An Autobiography Poem: Main Principles

An autobiographical poem is a piece of poetry written by the author about his/her own life. Though this format has a number of peculiarities, most principles of writing an autobiography in prose are applicable to autobiographical writing in poetry.
The common principles of writing an autobiography in any format:

• 1st person narration;
• presents glimpses from the author’s life;
• includes the author’s feelings and impressions;
• conveys a particular philosophical message and mood;
• motivates readers.

The peculiarities of writing bio poems:

• rhythm;
• rhyming (if any);
• size (at least 15 lines);
• more expressive means (similes, metaphors and so on).

Note that if you have difficulties with rhyming your poems, you can simply omit this point. Let’s not forget the free verse, which does not require rhymes at all. It can be an effective solution for you.

What to Include in an Autobiography Poem?

Because the size of a poem is limited, you should choose an appropriate form for expressing your thoughts and creating a full picture out of separate episodes. These are sample questions which can be covered in your bios:

1. time and place of birth;
2. 3 adjectives, which characterize you as a person;
3. brothers and sisters (if any);
4. hobbies and interests;
5. likes and dislikes (weather, personal qualities, events, etc.);
6. fears;
7. dreams and aspirations.

Feel free to add anything you like to this list for creating a more vivid and detailed self-portrait.

Check out Famous Examples

One more expert tip for those who want to use this unusual format for bio successfully is to look through the most famous examples written by outstanding poets. These are only a few of them:

• As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes;
• Song of Myself by Walt Whitman;
• Into My Own by Robert Frost.

So, use these simple tips, examples and your poetry talent for making your poems exact reflections of your personality and life. Good luck with your poems and do not hesitate to experiment with the form of your autobiographies.

