Do You Use APA Format Or MLA Format?

If you ever need to write essays, term papers or professional research papers, chances are you will be required to use one of two main format and style conventions; APA or MLA. These are the two most widely used paper formatting standards used in the English language.

Based on the clickthrough behavior of the more than 250,000 individual visitors who came to my Writing Help Central website last month, of those looking for format/style info, 53% were looking for APA help and 47% for MLA help; giving APA the slight edge.

Most academic and professional research papers are required to use some sort of standardized guidelines governing the style, format, and referencing of sources. The two major standards that have evolved over the years as the leading guidelines are those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). So, if you are required to write any type of academic or professional papers, it is likely that you will be required to adhere to either APA or MLA standards.

Both APA and MLA organizations publish thick manuals that detail the specific conventions to use when writing papers using their respective formats. Due to the evolving nature of these guidelines, both organizations periodically issue updated versions of their standards manuals every few years. These are lengthy and somewhat technical manuals that exceed 400 pages in length and can be difficult to wade through.

One of the most difficult and confusing tasks when finalizing a paper is compiling what is widely known as a "bibliography". In fact, almost all academic and professional research papers are required to have an annotated bibliography. The term "bibliography" is often used as a generic term referring to some sort of list of "information sources" to be included at the end of a paper or article.

APA and MLA each have different ways to compile and present a bibliography in a paper, so it is important to check into the specific formats for the standard that you are required to use. Interestingly, neither one of these two writing standards actually refers to its "list of sources" as a "Bibliography". MLA calls it a "List of Works Cited" and APA refers to it as a "Reference List".

Online term paper
Free Online Essays

Electronics Engineering and Course Topics and Facts

Electronics has been in one or the other forms always grabbed man's attention as a field of study or even on its own. Electronics courses are on offer in academic levels for students. Along with that, there are electronic enthusiasts who wish to learn more and more about the subject and its varied components. So what makes for a good electronics course? What are the qualifications one can get in studying electronics? What does the course involve? Let us take a look at some of these questions at a glance.

Electronics courses and types

Usually an aspiring student can opt for one or the other degree- either a Bachelor of Engineering or Masters in Engineering. Different countries have different durations for these courses and in US, different universities can offer degrees of different durations as well. Engineering are of usually three years or even four with the last two years focusing on specialization of subjects. The Masters course can be of four years depending upon the country and their educational systems. Now what exactly does an Electronic course offer its students? Satellites to internet to microcomputers to the very petty switches of our rooms, all are the boon of electronics. Electronics and its related engineering concepts are the basis of all these developments which students study. Anything that involves electrical power from superconductors to electromagnets, they are subjects which require logical and creative thinking. Computer applications and electronics are related somehow and thus the courses will usually involve one or the other form of programming.

Course details involving Projects

Every course related to electronic engineering has specific interests and their study structure is not similar. But with undergraduate courses, students are expected to focus more on their mathematics and physics understanding in the initial two years and thus strengthening the foundations of understanding. In these early years, a substantial amount of lab work is done in order to closely observe circuits and their varied understandings and interpretations. Some of the fields where students might work on are telecommunications, software development, and robotics and this is when project work is indispensable as students are required to put in their ideas using the project designs.

The Masters of Engineering further narrows down one's chosen field of interests and presents an in-depth study which will help one in their upcoming workplace. After gaining proper knowledge one can use their interest in maths and sciences for practical use in technology and its related affairs.

Career prospects for students

With a large number of students opting for electronic course and engineering as a field of study, it is crucial that one scores good marks in order to get accepted in these universities as the level of competition amongst students is pretty high. And with technology improving day by day, students with the right potential have a lot of areas where they can put their knowledge to proper use. Telecommunication companies, software companies are some of the few where engineers are in demand.

