Day: June 4, 2018

A thesis is a study that focuses on one subject deeply and a topic is what you aim to write about in that particular subject. Your thesis is an incredibly important piece of academic work because it carries a lot of credit points whether it is for undergraduate or postgraduate education and thus finding the right topic can be both anxious and challenging. Finding a topic for your thesis can be harder than the writing itself considering the vast majority of the topics out there. However, with the right guidelines, you can come up with a great thesis topic.

It is important to first understand what makes a great thesis topic.

While searching for a good thesis topic to write about, the best thing to do is to start by asking the correct research questions. A good research question is broad and offers the opportunity for multiple answers. Avoid questions with yes/no answers. A good example would be, instead of asking a question such as;

Does eating organic food help with weight loss?

You can reframe this question as

How does organic food help obese people with weight loss?

Such a question shall allow you as a scholar or a researcher to explore many variables and analyze different interactions and thus churn out a more substantive academic research. A great thesis topic is thus one that allows for a somewhat broad, precise, and open-ended question.

Another characteristic of a good thesis topic is that it fills a knowledge gap in a field of study where research already exists but there is still more to explore. Sometimes a thesis topic can bring a new perspective to an old topic.

As a student, you might feel the pressure to embark on research that will bring breakthrough results e.g cure for HIV. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. As long as your thesis topic leads to a unique element that will make your thesis stand out, then it is enough to research.

The first step in choosing a good thesis topic

A good thesis topic is usually selected based on its relevance to the subject of study and academic merits. Some requirements might be needed in your field of study while selecting a thesis topic. The requirements of your program of study can thus determine how far you will research and thus heavily influences the thesis topic you pick. Every program can have specific requirements so be sure to check those before picking a thesis topic. Some of the common requirements that a program can have are a range of allowable methodologies, a list of acceptable topics you can pick for your thesis, the word count, and even the deadline.

After familiarizing yourself with the requirements for selecting a thesis topic within your program, you can move to the next stage of picking up a topic which is brainstorming.

Brainstorming thesis topics for selection.

This can be the most challenging part of selecting a good thesis topic especially when your program doesn’t limit which topics you can work on. One of the places you can start considering finding a good thesis topic to research is your past assignments in this particular program. The term papers you have worked on and class projects you have been a part of can give you a clue about what you found interesting and what you didn’t like researching on. Focus on the interesting pieces of work that piqued your interest and you found intriguing. Which past class project did you want to know more about? If you can’t find a past project that is interesting enough, you can speak to your colleagues about what they find intriguing and are curious about in your field of study. The idea is to keep probing what areas of your study you are most passionate about. You can go through articles and journals on the contemporary issues in your field of study to find trending research topics. The more you probe into many sources of information, the more likely you are to come across an interesting part of your coursework that can help you select a good thesis topic.

Take notes of anything you find that you feel needs more research. Note any potential thesis topics down and you will soon have a list of researchable topics. You can even rank these topics so that you end up with four of them that you can present for approval. From the list, you can conduct preliminary research on the topics you have before settling on one that seems viable enough. It is good to have a backup in case your preferred topic is rejected or isn’t viable.

Preliminary Research on potential Thesis topics

When you have your list of potential thesis topics listed, you shall perform an undercover literature review on each of the possible thesis topics you have noted to find out the research that has been carried out in those fields and how far those research went, and what they found out. If you instead picked up a potential thesis topic from the past class projects or assignments you did, you might be already familiar with the literature in the fields you may want to study. However, this doesn’t mean that you will keep the literature review, if you base your thesis on a shorter-term paper, it will turn out to be longer and more involving. You will still have to look at new angles.

You must know where to unearth articles or journals for your preliminary research. You can make extensive use of Google scholar, you can use library databases such as EBSCO Host and LexisNexis. Numerous open access journals can be of great help in your preliminary research.

