Step-by-Step Approach to Astronomy Term Paper Writing

Astronomy is the branch of science that studies celestial objects such as planets, sun, and moon. Writing a term paper helps improve the writer’s knowledge as it promotes critical thinking, organization, and the use of proper structure to effectively provide a quality paper. Some of the integral parts of an astronomy term paper are an excellent structure and a detailed plan (both should be done before the actual writing). Laying out sections in order in which they relate to each other guarantees a smooth flow to the astronomy term paper. One should understand that an astronomy term paper should have an original concept around which all arguments should coalesce. The following is the astronomy term paper guide you can’t ignore.

Pre-Writing Tips

First, it is essential to understand what ‘pre-writing tips’ are before proceeding to use them. These are the first actions of the writer before he/she actually produces content for an astronomy term paper. These tips help you to improve the quality of the work, build comprehensive content, as well as provide a clear outline of the topic being discussed. It is true that the writers that spend a lot of their time at this phase tend to produce better works in contrast to those who directly tackle the content. Good pre-writing tips should assist the writer to gather adequate information and pieces of evidence before writing the paper.

The following are the examples of prewriting tips.

Choosing the Topic

When writing an academic term paper, it is essential to have a good topic as it helps the author to choose the right direction that his content will follow. Often, professors provide their students with the questions to choose from, and when this happens, it is vital for one to select an appropriate theme based on the background of information one has on the topic. If the writer has to choose the subject, it is advisable to select a theme that attracts his/her interest, is trending or controversial, and that the writer has rudimentary knowledge on. It is also important to pick topics that appeal to the critical thinking of the readers. Examples of these topics are the following:

• Space Exploration and Its Effects on the Modern Man
• Influences of Celestial Bodies on the Earth and Its Atmosphere
• Human Milestones in Space Exploration among Others
• Dark Matter and Dark Energy
• Nebulae: What Are They and Where Do They Come from?

When one has successfully chosen a topic, it’s time to move to the second pre-writing phase.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming involves jotting down of topics and issues that are directly or indirectly related to the astronomy term paper topic. This process involves a flow of thoughts and critical thinking. It’s about stringing ideas together to create active content that will be later polished and implemented while writing the astronomy term paper. It is also important to note that some of the points listed down when brainstorming will appear repetitive at this point during the process of writing the article. But there is no problem with that. The reason for this is that they assist the writer in finding other correlated topics before the drafting process where any recurrence is eliminated.

Quality Research

This point is the most crucial part of writing any academic term paper as it is the part where most content related to the topic is being attained. When conducting research, it is essential to realize that quality trumps quantity. Therefore, all gathered information should be the material contributing to a solid case. All points and topics that were listed down at the brainstorming phase are then used at this stage to create the most convincing evidence for the writer. Research also helps to understand whether the chosen topic is related to the points acquired while brainstorming and whether they are worth proceeding with evidence and content. All information attained while conducting this research should be strictly scholarly and from recent literary and online sources that can be trusted. It is crucial to avoid historical, personal or any other content that might weaken one’s case while conducting research. When researching for the astronomy term paper, other astronomy term paper writing tips greatly assist the writer to produce quality material, for example, thorough note taking and planning.

Quality Note Taking

This refers to the process of jotting down short notes that remind you of a particular topic or material. Thorough note taking entails the identification of an essential element within an extensive subject and highlighting them for later drafting and/or writing. These points should be readable as well as easy to understand. They may be appearing scattered between different topics and themes and/or lacking a strategic flow at this point of the term paper. But when you arrange them into a paragraph, they should be clear, sensible and precise to the end. As these notes are used after the prewriting phase, it is also crucial to write them with legible handwriting, or they may beat the intended purpose for this step.

Detailed and Solid Plan

A quality plan refers to the general outline of the paper. This is the final stage of the prewriting phase, and you should carefully adhere to. Otherwise, the term paper will lose its direction. Once you are done with the note taking, the organization of these points and topics into paragraphs commences. When planning for a quality paper, start with your thesis statement that consequently leads to an introductory paragraph. Set aside the information that will constitute to the central part of the article (which is the body), and end with some convincing argumentative sections that complete your term paper.

Topic Selection for the Astronomy Term Paper: Lifehacks from Our Experts

Astronomy can also be summed up as the study of objects and space beyond the earth atmosphere. Therefore, picking a proper term paper topic should motivate one’s passion for the discipline. A typical astronomy term paper is based on how the space beyond the earth atmosphere interacts with the universe directly or indirectly. Keep in mind that choosing the right topic requires several steps which involve:

• Searching for the most appropriate subject from a list of possible topics. Most people tend to focus on the controversial astronomy topics or other trending topics within the discipline and forget other issues like how astronomy affects the society, advancement of technology in the field. It is advisable to refer to other sources like magazines, journals as well as Google, and other online sources.
• Eliminating other topics. Often, the writer is encouraged to take up the most exciting topic. However, it is also important to identify its strength in argument as well as its supporting evidence. The success of the term paper depends on the power of the argumentative narratives with ample evidence and reasons to take the particular stand. Therefore, topics with little or no research content should be eliminated together with any item with weak arguments.
• Highlighting the most appealing subject. Appealing topics are the ones in line with your passion and have adequate resource materials. However, in identifying which one falls in this category, it is important to ask the following questions:
  • Is the topic modern or dated?
  • What do I know about the topic?
  • Is the subject too extensive or too narrow?
  • When is the topic suitable for discussion?
  • How does the theme fit into the term paper’s objective?
  • Do I have sufficient resource material?