Creative Term paper
Essays Market

How to Write the Perfect Term Paper

The most common writing requirement in upper-division courses
is the term paper. The importance of the term paper tends to be
neglected. Why is a term paper so important? The main reason is
that it will make up a big part of your final grade. You might
be deceived as to its importance because most teachers will not
give much class discussion time to these papers. When your
instructor does not give you detailed instructions for writing
your term paper, it is up to you to become informed on your
own.

The first step to writing the perfect term paper is analyzing
the materials you already have. This means that you need to
take a good look at all of the information you have on your
subject, including your text-book materials, lecture notes, and
course hand-outs . Your instructor will usually point out
exactly what is expected of you. Students tend to neglect this
and, as a consequence, their end product does not fulfill the
task assigned. It is very important to discuss anything that
you do not understand with your teacher as soon as possible.
Sometimes students do not do this because they are afraid of
appearing stupid in the eyes of the instructor or their fellow
students. This is a huge mistake! Not only will a good teacher
answer all of your questions but will also notice that you are
genuinely interested in writing a quality term paper.

After you have analyzed your materials, you must decide on a
thesis. Most often, a thesis is a question that you seek to
answer in your paper, but this is not a hard rule. If your
teacher does not tell you that your thesis must be a question,
you may feel free to experiment. Why not make it interesting
for yourself? Try searching for a topic that interests you -
this will not only make your term paper easier to write, it
will also make it more fun to write. Make sure your subject and
thesis fulfill the necessary requirements and then analyze how
long your paper will turn out. A term paper usually has page
limits. With this in mind, be careful not to choose a subject
that is likely to turn out too long or too short. For instance,
you can not write a 10 page term paper about the evolution of
music from Classical to Modern - the subject is much too broad
to cover in such a short space. If you are in this position,
you need to narrow your topic. Also, make sure that your chosen
topic will have enough bibliography available and be sure that
you understand your subject completely before starting your
paper.

The next step that you need to complete is research. In most
cases there is a specific bibliography assigned for your paper,
but often it is a general list of suggested reading, rather
than a precise list of references. In this case you, the
student, fist need to compile a list of appropriate sources.
Many students fail with the actual writing because of improper
researching during this phase. In some cases, this is because
they attempted to conduct their research solely on the Internet
at the expense of using the library. While it is true that the
World Wide Web is a trove of information on most subjects, when
writing a term paper, you also need to look for research
materials in the library. You will surely find someone to point
you in the right direction and aid you during your research in
the library. Gather anything you might want to use from
magazine articles to books written by specialists on your
chosen subject. While reading and gathering your materials, be
sure that you take notes. Including quotations is necessary,
but be careful to not put too many in one term paper. Many
students tend to include long quotes in order to finish more
quickly and fill up the space. In fact, this is not at all
productive and does not look good to your instructor. You
should include only quotes that are necessary and relevant to
your subject and, in your final paper, include only the
necessary parts of the quote, the parts that are useful and
directly link to your topic.

After gathering your notes, you need to outline your term
paper. Once again, analysis is very important. Look at the
research materials that you found and the notes that you took.
Create the main outline of your term paper by analyzing what
you want to discuss and keeping on your subject. Follow the
outline you have created and start writing the draft version of
your term paper. Unless your instructor has told you otherwise,
you should use the simple essay format of: 

1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion

Use the Introduction to outline what you are going to 
say, the Body to say it, and the Conclusion 
to summarize your paper's points and the answer 
to your thesis question.

After the first draft is finished, you need to polish it before
it is a final paper. Proofreading is a must and should be done
aloud so that you can also hear the sense of your composition.
This makes it easier for you to change what does not sound
good. Analyze the grammar and spelling so that any mistakes
are avoided or corrected. Look at the quotes you have included
and check to see if they are used properly or not. The actual
polishing should be done at least two days after the first
draft was finished. This will help you stay objective about it.
If you know that you are biased, give your term paper to
someone else to read and be sure to ask for comments and
criticisms. Following these simple steps will help you to
create the perfect term paper, but it is up to you to follow
through. Take your assignment seriously and do not treat
it lightly. If you are mature and diligent, your term paper is
bound to be perfect.