There is a chance that you might want to change the potential thesis topics have in mind as you conduct your preliminary literature review. This is all good, if you come across a more inspiring topic, you can read more to see if it will make a good thesis topic. However, don’t only read the literature you find interesting, that will limit your ability to find a good thesis topic to write on. Go through as much literature as you can find to reach a good thesis topic.

Making the Final Decision on selecting a good thesis topic

After conducting a preliminary literature review that you could find on the potential thesis topics, and you have narrowed it down to a few options that seem viable, it is now your time to decide on which topic to write on. This is not an easy decision to make, even the most interesting sounding research topics can get difficult to research when put to test. Is thus important that the topic you choose meet the following demands;

• Make sure the topic you choose is feasible. The thesis topic you settle for ought to be general and possible to answer with enough study. There should be enough past literature on the study to base your new research on
• Can you as the researcher find all the resources and materials you need to conduct your research? And how affordable are the resources you need for the study? If there shall be huge expenses you need to incur for the study of the chosen thesis topic, then it might not be a good topic to explore because you will need to raise funds which can take time if you have limited time to execute the research. If you are coming up with a thesis topic for your Ph.D., you might be okay with a time-consuming topic that will require extensive study and expenses but if you are conducting undergraduate research, you shall settle for a more convenient topic because you have as much as 2 years to conduct the research. You can also consider if you will have to travel long distances collecting data compared to the time you have for the research, if the topic will give you such inconveniences, you can drop it and consider a more manageable topic
• You can ask yourself if you find the thesis topic you have selected interesting. Does this topic arouse you intellectually and do you expect this interest to be sustained all through the research process? Many a time a topic seems interesting but a researcher loses morale during the research process, you can pick a topic with a purpose. That might drive you to finish it as opposed to picking topics you are only passionate about
• Are there any other research topics that have been published in the past that closely match your chosen thesis topic? You can consider those research, their sample size, and their methodologies to ascertain whether your topic is also practical enough to be tested in the field
• Lastly, you need to know if you have a supervisor that is willing to oversee the thesis. Sometimes, a supervisor shall be assigned based on the topic you have selected. If you already, you can consult with him or her as you make the final decision on your thesis topic

 

As compared to other types of academic write-ups, a PhD thesis holds great importance to an individual’s academic achievement because it does not only seek to add to knowledge but gives findings on a specific field of study. Institutions of higher learning take pride in possessing a PhD thesis that makes breakthrough discoveries in fields such as medicine, philosophy, or new technology. The thesis can solve a problem in society.

Due to the high-quality standards bestowed on a PhD thesis, the best work is required if a scholar is to make it through the coursework and graduate. A well-written thesis is considered credible and holds a lot of weight among scholars.

The Context of a PhD thesis

The main reason for an intelligently written PhD. thesis is not to just graduate from an institution with a degree but to solve a problem that has not been solved before. The research seeks to fill a serious knowledge gap that exists in the academic world. The thesis is not just challenging but determines thorough research from a scholar. The thesis thus ought to be very scientifically convincing to an institution.

The very first step in writing a PhD. thesis is thus to identify a research problem that is yet to be solved in a specific field of study let’s say for example a cure for HIV. This requires a researcher to embark on ferocious reading and checking of literature in a certain field.

In the first step, the researcher shall thus have to plan to execute research in a respective field and identify the gap between the existing knowledge and the identified research problem. He will read all the relevant documents he can find on the topic and start collecting reference points before he embarks on the writing process.

When you start writing a PhD thesis, you ought to have a clear structure that your paper shall follow;

The Table of contents or simply ‘Contents’ – shall capture the following

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• List of Figures, Graphs, and Tables
• Chapter 1 intro
• Chapter 2 Literature Review
• Chapter 3: Research Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results & Analyses
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Chapter 7: Recommendations for Future Study
• List of References/ Works Cited
• Bibliography
• Appendices
• Proofreading, editing, and Publication

The Cover Page 

This is the first written page of your thesis and it shall touch on the tile of your research. It declares clearly what your research is all about and what a reader ought to discover in the following parts of the thesis.