After picking and settling on a subject by answering the questions mentioned above, it is acceptable to commence the paper.

Formulating a Strong Thesis Statement

When the topic of the discussion is obtained, one can formulate a claim that creates a debate within the paper, that is, the thesis statement. A thesis statement is a claim that represents the emphasis of the term paper, commonly slotted as the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. The selected thesis statement must capture the paper’s initial concept while relaying your position on this notion. Depending on the objective of the term paper, the thesis statement usually includes two sentences where the first one presents the topic of the article and the second one communicates a writer’s claim on the specific subject in sentence one. After the formulation of the thesis statement, you can pass it through the following series of questions to identify its relevance.

• Is the thesis statement original?
• Is the thesis statement specific or general?
• Is it evident when I’m presenting my position on the issue of discussion?
• How does the thesis statement create room for supporting or disputing the claims presented?

A thesis statement should be refutable, allowing room for the target audience or other writers to present their arguments.

Appropriate Outline to Serve as an Action Plan

In an astronomy term paper, a good outline offers a smooth flow of the article due to the organization and presentation of the content. The central part of an academic paper can usually comprise three core parts, which are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. These divisions are strategically provided to ensure focus on the presentation of arguments, counter-arguments, and replies to the raised protestations.
• The Introduction

This is the opening paragraph of an astronomy term paper, and it serves as the overview of the content. It should successfully present the topic, an argument to be discussed, the intended goal of the writer and should lastly contain the thesis statement as well as its explanation. When organizing the paper, one can choose to write the introductory paragraph first or after writing the main content of the document. This process assists the writer to effectively organize the structure of the paper as well as helps you with reflecting the primary ideas of the article. Depending on the format of the document, it is also advisable to highlight and explain the key terms that are widely used in the paper in this first paragraph.

• The Body

The body of the term paper should effectively present your argument as specified in your introduction. For clear and comprehensive term papers, one should submit cases in separate paragraphs, where each focuses on the main point. There should be the topic sentences needed to introduce these paragraphs, which also indicate the claim or topic discussed in the specific section. All topic sentences should be aligned with not only the paper’s argument but also the thesis statement formulated. The other sentences in the paragraphs are used to provide solid evidence to support the topic sentences. In the documents that comprise subheadings, it is crucial to cluster all themes that are connected comprehensively and systematically for easier analysis and understanding.

• Presenting Arguments about the Thesis

This is also an essential part of the body section. Present and deliver arguments to either support or object the thesis statement in paragraph form with each discussed separately and with sufficient evidence to accompany it. You can provide both experimental and hypothetical support when supporting the thesis. When you choose to oppose the thesis statement, it is important to adequately articulate the original concept first. Each argument should illustrate and prove that you have excellent knowledge and understanding of the topic selected.

• The Conclusion

The conclusion is not only the part where you end your term paper but also an assignment section where you indicate your recommendations for the future research that should be performed. It is also essential to give a brief overview of the arguments in the paper as well as restate the thesis statement while concluding your astronomy term paper. Avoid introducing any new ideas or points in this paragraph as it is the summary of the paper.

Post-Writing Tips

This part refers to the stage when the term paper is accomplished. This is when the proofreading and the referencing of the term paper should be done. First, ensure the structure, and the organization of the piece is appropriate before you proceed to check the document for the most substantial points of the subject. One should then go through the paper again to ensure there are no grammatical errors and sentence structure issues. When going through the piece, ensure to confirm that the sentences are well-articulated, logical and placed in the correct tense. A systematic arrangement of ideas is essential! Hence, copy editing should involve ensuring there is a smooth flow of ideas and arguments throughout the text. Depending on the instructions, one can offer a list of the sources used while conducting the research.

References

1. Abbott, B. P., Abbott, R., Abbott, T. D., Abernathy, M. R., Acernese, F., Ackley, K., … & Adya, V. B. (2016). GW150914: Implications for the stochastic gravitational-wave background from binary black holes. Physical Review Letters, 116(13), 131102.
2. Belczynski, K., Bulik, T., Fryer, C. L., Ruiter, A., Valsecchi, F., Vink, J. S., & Hurley, J. R. (2010). On the maximum mass of stellar black holes. The Astrophysical Journal, 714(2), 1217.
3. Coleman Miller, M., & Colbert, E. J. (2004). Intermediate-mass black holes. International Journal of Modern Physics, 13(01), 1-64.
4. Narayan, R. (2005). Black holes in astrophysics. New Journal of Physics, 7(1), 199.
5. Shastri, P. (2017). Black holes in our universe. Resonance, 22(3), 237-244.
6. Ferrarese, L., & Merritt, D. (2002). Supermassive black holes. Physics World, 15(6), 41.