Bullet Points: Their Importance

Overall, bullet points are required when a student wants to give an overview of a series of important ideas. They can enable you to avoid repetitions and make your paper or presentation much more concise and clear. For instance, you can use bullet points to summarize the consequences of a certain phenomenon or make a series recommendations. Remember that a bullet point list has to contain at least three ideas; otherwise you need to write full sentences.

Bullet Points: Tips and Rules of Thumb

When using bullet points, you should remember some basic rules and principles that will allow you avoid many mistakes:

1. Explain why the content of these bullet points might be of interest to your audience; otherwise it is quite possible that readers will skip this part of the paper or presentation.
2. Make sure that every bullet point expresses a clear idea or argument.
3. Avoid cognitive overload in your bullet points. Sometimes students insert too many dates or numbers in bullet points and as a result, listeners and readers cannot retain them.
4. Try to start each of your bullet points with the same part of speech. For example, if the first bullet point starts with a verb, each of the following points should also start with a verb.
5. Write a brief, concluding sentence, which gives a gist of the whole bullet point list. Again, your task is to make sure that your audience understands your ideas.

Bullet Points: What Else You Should Keep in Mind

As you can see, well-constructed bullet points can make your paper much easier to read and understand. Yet, to express your ideas clearly, you should avoid several things that can present difficulties for viewers, readers, or listeners. Here are some of them:

1. Terms and formulas that might be unfamiliar to the audience;
2. Block quotes. Remember that bullet points have to be very brief;
3. Vague sentences or expressions;
4. Quantitative information that is not explained in any way.

You will have to do many assignments in which bullet points can be used. If you consider the tips provided in this article, you will write better papers and receive higher grades.

Article writer finds a topic – Step 1

If you are not assigned a specific question, the first step would be the choice of a good topic. At this stage, Superwriter meets the first villain – the writer’s block. To struggle with it, just let your imagination free and look around or wander the web. Your flight of thought and associations can be rather unpredictable. What a sunny day – why not write about global warming? Cannot find your cell phone – why not write about the Bermuda Triangle? When choosing a topic, do not limit yourself! Do not let the writer’s block give thumbs down to every idea coming into your head!

Article writer brainstorms – Step 2

The second step for article writers is brainstorming. But to know what you are searching for when brainstorming, you need first to evaluate your choice of topic. So, after selecting a topic, evaluate it according to the following criteria:

• Is it interesting?
• Is it manageable, or should you narrow it down a bit?
• Would you be able to make it captivating – find the necessary materials or express your personal opinion about it?

Now you know the direction for your brainstorming and you can generate as many ideas as needed. Create favorable conditions for brainstorming, avoid distractions. You may want to conduct a bit of research also if the topic is complex. Then, forget about any limits and put down all ideas coming into your head, no matter how crazy they may sound.
 
At this stage, the more ideas, the better. Give a chance to every idea because the silliest of them can alter your perspective and get your creativity going. After generating as many ideas as you can (do not waste too much time on it), evaluate and test the ideas to select the best of them.

Article writer makes a plan – Step 3

The third step for article writers is to make an outline. In addition, at this stage, Superwriter formulates a strong thesis statement. Though the traditional structure (introduction, main body and conclusion) can seem boring to you, it works in most cases, and Superwriter often uses it. Anyway, even if you choose some other exotic structure, you should better have a plan when writing articles.

Article writer completes an article – Step 4

The fourth step for article writers is completing an article. No matter what structure you choose, here are some tips from Superwriter to actually write the article:

1. Include an attention getter into the opening passage (a joke, a quotation, an interesting question).
2. Include numbered lists and bullet points. In this way, you will have fewer problems with making smooth transitions from one idea to another. Moreover, readers really like lists.
3. Do not punish yourself! If you feel exhausted, just stop writing and return to it later.
4. Respect you readers! Cut out all unnecessary words and make every word count. Do not turn into Captain Obvious and try to find interesting and thought-provoking issues and arguments.

Article writer proofreads – Step 5

The fifth step for article writers is proofreading. Style, grammar and punctuation mistakes are the villains that Superwriter meets at this stage. Here is a good strategy for effective proofreading:

• Have a good rest after completing your article;
• use spell and grammar checkers to detect misprints and the worst mistakes (do not accept blindly what is suggested, because there are cases when the software is mistaken);
• print out your article and read it aloud;
• read your article backwards.

