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Writing college term papers are a very common requirement when you reach the upper-division courses. You will find that it counts as an influential part of your final grade. Remember that you are no longer in high school. Gone are the times when you could turn in just a mediocre term paper and come out on top with a good grade. Here are some guidelines for you to follow to assure that you will receive an A on your college term paper.

1. Getting Started: Make sure that you understand all of the directions that your professor gives. If something is not clear, do not hesitate to ask for clarification. If you just go your own way and turn in a paper that does not meet the instructor's wants, then you may really feel dumb!

2. Don't Procrastinate: A good college term paper requires careful preparation, critical thinking, research and writing. You must also allow time for the unexpected. Your computer may crash, files may somehow get erased, you may run out of ink or personal crises may arise.

3. Choosing a Topic: Try to pick an interesting subject that fulfills the assignment the professor gave you. It will help if you pick a topic that interests you. Make sure that your paper is a reasonable length. If your subject is too broad, consider narrowing the focus. Your main source of research will most likely be your local or campus library.

4. Research: The foundation or your college term paper is good research. If you build a paper without a solid foundation, that paper will inevitably be weak. You should make sure that you use a good variation of the most specific, expert and up-to-date resources. The first place to do research is your library.

5. Research Resources: There are many types of resources that can be utilized to do your research. One of the first places to visit is probably the reference room. You can begin to structure the basic outline for your college term paper right in the reference room. Some other reference materials are, of course, books and scholarly journal articles.

6. Organizing the Paper: The keys to having an effective college term paper are good organization as well as presentation of ideas. In order to have a good plan for your paper, you must organize all of your material in an outline. This will serve to lay out the structure of your paper to ensure that your paper is logical and complete and will prevent you from getting off the track.

7. Writing the Paper: You should always have clarity in writing. You must use good communication skills in order to bring your points home. You may even submit drafts to your professor well ahead of the deadline so that he or she may be able to help you refine your topic, identify resources and avoid pitfalls.

8. Citations and References: A good research paper will rely on information that has been compiled by and analysis that has been done by others. A research paper MUST cite other's works. You do not want to be guilty of plagiarism.

9. Presenting the Paper: You must now prepare for the physical presentation of your paper. Unless you were otherwise told, your paper should be typed by double-spacing with one-inch margins on every side of your page. Your college term paper should have a title page, the main body of the paper followed by the bibliography and then by Works Cited, or References.

Even a paper that contain cogent analysis, impeccable research and brilliant writing will still elicit a negative reaction from the one who is reading your paper if it happens to be wrinkled or barely readable. After reading over your term paper for the last time and proclaiming that it is free from errors, go home relax and grab a pizza.