Eliminate empty adjectives. Empty adjectives are difficult to define and do not add to the description of the noun. For example, in the sentence "The argument that caffeine is healthy is a good argument" the word "Good" serves as the empty adjective. You could remove that entire sentence and just begin writing the benefits of caffeine.
Assess your paper for wordiness. Wordiness constitutes as having words that aren't necessary to the sentence. For example, writing "It is my opinion that flying cars are a possibility," you could condense the sentence into "I believe that flying cars are a possibility."
Remove complex words when possible. A term paper may be technical and complex in nature, depending on your subject, but when possible, axe the complex and difficult-to-understand words.
Eliminate cliches. Using cliches is generally a bad idea. Aside from the lack of originality of cliches, your professor probably has rules against using them. Cliches almost always turn a shorter sentence into a longer sentence. For example, instead of writing "Last but not least, the study of religion," you would write, "Lastly, the study of religion."
Examine your paper for similes. A simile can be a powerful tool in writing but only if used correctly. Overused similes are like cliches in that they lack originality and do not add to your paper. For example, writing "Cigarette smoke is as deadly as the grass is green" weakens your paper rather than strengthening it.