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INTRODUCTION, ROUGH DRAFT, AND CONCLUSION

 

 

Unit Overview

 

Now that you have organized your note cards and created your outline, you are ready to begin writing your research paper.  In this unit you will learn how to write an introduction and conclusion for your paper.  You will also write your rough draft.

 

 

Formatting Your Research Paper

 

You should type your report in Microsoft Word or another word processing program.  If you are not using Microsoft Word, you should contact your teacher to make sure that he or she can open files created by your word processing program. 

Your research paper will be at least two pages long and no longer than three pages long.  Your margins should be set at 1 inch for the top, bottom, left, and right sides. 

 

You should double space your writing.  Does NOT double space by pressing the Enter key at the end of each line you type.  Instead, set your word processing program to double space automatically.  To do this in Microsoft Word, open a new blank document.  Then click Format, and choose Paragraph.

 

 

When the smaller window opens, change the line spacing from single to double.  Then click OK.

 

 

Once you change this setting and set your margins, you are ready to begin typing. 

 

The Introduction

 

The introduction is the first paragraph of your research paper.  The reader gets his or her first impression of your topic from the introduction.  That’s why the introduction needs to strongly state the purpose of your paper. 

 

 

 

One of the most common mistakes that students make is writing an introduction that sounds like a conversation.  This happens when a student uses the pronouns I and you.  Below is a weak introduction that uses these pronouns.

 

 

 

WEAK

   This is my research paper about Labrador Retrievers.  I am going to tell you why having a Labrador retriever is a good idea.  I will tell you how to take care of your Labrador retriever.  You will also learn why Labrador retrievers are such good pets.

 

 

 

 

While the reader does find out what your topic is, the paragraph above does not state your purpose strongly.  Below is an example of a stronger introduction.  Notice that this example does not use the pronouns I and you.

 

 

 

STRONG

   Labrador retrievers are one of the best dogs that you can own.  These dogs are perfect for families with children, because they are obedient and faithful.  While owners need to love and care for their Labrador retrievers, these dogs do not require specialized care.  These things all make Labrador retrievers the perfect dogs for families.

 

 

 

After reading this introduction, the reader understands that the paper will be about Labrador retrievers.  However, this introduction lets the reader know that the author’s purpose is to show them why Labrador retrievers are wonderful pets.  This introduction is much stronger, because it clearly states the writer’s purpose without sounding like a conversation.

 

 Now answer question 1

 

 

The Body

 

The body of your research paper is written from the information you gathered when you did your research.  This is the main part of your research paper.  This is where you share your information with the reader. 

 

Things to remember as you write:

 

To write the body of your research paper, look again at your outline.  Follow the order of the information you listed on your outline.  Each topic will be at least a paragraph.  Use the subtopics and details to help you write the paragraph.

 

As you are writing, refer back to your note cards.  You organized these note cards into categories.  Now you can turn each category into a paragraph or two in the body of your paper.  Use the note cards to help you write.

 

Remember to not write down word-for-word what you found when you researched.  You need to write the information in your own words.  Otherwise, you would be plagiarizing, or stealing someone else’s work.

 

 

The Conclusion

 

The conclusion of your research paper summarizes the main idea of your paper.  It should not include any new information.  This is your chance to remind your reader of your main points and bring a close to your paper.  Like the introduction, the conclusion should not use the pronouns I and you.  Use this as your last opportunity to make a strong impression on your reader.

 

 

Sentence Variety

 

As you write your research paper, make it your goal to use many different kinds of sentences.  This makes your paper more interesting to the reader. 

 

Below are examples of two different ways to say the same thing. 

 

 

Example 1: 

Labrador retrievers need lots of love.  Owners need to take care of their dogs.  Labrador retrievers do not need specialized care.

 

 

 

 

Example 2: 

While owners need to love and care for their Labrador retrievers, these dogs do not require specialized care. 

 

Both examples give the same information.  However, Example 1 uses sentences that are short and choppy.  Example 2 puts the information together into a more interesting sentence.  Try to mix shorter sentences with longer ones so that you hold your reader’s interest.

 

 

Writing Your Rough Draft

 

Now you are ready to begin writing the body and conclusion of your research paper.  Keep in mind that this is your rough draft.  This is the time for you to get your ideas down on paper, not the time to worry about writing a perfect paper.  You will be revising and editing your work in later units.

