To get a masters degree, it is sufficient to make a new synthesis or pplication of knowledge already available, and report the results in a thesis To pass certain courses, you must write a term paper, which demon- strates that you can connect information and report it in your own words. It is not necessary to make a new discovery or a new synthesis To get a degree from an English-speaking university, you must prove that you can write scholarly papers, in English, that reflect state-of-the-art knowledge of your subject 2 How is a term paper or thesis judged? Presentation is more important than most students realize. Even the most brilliant piece of scientific work is useless if the resulting report is unclear or needlessly hard to read or leaves vital questions unanswered I grade term papers on how well they do the following four things Define a clear topic and stick to it throughout the paper, addressing a consistently defined audience Use the best available sources of information and acknowledge them appropriately Display careful organization and clear wordin Follow scholarly standards for format, grammar, spelling, and other mechanical matters If the paper reports original research or technical work, a large part of the grade is based on the quality of the work itself, but presentation still counts, if you cant present your work well, you might as well not have done it 3 Receiving and acknowledging help Getting help from the right sources is a useful skill. Real scientists do it all the time• To get a master’s degree, it is sufficient to make a new synthesis or application of knowledge already available, and report the results in a thesis. • To pass certain courses, you must write a term paper, which demon￾strates that you can connect information and report it in your own words. It is not necessary to make a new discovery or a new synthesis. To get a degree from an English-speaking university, you must prove that you can write scholarly papers, in English, that reflect state-of-the-art knowledge of your subject. 2 How is a term paper or thesis judged? Presentation is more important than most students realize. Even the most brilliant piece of scientific work is useless if the resulting report is unclear or needlessly hard to read or leaves vital questions unanswered. I grade term papers on how well they do the following four things: • Define a clear topic and stick to it throughout the paper, addressing a consistently defined audience. • Use the best available sources of information and acknowledge them appropriately. • Display careful organization and clear wording. • Follow scholarly standards for format, grammar, spelling, and other mechanical matters. If the paper reports original research or technical work, a large part of the grade is based on the quality of the work itself, but presentation still counts; if you can’t present your work well, you might as well not have done it. 3 Receiving and acknowledging help Getting help from the right sources is a useful skill. Real scientists do it all the time. 2