What happens if you're stuck with your term paper

Term papers aren’t that fun to write. When you’re already knee deep in other homework and working at a part time job, another assignment is the last thing you’re going to want. Having the time to do it and not wanting to do it are two different things. If you’re struggling with a term paper, there may be a few reasons for this. Some of the most common reasons students get stuck are:

  • They don’t have enough time left to write
  • They can’t figure out what to do next
  • They have a hard time getting started writing
  • The research is too confusing
  • Trying to use vague instructions from the teacher
  • Not being that good of a writer
  • If they don’t like the topic or know nothing about it
  • Unable to focus because of other commitments

You’re probably feeling at least one and maybe most of those reasons right now. What can you do to change things? Well, getting stuck on a term paper is normal and you shouldn’t worry too much. It only happens when you aren’t fully prepared for the project. Most students dive right into the first draft or the research without organizing their materials and without an outline. If you do use those two things, then you’ll be much better off. You can still benefit from organization and outlines even partway through writing.

Using an Outline to Get Un-stuck with your Term Paper

Here’s how it works: take what you’ve already written and compare it to the instructions from your teacher. Then make a list of all the items you haven’t done yet, or things that you’ve missed. Write down those things in the order they’ll appear in your term paper, and then summarize each one briefly. You only need a sentence or two to describe each section. If you have some research done already, put in the quotes and statistics where you’d like them to show up.

For students that have a hard time even starting their term paper, it’s easy to do the same thing. Simply take all of the guidelines from your teacher and make the same checklist. If you have no research sources yet, just put a –insertquotehere- or something that will remind you when you come back to it. It’s a good idea to keep all of your materials and research in one place, so you never have to waste time looking for something you lost.

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