Research Papers

Triangulation can be defined as a kind of cross-checking of information and conclusions in research, brought about by the use of multiple procedures or sources.

Forms of triangulation

• method triangulation
• data triangulation
• research triangulation
• theory triangulation

Triangulation is basically checking if the study is credible (trustworthy) or not.

Formatting and referencing your term paper

Most universities do give points for presentation. Now, let's say your content is worth a 65 and there are 5 marks up for grabs for good presentation. That's the difference of a whole grade band in most unis. So don't ignore the formatting - margins, font size and style, headings etc.

Referencing is even more important - because it tells your lecturer/instructor where you got your source materials from for your term paper, and it provides them with evidence of your research. You should check what referencing style your university requires and follow it very closely. Remember that there are usually different styles for different subjects - for example, ACS (American Chemical Society) is frequently used in chemistry, AIP (American Institute of Physics) for physics, AMS, e.g. AMS-LaTeX for maths, and APA (American Psychological Association) for social sciences. Within those styles, each type of publication may be presented slightly differently.

Referencing your sources properly has a number of benefits:-

# it helps add strength and support to the arguments you have presented; # it ensures you acknowledge ideas and material that belongs to other people and separates this from your own ideas; # it shows your lecturer/instructor that you have researched the topic properly; # it allows your reader to locate your sources and do further reading; and, perhaps most importantly, # you will avoid being accused of plagiarism, i.e. stealing other people's ideas and passing them off as your own!

Whilst every university has its own grading systems, without doubt, you won't get a great mark for your term paper unless you research profusely, use a good selection of quality source material and reference it properly. These are the essential hallmarks of a quality term paper.

Editing and proofreading your term paper

Editing your term paper means going through the paper and cutting out anything that doesn't need to be there. For each section, ask yourself - does this help to answer my term paper question? Is this relevant? If I cut this out, would the term paper be as good?

The language also needs editing carefully for 'waffle'! Here are some tips:

Condense your work. If you can say something in ten words, don't use twenty. For example: Prior to the event of the twentieth century, writers who most often used English language would commonly used very long sentences and a very complicated and overly detailed style. In quite a number of other European languages across the globe, such as German, French, Spanish and Dutch, the use of overly long sentences was even more extensive; to take but one example, the philosopher Hegel was very well known for writing sentences that would easily have occupied three pages or even more depending on the size of the pages (89 words)

Wow! This is a long way of saying something that could be summarized in just a few words....

Prior to the twentieth century, English writers commonly used overly long, complex sentences. In several European languages, such as German, such use was prolific. For example, the German philosopher Hegel was known for writing sentences that spanned over three pages (40 words)

The second version says pretty much the same thing as the first but it's more concise, easier to read and doesn't use up so much of your valuable word count.

Leave out any describing words that just don't need to be there. There is nothing wrong with adding in some emotion when it is appropriate (for example, a 'brutal murder' rather than a 'murder' .. a 'horrific accident' rather than an 'accident') but where the describing word describes something that is obvious already, it becomes padding. For example, the "skilled, tuneful musician" (could there ever be a skilled musician who wasn't tuneful?), or the "cold, wet ice" (on the whole, ice is generally cold and wet!)

Be careful with linking words. Whilst you do need to link your paragraphs together, so that your term paper has a logical structure the reader can follow, you don't need to use such an impressive selection of nonsensical words that the reader's attention is drawn more to them than to the actual content. There is a place for them but they should not be overused. Here are some examples: Also .. additionally .. similarly .. moreover .. furthermore - the latter two are quickly becoming redundant and should be avoided. If you use similarly, also or additionally in your term paper, make sure the point you are making really is an additional or similar point to the one you have just made.

However .. although .. on the other hand .. yet .. nevertheless .. in contrast .. - use these words in your term paper if you are making a contrast to a previous point. DON'T use them at the start of a paragraph.

Consequently .. therefore .. as a result .. so .. - use these words to draw a conclusion in your term paper on a specific issue, but make sure you are actually concluding at the end of your assessment of a particular issue - not just linking together the paragraphs as this won't work.

Finally, make sure you run a comprehensive spelling and grammar check on your term paper. Proofread and proofread again - read your term paper out loud to yourself or to a friend and make sure it is clear, understandable and logical. It's no good having great ideas if they can't be understood - so if you can't write English very well, ensure you have had the work checked over thoroughly by someone who can.

Follow this advice and you'll be well on your way to producing an excellent term paper that achieves the grade you deserve.