The Title Page

The follows the cover page, this page touches on more details about the thesis, it gives a reader the title of the thesis, the name of the researcher, the department, the academic institution of the scholar, the degree program of the researcher, the instructor or PhD supervisor and the date on which the research was submitted to the institution.

The Acknowledgments

This section of the thesis is meant to thank everyone that helped the scholar in the research process by giving him moral support, or even financial contributions to conduct the study. It is a thank you section and is quite important since it shows the gratitude a researcher has towards specific individuals

The Abstract

The abstract gives a clear picture of the objective of research and the processes a scholar followed to find his or her results. The abstract also touches on the findings and conclusions of the thesis. And should a researcher be obligated to give more details about a thesis, then the abstract shall be renamed to an executive summary. This is simply an in-depth description of a research procedure that cannot be captured in an abstract.

Contents/Table of Contents

This is the navigation map to the various sections of your research work and gives quick access to different chapters in your work. The table of contents is inserted automatically in a word program and can offer direct access to a specific page.

The List of Figures, Graphs, and Tables

It is a list of figures, graphs and any table included in the research document. For ease of access, it offers a specific page number where a certain figure can be found. It also includes the title of a figure.

The Introduction

This is the first chapter of your Ph.D. thesis. The introduction section of your thesis shall capture the following items; the statement of research, the background of the study, the aims of the study, the research problem, objectives, the research hypotheses, the relevance of the study, and the structure of the study.

The Literature Review

This is the second chapter of a PhD thesis and one of the most significant of a thesis. This part is a critical study of all the research done on the particular topic of study and it helps in differentiating what is already known and what is unknown in a study. As a scholar, you have to evaluate all the topics of study previously conducted in that particular field that brings new information to your topic of study. And thus the review ought to give empirical knowledge, conceptual realizations, and theoretical introspection.

To come up with great literature reviews, a researcher shall be very selective about his sources of information, only peer-reviewed journals and relevant books in some cases not more than five years old should be considered. Official data and information from credible institutions or by authority figures can also be considered. The scholar can make use of databases such as Google Scholar, Emerald, and EBSCO host among many others. Sources of information such as Wikipedia are not considered credible by many academic institutions.

As a scholar, it is very important to acknowledge every source you used to prevent plagiarism of other researchers’ work.

Research Methodology

This is the third chapter of a PhD thesis and also a significant part of the thesis since it validates the process of a thesis, the methodology section gives a reader an idea of how your data will be collected and the nature of the data used in the thesis. The data could either be qualitative which is in form of words or quantitative which is in form of figures and the analysis of the collected data can take either a descriptive approach which measures information in original form or an experimental approach which analyses data through experiments.

Results and Analysis of Data

This chapter of a PhD thesis and a great part of research since it gives the derivations and findings from research, this is where the results from a finding are presented. The analyses of the data from research should be done in a manner that the reader feels comfortable in consuming the findings. The results can thus be declared by observations or statistical derivations. The results can be analyzed in form of statements, tables, and graphs for easy understanding.

When analyzing data from your research, it is significant to relate the new information with the secondary data you gained from the literature review. This shows the improvement of the existing knowledge that your thesis has done.

Discussion Section

This is chapter five of the thesis. This is a critical part of the thesis that focuses on meeting the research objectives and establishes the relation that exists between the primary and secondary data. This part of the research answers the ‘so what?’ question by addressing the meaning of the findings in the particular field. The limitations of a particular study are also stated in this particular section and if there are any further investigations to be made, they are stated in this chapter.

Conclusions

This is chapter six of the PhD thesis. It is a summary of the entire thesis in a few words. The scholar in this chapter ought to explain the entire process of the study and the relevance of the thesis.

