© 2021 by Michael Anshelevich

M ATH 300, T ERM PAPER FORMAT*
General comments:
• This handout will be edited throughout the semester.

• All writing assignments should be double-spaced, have 1 inch margins, and 12 point fonts.
• Questions on any aspect of these assignments are welcome.
From the first day handout: Each student must choose a mathematical topic, research it via
books, articles, the web etc., and write a paper explaining the mathematics you have learned. The
best papers also contain something you have created yourself, such as an example to demonstrate
understanding of the topic. The level of the discussion and examples should be for college students.
See the course web page for sources of inspiration for choosing a topic. Content requirements: the
instructor has to approve the topic, and the paper has to contain a substantial amount of mathematics
(it may also include history, biography, or educational applications), and at least one reference to
a hard-copy content. Technical requirements: at least 2000 words not including references (i.e.
roughly 8 pages), no upper length restriction.
Paper proposal, January 26
Pick a topic for your term paper, and tell it to the instructor.
Start exploring what you want to learn about this topic, what are the objects involved, what are the
main theorems about them, etc.
Outline, February 9
The term paper should have the following structure. These are all required at the draft stage.
• Author’s name.
• Title.
• Abstract: a brief summary of contents. Can be omitted at the outline stage.
• Introduction: A longer summary of contents, perhaps with some motivation, background,
etc. At this point, give a brief description of your chosen topic, the reasons you find it
interesting or attractive, and what you already know about the topic. Use your own language
and avoid direct quotations and citations. The introduction should be approximately one
page long. In later versions of the paper, in the introduction you should put less emphasis
on why you find the topic interesting, and more on actually describing the contents of the
paper. Don’t forget to state the sources used; at this point, using a Wikipedia article or
equivalent as a source is sufficient, but you should also list (in the references section) the
more serious sources you will use to learn more about your topic.
*© 2021 by Michael Anshelevich.

1
• One or several sections of content. Each section should have a descriptive title, and a short
summary of its future contents. It may describe a particular mathematical object (in which
case, it will eventually include both the precise definition and an informal description), a
theorem (in which case, it will eventually include the precise statement of the theorem, an
outline or a complete proof of it, and a discussion of how this theorem related to the topic
of the paper), examples (both mathematical and informal), uses of the mathematical objects
outside of math, etc.
• References. These should eventually include complete bibliographic information.
The outline should provide a plausible version of the future structure of the paper, even if you end
up modifying it at a later point. Come up with a list of references you will use to write your paper.
In each section, indicate which point you will be making, and on which reference(s) it will be based.
You can fill in the details of the arguments later, and of course you should also think of what you
can add to the material already in the references: your own examples, your own applications, etc.
Draft (graded on structure and style), February 25

Fill in the details in the outline. Feel free to add/subtract/modify sections from the outline, but
after this point the structure of the paper should be fixed. Make sure to follow all the rules of good
writing you have learned in other settings.
For mathematical formatting, use the style of the course textbook as a guide. The following format-
ting requirements will be enforced.
Make the statements of Definitions, theorems, or Examples visible, and start each with a new
paragraph. Small mathematical expression can be included in the text, but larger ones should be
separated on their own lines. References at the end of the paper should come in standard format,
including author, title, either a link or publication information, and if appropriate, page numbers.
Sections, statements, theorems etc. in the text should reference the sources from the bibliography
in a consistent style ([1], or (Lakins 2016), etc.)
You are welcome to include in the paper some theorems whose statements and certainly proofs go
far beyond this course, and whose details you do not entirely understand at this point. But most
of the paper should consist of statements, and proofs, which you understand and can explain at the
same level you would any other topics in this course. This can be a challenge, but a fun one. Help
is always available upon request.
Term paper (graded on content), March 16

Following the instructor’s comments, adjust the structure, style, and (if necessary) add mathematical
content to bring the paper to the appropriate level.
In addition to bringing a printed version to class, send the instructor a file containing your paper,
preferably with your name as the file name.
Editorial comments, April 6

In addition to the short answers to the questions below, make sure to make detailed comments and
corrections on the paper itself.
• Did the writer follow the technical requirements for the paper? These include the require-
ments from the first day handout, as well as the structure requirements above. What would
you change or improve?
• Is the style of the presentation appropriate for a mathematics term paper? What would you
change or improve?
• Does the paper contain many technical English errors (misspellings, incomplete sentences,
etc.) What would you change or improve?
• Is the paper well-written? (Is it clear? Is appropriate terminology used? Is the text divided
into appropriate paragraphs? Does the text have a good flow?) What would you change or
improve?
• Did the author include sufficient mathematical content to satisfy the requirements?
• Is the mathematical content appropriately separated from the text, with theorem statements,
displayed equations etc.?
• Was the mathematical content understandable? (Were sufficient explanations given? Were
complicated notions illustrated by examples, diagrams, etc.? Can a reader without addi-
tional mathematical background beyond Math 300 understand the mathematics as described
in the paper?) What would you change or improve?
Revision, April 20
Revise the paper following the feedback from other students and the instructor. You are not re-
quired to make all the requested changes, but if you don’t, include a short note (separate from the
paper) explaining why you prefer not to implement particular changes. Make sure that the narrative
remains smooth.
This is intended to be the final version of the paper; if the revision is done properly, no additional
changes should be necessary.
Final revision, April 29

Implement the additional requested changes, if any.

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M ATH 300, T ERM PAPER FORMAT*

• This handout will be edited throughout the semester.

Paper proposal, January 26

*© 2021 by Michael Anshelevich.

Draft (graded on structure and style), February 25

Term paper (graded on content), March 16

Editorial comments, April 6

Final revision, April 29

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