LPC Library - Term Papers! Research Papers! Works Cited!

Term Paper Strategy & Book Reports

Citation Examples

Term Paper Strategy

Choose a Topic: preferably some facet of the class subject matter in which you have some interest. Look through CQ Researcher (also online through Quick Clicks), Opposing Viewpoints, Current Controversies, At Issue, or Torn By the Issues, located in LPC Library, to find interesting overviews of current topics.
Overview: Make a quick set of questions which you feel you should find out about your subject. Check with your instructor about the length of paper, and also about your choice of subject. Sufficient material may not be available, or you may have chosen a subject which is too broad or too narrow. Ask your instructor how many resources are acceptable for his/her paper.
Research: use the library, online catalog, LPC subscription database services, the Internet, textbooks, your instructor, a librarian or whatever resources are available and take notes as you research. Use 3 x 5 note cards for your notes.
Control Your Paper: having researched the subject, make a one-sentence statement of the main idea you wish to convey through your paper. This one sentence controlling idea, or thesis, will help you to determine which material to use and which to delete, and whether or not you have included all the necessary evidence.
Organize: arrange your material in the order you feel it will best explain your thesis or controlling statement. If you find you still need help, try A+ Research and Writing for High School and College Students on the Internet for more guidance or some of the sources recommended on LPC's Library Student Resources - Research & Term Papers.
Write a Rough Draft: the introduction to your paper should tell what the paper is about, and also some statement of your controlling idea, or your position on the question.
Revise: check to be sure you have included all the needed evidence or facts to support your position and to fully explain the ideas. Check your grammar and punctuation to be certain you have said what you meant to say. Rearrange or add to the evidence if needed.
Work Cited List: keep the printouts of your sources, or write out all pertinent information on author, title, publisher, date, Internet location, or whatever is necessary to identify where you got the information on which you based your paper. Use the following guide to write up your citations in the proper bibliographic format.

Book Report Guide

Arrange a book review in the following manner:

Summary of the book: what is it about -usually one paragraph.
Analysis of the book:

The author's main arguments, his/her evidence
The effectiveness of his/her organization and presentation
Does the author present only one viewpoint? Does he/she examine various aspects of the background of events, or does he/she give one simplified explanation?
Is the background material clear and logical, or does it confuse?
Does the author give a new perspective on the events he/she describes?
Did your attitude change as you understood better his/her point of view or were you unconvinced?
Did the author give all the facts? You can't tell without checking other author's accounts of the same events. Did he/she distort facts to suit his/her purpose or omit important details that would have changed the picture entirely?
Does the author distinguish clearly between the facts and his/her interpretation of the facts? Were you able to recognize the differences between them?
On what information does the author base his/her conclusions? Does he/she give evidence to support these conclusions?
Was the author qualified to write about these events or this period? Was he/she an expert? What was his/her education and experience?
How did other reviews in periodicals or reference materials assess the book?

Your personal evaluation:
- Were arguments supported with sufficient evidence?
- Does the book add knowledge of the field?
- Was it worth reading and why? (Would you recommend it?

Use the following links to access the LPC Library short guides to citing specific types of resources in the MLA style.

Citation Examples

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