Recommendations Section

This is chapter seven of the PhD thesis. This part of the study offers pieces of advice on future areas of research that can be conducted in the particular field. It also offers the means that can be used to conduct further research. It is a critical part of the thesis because it gives a vision of the research. The scholar thus ought to write this part keenly.

Reference/Works Cited Section

The secondary sources used in the thesis are listed in this section according to the academic institution’s recommended style. The style can either be Harvard, APA, Chicago, OSLO, or MLA style. The reference section must also be in line with the in-text citations of the entire thesis. This is an important section of your study because an error in this part of the study can lead to the disqualification of research.

Bibliography Section

The bibliography section of a thesis list all the literary sources that can be used to offer a wider understanding of a certain thesis topic.

Appendices

Any additional information about the thesis is included in this section. Any calculations, terminologies used and their meanings, excerpts, additional resourceful material, list of equipment used, and tables used are listed here.

Proofreading, Editing, and Publication

This is a critical and often overlooked part of a thesis because it cleans up the entire thesis. It checks the content, the grammar, and spelling, the referencing, removes ambiguity and improves clear understanding of the work, checks the length of the work, plagiarism, and makes sure the submission and publication are well done.

A thesis can exist in several places. It can be in a debate speech, a closing argument of a lawyer, or sometimes even the punch line of a commercial. However, the most common place you are likely to be required to leave a good thesis statement is in an essay.

Whether you are tasked with writing an informative essay or an argumentative essay or you are handling a compare and contrast type of essay, without a good well-written thesis statement, your argument becomes weak because it is the thesis statement that guides the rest of your paper. Since it is the sentence that sums up the central point of your essay, a thesis statement shall come towards the end of your introduction paragraph.

Your thesis statement might differ depending on the type of essay you are writing. However, despite the type of essay, the statement will state directly the main point you want to pass and the premise upon which your arguments shall be based on.

Everything you shall say in the essay shall relate to this statement, and thus it carries a lot of weight. You don’t want your essay to suffer from a vague thesis statement that is hard to back up with hard facts. A weak thesis statement will water down your paragraphs and a good thesis statement will enable you to build strong paragraphs.

A good thesis statement will make a claim, a claim that others might dispute, however, it shall also be a roadmap for the essay and tell the audience how you are going to interpret the importance of the subject matter you are discussing. It is your stance.

How to write a good thesis statement 

The thesis statement from the above explanation is thus a result of a lengthy thinking process and not the first thing you will do when you have an essay to write. As a scholar, before you build an argument that is strong on any piece of work, it is important to go through that document to collect enough evidence and organize it coherently.

You can look for a relationship between items and draw puzzles where there are similarities and think about the importance of these relationships and patterns. Once you have gone through the work trying to find similarities, you shall have a “working thesis” which is a representation of the main idea of an argument that you think you can support with enough evidence. You will improve both your working thesis and the argument the more you look into the piece of work you are tasked with.

To write a good thesis, start with a question.

The first thing you shall do when writing a thesis statement for an essay, whether the essay is argumentative, expository, or literary analysis, is to start by asking a question, at the same time bear in mind that a thesis statement will look different in each of these types of essays. We shall have a look at how the thesis statement writing process shall unfold in each of the essays.

You shall start with a question, in an argumentative essay, your question will look thus;

Do steroids have a positive or negative impact on developing muscles?

If you had been tasked with writing an expository essay about diet, your question can be;

How do proteins help with gaining muscles?

If you are writing a thesis statement in a literary analysis essay, your question shall look like this:

How does Mario Puzo portray Michael Corleone in the Goodfather?

The second step in writing a thesis statement is writing a tentative answer to the questions you asked above. 

In an argumentative essay, your answer shall look like this;

Steroids have a more negative impact than a positive one in developing muscles.

In an expository essay, your answer shall be like this;

Proteins are the building blocks that repair and maintain muscles. 

In a literary analysis essay, your answer shall look like this;

Mario Puzo portrays Michael Corleone as a tragic hero. 