Term papers services
Buy Essays

Types of Report Writing

A report is a dreadfully official document that is written to serve the range of purpose in the engineering and business disciplines; sciences and social sciences. Therefore, they need to be clear-cut and accurate. Good report writing call for--- professionalism, profound knowledge of the subject, attentiveness, and outstanding writing proficiency.

Types of Report Writing ---

• Research Report Writing
• Business Report Writing
• Science Report Writing

Research Report Writing--- To presents the tangible proof of the conducted research is the major intention of the academic assignment. When writing on research report, you must ponder over clarity, organization, and content. Research reports are all the more same to technical reports, lab reports, formal reports and scientific papers which comprise a quite consistent format that will facilitate you to put your information noticeably, making it crystal clear.

Business Report Writing--- In business milieu, Business report writing happens to be an indispensable part of the communication process. Executive summary is written in a non-technical manner. By and large, audience for business reports will consist of upper level manager, for that reason you should take the audience needs in consideration. Go on with the introduction to articulate the problem and determine the scope of the research. To attain the desired results, don't fail to state about the precise quantitative tools.

Science Report Writing--- Parallel to a business report, science report writing also corresponds with the line of investigation. To report upon an empirical investigation, these reports make use of standard scientific report format, portraying technique, fallout and conclusions. As an assignment in undergraduate papers within the scientific disciplines, it is required frequently.

The main objective of the Science report is to boast an aim, the technique which enlightens how the project has been analyzed, the outcomes which presents the findings and the conclusion. This embraces advance research suggestions and your own biased opinion on the topic which has been talked about.

When writing a science report, do not fail to remember to use heading and subheadings in order to direct a reader through your work. In the form of tables and graphs, Statistical evidence should be incorporated in appendices. Than refer to it in the body of your scientific report.

Term papers non plagiarized
Purchase Essay 

How to Write a Paper in One Night

Being in college is a chore. It takes a lot of work, carefully planned over the course of a week, or a month, or a quarter to make sure everything gets done with the full attention it deserves....are you laughing yet? No one puts in the time "required" to properly complete their college work. No, rather it's a rush at the end every week or two to complete a 10 page paper or learn 200 years of ancient Roman history overnight. You all do it, I did it. It's probably a better training skill than all the random stuff you "learn", because honestly in real life do you think you'll have the time to sit and schedule everything that pops into your life ahead of time. Yeah...thought not.

Anyways, for those of you just entering college from the snore inducing boredom and ease of High School, you're probably incredibly unprepared for the shear amount of work you'll have to pull out in the last second. I'm not saying it's easy just because you'll procrastinate. No, it's still hard. You really should take the time to do your work properly. You just won't, and so you need to learn how to procrastinate. It's a fine art, in which I feel I've become something of a Renoir.

First off, make sure you've got all your books and notes. If you don't go to class, which is entirely likely for those of the procrastinating ilk, make sure you get them from a classmate. Also, double check and make sure your professor doesn't have a website. They'll usually tell you, but more than once I've found a class's notes sitting in an archive online, especially now that 90% of them put everything they teach you into PowerPoint presentations and then just read it to you for an hour every day (yeah, lazy). It's usually only an extra 30 seconds out of their day to put the stuff online, and then when they receive twenty plus emails a week asking for the lecture notes, they only have to point you to the website. Well, some are a bit more facetious about their pupils not even bothering to come to class and don't openly offer said notes. However, for sick students and whatnot, they'll put them online to save paper and all it takes is a couple of quick Google searches or an email to a sick student and you've got your notes. Or...just ask a classmate. But then you're relying on them actually paying attention.

You should have your books too. If you never bothered buying them because you would just take notes or go to sparknotes, then you'd better go buy them, because BSing your way through a paper is going to take at least some resources. You can't magically ascertain the information from just being near smarter people. School would be much easier if that were the case.