 

You will now use the information from your outline to write a research paper.  The information you have following a Roman numeral will be the information within your paragraph.  Use complete sentences and vary the sentence structure.  Begin sentences in different ways (e.g., begin with a prepositional phrase, begin with an adverb).  A simple sentence has a subject and a verb.  A compound sentence is a sentence with two simple sentences connected with a conjunction.  A complex sentence includes an adverb or adjective clause (e.g., who is the man I knew (adj) or when I went to New York (adv).  Make your sentences interesting to your reader.  Be sure to include an introduction and a conclusion.  No new information should be in the conclusion paragraph.  Each paragraph needs a topic sentence.  All the paragraphs should contain information relating to your thesis statement.  You should use some quotes from your sources to prove some of your information.  Include a bibliography or works cited page at the end of your paper.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:

Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique, inimitable detective character in Sherlock Holmes and a perfect foil for his detective in the character of his “sidekick,” Dr. John Watson. Sherlock Holmes and Watson burst upon the scene in A Study in Scarlet, and in the canon of Doyle’s fifty-six stories and four novels, the characterization of and relationship between Holmes and Watson are further developed. At first glance, Holmes may seem exasperatingly stubborn and irritatingly conceited to the reader, and Watson may appear a slavishly loyal if not-too-bright assistant to the great detective -- two characters who are opposite in all ways. However, the relationship is actually a symbiotic one; Holmes and Watson are essential to one another. Holmes is the coldly analytical reasoning mind, the “head,” while Watson is the trustingly loyal, admiring, warm “heart.” Holmes’s stubbornness and conceit are tempered by Watson’s loyalty and attempt at emulation of Holmes’s methods. Watson’s naiveté and lack of acuity are balanced by Holmes’s perceptiveness. Their personality traits complement each other and, together, determine how Doyle meant the reader to view his characters.

SAMPLE BODY PARAGRAPHS:

Dr. John Watson admires Holmes greatly, and strives to imitate him; the sincerest form of flattery, although Holmes frequently criticizes Watson’s attempts. When Watson picks up the walking stick left by a visitor, he states, “'I think,’ said I, following as far as I could the methods of my companion, ‘that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medical man, well-esteemed, since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation” (Hound 9). Holmes explains, “I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me, I meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies, I was guided towards the truth” (11). Later, when Holmes tells Henry Baskerville that he himself cannot go to Dartmoor to investigate the mystery, but that Watson could go in his place, Watson is surprised since he had not been consulted, but immediately agrees, feeling proud that Holmes has recommended him. He says, “The proposition took me completely by surprise, but before I had time to answer, Baskerville seized me by the hand and wrung it heartily. . . I was complimented by the words of Holmes. . .”   Despite all of his attempts at Holmesian observation and deduction and his obvious admiration of his mentor, Watson frequently receives criticism rather than praise.

In “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” Watson states, “I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions -, as swift as intuitions, . . . with which he unraveled the problems which were submitted to him” (18). In another story, Watson examines an unsigned letter sent to Holmes and “endeavors to imitate my companion’s processes” (“Scandal” 110). However, Holmes scolds Watson, “You have not observed. Yet you have seen” (110). Watson’s admiration for and imitation of Sherlock Holmes, despite Holmes’s frequent criticism of his attempts, creates a sense of awe in the reader. Watson is an intelligent but “average” man, like the average reader, so we identify with him. We look up to Holmes, in part, because of Watson’s reverent presentation of him. Watson’s detailed and effective chronicling of the adventures of Holmes is imbued with his respect for the great detective. In his preface to The Complete Sherlock Holmes, one critic notes, “We must have Watson, too. Rashly, in later years, Holmes twice undertook to write stories for himself. They have not the same magic” (Morley 8). Watson’s loyal admiration of Holmes shows the reader that Doyle meant for us to “overlook” Holmes’s single-minded inflexibility. Once again, Watson’s approval tempers the reader’s possible negative response to Holmes.

Note that in the above sample body paragraphs, most of the quotations come from Doyle’s original stories, so only the abbreviated title of the work, plus the page number is needed. If the title of the work has already been mentioned in the sentence, no repetition is necessary. Only the page number appears in the parenthetical reference. The final quotation in the paragraph is from a critic, so the critic’s last name and the page number are cited.

SAMPLE CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH:

Arthur Conan Doyle created a unique detective character in Sherlock Holmes and a perfect contrast for him in the character of his loyal assistant, Dr. John Watson, yet the purpose of these two characters is not just to provide a study in contrasts. While the reader may find Holmes exasperatingly stubborn and irritatingly conceited at times, one must see him through Watson’s eyes and thereby admit that Holmes demonstrates truly phenomenal insight, powers of observation and intelligence. Watson’s admiration of Holmes’s abilities to the point of emulation, and his loyalty, even in the face of Holmes’s brusque manner, provides a counterpoint and shows the reader how Doyle wants us to view his obstinate, egotistical super-sleuth -- as believable and human despite his superhuman powers of observation and deduction. Without Watson, Holmes would be too coldly analytical and harsh. Without Holmes, Watson’s good-hearted, trusting nature and lack of analytical powers would always lead him to the wrong conclusions. They “need” one another. It is the balance provided by the two personalities that has endeared Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories to millions of fans, world-wide, for over one hundred years.

 

 

 Now answer questions 2 - 3