IT and Web Term Paper Writing Tips to Make Your Paper Shine

Writing guide
Posted on January 21, 2019

Information technology is a broad subject area with interrelated topics focusing on data management and analytics, digital and embedded systems, cyber and network security, management information systems, networking, information, and communications technologies, etc. Let’s say this semester’s units in information technology focus on management information systems. Your professor is likely to assign you term paper assignments that require you to analyze information technology from a specific angle or examine the dynamics of information systems management. Therefore, your IT paper should focus on choosing the right theme for the term paper to ensure you come up with an excellent term paper.

The term paper assignment aims at assessing your ability to grasp the content taught, your level of IT concepts understanding, your ability to synthesize theories in computer informatics and related technologies, and your level of using concepts for applicability purposes. IT term papers focus on different aspects, which means you have a great scope of content from which you can select a term paper topic. Term papers involve a wide range of mechanics and dynamics that should be met in every piece. This IT term paper writing guide provides you with significant insights and tips on the way to select topics for your IT term paper, basic pre-writing tips, the way to create thesis statements, and the recommended overall term paper structure. Follow the recommendations to meet your tutor’s expectations and attain a high grade.

Prewriting Strategies for Your IT Term Paper

The three essential prewriting strategies include freewriting, clustering, and outlining.

  • Freewriting. The hardest part of the writing process is starting your assignment. You have little information or no idea about what should be written in your term paper even when you have the topic at hand. Freewriting is an important tool for minimizing thought congestion and developing coherent ideas that can be translated into well-organized text. The process involves writing without concern for correctness or quality. Its main aim is to help you transfer ideas from your head onto paper in a creative way without minding about technical writing processes. A single rule that should guide you in the process is “Don’t stop!” In this case, keep your thoughts running and transfer them onto paper for synthesis.
  • Clustering. Clustering is also known as mind-mapping, bubbling, and webbing. Clustering is an easy and graphic way to capture your ideas on paper while illustrating how each idea is related to the others and the term paper topic. You can begin clustering by placing your chosen or prospective topic at the center of a page and drawing a circle around it. Then, as related words, phrases, and ideas come to your mind, write them, circle them, and connect them to the circles that enclose related ideas. Clustering helps to deviate your mind from the usual thinking in straight lines. It enables you to understand how different ideas are interconnected and enables you to create the themes that can be explored from various perspectives.
  • Outlining. Outlining involves coherently organizing thoughts. For a good term paper, you need to diligently outline your paper ideas even before you write your first draft. Basic outlining is known as a skill every student should have. An outline will help you to categorize the main points, to put the paragraphs in a logical order, and to make sure that each paragraph/idea can be fully developed. An outline helps prevent you from encountering obstacles that may hinder the actual writing process. No prewriting strategy can be more helpful than outlining. Approaches such as freewriting and clustering can help you loosen the clogged ideas in your brain and finally complete the blank page. Notably, the outlining process will help put those scattered ideas into a manageable order. You may use one strategy or combine them to enhance the writing process and boost the accumulation of ideas in a coherent manner.

Selecting a Topic for Your IT Term Paper: A Few Ideas from Our Writers

You may be faced with two possible situations. Your lecturer may provide you with a topic to investigate, or you may be allowed to choose one yourself. On the one hand, you may visit the school library and find sources with IT content. In the latter case, you have to brainstorm ideas and take over the responsibility for choosing the proper theme. There are numerous avenues you’re free to use to find an appropriate topic if you are given the freedom to select a topic. Use the following approaches to formulate and select an appropriate topic.

Brainstorm. Brainstorm through writing down all ideas that come to your head concerning various issues in the IT area. Every idea that crosses your mind should be noted down in no particular order. Once you have a collection of ideas that can build a term paper, organize them logically to develop common themes and a topic for your paper.

Research background information. Once you have generated your ideas, it is time to conduct research on background information related to them. You can read journal articles on two or three topics you are considering. You may also search for information on the Internet or discuss with peers the current issues affecting chosen aspects in IT. Research provides you with an overview of several topics that you can explore and allows you to visualize the way your generated ideas relate to the broader issues.

Select a topic that interests you. Once you find the ideas that interest you in the field, it is advisable to explore them to develop interesting topics you can write about. You may need to respond to the following questions to generate ideas for your special IT topic.

