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The value of a term paper
A term paper is not a formal report. Coursework is an important product of intellectual work that has its own value.
The need and importance of term papers (and any other traditional types of coursework) in today's education system is a controversial issue. Many people are sceptical about the need to write coursework and dissertations, and we understand why this is the case. Nevertheless, coursework can indeed be of benefit - both to the authors and to the academic environment as a whole.
If you see your coursework as a formal report in which the most important thing is to conform to templates, then there really isn't much point in such work.

In the process of working on your coursework you form a personality and gain new knowledge and skills

We advocate a radically different approach. The main value of coursework is to be able to write it yourself, which helps you develop as a person and gain new knowledge and skills.

Even if your university doesn't require a really good research paper, it doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Quality research is what you need first and foremost. Higher education institution should be seen as one of the possible tools to achieve your own goals. It is up to you to learn, and it is up to you to determine how good your education is going to be in the end. There is no other way to become a professional than to work hard without paying attention to the lowered quality standards set for you in your university.

You can go with the flow and meet only superficial formal requirements or you can get a quality education against all odds. It is up to you.


We have already established that a good term paper should not end up in the teachers' archives, or worse, in the bin. The results of your coursework can be published in any form in the public domain: it can be a full-length paper, or it can be an article in a scientific journal, written as a result of the research you have done.
It is now time to talk about the most important thing: what open access is and why science cannot progress without open access.