Term Paper on "Student Survival"

Term Paper 5 pages (1598 words) Sources: 0 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Student Survival Guide

Conducting Successful Library and Internet Searches

Research papers are less daunting when you know how to use library and Internet sources to their fullest and become used to the process of seeking appropriate sources for your material. Some papers may require that you rely exclusively on scholarly sources published either in books or peer-reviewed journals. In this case, the Internet is a poor source of information, as few academic books and peer-reviewed journals are available freely in digital formats. Services like Google Scholar may point you in the right direction but unless you have access to an online academic library you may be better off using the search engines available through the university intranet. Those databases contain massive digital libraries of entries in peer-reviewed academic journals. Ask your professor(s) whether or not remote login to scholastic databases is available.

University libraries offer a plethora of sources on any number of topics and almost any book or journal you find in your university's library will be appropriate for use in an academic research paper. Internet research is not so straightforward. Almost as a rule, any information culled from personal websites, bogs, and wiki sites cannot be cited as authoritative material. Such sites are unreliable scholastically but may offer you ideas to expand your search elsewhere. Generally, sites that are published under university domains are reliable. Some mainstream news sources like CNN.com or nytimes.com may also be appropriate for you, depending on the topic or class you are writing for. Government sites also tend to offer reliable sources of information. Publications offered by well-known think tanks or NGOs can also be cited as scholastic sources.

What sources you use and where you find them will largely depend on the class, topic, and professor. Some research papers can be sourced almost entirely from online publications while others cannot include any online sources at all. When in doubt ask your professor(s) which online sources are appropriate. As you write more research papers you will get used to evaluating sources for their biases and credibility. The above guidelines can help you narrow down your choices to sources that are either cited in academic databases or published by credible institutions including universities, professional organizations, governments, and think tanks. You would do best to avoid almost anything published on a.com site; relying on.org and.edu sites is generally a good idea.

Upholding Academic Honesty

Academic honesty refers to a broad set of ethical principles and practices you should live up to while at university and even beyond. Generally, academic honesty centers on understanding what plagiarism is and how to avoid inadvertently stealing someone else's ideas or words.

Plagiarism at its most obvious entails verbatim copying from what you read online or in print. Similarly, reproducing what you hear on television, film or in a lecture is also plagiarism. Whenever you write down what someone else has said or written you must give credit in the form of a citation. When you copy word-for-word the reference will almost always include quotation marks followed by either a footnote or a parenthetical citation. The specific format of your reference notes depends on your class and your professor(s) preferences. A wealth of information about properly citing direct quotes is available online.

However, plagiarism is often more subtle than verbatim quotes and can create complex and confusing conundrums as you write research papers. As you write you will be tempted to borrow ideas from others, often without realizing it. Try to become more aware of which ideas are your own, from your own creative and analytical thought process, and which ideas originated from the sources you read.

Paraphrasing from sources usually requires proper referencing and to paraphrase and not give credit can be considered plagiarizing. Many students wonder where they can draw the line between common sense and proprietary ideas. Use your best judgment. If an idea is a matter of opinion, or if an idea constitutes a novel hypothesis about a given subject, then you are better off providing credit. If you, your mother, your roommate, and your little sister would have heard of this idea then you can probably get by without a citation. Citations for paraphrased ideas do not require quotation marks but may demand parenthetical or footnote references. Again, ask your professors which citation format they prefer or use one of the standardized ones like APA or MLA. You can find those citation style guides online.

Developing Effective Study Skills

Study skills can help you maximize your time and your absorption of knowledge, facilitating your understanding of a subject and your ability to succeed in class. Therefore, experiment with different ways of studying to find what works best for you. There are no rules about studying and there is no one correct way to study but the following guidelines will help you develop effective study skills. First, discover what your learning style is. Do you remember where sentences are on the printed page? You may be visually-oriented. Do you remember things best when they are told to you by someone else or in a class lecture? You may have an auditory learning style. Do you need lots of examples or hands-on learning? Try to become more aware of how you like to learn and what helps you retain information and design your study area around that learning style.

Second, maximize technology to make it work for you when you study. When working in an online learning environment, your study style is likely to change and evolve. Hypertext allows you to follow tangential thoughts without going too far from the original topic. Chat rooms and instant messaging allow socially-oriented individuals to collaborate and share ideas without disturbing others in their environment. Using your computer you can take notes or even record audio clips from class lectures.

Managing Time Wisely

Time management is essential when you are at university. This may be the first time that you have had to manage your own time because before now you probably lived a more structured life. You may be tempted to sleep in every day and party every night, dragging yourself into your five classes per week and neglecting the time you need to prepare for your final term papers. Learn how to use your free time wisely to avoid academic burn-out or under-achievement. The following ideas may help you organize your time wisely.

Discover your priorities in life. Do you thrive off a lot of athletic or physical activity? Then devote as much time as you can per week or per day to exercise. If you are on an athletic team, you will be able to schedule in practice times just as you schedule in your classes. The same holds true if you participate in social groups, clubs, and any other formal extracurricular activity.

If you value socializing and partying, make sure you reserve at least one night a week for that. But don't overdo it: be realistic about what you can accomplish. Make sure to spend enough time relaxing on your own, doing what you like to do such as playing games, reading, or just sitting outside in the sun. Leisure time helps your mind relax so that you are more rejuvenated the next time you need to buckle down. Also make sure you make enough time for friends and family who live off-campus. If you don't, they will start to feel neglected, causing you stress and arguments later on that will sap your time and energy even more. Finally, maintain a balanced schedule. If you work hard one week, take it easy the next week. Don't work or play too hard. Know your limits and get used to your boundaries. You will find you have more time when you eliminate anything from your life that you don't… READ MORE

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