How to Write a Research Paper Introduction PURPOSE

PURPOSE • set the tone for the paper • catch the reader's interest •

SUPPORTING STATEMENTS • Start with some general background information on your subject • Example:

ENDING • description of your thesis • final sentence of your introduction's first paragraph

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A THESIS STATEMENT AND AN HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT Thesis statement • short, direct

WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT CONSIST OF? The best thesis statement is made up

WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT CONSIST OF? Example: • Boiling Chinese tap water (topic)

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? Thesis • Get an

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? Hypothesis • statement that

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? You will most certainly

WAYS TO BEGIN A RESEARCH PAPER • Anecdotes, quotations, recent debates, news stories •

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How to Write a Research Paper Introduction

PURPOSE • set the tone for the paper • catch the reader's interest • communicate thesis or hypothesis statement • lets the reader know what to expect

LENGTH • ~half a page

BEGINNING • supporting statements

SUPPORTING STATEMENTS • Start with some general background information on your subject • Example: – Origins of Feng Shui • Become more narrow and specific in focus • Example: – Attitudes toward Feng Shui • work toward a description of your thesis

ENDING • description of your thesis • final sentence of your introduction's first paragraph

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A THESIS STATEMENT AND AN HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT Thesis statement • short, direct sentence • summarizes the main point or claim of an essay or research paper • uses qualitative research

WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT CONSIST OF? The best thesis statement is made up of: • 1. Your topic • 2. Your point of view on the topic • 3. At least one supporting reason for your point of view • 4. The significance of all this From: http: //www. dvc. edu/academics/ed/english/learningresources/pdfs/Thesisstatement-questions. pdf

WHAT DOES A THESIS STATEMENT CONSIST OF? Example: • Boiling Chinese tap water (topic) is useless (point of view) because it does not destroy pollutants (supporting reason) which are as dangerous as bacteria (significance).

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? Thesis • Get an understanding of reasons, opinions, and motivations. • Used in qualitative research • Concerned more with how people think or feel • Relies on inference

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? Hypothesis • statement that can be proved or disproved • used in quantitative research • predicts the relationship between variables • Example: – Relationship between height and longevity – Relationship between chocolate consumption and obesity

SHOULD YOU WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT OR A HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT? You will most certainly write a thesis statement because: • You don’t have time for a rigorous quantitative study • You have not been trained in statistical techniques

WAYS TO BEGIN A RESEARCH PAPER • Anecdotes, quotations, recent debates, news stories • Compare or contrasting 2 people, events, or ideas.