How to Write a Research Paper Introduction

PURPOSE set the tone for the paper catch the reader's interest communicate the 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: statement-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.