literature review, compile the information into a concise yet thorough treatment. This means identifying the research conducted by others on the subject, and the major findings of these studies, as well related studies and alternative theories that other people have proposed.

Third, LBPRs include a discussion (or findings) section and critique. It is not enough to just present the studies that other people have completed.

Your goal should be to include a critical analysis of the ideas in this literature, a discussion of the literature’s merits or the authors’ ideas, and a consideration of why this particular issue is significant—in other words, the “So What?” factor. Why does this matter? Why should the reader be concerned or interested?

A prospectus is a formal proposal of research intent. Not all instructors require prospectuses. If you are required to submit a prospectus, the following information needs to be included: a brief introduction to the problem or topic, a thesis statement, a preliminary literature review on research already completed, and the identification of major themes to be pursued within the paper.

If an instructor accepts rough drafts, take advantage of the opportunity! Typically, few students submit rough drafts when they are optional. This is unfortunate, as many problems can be prevented at this stage—before the grade is awarded.

The rough draft stage is also an opportunity for the instructor to provide feedback on your research direction, and to suggest additional sources that may be of use to you.

Typically, rough drafts are accepted no later than one to two weeks prior to the due date. An instructor will not be able to adequately review your rough draft in a 10-minute meeting during his or her office hours!

The two-week window provides the instructor the opportunity to read over the draft more thoroughly, and in time for you to make any necessary additions or changes. If the instructor does not specify whether he or she accepts rough drafts, just ask. Rough drafts are not usually accepted for take-home exams.

The length of the research paper is determined by the topic and the parameters of the assignment. Anticipate that upper-level courses are going to require more in-depth and longer research papers, as the topics addressed and hypotheses tested are more advanced.

The quick and dirty answer to this is: as many as you can find. While some instructors stipulate a minimum number of sources required (e.g. 10 or 20), others choose not to.

However, if you can only find 10 sources for a 10-page or longer term paper, then your topic is either too narrow or you should seek out help in finding additional resources.

Often, if the topic appears to be too narrow, it is because the search has been limited to finding only those materials that specifically address your topic. (See discussion of “literature review” above.)

For example, suppose you were writing a paper on the destruction of sand dunes in California due to coastal development. Limiting your literature search to just those sources that deal with the destruction of California sand dunes is too narrow. Other studies conducted elsewhere in the world (e.g. the Gulf Coast) might provide additional, comparative information on shoreline development and coastal erosion, different types of sand dunes and the rates of depletion, and other factors that may add to the degradation of sand dunes in general.