Basic Rules Of Writing A Research Paper Introduction Paragraph Outline
Paragraphs that introduce and summarize a research paper usually cause the worst headache for students. They are very important and demand a lot of attention. Though the format of an intro varies, depending on the type of the project, every intro pursues the same goal, which determines its organization. This organization is a good base for a detailed introduction paragraph outline.
Below, you will find several basic rules of organization of proper organization of such an outline. However, you should remember that these tips are more like a recommendation than a law that cannot be violated.
To begin with, let’s determine the main function of an intro:
- To introduce the subject of your work, underlining the reason why it’s important and interesting, and determining boundaries of the research.
- To introduce the structure and methods of researching, explaining the essence of body paragraphs.
- To introduce the thesis statement that is usually composed as a short and catchy phrase.
Not all introduction paragraphs contain all the three goals. Quite often students use this first paragraph to explain readers why their projects and research should be interesting. It’s surely important, but it’s not the best idea. Speaking about the scientific novelty and interest of the project only, you can lose attention of your readers who will have no idea about the goal of your work.
Outlines of the introduction paragraph are usually composed in the following way.
- Introduce the subject.
- Speak about the methods you have used and the structure of the project.
- Introduce your thesis statement.
Explain your readers, within which frame you have done your research. Briefly inform them why the topic is interesting for you, for the science upon the whole, and for further exploration of the area.
Name all the main parts of your essay. Explain why they follow each other in this precise way. Speak briefly about the methods you have used to reach your results and conclusions you are planning to make on the base of these results.
As a rule, it’s supposed to be as brief as possible. Try not to use more than two phrases, one devoted to its general premise and one more devoted to conclusions.
Depending on the type and size of your paper, you may need additional points that will give more attention to the structure of the work or applied methods. If you want you can give them a separate entry in your intro paragraph outline. Still, for most academic papers these three main points work well enough.