So, sit down and start reading. Yup, you're going to be reading a lot the night before your work is due. But, this is better than doing all the assigned reading, because now you're searching for specific information. Instead of general learning (which would only stick around and clutter up your brain later) you're doing targeted research. An eighth the time, and none of that pesky remembering it. You should have your topic at least. If not, start surfing message boards and snag one from someone smarter than you. Don't ever take their work though. The last thing you need is to get kicked out of school for plagiarism. It's lazy and embarrassing. Steal concepts, but never words. And if you steal a concept from the middle of their work, cite them. Your university will not take kindly to cheating. You'll be so red taped and black listed, you might as well go and get an application at Jack in the Box, and trust me you don't want to work in fast food.

You can't procrastinate now. You've done that for three weeks, so I'm sorry (I know it hurts), but in terms of actual physical writing time, you'll need at least three hours to type your paper, which speaks nothing of writing it. And writing it involves finding quotations and that ever so pesky chore of thinking. Sit down, grab an energy drink and a bag of chips, close your door and put some headphones on. No television, and put your phone on the charger. Now open up the word processor and just start typing.

You probably think you have writer's block. But, writer's block is completely unrelated to having absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You're stuck with the second one right now, so just keep on reading on your topic and finding bits and pieces to put together.

The thing here that most people don't realize is that the standard writing process isn't in effect for you. You're not drafting, or brainstorming. That's the stuff you should have done two weeks ago. No, you're writing your paper, so make sure you've got your idea and just start writing and keep writing until you create a thesis somehow.

I usually start as broad as possible, and just start talking about something. If I'm writing about the Hero Quest of Pip in Great Expectations, I start by talking about Greek Mythology and the origin of the classical hero. Working my way down, I'll talk about the modern hero, then about the alterations made in the industrial age, and how Dickens rewrote archetypes for his comedy, and finally start talking about Pip. By now you should have a general idea about what you want to say. It might be general but you'll clarify in your next few paragraphs, and then come back and rewrite the first paragraph.

Paragraph one is almost always trash. Especially with this method, because your weary, angered professor after reading 30 of these lovely last minute essays will put a big red X through anything that doesn't have to do with your paper, and those first few grasping sentences are completely unrelated.
But now you can start stealing from the text. Snag a quote and make a point. Snag another quote and make another point. If your thesis ends up as something incredibly broad and useless like "Pip's quest from anonymity and worthlessness into a position of wealth and power in London mirrors the classical hero quests, but works through Dickensian views of industrial England" you're still good. It sounds intelligent and has a lot of promise. Now just find specific quotes and build a narrative. Start at the beginning of his change, talk about his childhood, then go to when he changes, then compare to the Hero quests of old, then show how they're different.

Almost any paper, if written quickly can boil down to something simple and incredibly easy to write, a compare and contrast paper. You choose a prominent theme from the book you just "read". Find a source that mirrors or better yet foils this theme and compare the two. Don't just list how they're different though. That's high school stuff right there. You'll want to write exactly how the outside source changes what you think of your book. It sounds hard but jus think about it. You've got Great Expectations. It has a main character who goes on a kind of quest. Now you have a classic archetype of which there are hundreds of sources to draw on. You take a basic outline of this archetype and apply it to Pip's quest and how he fits it, and when he doesn't fit it. Now you finish your paper by describing why he doesn't fit it sometimes. Which gets you back to the Dickensian views part. You've just pretty much written a paper that says, Pip's quest is classic but different because Dickens was writing about a different time in human history. Incredibly simple; you're not telling anyone anything new, but three things will guarantee a good grade.

1. If you write well at all. You've got to be a halfway decent writer, which if you're in college I'll assume you are.

2. Professors love outside references. It shows initiative and research and makes it seem like you did extra work (which you didn't). I've written papers overnight without drafts and without ever reading them back to myself and received comments that I must have spent hours working on it. Not quite.