So, these five quick steps can help you turn into Superwriter, the writer whose articles are always of exceptional quality. Combat your villains and enjoy excellent grades as the happy ending of this story.

Types of Plagiarism: Defining This Notion

1. Inaccurate citing or referencing. This type of plagiarism occurs when a student forgets to include an accurate in-text citation in the body of the paper or a reference entry in the bibliography. For instance, very often, people don’t specify the number of the page where a specific quotation can be found.
2. Word switching. Some students take passages from books or articles, rephrase these passages and present them as their own ideas. Although existing software cannot usually detect such plagiarism, professors can. So, you need to remember that word switching is still plagiarism and may be penalized.
3. Submitting papers written by someone else. Sometimes, such plagiarism is very difficult to detect, but professors may ask students to take viva-voce exams when they think that the paper might be plagiarized.
4. Borrowing of ideas from different sources without acknowledging contributions of other scholars.
5. Citing fictional sources. Sometimes students do so, when they use only one source but try to give the impression that they did an in-depth research. Again, in the age of Internet, such tricks are usually doomed to fail.

Types of Plagiarism: Writing Good Papers

• Cite or give footnotes whenever you are using ideas of somebody else. This is the best way to ensure oneself against plagiarism.
• Record bibliographical information and compile a bibliography strictly according to a citation style like MLA, Harvard, or APA.
• Don’t abuse block quotes and try to express ideas in your own words.
• Provide an in-text citation in each case when you are not referring to common knowledge. For example, if you are speaking about the Pythagorean theorem, you don’t have to provide any in-text citation. It is normally called common knowledge, but if you are describing a mathematical proof developed fairly recently, you need to mention the person who developed it.

These strategies will enable you to avoid various types of plagiarism. Still, the main thing to remember is that plagiarism is a form of self-deception. By cheating, students fail to acquire knowledge and skills, and you surely mustn’t make this mistake.

• Be concise and to the point;
• Mention the “technical details,” i.e. the author, the title, the date, the subject, etc.;
• Explain what the author’s objective is;
• Comment on the main argument;
• Dwell on the writer’s position concerning the discussed issue;
• Enumerate the author’s main arguments;
• Specify the people and data mentioned, if any;
• State your idea of the writer’s main points;
• Offer your suggestions on the problem in question;
• Explain the way in which the book influenced your paper.

That’s not all – not yet! Check the collection of all existing types of literature review writing. The treasure chest is waiting for you!
 
Writing a Literature Review. Fantastic Examples of Review Types!
 
Are you pondering what most students are pondering? Well, if you’re about to ask, “How do I write a literature review?”, you can definitely use the help here.
 
Let’s see the way most literature reviews work. They’re really numerous – for example, a literature review can be subjective or objective, vast or concise. You’re most likely to face one of these:
 
Systematic Literature Review:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Issue identification;
• Issue appraisement;
• Elements selection;
• Elements synthesis.

Dwelling on the issue of money and wealth in his book, Charles Richards offers a peculiar interpretation of wealth and social status. Obviously one of the most crucial topics for the XXI century, money is discussed together with public opinion, social status and the work of human mind. Relying on a wealth of observations, the author helps the reader define the importance of wealth.
 
This is the shortest answer to the notorious question, “What is a literature review?”
 
Quantitative Literature Review:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Showing a thorough understanding of the topic;
• Pointing out the rationale.

The Buried Life raises one of the most famous issues in philosophy – the true meaning of life. Worth of Buddha himself, the issue in question makes people take better care of their lives. The book allowed to address a serious question with a certain amount of humor.
 
And here is a quite different example of a literature review:
 
Meta-Analysis:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Providing a short summary;
• Offering statistical data.

In his Ameritopia, Levin shakes the three pillars that the USA stand on. Tracking the development of the state concept from Plato to de Tocqueville, the author discovers that in 60% of the cases, Utopia is bound to destroy society.
 
All in all, meta-analysis is a kind of a summary.

Qualitative Literature Review:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Discussion of the issue;
• Providing all-embracing criticism.

Isaacsson pays tribute to the famous Apple soft creator, Steve Jobs, in his book of the same name. Even though Jobs accuracy deserves appreciation, it is still obvious that the author idealizes the gadget genius.
 
Feel free to discuss the problem!
Preliminary Literature Review:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Forecasting the problem;
• Developing the theoretical frame for the paper.

