Ten Steps to Help You Write Better Essays and Term Papers / Neil Sawers

"I wish I had this when I was in school" is the subtitle of a small but clearly written guideline to writing term papers. Ten steps to help you write better essays and term papers walks the essay writer through the process of paper writing following these ten simple steps:

1. Be proactive ("I can do this!")
2. Plan your work (plan from the due date back to present day)
3. Come up with the right topic (use mind maps or sticky notes to help you)
4. Identify the thesis (a supportable argument that can persuade the reader)
5. Do the research (Sawer suggests several sources of information and provides brief APA and MLA style guides)
6. Develop the organization/outline (put your information in logical order)
7. Write with your reader in mind (your final product should be reader-focused)
8. Complete the first draft (includes how to overcome writer's block)
9. Edit and revise the draft (try reading your work out loud)
10. Take one last look (after you've let it sit for a day or two)

Ten steps to help you write better essays and term papers can be found on the shelves at PE 1478 .S39 2002