A Case Study Template: Check the Variety of Fascinating Examples

Just take a look at the explanations below, and you’ll get a case study template free! Depending on what kind of study you need to do, the templates can vary…
IT Case Study Template
Introduction
State the type of technology relevant for the study and the topic of the study.
Background
Offer statistical data, relevant information about the issue and people involved. Name the problem and put it in a larger context, if possible.
Aims and Objectives
Explain what the goal of the research is. Mention the additional goals (objectives).
Approaches and Theories
Enumerate all methods used (such as interviews, surveys or statistical methods) and the basic underlying theory of the study.
Analysis
Assess the existing data in a critical way.
Positive and Negative Results
State the results of the research, both positive and negative.
Conclusion
List the major findings and draw logical conclusions.
Quotations and Citations
Provide the relevant opinions of leading IT specialists.
Business Case Study Template
Introduction
Name the enterprise in question, key people and major problem studied.
Background
State the premises and stages of the problem’s development.
Aims and Objectives
Explain what you want to achieve with the study.
Approaches and Theories
Mention the business theories you rely on for this study and any concrete approaches that you use.
Analysis
Evaluate the data and provide efficient solutions.
Positive and Negative Results
This is much like a loss and gain account: mention both your positive and negative findings
Conclusion
Sum up the results and offer prognoses of likely developments.
Quotations and Citations
Include famous economists’ ideas that are relevant to the topic.
Clinical Case Study Template
Introduction
Describe the clinical problem, including symptoms and probable factors.
Background
Give a clear picture of the participants, including their age, social status, etc.
Aims and Objectives
List the key objectives you intend to reach with your study and your major aim.
Approaches and Theories
Specify the therapy approach that you use for the study and any theories that you rely on.
Analysis
Check every single symptom observed during the study and find a reasonable explanation for it. Then, develop a specific intervention.
Positive and Negative Results
Mention every single outcome of the study.
Conclusion
Offer suggestions for further therapy.
Quotations and Citations
Provide the ideas of world renowned theorists.
Nursing Case Study Template
Introduction
State the number of participants, broader area of research and major statistical data.
Background
Describe the patients’ backgrounds and their diagnoses.
Aims and Objectives
State what you want to achieve (the aim) and the objectives you’ll need to complete for that.
Approaches and Theories
Describe and explain your choicee of a specific approach and corresponding theory to use in the study.
The Analysis
Evaluate the symptoms before and after the intervention. Comment on the changes, if any.
Positive and Negative Results
Make notes of every single outcome, either positive or negative. Describe and discuss those notes in this section.
Conclusion
Offer a short summary of the results and future prospects.
Quotations and Citations
Include several citations of the experts in the given sphere.
Psychology Case Study Template
Introduction
Introduce the field and specific problem to the readers.
Background
Offer the data of the case, e.g. age, symptoms, specifics of behavior, etc.
Aims and Objectives
State the key aim of the research and all additional objectives.
Approaches and Theories
Choose a theory and a specific approach to address the problem.
Analysis
Assess carefully any changes in patients’ behavior.
Positive and Negative Results
List the key observations and your deductions.
Conclusion
Offer the grounds for further research.
Quotations and Citations
Quote the principles of the theories used in the study.
Education Case Study Template
Introduction
Name the educational establishment involved in the study, as well as the participants and problem investigated.
Background
Tell something about the school/college/high school, participants and issue.
Aims and Objectives
State the goal and objectives that will lead to the goal.
Approaches and Theories
Pick a specific theory to base your solutions on (e.g., Piaget’s ideas, brain-based learning, etc.)
Analysis
Analyze the students’ and teachers’ behavior.
Positive and Negative Results
Mention the key results of the analysis.
Conclusion
List the major findings and outline further potential development of the issue.
Quotations and Citations
Include participants’ ideas and relevant quotes from authoritative scholars.
Marketing Case Study Template
Introduction
Name the topic of the research (e.g., consumerism) and the participants to the study (e.g., a group of shopaholics).
Background
Offer essential facts about the participants.
Aims and Objectives
Specify the topic of the study (e.g., the phenomenon of shopaholics) and the key aim (e.g., to study the factors that shape shopaholics’ behavior).
Approaches and Theories
Mention the theory and approaches you use in the study.
Analysis
Describe how you carried out your analysis.
Positive and Negative Results
Mention the key results.
Conclusion
List your observations and offer your idea of the problem, as well as concrete solutions that might help to solve it.
Quotations and Citations
Quote authoritative sources and some of the study participants, if needed.

A Case Study Template: Including Every Single Necessary Element

If you need a general case study format template, remember that there’s an ultimate case study analysis template:

With a chart like that and a template for a case study to back it up with, you’ll always be able to create the most fabulous case studies in any field! So what are you waiting for? Pick from the list above a template case study to follow and write fantastic papers!

Outline for research papers: format

What is an outline for a research paper? A research paper outline is a plan of your project in the form of several sentences, representing the most important stages and details of your investigation. It will make your project more persuasive, consistent and better organized. These are the main recommendations for writing a good outline:

1. Research and brainstorm before writing your plan. Organize your ideas logically.
2. Use the same form for all entries in your outline. For example, if you use a full sentence for one of your entries, you should use full sentences for all of them.
3. If you use headings and subheadings, make headings more general and subheadings more specific. (For example, methodology can be the heading, with subheadings such as qualitative research method, survey and type of sampling used.) In addition, make certain that there is more than one subheading under every heading.

Outline for research papers: a template

To write a good term paper outline, you might want to use this template:

• Introduction:
  1. Existing research focused on… (briefly discuss what other scholars already investigated and found out.)
  2. There is a gap in literature on… The problem of … requires further research.
  3. The hypothesis of this study is that … (there is a(n) (in)direct relationship between X and Y; X affects Y.)
• Literature review:
  1. Some studies support this hypothesis.
  2. Some studies refute this hypothesis. (Divide the known findings of other scholars in several groups, based on their conclusions and research methods.)
• Methods and materials:
  1. A qualitative (quantitative) method was used to…
  2. An interview (survey, others) was carried out…
  3. The sampling method was… (Specify also how many participants were involved in your study, discuss their age, education, origin and other relevant characteristics.)
• Results:
  1. X (number of participants) indicated that…
  2. An examination of individual participants revealed a few specific characteristics…
• Analysis and discussion:
  1. The findings of this study show that…
  2. According to the results of this study, X is significantly (positively) related to Y.
  3. This finding may relate to…
• Limitations. (Some limitations to the current study were the sampling method/ researcher’s bias/ desirability of positive results…)
• Implications and recommendations:
  1. The findings of this study can be applied in practice in…
  2. Further research is required for…
  3. Current results suggest that…
  4. Therefore, steps need to be taken…
• Conclusion. Briefly repeat what you have already said. Make certain to give a clear answer to your main research questions not to confuse your audience.

You are welcome to use this brief outline for a research paper to make your own effective plans and write outstanding research projects.

Thesis introduction format details are doubtless specified by your department.
Font style, margins, and other incredibly trivial-seeming rules help to focus reviewers’ attention on content alone.

Content is key

Apart from the minutiae of your thesis introduction format, you need to ensure that you have well and truly introduced your topic with a road map to what you intend to discuss. You must accomplish several tasks:

• You must lay out the context of your topic – the background to the problem;
• You need to explain why it is important to
  • study this topic
  • take valuable time to read about it.
• You need to delimit the aim and scope of the area of human knowledge you intend to illuminate;
• You need to explain why this is significant – what will it help people do or think?
• You should present an overview, or summary of what your research and discussion will demonstrate;
• You should list the questions your research was intended to answer, and the hypothesis you formulated – Yes, even in the humanities!
• You should indicate wherein you have had to modify your aim and revise your conclusions based on the results of your researches.

Whatever thesis introduction format your institution requires, structure this section like a tightly woven little essay, with impeccable grammar and spelling. Your college’s thesis introduction format instructions also will insist on proper citations. In fact, trot out your best and most useful reference articles up front to demonstrate the quality of your research.

Be captivating!

• Ask yourself, “Would I be willing to read this?”
• Let someone with native language skills proof it.

This attention to readability, along with following your Department’s format for thesis introductions, will start your thesis off right.

Exploit these useful resources:

http://www.mup.com.au/uploads/files/pdf/978-0-522-86126-6.pdf

This scholar researched how theses are evaluated by examiners:

http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/__data/page/65297/Its_a_PhD_not_a_Nobel_Prize.pdf

http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED491266&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED491266, a review of ISBN-1-5788-6350-3; The Elements of an Effective Dissertation and Thesis

7 Ways to Include Variety in Literature Theses:

Often your thesis advisor has some specific area of research that they want you to pursue in order to further their larger project plans. This is sometimes inconvenient and constraining (and not only in Literature). However, often, you can pick topics and approaches that make the process more humane and less stupefying dull. Even if your advisor is strongly encouraging you to examine an issue that links to or supports their larger and longer-term efforts (and this happens frequently), you have the right and the responsibility to make your literature thesis your own. This is your graduate degree, after all.

Literature theses can address at least these eight ideas:

• an author (e.g., Jane Austen),
• a period (e.g., 18th Century),
• a genre (e.g., the marriage novel, picaresque novel),
• a gender (women’s writing, for example),
• a subject (love and marriage, for example),
• a culture or region’s creative products (British, South American, African, for example),
• a style (magical realism, or satire, for example),
• other category of literature, or some combination of the above.

Six ways to expand your research for theses in literature on one author. Look for:

• An author’s writings about themselves;
• Family writings about the author or their work;
• Different drafts, versions, and editions of the author’s works, as well as different formats (Was their work made into a play? Movie? Translated? Published in parts in a newspaper or other periodical?);
• Letters from or to the author;
• Reviews from the year(s) of publication of their work;
• Similar works published at the same time, for comparison. Works of literature reflect their time period even more than the author, sometimes.