Chip Conley’s Emotional Equations help one understand the mechanism and nature of emotions. Obviously following the James-Lange theory, Conley offers specific interpretations, setting the course for further theoretical suggestions.
 
Have you ever wanted to be a fortune-teller? This is your chance!
 
Extensive Literature Review:
 
Main features
 
Example:

• Incorporating theory and practice;
• Offering an in-depth description.

Rich Howarth suggests a new fantastic way to rebuild your life. The author offers pieces of advice that are supposed to make you see your life from a different perspective. Witty and based on a profound theoretical foundation, the book is a perfect guide for changing one’s vision radically.
 
Whenever you need a vast review of literature, use this type!
 
Annotated Bibliography:
 
Whenever you deal with writing a literature review APA style, use this annotated bibliography sample:
 
Main features
 
Example: (APA):

• Being short and precise;
• Putting the analyzed text in a wider context.

Michaels, C. (2011). The four essentials of entrepreneurial thinking. New York City, NY: Barnes & Noble. Michaels splits the entrepreneurial approach into four parts and offers an extensive analysis of each. The given work allows to look at the work of an entrepreneur from a different angle.
 
Now this is the example of literature review writing you should remember well – it’s the most popular one!
 
Writing a Literature Review: Explore the Wonderful Samples Now!
 
Well, now you know how to write a literature review! With any sample literature review from the list above, you’ll make it your day.
 
Are you ready to review literature on your own? Then don’t forget about the most important piece of advice.
 
Make the reader as enticed with the review as you are. And remember – with these tips, you’ll always make it!

1. Single out the most essential ideas that the author discusses in his or her book. You may also list these ideas in order of importance. If you have to write the summary of a novel, identify the key events described by the author.
2. Identify causal relations between the arguments or events. In other words, you need to show why the author thinks in a certain way and how his or her arguments support one another. When you are writing about a literary work, focus on the causes and consequences of events. Again, you shouldn’t analyze or assess this book.
3. Explain the main conclusion that the author draws. In case of a novel, tell how it ends and why.
4. Eliminate unessential details. A book summary shouldn’t include anything that is not closely related to the plot of the novel or the main topic.
5. Take the time to proofread the paper. You may read it aloud and revise those sentences that don’t sound very well. This is a good way of weeding out clumsy expressions or clichés.
6. Don’t forget about the deadline and submit the paper on time.

The ability to write a good summary can always be useful especially when you will work on your annotated bibliographies or literature reviews. Hopefully, you will have no problems with such papers.

1. Domestic Violence and Means to Fight It;
2. Social Inequality and Measures to Undertake;
3. Feminism: Changes over the Past Decade;
4. Euthanasia: a Matter of Life and Death.

 
Much like a dissertation topic an essay title can be pretty broad, allowing a large choice of approaches to the issue

Sociology Paper Topics: Introducing Original Term Paper Ideas.

When working on your term paper topic, you can dig a bit deeper. In this case, your key concern is to introduce an unusual vision of the problem. Take a look at these ideas:

• Flag Burning: the Reasons and the Reasoning;
• Should Gay Marriage Be Legalized?
• Gun Ownership: from Protection to Overprotection;
• Human Cloning: Experiments Going Too Far;
• Efficiency of School Testing: from A to… F.

 
Pick topics of the kind above – and you will definitely succeed in your paper writing!
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Discussing Research Writing Specifics.
 
Remember that research involves certain discoveries – or, at least, new ideas and unusual solutions. Try to express your original approach in the title:

• Marriage Conflicts and Solutions: Apart from Divorcing…
• Prevent Child Violence: Something You Can Do;
• Child Labor: What Must not Be Happening;
• Poverty vs. Indifference, Third World vs. G7.

 
See? That’s pretty simple – and yet so efficient!
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Tremendous, All-Embracing Thesis Topic.
 
As your paper gets tougher, the research topics narrow down to a certain problem or issue. As for the thesis, check these topical ideas:

1. Arranged Marriage: an Acceptable Norm or Rudiment of the Past?
2. Killing out of Mercy: Euthanasia;
3. When Death Penalty Is a Narrow Escape;
4. Drug Public Service Announcements and Their Efficiency;
5. Capitalism versus Socialism: the Battle of the Century.

 
All in all, the whole thing is pretty easy. However, what about dissertations?
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Dissertations on Problems of Humankind.
 
