Writing a Research Paper

What is the goal of the introductory paragraph in a research paper?

• Identify the points the rest of the paper will cover

• Ask a question that the paper will answer

• Summarize everything the paper was about

• Tell what you knew before you did research

Why is outlining important for a research paper

• I have to turn it in for a grade

• Research papers are too long to do without one

• Gives you a guide to follow and exposes where you may need to do more research

• Outlines are just busy work

Your research paper should be about?

• Something that interests you

• Something that interests your teacher

• Whatever the teacher told you to write about

• Something everybody finds interesting

The  Outline of an Introduction

• I.  Opening paragraph

  II. Summary paragraph and statement of hypotheses or research questions

  III. Review of the literature

• I. Review of the literature

  II. Summary paragraph and statement of hypotheses or research questions

  III. Conclusion

• I. Hypothesis

  II. Literature Review

  III. Results

• I.  Opening paragraph

  II. Review of the literature

  III. Summary paragraph and statement of hypotheses or research questions

One of the goals of introduction is________?

• Restate the main idea of the paper

• Ensure that you summarize prior studies about the topic in a manner that lays a foundation for understanding the research problem.

• Summarize all the key points you made throughout the body of the paper

• For the readers to decide whether to read your research or not.