Paper Requirements
Note that this paper is a scientific critical thinking paper, so you need to have a question/thesis statement/hypothesis that you present in your introduction and that you will be addressing throughout the paper. Your ideas need to be based on scholarly scientific sources (papers/articles), not your own ideas.
Avoid phrases like “I think/I believe/I feel/In my opinion” in your paper.
An outline is required a month before the paper is due. The outline format is of your own choosing as long as you have an introduction and your paragraphs and conclusion sorted out. The outline should not be a typed–out paper; just write one line per introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion to sort out your ideas.
Sources
You may use any scholarly scientific source in your term paper. At least 3 scholarly sources are required for this paper.
APA Format and ReferenceDownload APA Format and Reference
Focus on research articles. Note that Wikipedia and news articles are not good sources; they are secondary sources. Always use the primary source (the original source).
Use the database at the SWTJC Library
Format
Length of paper: Your term paper needs to be at least 2 pages in length. It can be longer, but the minimum is 2 pages of text. The length means full pages, disregarding the heading/title (which should be on the cover page) and reference page. Do not use subtopics or empty lines between paragraphs.
Format: The paper must be typed and double-spaced. The font needs to be size 12 Times New Roman or Calibri. Use regular margins and no extra indents except when starting a paragraph.
For this paper, the APA style is required for the References page and the in–text citations. See the APA document for guidelines. Note that APA in–text citations are formatted as (Last name, year). Example: (Freeman, 2015). All the other criteria for the paper have been listed in the previous paragraphs.
Purdue Online Writing LabLinks to an external site. may be useful to you when writing/planning your paper.
Paraphrase
Paraphrase everything. There is seldom a need to quote an author in science!
Guides to writing a scientific paper:
For instructions on how to write a scientific paper, please see this page from NatureLinks to an external site..
Focus on the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.
For the introduction, please note the meanings of these terms:
Context: The background for the topic that you are covering.
Need: Why are we interested in this? Why is there a need to understand this? Why is it important?
Task: What have you done? (You have written a review paper since you did not do any primary research of your own.)
Object: What will you talk about in this paper? This is also ultimately where your hypothesis comes into play.
For the conclusion, please note:
Describe how you have accomplished what you set out to do in the introduction (the object).
Do not summarize what you have already written.
What implications can you draw from your discussion? What do the findings mean to the reader?
Please remember that, whatever direction you choose to go in the discussion, approach it from a scientific perspective.
Download the handout: How to Write a Scientific Essay Download How to Write a Scientific Essayfor further instructions on how a scientific paper should be built. Note that this example is shorter than your paper.
Your score will be primarily influenced by:
The focus of the paper (the narrower the focus and clearer the language is, the higher your score)
How well your review addresses the focus of your paper
The extent of your analysis (deep vs. superficial)
How good your sources are (reliable, relevant sources are a must)
How well your paper is written (ideas flow coherently, no spelling or grammatical mistakes, correctly formatted)
Note that a term paper shorter than 3 pages of text will be deducted a minimum of 20 points per missing page.
Cover Sheet:
On your cover sheet, please include these items:
Your name
Title of your paper
Date
Class Time
Please center this information in the middle of the page using 12–pt. font.