3. Confidence in your assertions. Say everything with absolute certainty, and back it up with a quote. Do this enough and even if you're wrong, it'll seem like you've made a decent point, which gets you brownie points.

Writing a paper is a tumultuous task but it's also a scalable task that can be made incredibly quick and easy if you know how. My second to last quarter of college, I wrote three papers in two days; two of them 10 pages, and one 25 pages, and received a 3.8, and two 3.7s. It's a matter of confidence and above all else an unmitigated fearlessness to be incredibly lazy.

Research paper online
Purchase Essays

How to Buy Property in Spain Safely

Buying property abroad is not an undertaking one should embark upon lightly! It is not wise to assume that the entire purchase process will follow the rules we're used to 'back home' and generally speaking there are usually a whole new set of rules and regulations, traditions and traps to learn, understand and watch out for.

Spain is absolutely no exception and has a tangled web of laws and legislation seemingly designed to trip up an unwary real estate buyer. This article examines three key areas that a potential property purchaser should be at least aware of before signing on the dotted line for that dream Spanish home.

Firstly there's a 'tradition' in Spain for purchasers to actively but illegally assist the vendor in reducing his overall capital gains (or profit) tax liability. Often the vendor will ask for a far reduced purchase price to be written into the purchase contract and for the buyer to actually make up the difference between the contract price and the actual price in cash.

This has been a tradition in Spain for many years; in theory it doesn't affect the buyer, it certainly doesn't affect the vendor and what the tax authorities don't know can't hurt them, right?

Wrong!

This action is highly illegal and Spain's new socialist government have begun cracking down on money laundering and tax evasion and these concerted efforts are targeting the property market in Spain.

Of course many potential buyers reading this will simply assume that if asked to act illegally all they need do is point out that the new crackdown could result in investigation, fines, even a lengthy prison term and the vendor, estate agent and solicitor involved in the transaction will step back and accept that exact figures are entered into the contract and taxation be paid accordingly.

Unfortunately the reality for those who refuse to act in accordance with the vendor's wishes can be far different to the above proposed ideal scenario. Quite often the vendor backs out of a sale if he cannot get his way and the buyer loses their dream property in Spain and possibly their deposit as well.

So, what should someone hoping to buy property in Spain do if faced with such a situation? Should they accept the vendor's demands and hand over a brown paper bag stuffed with 500 Euro notes? If they do then the price they apparently purchase the property for will be the price against which any future profits from the resale of the property will be compared for their capital gains tax purposes. Therefore if the purchaser ever wants to resell the property they too will need to insist that their buyer also agrees to having a reduced sum entered into the contract otherwise they'll be liable for all the extra capital gains taxation! Someone somewhere along the line is going to lose out just ensure that it's not you! Even if you have your heart set on a particular home in Spain I would strongly recommend that you do not go ahead and act illegally even if that means you risk losing the property.

Think very long and very hard about what you're being asked to do and the potential legal and long term financial consequences rather than your short term thrill at securing that dream home in Spain.

The next point that is worthy of due attention is the fact that there are many unregistered and inexperienced estate agents operating in Spain. The fact that anyone can become an estate agent on the Costa del Sol for example has led not only to mistakes in the purchase process being made, but unscrupulous individuals setting out to exploit foreign buyers.

When looking for an estate agent to represent your interests find one with a strong and positive reputation...a reputation they will do everything to protect and therefore one who is unlikely to want to offer you anything less than a first class service. Furthermore, find an agent who speaks English and Spanish! It is imperative that your agent understands every minute point about the property, contract, terms and conditions and correctly relates this information to you.

Many estate agencies recommend lawyers to their clients when it comes to contract negotiations, searches etc. Bear in mind that a solicitor referred to you by your agent may be more inclined to act in the agent's best wishes rather than your own. Why? Because the agent likely refers an awful lot of business to him therefore he will do his best to maintain that relationship first! This is of course not always the case, but you might be better advised to find an independent lawyer through the recommendation of friends and trusted third parties who have already had significant or at least similar dealings with said lawyer.

