Term Paper Help: Writing for Subject, Audience and Purpose

College term papers and essays are a source of stress, but they don't have to be! The more time I spend among fellow writers, the more I have come to appreciate that writing is not just about talent. It's about hard work and practice too. Believe the person who says good writing is one part inspiration and ten parts perspiration. That person has probably honed their writing skills by using tools that you can use too. Watch your college grades climb by learning to write a term paper that will truly impress your professor.

Subject, audience and purpose
You've probably been told the key to a good essay is a strong thesis statement. But to get that thesis statement, you need to make decisions about what you want to do with your college term paper. Yes, the teacher assigned it and you want to fulfil the course requirements. But to write a really good essay, you need to do more than the bare minimum. You need to be clear what you are writing about, for whom, and to what end. Taking time to explore your subject, audience and purpose before sitting down to write may sound like more effort, but if you invest the time in this extra step you will find you become a better essay writer and you will get better grades. Once you master the process your term paper stress will be reduced, and you will find you actually get your essays done faster.

Choose your subject
If I asked you what subjects you were taking in school this term, you might answer that you were studying history, math, chemistry and English. But what if I wanted to know what kind of math you were studying? Are you taking algebra, calculus, statistics or linear equations? During any given week in the semester, you'll be studying a different module, unit or chapter of your textbook. You might even answer my question by telling me about the specific concepts covered in that chapter. Choose your term paper subject the same way you would answer a question about what you are studying. If you are writing an essay about a novel you read in English class, this might mean exploring the interactions between two specific characters. If you are writing a history paper you might look at the influences that led to a particular event. If you are studying anthropology, you may want to contrast two different cultures. Subjects are often suggested by professors or in study guides, but you will want to choose a subject that you feel confident about in order to ensure you can write a strong and complete essay.

Try to narrow the subject down enough that you're not talking in generalities, but not so much that you run out of things to say. A good test for your subject is to sit down and brainstorm a list of points you'd like to cover, or to do five minutes of free writing. At the end of five minutes evaluate what you've produced. If there isn't enough material, you need to broaden your subject area a bit. If your points are going in ten different directions, tighten up a bit more. Select a more specific subject that will give you between three and five main points to write about.

Write for your target audience
Most times when you are writing a term paper for school, your audience will be a professor who is well versed in the subject area, but this is not always the case. You may have been asked to write a paper aimed at academics or professionals from another field of expertise. Or you may have been given a more creative assignment like writing a newspaper report for the general public, or a lesson plan for elementary students. No matter what you write, always do it with an audience in mind. It will determine the vocabulary you use, what assumptions you make about familiarity with the subject matter, and even the tone you use in your writing.

Be clear about your purpose
Your main goal in writing a term paper may simply be to finish the assignment or to get a good grade, but think about what you want your writing to accomplish. Do you want to inform, to argue a point, or to entertain? Have you been asked to prove a hypothesis, or to make a direct comparison between two things? Each of these goals represents a different purpose, and each involves a different approach to writing your essay. If you are comparing two characters or events, you may go back and forth between descriptions of each one. If you are attempting to convince your reader to adopt a particular course of action, you will want to order your arguments so they build upon one another.

Your thesis statement and the outline for your essay should follow naturally once you've explored the subject, audience and purpose of your term paper. If your professor is willing to look over your outline and reference list, take advantage of the opportunity and follow any advice offered. If not, you may want to consider trading outlines with a classmate and offering each other feedback.

Write from your outline, and be sure to proofread for spelling and grammar errors. Ask someone to read the draft for you, and use their feedback to revise the draft. The extra effort you put into your written work will be worth it when your term paper gets a better grade!