5 Second Rule for Term Papers

You’ve probably heard of the 5-second rule for a piece of food that hits the ground. The suspicion contends that food won’t be fully contaminated by bacteria if it’s retrieved from the ground quickly. Writing is very much like that unfortunately dropped food. If its message isn’t clear within 5 seconds, the entire piece is more likely to be left on the ground or worse-thrown out! The opening, or abstract, of writing should make its point and capture the attention of readers within the first few seconds after it's read.

Wow your reader

To ensure your term paper is saved from the fate of the trash bin, add a “wow” factor to your opening. Make it clear how your paper is different from other attempts to cover this topic. Use rich language and offer your reader an incentive for dedicating a few minutes of their life to consumption of your thoughts. Humor is another excellent way to keep a reader’s attention. Whatever the method, the opening of your writing should be especially memorable.

Pictures say a thousand words

Including pictures and illustrations is an effective way to capture and maintain readers’ fleeting attentions. Adding flashy graphics into your statistics report, however, might not be an option! Instead, consider the use of clean, clear graphs and tables to illustrate your points and give your audience a break from print reading. If your message is still conveyed in these visual forms, you’ve achieved your goal of capturing and keeping your audience.

Don’t lose them!

While it’s important to write juicy, attention-grabbing openers and find creative ways to keep the reader attention you’ve grabbed, it’s equally important not to lose them! Readers are distracted by typos, awkward wording, and grammatical errors in term papers. Readers should emerge from your piece with questions but not confusion. If you include a statement that needs support from research, cite it. Don’t leave readers left to guess where you came up with such a conclusion. A strong and intriguing opening can grab readers but it takes consistently strong writing to keep their attention.