I need help with a Term Paper on Alzheimers.

I haven't written any kind of Term paper or essay for over 30 years. I don't remember and I am freaking out. After I get it written, I have to get help putting it in the computer to print it out. this term paper has to be 5 pages/double spaced with cover and bibliography in APA format by Friday morning. I really messed one up last Friday because I have no clue. I would gladlly accept any assistance. Thank you, Lori Buzan

You can't even manage the subject of your post correctly.
YOU REALLY SCREWED UP, LORI!!!

Syke, just messing.

You say you haven't written formally for 30 years? That's ok.

It's certainly commendable that you are willing to reach out for help, but in order for others to help you, you must take a few steps on your own.

The topic of your paper is Alzheimers disease, and so I assume this is a research paper.

All what you have to do in a research paper is find some good references such as encyclopedias, journal articles, or books, and paraphrase what they say. Of course, it's important to recognize what's pertinent to the discussion, and what isn't.

The research paper is like any other essay in that it must have an intro, body, and conclusion.
The intro in this case however, won't include much of an original thesis because it will be some variation of the statement "I'm going to talk about alzheimer's." That said, you should try to dress up the introduction in your unique writing style so the reader can get a sense of your flair for writing effectively, and tying your genuine contribution of your introduction, with the body on Alzheimer's which will mostly paraphrase somebody else's writing.

All you have to worry about is making an intro and a conclusion. The rest is just your ability to read something, repeat what you have read to somebody else, and avoid the distinction of writing what they have said verbatim.

So check out some books from your local library or collect some worthy references online, read up a good bit on Alzheimer's, and paraphrase what you've read. It's not hard.

Remember, you can shadow the organization of the body closely, of whatever your main sources are, so it's even easier than you thought.

Write a paper and submit it here for revision, at which point we'll have something to work with, and be in a better position to help you. Have confidence in yourself.

So is this like a research paper? Are you supposed to form an opinion about some aspect of how Alzheimers affects society?

In any case you will need to start with research. Research Alzheimers through scholarly journals. Collect the information you need to put in your bibliography from each article as you go. I sometimes use a site called Proquest to find scholarly journals. If you are supposed to form an argument about some aspect of Alzheimers then look over your research and form an opinion based on the evidence. Find quotes and examples to back up your claims.

Give us the full instructions to your assignment please! :)

Lori, this can be enjoyable. Just collect a few articles about the disease and read them. You need to read them 3 times, like coats of paint on your brain. While you read, take notes of everything interesting.

After 5 articles and note taking, you'll have so much material, it will look like a paper already! All you have to do then is find a theme that is emerging in the notes, and make that the theme of the paper.

Grab the reader's attention with a good intro, and then expound your notes. Pretend you are explaining Alzheimers to a friend... in a letter.

Now, what do you mean about trying to get the paper onto the computer? Maybe you need to sit down with someone who is good at using Word or whatever word processing prgm your computer has. Are you having trouble with the computer's word processing program? If you haven't done this stuff in 30 years, maybe you need to learn a little about the word processing program. It will get easier!!

Wow, it hadn't occurred to me that word processing could still be troublesome, but I guess if you haven't had to write anything for 30 years, then you would have had no reason to really ever use one. Still, you must be at least somewhat computer savvy, or you couldn't have found this website and figured out how to use it! I'd suggest downloading the latest version of Microsoft Office, or having someone you know who is into computers to do it for you. The Office word processor program (Microsoft Word) is really quite intuitive, and you can usually find instructions on how to do anything merely by typing a description of what you want to do into its help search.

I find Wordperfect to be a great program, as well.

Don't forget that you can post your drafts here as you complete them. It is really much easier for us to provide useful feedback when we have at least some of the material to work with.