In dissertations, you’ll have to touch upon quite controversial issues. For instance, you might create such topics of research as…

• Terrorism, Bombs and Other Misconceptions about Muslim Religion;
• Mass Media: Is Big Brother Watching You?
• Legalized Prostitution Versus Social Morals;
• The Power of Norms in the Modern Society;
• Abortion as a Murder and as a Women’s Right.

As you can see, you’ll have a lot to say.
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Reporting on Various Important Events.
 
Reports topics go pretty low on the list, because reports are quite different from the rest of papers. Here are some topics that matter:

1. Discrimination in the Workplace: Recent Cases;
2. Smoking Bans in Public in 2011: How Reasonable Are They?;
3. Modern Education Approaches: Results;
4. Health Care for the Disabled: Is Specific Treatment Needed?
5. Wage Drops and Working Poor: Social Concern.

 
The point is that in a report you have to discuss a certain event. There are no “paper topics: sociology theory”-like titles.
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Checking the Research Theme’s Topicality
 
One important thing is that you have to make sure that your problem is topical enough. Just check the news, and if you see related issues appearing there – your topic is definitely up-to-date.
 
Sociology Paper Topics: Final Recommendations: a Winning Ticket.
 
Finally, remember: to make your sociology paper’s topic absolutely perfect, make sure that it does not cause the what-if question (Picture 2). E.g.:

Now that you’ve got the idea, try creating some topics for sociology papers yourself – you’ll see you’ll hit the bull’s eye!

1. Identify the main questions that you can relate to your topic;
2. List all the possible keywords suggested by these questions, to type into the search engine. Keep them short; no longer than three or four words;
3. Place your key phrase in quotation marks to obtain perfect only matches.
4. Boolean operators such as And (+), or Not (-) are also useful. Functioning just as they did when you studied Venn diagrams, they help you include or exclude search results just as you wish.
5. Vary the word order and try synonyms in order to dig up all possible matches.
6. Check out the following pages of your searches.

 
Evaluating Sources for Your Research Paper
 
Whatever research paper topics you choose, you need a wide choice of sources Consider the following when searching the web:

1. The date of publication. When writing research papers in the natural, or life sciences, you should probably focus on articles published within the last 5 years, since new discoveries change the state of knowledge so rapidly.
2. The credibility of the source. In writing research papers, you will need to use primarily books, peer-reviewed journals, or government-issued documents. Google Scholar will confine your search to such sources. Some prominent newspapers constitute decent references, but mainly for current events, or political commentary, or as back-up sources in peer-reviewed periodicals.
3. Prominence of the author: Sometimes professors may insist on sources cited widely by other scholars. Google Scholar displays this information clearly. It is also helpful to check the article for the author’s credentials; some professors want to know your authorities’ expertise.

 
Adjusting the topic of your research paper to available reference materials:
 
All too often, you may start out with a dynamite idea for your research paper, and perhaps even a thesis statement in mind, but as you do research on the paper topic, you may run into a problem. You may find that either the sources disagree with you, or there is a dearth of evidence to support your stance. What can you do?

1. Modify your subject to fit the sources you DO find
2. Take a stand AGAINST that which is in most sources – and defend it!
3. .Point out the lack of research, and call for scholarly attention to the issue.

Now, with credible, relevant research, and a sound paper topic in hand, you are ready to outline and write a draft. The internet is invaluable, if you use it effectively.

• Pay
• Company stock
• Time off
• Recognition
• Autonomy

Pick a management technique that interests you, either a new one or a revisiting of one:

1. In operations management, for example:
   • Just-in-time inventory management
   • Paperless office
2. In human resources
   • Matrix management – discredited or confirmed as a valid technique?
   • Management by walking around – fad or solid technique?

Pick a company that interests you for some notable management idiosyncrasy, e.g. Apple and Microsoft – does making the workplace more appealing than most employees’ homes increase productivity? American Airlines – could disaster be averted through engagement with their union?
 
Scour business periodicals for good ideas for term papers on management: Wall Street Journal, Economist, Financial Times.
 
Pick one of the management functions to focus on:

• Planning
• Leading/directing
• Organizing
• Controlling

Pick a company that seems to reflect either success or failure in one of these, and discuss their approach to each of these tasks.
 
Exploit Harvard Business Review case studies, by, for example:

1. Updating one by researching subsequent developments at a subject company, if identified
2. Examine a real company facing the same problem as a disguised subject company

Keep your topic small and manageable – focus in on an issue that allows you to say something definite with limited information.