Can you use “I” in a term paper?

Tips for Research

A very important thing in the process of creating a text is to understand what is its main clue and purpose. Now we will start answering your main question by detailing the information about what is the term paper. How to write it? Where to start?

1. First of all, think about the thesis statement. It is the one which will summarize the whole text in one sentence. It is like the main idea which you will talk about and support further.
2. Make an outline. It is a skeleton of your paper. It can look like this.

Now, a little bit more thorough information about the structure of a paper.

Making an outline is an essential thing as you see what your main goal is and what you have to get in the final stage. While doing term papers, it is better to start with… a body. Yes, because it contains all of your main points and supporting details.

After that make a Conclusion. It isn’t a very big thing – usually one paragraph, here you can summarize everything you have just told in the Body of the text. You can later add something else, but you will have the larger amount of ready information.

The introduction should be written at last. Its role is to catch the reader’s attention and make him feel that this essay worth reading. It should start with a hook sentence which grabs attention, and ends with a thesis.

Nevertheless, it isn’t the end. After all this, you have to start proofreading everything you wrote. Look for all mistakes, correct them. Ask someone to read your text and do the same. Or ask someone to listen while you are reading aloud.

After this, you can rewrite according to the mistakes you have found. But always keep in mind that all your corrections have to fit the main thesis statement. While you reread don’t forget to see is paper still makes sense.

Let’s summarize all the information above before moving to the common mistakes people do while writing.

1. Choose a topic
2. Find resources
3. Make a research
4. Write thesis
5. Make an outline
6. Write body, conclusion, and introduction
7. Proofread and edit
8. Have someone else proofread
9. Edit final copy
10. Watch for the common mistakes

And that’s it!

How to make an outline?

Look at the example below to see how to make a simple term paper:

1. Introduction
2. Hook
3. Explanation
4. Thesis
5. Body (it is better to write three body paragraphs with three strong arguments)
6. Argument
7. Proof
8. Conclusion
9. Conclusion
10. Hook
11. Summarizing

In the introduction, you must make a thesis statement, which is going to be approved in your text. It’s like the main idea. Also, write a hook sentence in the introduction to make bigger interest of your reader and to catch, grab his attention to the end of the text. You need to have a clear introduction that gives a pretty understandable idea of where and what you are going to talk in the text.

The body usually includes three paragraphs. Each of them you have to begin with the idea, the new fact, and the following abstract is the explanation of this idea. Try to choose only essential and strong arguments, try to give new ideas, all this will increase the level of your essay. The way you will make the middle part depends just on you. You could make the essay in the more narrative way telling most important experience and events from your life.

In conclusion, you have to summarize everything you have said before. You sum up all arguments, but don’t forget to paraphrase them. And memorize – never give new information in conclusion. Your conclusion ends everything and allows making the main point clear. Now, let’s talk about the main question “Can you use i in a term paper?”

So, is it okay to use first-person pronouns?

Obviously, you are here to get an answer to the question – can you use I in a term paper? Well, the answer is not one place. Usually, research writers have disputes if it’s okay to use the first person in academic and scientific writing.  Honestly, the previous generation was totally abandoned in using “I,” “we” in their researchers, probably this exists just because of the old habits of fathers and mothers. Luckily, we’ve shifted back to producing active and engaging prose that incorporates the first person.

It is completely normal to use the first-person pronoun if:

• To understand sense better without using passive voice constructions:
• establish authority and credibility
• to show an interest in the subject
• to make closer relationships between readers and writers, especially if it is anecdotal or hypothetical situations
• to discuss something connected to the literature where the personal point of view is needed
• to make the more relaxed atmosphere and create kind of a conversational tone
• used in the abstract, introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections of an academic paper

You had better avoid the first-person pronoun:

• because it can cause a remove of objectivity and give the impression like the results or research are unique just according to your point of view.
• if you want to keep save and objective tone that would suggest your study minimized biases as best as possible;
• when you express your opinion and thoughts generally (here phrases like “I think,” “To my mind” are unnecessary because any statement that isn’t cited should be yours).

To sum it up, you can use the pronoun “I” if it is strongly needed in a context and by the task. Always ask your professor for such details, and you will never have problems with searching answer to the question if can you use I in a term paper.