  • Do I have a strong opinion on a current issue affecting IT area?
  • Have I encountered recent news feeds that have piqued my interest or made me anxious about certain aspects of IT?
  • Am I interested in the subject that I’m about to discuss?
  • Which topic may be useful for me in the future?
  • Is the subject likely to be covered in articles and books?
  • Do I have a personal issue or interest that I would explore in the field of study?
  • Is there an aspect in the IT class that I am interested in learning more about?

If the answers to the above questions are mostly ‘yes’ then you have a topic you can focus on and write about.

Focus on the topic. Once you have settled on a specific IT issue, keep it manageable to ensure that it is not too narrow or too broad. If the topic is too broad, you can use geographic, time, discipline, or population limiters to narrow it down. Conversely, use expanders based on timelines, specific areas of study, population, or region to broaden the topic. Possible topics in the IT field include:

  • User Acceptance of Information Technology in Schools;
  • Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology among Professionals in the Medical Field;
  • Methods Used by the Banks to Leverage Information Technology to Transform Their Institutions;
  • How Can Information Technology Be Used to Redesign Businesses?
  • Why Do People Use Information Technology and in What Ways?

How to Formulate a Thesis Statement for Your Information Technology Term Paper

A thesis statement should be placed in the last sentence of your introduction. It presents your argument and provides evidence for it. Your term paper should contain a thesis statement to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two, to organize and develop your argument properly, and to provide the reader with a guide to your term paper arguments. The thesis you develop will meet the noted objectives if you think of it as the answer to the questions your term paper explores. A thesis statement should squeeze your entire paper into a single question. Your initial step should involve distilling the given assignment into a particular question. For instance, if your topic involves explaining the potential benefits of using computers in first and second grade, you may transform the topic into the following question “What are the potential benefits of using computers in second and third-grade classes?” After you have chosen the question your paper will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question to come up with a thesis statement. Use the format below:

Q: What are the potential benefits of using computers in second and third-grade classes?
A: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

The response to the noted question is the thesis statement for your IT paper.
A good thesis statement includes the following four attributes:

  • Takes on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree. In this case, it should be refutable;
  • Deals with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment;
  • Expresses the term paper’s main idea;
  • Asserts your conclusions about a subject.

How to Structure Your Information Technology Term Paper

The main elements that make up a term paper structure include the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

Introduction. Many students, even the seasoned writers, struggle when writing an introduction part of their works. The question that lingers in their mind is ‘How do I write a term paper introduction properly?’ This is an important question since the introduction is an essential part that captures the interest and provides an overview of the paper. The most important aspects you should consider when writing your introduction are as indicated below:

  • The background information for your term paper and the appropriate literature review if needed;
  • The general statement of the research and discussion issue, as well as the objective of your work;
  • The thesis statement, which is the last and the most significant sentence of the introduction part;
  • Working definitions for terms that may not be common in the IT field of study.

The introduction should provide general background information that provides a brief summary of the issue you are about to discuss, as well as information concerning what has already been written on the chosen topic. In most cases, it is important to show the gap in research that you intend to fill with your term paper content. The introduction should be clear and precise and should constitute at least 10% of the term paper. However, the length may vary depending on the term paper topic, its scope, and its length.

Body. The body section is the most extensive part of the term paper that occupies about 80% of the entire paper. The body is organized in paragraphs and presents the paper’s arguments, provides facts, statistics, and information that serves as supporting evidence for the provided claims. The logical organization of the body paragraphs is of uttermost importance in a term paper. Each paragraph presents an important idea and should begin with a topic sentence. Moreover, you should provide supporting data for the claims you make, while they should link to the topic sentence and the thesis statement. If your term paper is long, the body section can be subdivided using subheadings based on thematic topics. However, the subheadings should not be abrupt. Instead, they should provide a smooth transition from one section to another.

Conclusion. The conclusion is the last part of your term paper that provides a summary and evaluation of the whole piece. You should restate your thesis statement using different words and make all necessary inferences that conclude your paper. If your paper requires recommendations, you can input them at the conclusion section. The conclusion should form at least 10% of your term paper content.

Post-Writing Tips to Make Your Piece Look More Appealing

The IT term paper post writing tips refer to a review of the paper to ensure it is free from errors. You should conduct your review at the word, sentence, and paragraph levels to ensure you have accurate wording, appropriate sentence structures, and effective presentation of paragraphs. The format should also be in line with the term paper requirements to ensure you do not lose points. Follow your assignment writing instructions carefully to ensure you capture every point in it.

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