Finally, changes in land laws in Spain have been introduced in Valencia and most recently Andalusia and these changes are 'a good thing' in theory, but the stuff of nightmares for many foreign buyers in the parts of Spain affected by the legislation.

In theory the laws have been introduced to protect rural land, agricultural land, to prevent over development and also to stop private owners from restricting development. But the laws have been badly implemented, they have been exploited and there are many cases of foreign residents convinced that they have been targeted unfairly because of their nationality.

The intricacies of the law seem open for interpretation and in Valencia so many private buyers have suffered at the hands of developers exploiting the law that the European Union recently ruled the law unreasonable. As a result a new version of it has been drafted and is awaiting the Valencian parliament's passing of it.

In Andalusia many foreign owners of rural land on which they were hoping to build a home have lost out to the new laws which restrict the development of such land. It is absolutely a case of buyer beware, and even more importantly it is a case of the buyer doing their complete homework before making any solid plans for that dream home. If you're interested in purchasing a ruin or run down building for redevelopment or you're interested in building from scratch on an empty plot make sure in advance that permission will be granted and that your piece of land in Spain can and will sustain the ambitions you have for it.

If you keep a cool head when buying property in sunny Spain and you employ the same levels of caution and care that you would if buying a house in your home country you will most likely avoid the common traps and pitfalls that some people fall foul of. Just remember to think of the longer term consequences before you act and consider employing the services of qualified and reputable professionals to assist you with the legal and financial side of your transaction and your overseas buying experience will be one you savour!

Buy term papers
Sample Dissertations

Writing a Research Paper - Part 2 - The Library

You're getting ready to write a research paper. You've taken my advice and gone to the library. Now you are going find out how to use the library.

What type of library do you need? If you are a high school student you will probably use your school library, the public library, or maybe an academic library. A college student will go to the academic library at her college or university. But there are other kinds of libraries: private, research, specialized. You probably won't need them at this point in your research.

The library has many resources for research. Books and other media are classified and shelved by different systems in various libraries. The Dewey Decimal system is used in school, public and small college libraries. The Library of Congress system is used in colleges and university libraries. The Superintendent of Documents system is generally used for a government documents collection at a library that participates in the Depository Library Program (FDLP). If you don't know what system your library uses, ask a library assistant to help you.

Each item in the library will have a call number in one of the classification systems previously mentioned. Each item will have a unique identification number that is essentially an item's address. If you have a few moments, take a walk around the library and look at the different call numbers.

Libraries have catalogues that will enable you to find what you are looking for. Most are now online and not in the drawers we used in the old days. You will enjoy searching the catalogue by keyword, subject, title, or author.

What will you find in the library? Books, journals, electronic media, documents, pamphlet, special collections. Let's start with reference books.

Reference materials can not generally be checked out. These materials provide an overview of a topic including facts and statistics. Almanacsare annual publications with calendars, statistics, and useful facts. The World Almanac and Book of Facts is an example. Atlases have maps and charts. Dictionaries come in general and special versions. Encyclopedias provide the same type of overview and also will be all-purpose or specific subjects. The Encyclopedia Judaica is an example of a specialized encyclopedia.

Bibliographies are systematic lists of books and other works that cover a specific subject. Directories have lists of books, websites, and articles also on a specific subject. The 2009 Internet Directory lists websites, wikis, podcasts, forums, videos, blogs, virtual worlds and social networking. There are glossaries that define technical terms. You will find biographical dictionaries that are books or online. Who's Who in America has been in print since 1899. There many other reference books like poetry indexes.

We have looked at many different types of reference books in the library. And don't forget the nonfiction books and materials that are not reference and can be checked out. These are written by experts, such as scientists, scholars, and academics in a particular field. These materials discuss a particular topic in depth and provide citations to other sources on that topic. In the next article we will look at periodicals and electronic search media.

Online term papers
Free Dissertations