Introduction

-Open your research paper with a general overview of the topic. Discuss the big picture. Your Intro should help the grader answer this one question: Why is this topic important?

-Your Intro can be 1-2 paragraphs. END your Intro with your bolded thesis statement.

Supporting Paragraphs

Use the “Planning the Paper” document you created as a road map. Also, have your annotated bibliographies open. (If you go to your “Direct Quotes” part of the bibs, you will see that I made suggestions to either paraphrase (P) or quote (Q) the passage.)

Ideally, you have 3 supporting points that will help support your thesis. EACH supporting point should be roughly 1.5 pages (2-3 paragraphs, NOT ONE LONG PARAGRAPH).

Each section should address a specific supporting point.

Provide an informative, logical blend of quoted passages, paraphrasing, and your opinions. Use 2-3 sources in each section and cite correctly. (The sample paper’s supporting sections are a perfect model to refer to. Notice how the writer does NOT over-quote. She does most of the writing.)

***Be mindful of plagiarism. DO NOT use your source’s words unless you are quoting them. I have seen multiple examples of plagiarism lately in all of my classes. This will result in a 0% for the paper. Refer to all of your paraphrasing documents we went over before the school closure.***

Conclusion

1 solid paragraph. Dont be repetitive in terms of wording, but do finalize your overall stance on your topic.

Consider making a call for action or analyze the real world implications of your stance.

If you haven’t provided the opposing viewpoint to your opinion yet in the paper, you can do so here. As long as you provide a counterargument. This is a great way to close your paper AND reinforce your opinion.