Two Ideas to increase the relevancy of your literature thesis, by connecting your topic to:

• relations between genders/races/minorities/indigenous peoples;
• relations between economic classes.

Restatement of objectives in your dissertation conclusion

Your conclusion can start by repeating your original hypothesis and restate some parts of the introduction to give the reader an overview of the study which eventually lead you in drawing your conclusion. This is your way to validate your hypothesis or disprove it, whichever the case may be. It is important that readers see the authenticity of your study.

Summarize findings in your term paper conclusion

When writing your dissertation conclusion, you should be able to summarize your findings after you have undertaken the research. The findings should be clearly communicated to the readers for them to understand the result of your study better. You can account for all the data and mention the result of other individual testing and stating if they had effect or none to your hypothesis.

State the significance of the findings in your dissertation conclusion

This is the most important format that you can have for your term paper conclusion yet the most challenging one to draw. You must assert to the readers the relevance of your study and be able to establish its importance to them. Refer back to your introduction where you gave a thesis statement and objectives of your paper and present conclusive statement that would give an answer to your stated problem.

Detail the implications in the dissertation conclusion of your study

In your dissertation conclusion, cite scientific studies that you used to in making your tests. You can also state the reasons on how your study can impact future scientific studies. After the acceptance and publication of your dissertation, students taking masters and doctorate will use your study as a source or reference for their own research in the future.

A thesis statement for research paper projects: Step 1

 
A thesis statement is a very condensed summary of the main arguments you make in your project. It is a sentence or two long, usually placed at the end of your introductory paragraph. The first step to writing a winning thesis statement for research paper projects is to understand its main goals. The main goals in writing a thesis statement are:

• to create a road map for the paper and explain what readers can expect from it;
• to take a particular stance with respect to the discussed problem;
• to make a claim that might be disputed by some other people.

A thesis statement for research paper projects: Step 2

 
The second step in creating a worthy thesis statement for research paper projects is to clarify the type of your research paper. The type of your research paper affects the form of your thesis statement. There are two main types of research papers:

1. Argumentative (you can and should take a particular stance). A thesis statement for this type of research papers should clearly state your stance. E.g. Although global warming is irreversible, the community should be educated on how their efforts can be valuable for reducing the negative effects of this phenomenon.
2. Analytical (you do not have enough competence to take a particular stance, but you can analyze and synthesize the opinions of others). E.g. While a number of the world’s greatest poems and plays are traditionally attributed to William Shakespeare, under the influence of anti-Stratfordianism, the movement disputing Shakespeare’s authorship, Walt Whitman, Sigmund Freud and Mark Twain denied the relation between the historical Shakespeare and the works attributed to his name.

A thesis statement for research paper projects: Step 3

 
The third step to writing an effective thesis statement for research paper projects is to choose appropriate constructions and use them to finally formulate it. Here are some valuable phrases and hints:

• This paper will examine (discuss, argue, explore etc.)…
• State that one aspect contributes to another one, explaining how you are going to prove it.
• State that certain concepts or phenomena can be explained through the impact of other concepts or phenomena.
• State that certain issues or theories can have different interpretations.

A thesis statement for research paper projects: Step 4

 
If you still doubt whether you wrote an effective thesis statement, you can use these criteria to test it:

1. ”So what” question. Will your readers say “so what” after they read your thesis statement? If they are likely to say that, you need to stress more in your thesis statement the importance of your research project.
2. Captain Obvious test. Ask yourself whether your position is not obvious and whether others may want to challenge it.
3. How and why test. Does your thesis statement briefly explain how you have arrived to your specific conclusions?

By the way, you should not be afraid of writing “working” thesis statements for research papers that might be later revised and changed if necessary. So, you are welcome to follow these 4 easy steps and make your thesis statements the strong point of your research papers.

Writing techniques definition

 
What are writing techniques? Writing techniques are the mechanisms you use to write your papers. Each step you take in the essay writing process can influence the results you achieve. Though there is no universal recipe for writing all types of essays, some mechanisms have proven to be more effective than others.
 

