Tips And Tricks To Make Your Capstone Projects Easier

Tips and Tricks to Make Writing Your Capstone Paper Easier

Capstone Project! Do these two words put a little fear in you? If so, this may be good thing. The capstone paper is the culmination of your efforts to earn a degree, whether it's a Bachelor, Masters or Ph.D and a little controlled level of stress can get you geared up for the challenge. By now, you should have written a number of research papers already, so in essence you have the skills and experience required (even if you feel you cruise-controlled your way through college) to write an outstanding paper. It doesn't matter which area of study you are in, we offer .

Purpose of Project

The definition of a capstone is a stone affixed on top of something, normally a wall, is a great image on how to visualize the paper. It's the stone which caps off your hard work or your crowning achievement, hence its importance. Although this final paper is another academic research, it differs from all the previous papers in its significance and content.

Papers authored during an academic career are usually for one subject and explore a small topic subset within the course. However, the is typically defined as comprehensive analysis and further development of a degree's curriculum. Although the specific requirements differ from college to college and even professor to professor, the paper guidelines generally demand "experiential" research which asks the student to synthesize and explore an idea related to the field of study.

At this point in an academic career, a student should be able to pull together the various skills acquired from all the different areas of study included in the program to culminate in a final product which highlights what the student has learned and shows he or she can explain a unique issue within the discipline.

Guidance

From the project's beginning to the submission of the paper, your professor will most likely be available to you for support and guidance. This may be your most important resource. Just be sure not to pester him or her for every single minor issue. Seek general guidelines from the teacher. If you have multiple ideas, discuss them with your professor not to get an answer for which one you should select (your professor probably will get annoyed if your questions are directed in such a manner), but to get some feedback or a perspective you may not have considered. This might help you decide to choose or drop a particular idea.

If you feel stuck while doing research or writing the paper, speak to the professor and explain the obstacles you are encountering. Again, your professor will not be there to necessarily solve the problem, but may have interesting thoughts which may help unblock your progress.

Flashback

Ponder over every subject you have learned during the past few years and think if there was a topic which really drew your attention and which you had fun working on. The final paper will be an intensive one, which will necessitate a lot of effort and hours of work. Therefore, pick a topic you are passionate about to keep it as interesting as possible and help you write an outstanding capstone project. You do not want to end up hating the topic halfway through your paper since that will assuredly increase the risk of a poorly written project.

Preliminary Research

Once you have generated an idea (or perhaps a few ideas), take the time to explore the material and information available about it. Think about the length of your paper and if you can, perform a detailed analysis of the topic in the number of words allotted. Also, keep in mind the topic must allow you to integrate all the skills acquired during the course of your studies. The subject of your paper should be expansive enough to offer you an abundance of material to work with to showcase these skills, but focused enough to permit you to examine it in-depth.

Before You Write

Besides the obvious research you need to undertake prior to composing your paper, there are a couple of other essential items you must write beforehand.

· Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is a cornerstone of any research paper and the most important part of your project. The capstone may crown your academic career, but the cornerstone will help build your entire research paper. A thesis statement encapsulates the whole paper in a few sentences. It must be concise and clear and it's an excellent idea to have someone else read it to give you valuable feedback.

· Outline

Your research should have provided you with sufficient ideas to allow you to draft an outline. If you cannot make an outline and are not sure what direction your paper will take, it is a critical warning that you may either have to research more, or start over before spending more time on the current topic.

You do not have to stick dogmatically to your outline as your write the paper, but it is an excellent tool to keep your thoughts flowing when you feel a little stuck while writing. It also makes it easier to create a logical flow to the arguments you want to make in the paper.

The End

Plan to end writing your paper a couple of days before your deadline. This will let your change your thoughts and return to read your paper with a fresh outlook. Read through your paper multiple times to correct sentence structure, grammar and spelling mistakes and to analyze whether the paper flows well and makes logical arguments and conclusions. Definitely have another person read your paper to catch the mistakes you are glossing over.