Brainstorm ideas for your term paper throughout the course. Keep the term paper in the back of your mind from the very first class meeting and develop your ideas as the course goes on.
Begin with broad research and slowly narrow in on a specific idea. Master's term papers should be very focused, often answering one specific question. However, it can be difficult to think up such a defined topic without conducting more general research first. For example, if you research the general topic of social media and political uprisings, you may discover a specific political event upon which your term paper will focus. Within that particular topic, you can narrow your research even further. For example, you can focus on the social networking of woman during the specific event.
Use a wide variety of sources to substantiate and build upon the ideas in your essay. Use primary sources such as government legislature, raw video footage and diary entries to give your essay legitimate context. Use secondary sources such as books, journals and news articles to explain the nature of the conversation surrounding your topic. If appropriate, conduct original research by interviewing experts or producing a scientific study.
Sign up to receive Google Alerts on your specific topic. For example, if your topic is Tunisian-U.S. relations under the Obama administration, you can sign up to receive any news or blog results that include the key words "Tunisia," "United States" and "Obama." Google will then email you the results from a certain time frame of your choice. This will ensure that your term paper includes any current information that is crucial on your topic.
Discuss the topic of your term paper with your professor and ask for resource suggestions. Even if he or she does not know very much about your topic, your professor will likely be able to suggest someone who does. Your professor can also advise you on general research and writing tips that will benefit your essay.