Writing techniques to unlock your mind

 
The first steps in essay writing can be rather intimidating. “Hello, my dear friend” says the writer’s block, and you do not know where to start, but look blankly at a white computer monitor. Stop torturing yourself and try these truly effective essay writing techniques:

1. Brainstorming. First, you should forget about criticism and write down all ideas coming into your head (even the silliest of them). Then, you should evaluate and test them, selecting only the best ones. To get your creativity going, you need to remove all barriers. In brainstorming, you first generate as many ideas as you can, and only later evaluate their quality.
2. Free writing. Though this writing technique is criticized by some instructors, a lot of students like and appreciate it. Free writing means you do not need to worry about grammar and punctuation (not until proofreading papers). Your main goal is to free your brilliant ideas. You may set on a timer and write for a certain period of time (10-15 minutes) any thoughts that come into your head.
3. Directed questioning. If you cannot decide what to include in your paper, you may ask yourself directing questions. E.g. How can I define this concept? How can I investigate this problem? Why does this problem interest me? How does this problem affect other subjects?
4. Outlining. By making an outline, you can accelerate your writing process. Start from writing a thesis statement, then find convincing arguments for body paragraphs, and formulate them in the form of topic sentences. Then, support these central ideas with additional evidence. You will complete your essay before you could say Jack Robinson.

Writing techniques to persuade your readers

 
Another important aspect essential to improving your writing style is to find good content for your papers. These are proven writing techniques that will make your papers better:

• AIDA formula. Attention + Interest + Desire + Action = a good essay. This formula is used by marketers in advertisements, but it can be helpful for any papers. Try toput yourself in your readers’ shoes and think from their perspective. Respect your audience and think of what might interest them.
• Rhetorical triangle. Though it was created by ancient Greeks, it can be helpful for you too. The main components to include are logos (logical explanations, examples, and evidence), pathos (appeals to readers’ feelings and emotions), and ethos (ethical concerns – show that you as a writer have enough knowledge and competence to discuss certain problems and therefore readers can believe you).
• Repetitions. Repetitions are highly valued by psychologists. Make certain to use repetitions wisely, so that you don’t bore your readers. Echo the idea indicated in your thesis statement throughout your paper in topic sentences and conclusion. You should use various forms for repetitions, such as narratives, examples, logical reasoning, quotations of outstanding thinkers.
• Addressing objections. When developing your arguments, try to address the arguments of your readers before they even think of them. Imagine your instructors reading your essays and saying: “What about…?”

Writing techniques to avoid

 
Now that you understand what strategies can help you improve your writing skills, you might also want to check these worst techniques for writing essays, to know what to avoid:

1. Positive commentators. Some students think that if they write an essay in a positive key, their teachers will like it. This is wrong. Be objective and make certain to offer convincing arguments instead of simply stating that the book was “unforgettable”.
2. Open-hearted fellows. This group of students thinks that they can impress their instructors by using colloquialisms and personal details. This is wrong. You should not use an informal style unless it is requested by your teacher.
3. Garbage collectors. This group of students thinks that they can include all information that is in anyway related to the subject matter and get a good grade for this collection of interesting but irrelevant facts. Such students keep a lot of information in their short-term memory and absolutely nothing, even essay questions, will prevent them from including these facts into essays.
4. TERMinators. The name of this category is derived from the word “term”. These students are fond of complicated terms and their definitions. This is wrong. You should not provide unnecessary definitions, unless they are valuable for your discussion.
5. Magicians. These students can make tricks and illusions with essay questions. Their essays start well, but the essay question disappears by the time you read the conclusion part. “While” is their favorite word. E.g. In an essay on a marketing strategy: While a marketing strategy is important for the company’s success, change management is also important for making progress. Change management techniques are…
6. Philosophers of contradiction. These students assume that all questions are controversial and use this assumption as their writing technique. They do not want to take a concrete stand and in their essays, they simply repeat the idea that the essay question is really controversial and can be viewed from different perspectives.