The 3rd step in writing a good thesis statement is developing your answer.

At this point as a writer or a student, you can consider why you have given a certain answer and how you want to convince the readers to agree with your answer. Your answer will become more detailed as you read more about your topic.

Note that the final thesis statement you will create will not only state your stance, but it will also be a summary of the entire argument.

To revisit the above questions, let’s look at a developed answer to all the questions in various types of essays.

In the argumentative essay, a developed answer will look like this;

Steroids have a more negative impact than a positive one on developing muscles because when they are taken for long, they lead to muscle wasting and weakness. 

In an expository essay, a developed answer will look like this;

Proteins are great for growing and maintaining muscles because amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, help the tissues repair after a strenuous workout. 

In a literary analysis essay, a developed answer will look like this;

Mario Puzo portrays Michael Corleone as a tragic hero in the Godfather because he is initially a good character who finds himself in a situation that conflicts with his reserved personality and forces him to make tough decisions. 

The fourth step in writing a good thesis statement is in improving your thesis.

Let’s have a look at the examples above to have a clear picture of how each has unfolded leading to a strong thesis statement.

In an expository essay, the first statement, which is a weak thesis statement was:

Proteins are the building blocks that repair and maintain muscles. 

The developed good thesis statement is convincing and shall look like this:

Proteins are great for growing and maintaining muscles because amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, help the tissues repair after a strenuous workout. Your muscles slightly tear during a workout and for them to repair and grow bigger, you need the building blocks that are found in protein-rich food like organic eggs. 

In a literary analysis example, the first statement, which is a weak thesis statement was;

Mario Puzo portrays Michael Corleone as a tragic hero.

A developed, good thesis statement that is convincing shall look like this;

Mario Puzo portrays Michael Corleone as a tragic hero in the Godfather because he is initially a good character who finds himself in a situation that conflicts with his reserved personality and forces him to make tough decisions that affect his family and lineage radically. 

What makes a good thesis statement?

What are the fundaments of a powerful thesis?

When writing a thesis statement, you will consider several factors like the length and the position it shall hold in an essay. Don’t also forget to consider how strong its argument is.

In terms of length, the thesis statement can either be short or long, this might depend on the points it mentions. However, the statement shall have two clauses. The independent clause (which is the opinion) and the dependent clause (which are the concrete facts that support the opinions). You can thus aim for a single sentence or two sentences that are more than fifty words long.

The second attribute is the position of the thesis statement, you will place your thesis statement at the beginning of an essay. Many instructors might have different preferences on the exact location of a thesis but the rule of thumb is that in many academic institutions, the thesis shall appear at the end of the introduction paragraph. The last two sentences of that paragraph shall hold the statement.

Consider if you have taken an arguable position or one that is difficult to challenge. If you have written a thesis statement that no one could disagree with and cannot be debated, there might be a chance that you have provided a summary as opposed to making an argument.

Consider if the thesis statement is specific enough and doesn’t contain vague statements such as ‘good’ or ‘great’. It would help your thesis if you can be specific enough, why would you consider something good, or what specifically makes it great. Expounding on the grey areas shall give your thesis more clarity and make it believable enough and yet still debatable.

Consider if the rest of your essay supports the thesis statement without wavering. If your paragraphs and the thesis statement don’t seem to support each other strongly, you can alter some parts of your “working thesis” to reflect the new things you may have noticed while writing. It is okay to revise the thesis until you have a clear stand.

Lastly, your thesis statement ought to answer the “how and why” question. If your reader’s first response to the thesis is “how or even why?” your thesis might not be specific enough and poor at directing the reader towards your position and the rest of the essay. The audience needs to understand the position you have taken right from the beginning. Another question the thesis statement should address is the “so what?” question, you need to clear any clarifications in your thesis statement and connect to the larger issue being discussed.

 

Learn how to format a research paper in MLA style step by step by going through this guide. In the end, you will able to write good research papers in MLA as the example shown within the article.

