WHAP Survivial Guide Part Two

How to tame

Your Research Paper

This is seriously a ball to write. Not really. But you can make it a heck of a lot easier for yourself if you follow these simple instructions...

- You have a ton of time to do this sucker, so spread the workload out. Have a goal for each week, and if you meet that goal you get a prize! If not, no punishment necessary. The all-nighter pulled the night before it is due will hurt your feelings enough.

- Get good sources. Actually read the books you’re citing. This will be good in the long-run when your paper is totally knowledgeable-sounding.

- If you do happen to leave it off till the last minute, make sure you have a ton of blueberries, bananas, and hot chocolate close by ‘cause it’s gonna be a long night.

How to read

The textbook at least

~ This book is pretty fabulous. There is a ton a ton of info in here, so get ready to have your brain bombarded with facts that you will forget two seconds later and some bits of precious historical facts that you would love to forget but cannot.

~ To read the textbook, use its website. If you’re having trouble understanding what you’re reading (sometimes it just is too much. I understand), then read the chapter summary on the internet and then brave the actual textbook.

~ This ties in with homework. If you don’t know what in the world the textbook is saying to you or what you should say as an answer to the question, back-track or back-forward (if that makes sense). Back-track is when you go backwards to the last question you answered and figure out where the next answer is based on location. Same for back-forward, except the other way around. Make sense? Now you know what reading the textbook feels like. Mmm….history! Just kidding, it’s not that bad. Sometimes.

~ Read it. I know there are like, four pictures for every billion words but you can do this! If you don’t, it’ll be a lot harder to understand your homework and the class.

~ If all else fails, try your chapter outline. And remember, some people can’t read. You have this whole textbook to read read read all the day long, you lucky duck!