Your hook in the introduction should be an interesting or startling quotation or fact, a question without a clear answer, a brief story, or description (or several of these) followed by background information about the issue, including its history, causes, and important facts or figures related to it. You can define important terminology in the middle of the paragraph.
Then, you should mention the audience for whom you are writing the paper.
Finally, the introduction should end with a linking sentence or two and your thesis.
You thesis should be the thesis we agreed upon earlier in the semester.
There should be NO argument or material from the body paragraphs in your introduction.
The introduction should be between 1 and 1 1/2 pages in length, one paragraph, and may include quoted or paraphrased material, as long as it DOES NOT include arguments for or against your opinion. Arguments belong only in the body of the paper.
If you are going to include a quotation, be sure it relates to what you are discussing. Introduce it by author’s name and credentials. Enclose article titles in quotation marks. Do not italicize them. Be sure quotation marks are complete.
The conclusion should begin with your thesis, and then include a linking sentence which reminds us of your audience and why this issue is important for them.
This should be followed by a discussion of the future of the issue — how things will change or be altered if you get your way.
Finally, you should refer back to the material from your hook. Finish the story, description, or quotation, or answer the question.
Once again, the conclusion should NOT include any arguments and should NOT reiterate your main points.
It should be between 1 and 1 1/2 pages in length and, as I said above, should be ONE paragraph.
a. You followed some of the directions for writing body paragraphs found in Steps in Crafting the Research Paper.
You began the body paragraph with the topic sentence and you included some good information, as well.
Here are some other things to consider before you begin writing the next paragraphs:
1. You will need at least one linking sentence between the topic sentence and your first piece of source information.
2. You should tell us the credentials of all authors before quoting or paraphrasing them.
3. Dates of publication DO NOT belong in your paragraph.
4. Quotations and paraphrases should be explained in terms of their relationship to the topic sentence. Don’t rush from one quotation or paraphrase to the next.
5. All body paragraphs should be at least one full page long (double spaced and typed in Times New Roman 12 point font). This is very short, which means you might not make it to 10 pages for the research paper.
6. Proofread for clarity. I see some words here that don’t seem appropriate to the sentences in which you have included them.
Here are some things to consider:
1. Introduce authors’ full names and credentials the first time you mention them; after that, introduce them by last names before you quote or paraphrase them. DO NOT wait until the end of a paraphrase to tell us who is saying it; otherwise, it borders on plagiarism, since we can’t tell where the information is coming from. ALWAYS introduce your authors before paraphrasing them.
2. I would like to see, as you begin constructing your last few body paragraphs, clearer transitions between ideas. Try to slow down and explain everything fully so that we as readers can understand how your information relates to both the topic sentences and also your thesis.
4. Watch for breaks within paragraphs that don’t belong there.
Here are a few other thoughts as you finish writing your body paragraphs:
1. Use more than two or three quotations and/or paraphrases to support each body paragraph.
2. Introduce all authors before you quote or paraphrase them if you haven’t already done so.
3. Explain every piece of source material.
4. Check that everything in each body paragraph relates to and supports your thesis and/or topic sentence. Cut all information that is not necessary to the paragraph or which doesn’t support your topic sentence. Add material where necessary to “connect the dots” between ideas. You may decide to change out or add sources, even at this late date.
5. Include transitional words and phrases when the writing becomes complex. Your readers should always know where you are going next.
6. Proofread for awkward sentence structure, missing or incorrect punctuation, and inconsistent capitalization. Use the correct words at all times.
Once you’ve reviewed and revised your five body paragraphs (and you are welcome to write more than five body paragraphs for your final essay, although I will not grade them), you can begin assembling your paper.