MLA College Research Paper Format Guidelines for Students

The nature of your research does not matter, if your paper is centered on an effective outline. The outline is essential because it will assist you in not only aligning your thoughts, but it also serves as the outline for your entire assignment. A research outline is a constant, visual reminder that you should incorporate essential detail in your paper. It is the building block for your paper because it will guide you through the comprehensive process.

Students should understand that the introduction is massively important in a research paper. Beginning a research paper will provide the instructor with your primary intention that you will mention throughout the paper. It is done primarily by presenting the topic, and crafting a catchy thesis statement that will capture the attention of the reader.

Thereafter, a student needs to write a body that will cover vital parts of the essay comprehensively. The student need to ensure that their sentences are filled with important facts that will convince the reader that the essay is of high quality. It will also ensure that your arguments will be centered on strengthening your thesis statement. Furthermore, the body should also provide the insights into the methods that have been used to conduct your research, by providing formidable questions to pondered questions and investigative points.

A literature overview is also critical when drafting a research paper. It is achieved by providing peer reviewed scholarly sources to support your hypothesis and theories. The topic of your research and your literature review should be in sync, because students tend to provide literature reviews that are not adjacent with their paper.

If you want to include a data validation section in your research paper, they need to follow the literature and methodology sections. The section is critical because it will allow you to mention essential variables that you have covered and showcase your results. Tables or graphs can also be included, but a student should ensure they provide insightful explanation because some tables may be complex to the reader.

The conclusion is the final part of a research paper, but it does not provide further information. Instead, it provides a summary of the vital points addressed in the paper. It is also MUST to mention the thesis statement and mention how future research maybe conducted.

We are committed to help write a magnificent research paper, so we have provided you with research paper writing service with excellent reputations:

How to Format a Research Paper In MLA

There are a myriad of sources that you can consult, and they will assist you write an excellent research paper. They also have personnel that have specialized skills, so be sure that you will receive a paper centered on your desires. Excellent research papers will provide you with a glimpse of what is extensively required. The recipe of a deficient research paper is it has a bunch of texts and citations that have been written with the hope of attaining an excellent grade, with ascertaining it has all the qualities of a good research paper.

Attaining a distinction in your research paper needs an unmatched effort, and diligence. You need to ensure you have conducted thorough research on your topic, the paper has been appropriately formatted, all your sources are legitimate, and have been cited accurately. The guidelines below will assist you to draft a paper that has been professionally written.

Formatting a College Research Paper

1. Paper

Always ensure that your paper is clean, so that you can ensure that you submit neat work. Its background needs to be white, unless stated otherwise, and the margins need to be 8 ½” x 11”.

2. Margins

The margins of your essay should be 1” (2.5 cm) at the right, left, top, and bottom of every page. The page number should be at the top and are placed at ½” (1.25 cm) from the margin of the paper.

3. MLA Title Page format

A research paper does not require a title page unless stated otherwise by the instructor. There is a general outline that an MLA research needs to be written, and how sources should be documented. If you are not sure, feel free to revisit the guidelines.

If you are instructed not to include a topic on your paper, you may begin 1” from the top of the first page by typing your name. Type your instructors name, your course code, and the date. If the instructor does not want the page numbered, you can begin numbering from the second page. You should ensure that these details are double spaced and flushed against the left margin.

Example:

James White

Mr. P. Smith

COR-3H2-01

16^TH March 2010

Gun Violence: What Needs To Be Done?

You should ensure that your title is not all capitalized, and do not also include quotation marks before, and after the title. You should also not underline the topic, or include the word period at the end of the sentences. All nouns and important words in the title should be capitalized. However, conjunctions and prepositions should be written in lower case letters, and the same should be done for headings and sub-headings. Acronyms such as the FBI that represents the Federal Bureau of Investigations also be capitalized. When including unpopular acronyms, you must provide its meaning at the first appearance on your essay, for instance, The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

If you are instructed to include a cover page on your paper, you need to begin on a new page. Use the formatted provided by the instructor, because if you fail, you will be subject to deductions of marks. Otherwise, ensure all contents are double spaced, which include, School Name (optional) paper title, school (optional), course code, and professor’s name.