So, now that you see the difference between best and worst writing techniques, you will be able to make the right choices, unlock your mind, avoid the traps and make your essays just perfect.

Chinese education: ancient traditions

 
Education has been highly valued in China since ancient times. Just imagine: even in the times of the Shang Dynasty (16 century BC), when the Chinese had not invented paper yet, they used bones of animals and tortoise shells for educational purposes. Noble people built schools for their kids. However, poor families could not even dream of sending their children to schools. Fortunately, now the situation has changed for the better.
 

Chinese education: current laws

 
In 1986, China’s government adopted the Law of Nine-Year Compulsory Education. Importantly, the same year, another law prohibiting individuals and organizations from employing youths who had not completed at least 9 years of schooling was enacted. Along with compulsory education, there is also higher education that is optional. Here are the main stages in modern China’s education:
 

 
The Chinese can make great personal sacrifices to send their children to colleges and universities because they understand the importance of good education. The government of China increases investment into schooling. There are a lot of scholarships and work and study programs which make higher education more affordable. Another question is how the Chinese achieve not only affordability, but also high quality of education.
 

Chinese education: teachers

 
The government takes measures to raise the living standards of teachers and provide them with the necessary training. It is notable that ineffective teachers are offered training programs. If training doesn’t help, they can be pushed into other jobs. For instance, an ineffective teacher of math can become a gym teacher. Therefore, the combination of state investment, improved social status of teachers, training programs and high requirements for teachers explains the high quality of education for Chinese students. It makes Chinese education one of the most popular choices of international students.
 

Chinese education: 5 lessons for Americans

 
The Chinese themselves criticize their education system because of the prevalence of rote learning. However, the results of the international study discussed above and the international math Olympiads, in which Chinese students won 11 times since the year 2000, are self-explanatory. Here are only five lessons which can be learned from education in China on how to improve the quality of education in a country:

• improvement of social status and living conditions for teachers;
• increased state investment into schooling;
• strict policies for ineffective teachers – training programs and even a push into other jobs if necessary;
• second chances to struggling students: those who repeat a grade still can go to college; those who fail a test do not necessarily drop out;
• family involvement: parents and grandparents support children in doing their homework (by the way, Chinese children are likely to do twice as much homework as their American peers).

So, now the main secrets of Chinese schooling are disclosed. Let’s wait and see if the US education system can use any of these lessons.

Literature Search: Where to Start

1. First, you can go to the library and browse through a library catalogue. There are many subject indexes and they will help you find information on every topic.
2. Secondly, there are many online databases such as SAGE, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, ProQuest. They will offer you many up-to-date and relevant articles about the topic of your paper.
3. Internet resources such as Google Scholar can also be of great use to students who look for relevant information.
4. Finally, you may ask your professor or teaching assistant for advice. They will definitely tell you what kind of sources you should use for your paper.

Literature Search: Understanding the Logic of Search Engines

1. First, you need to identify the main keywords related to your topic. You should also write down synonyms to these keywords.
2. Secondly, when you write a search query, make sure that it is no longer that four words, because otherwise the search engine may offer you many irrelevant web pages.
3. When you want to find exact matches to your query, put your keywords in quotation marks.
4. If you want to sift out irrelevant web pages, use Boolean operators, like And, Or, Not.
5. You should also carefully evaluate the sources Internet offers you. Remember that blogs and commercial websites are not always credible. You should access first educational and governmental websites.

Literature Search: Evaluating Sources

1. Peer-reviewed studies published within the last five years;
2. Books written on the topic;
3. Official documents published by governmental agencies or international organizations;
4. Encyclopedia entries;
5. Newspaper articles. It is possible to use newspaper articles, but you have to make sure that you are not relying on the data published by the yellow press.

If you take into account these recommendations, you’ll see that any literature search can be made much more productive.