Research Paper Introductions

Research Paper Introductions

The introduction of research paper should accomplish two purposes:

1. It should grab the reader’s attention.
2. it should present the paper’s main idea and thesis statement

In addition, the introduction may define key terms, supply necessary background information, or both. The introduction can be of any length, although most introductions are one or two paragraphs long.

Capturing the Readers Attention:
There are many ways to capture a reader’s attention in an introduction. You can begin with

• a startling or unusual fact,
• a question,
• an anecdote,
• an analogy,
• a paragraph that compares or contrasts,
• or examples pertaining to your topic.

Thesis Statements:
Most of your thesis statements are already scoring a 10 on that Sentence outline rubric—if not, see Ms. Miller with revisions!

Here are some helpful links:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/writeintro.html

http://web.mit.edu/writing/Writing_Types/introstrategies.html

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/introductions.html

Harold Washington--Meet Ms. Miller there on Thursday

Ms. Miller is planning to go to the Harold Washington on Thursday, at 4:30. She will be on the 4th floor. From here she can assist you with your research.

You must sign up on Wednesday. Please note: I am not going to the library as a chaperone! I am going to be there to advise you, but you are responsible for getting there, getting home, behaving properly and your general well-being.

Working in the lab--Thesis and Annotated List of W.C.

Today you should focus on getting the help you need to have your Annotated List of Works Cited turned in on time. If that means you need to help narrowing down your topic, that's where you should begin. It may mean that you need help learning how to cite a particular source--I'm here to help!

Anyone working diligently and making progress will earn a homework grade of 10 possible points.
Anyone not getting work done or distracting others will loose this homework grade. No warnings will be given.

Use your time wisely! It's one of the best lessons to learn before you leave for college...