The Following is how your first page should appear:

Gun Violence: What Needs To Be Done?

COR-3H2-01

Mr. P. Smith

James White

16^TH March 2010

If you align your cover page as the example below, you will be destined for point deduction,

TITLE OF ESSAY: GUN VIOLENCE: WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

TO MY TEACHER: MRS. PETER SMITH

FROM YOUR STUDENT: JAMES SMITH

ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE: MONDAY

MARCH 17^TH 2010

Adding words on the title page is unnecessary because it will seem like you are providing explanation to basic information. Proving a simple paper will make it look presentable and neat making the instructor intrigued about your paper even before they begin reading it.

4. Page Numbers and Paragraphs

Ensure that all your pages in your paper have page numbers, which should be situated in the upper right hand corner. According to the MLA handbook, you should write your surname before the page number in case you misplaced your paper. The page number should be written in Arabic numerals, but you should not add decorations because the paper is formal. You should also not underline it, precede it with “P’, “Pg.”, or “Paper”. If the paper appears as the following, you will be subject to point deduction: 4. 4, “4”, (4), *4*, -4-, ~4~, #4, p. 4, pg. 4, pg. 4, Page 4, or PAGE 4.

In cases where the paper needs to be submitted to your professor’s email, they may advise that you add numbers at the beginning paragraphs consecutively and adding brackets, for example [1]. Electronic submission has become increasingly common in recent years because of the massive advancements in information technology. People use email extensively because it is more convenient, especially in higher education institutions where assignments were submitted manually. This method of adding paragraph is essential because it enhances citation of sources because they can be easily identified in the paper.

5. Spacing Between Lines

Your entire essay should be double spaced, whether you want to submit it manually or electronic. Its margins should also be 1” on all side so that your instructors can comment on different areas on your essay.

Spacing Between Words

It is advisable to leave a single space between words, and a single space after a colon, semi-colon, and a comma. You are also required to add one space at the end of the sentence whether it ends with a question or exclamation mark. Although, you cannot be penalized for leaving two spaces, it is not advisable because it is way that has been outdated.  However, there should be no spaces in front of a punctuation mark, for instance you should write “Why me?” instead of “Why me ?”

If you need compressive and insightful details on how labels, tables, illustrations, figures, captions, musical notations can be added on your essay, please visit  MLA Handbook.

6. Indentation

An excellent essay that will earn you excellent grades needs to be double spaced, and begin each paragraph with a 1” indentation from the left margin. If you are not sure your paragraph is indented, you the width of your thumb to prove. However, your instructor may require you to indent or not, but your indentation must be consistent throughout your essay. If you have been instructed NOT to use indentation, you need to start each paragraph flush to the left margin. You should quadruple-space between paragraphs

When your essay is not being indented, you are supposed to begin each paragraph flush towards the left margin. Double spacing between each lines is integral whereas quadruple spacing is essential between paragraphs. This is because it’s difficult for a reader to differentiate between paragraphs when they are not indented, hence the quadruple space recommendation. Moreover 1” or 10 spaces are advised for the set-off quotations. And this is done from the left margin.

Automatic Hyphens and right justify:

When writing your essay using a word processor you should neither format your hyphens automatically nor right justify the whole essay. Instead, you should only justify or left justify where necessary and also type in hyphens manually where it’s required. The reason why the left justify is essential is the fact that it doesn’t leave huge spaces in between words.

Titles of magazines, books, journals, or Newspapers

Once, titles of complete length works, that may include plays, novels, or even books are used in the paper that you are writing, they are supposed to be underlined, for example Shakespeare’s Theater.

For shorter works however, quotation marks should be used. For example chapters of books, magazine, newspaper and journal articles and essays for example; “Giving Back to the Earth: Western Helps Make a difference in India.”

When it comes to all title citations every word, this is with the exceptions of articles (“a”, “an”, “the”) conjunctions (“and”, “but”, “however”, “because”), prepositions (“in”, “on”, “under”, “over”) are supposed to be in capital letters. The only reason that they should be capitalized is when they appear at the beginning of titles or a subtitles, for example, “And Now for Something Completely Different: A Hedgehog Hospital.”

When you are not sure whether a word is either being used as a noun, a preposition, a verb a conjunction or an adverb, look it up in a dictionary. For instance, a word like “near” depending on the writer’s context may be used as a verb an adjective, an adverb, or a preposition.

For details complicated with regards to citation of quotations and titles that appear within titles, shortened titles, texts, exceptions to the rules, you should consult the MLA Handbook (102-109)

Writing a Research Paper in All capital letters

IN AS MUCH AS THIS SAVES TIME AND ENERGY USED TO COMBINE KEYS WITH THE SHIFT KEY, DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE THE WHOLE PAPER IN CAPITAL LETTERS. THIS MOSTLY HAPPENS TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT DID NOT LEARN HOW TO WRITE SENTENCES IN UPPER AND LOWER CASESPROPERPLY DURIN THEIR TIME IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. OTHERS USE UPPR CASE IN WRITING SO THAT WHAT THEY ARE WRITING MAY SEEM IMPORTANT. READING A PAPER THAT MAY HAVE BEEN WRITTEN IN UPPER CASE ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PAPER LACKS SPACES AND PUNCTUATION MARKS IS DIFFICULT MAY REDUCE COMPREHENSION OF THE READER, AND SLOWS DOWN READING SPEED THIS IS BESIDES THE READING PROCESS BEING EXTREEMELY ANNOYING. THIS UNDERMINES THE MAIN PURPOSE OF READING BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE. OUR EYES ARE NOT SUITED NATURALLY TO READ A LOT OF TEXT IN UPPERCASE. ALSO THE WORD PROCESSORS TREAT LETTERS NOT SPACED AS SINGLE WORDS.

 Table of contents

Short essays and research papers do not require Table of Contents. Although it is helpful to include a Table of contents once the essay that you have written is extremely long showing each page number for easier navigation. This is a suggested order of how the Table of Contents should appear like.

Acknowledgements, Foreword, Introduction, Body(parts I, II, III), a conclusion or Summary, Afterword, Explanatory Notes, Appendices, Contact Organizations, Glossary, Endnotes or footnotes, Bibliography, Index.

There is also a lesser version of the Table of Contents and it may include: Introduction, Body where main sections are used, summary or conclusion, references or cited works this is along with the corresponding page numbers

Example of a Table of contents

Introduction …………………………………………1

Government …………………………………………3

Economy ……………………………………………6

Arts and Entertainment……………………………..10

Conclusion………………………………………….14

Works………………………………………………15

End of Research Paper

The only thing that is needed is simply a period not fancy symbols or word or phrase is required.

Final Note on the Research Paper

Based on the author’s educational level and personal viewpoints, the research papers topics are usually inherently different, even when the topics are identical materials are unique. A research paper may turn out great if the author uses the research outline properly regardless of the topic or grade level of the author. The essay should include headings and subheadings that are bulleted; you should try and put in as much details as you can. Make sure to cross out each finished section so as to help you through as you finish

An example of a research paper

INTRODUCTION

1. A quick overview or introduction of the issue or topic
2. Methodology
3. Thesis statement
4. Full review of the sources applied and corresponding literature
5. Brief explanation of research relevance

BODY

1. Detailed information on main points of the argument
2. Use as many paragraphs as possible. Different point in each paragraph

CONCLUSION

1. Brief summary on main points mentioned in the body
2. Reiterate thesis statement
3. Closing thoughts or remarks.