IntroductionA general overview

Purpose

• The introduction to a paper is a very important section, in that it sets the expectations of the reader. While there is no one formula for a good introduction, in general, an introduction to a formal paper of this type should accomplish the following:

An introduction should attract the reader's attention.

• Magazine and newspaper articles often accomplish this with brief but interesting anecdotes, questions that capture the reader's curiosity, something of personal relevance to the reader, or other apt quotations, provocative questions, or statements.

• Very often just raising the interesting issue that your thesis explores is enough to pull your reader in.

It should be explicit

After having read the introduction, the reader should have no doubt about what the central point of your paper is.

It should be significant

You should convince your audience that it should care about what you have to say, though attention to relevance and significance is part of constructing a successful thesis.

It can give a preview

Writers often summarize in a brief list of three or so points how you are going to back up your thesis, so as to prepare the reader and improve the reader's recognition and retention of those points.

Not a place for long backgroundA common impulse is to start a paper with the story of when a person was born, or with some historical background. However, unless some brief information is necessary to understand the terms within or significance of the thesis, save the background for your next paragraph.

Not too long

An introduction should be a single paragraph, at least for the length of papers for this class. A page-long intro is usually too long -- half a page or less is good. If your opening anecdote is a long one, you don't have to finish it in the introduction -- just introduce enough of it to get the reader's attention and establish the significance of your thesis. You can finish it in the body of the paper. (In fact, such a "teaser" is a common device of newspaper feature writers.)

Not a dictionary definition

We're not interested in how Webster's defines "Postmodernism." We are interested in YOUR take on it.

Not a grand generalization

The cliché of the "pyramid form" introduction often leads to uninteresting sentences that begin with "Since the beginning of time..." or "Throughout history...". Showing the significance of your thesis does not mean that you have to demonstrate its importance in the history of art or tie it to some universal observation.

Parts of an Introduction• Hook• Background/Definition• Thesis

Hook (To attract the reader)

1. Pose a specific question that will invite the reader to keep reading for the answer - a provocative question works well to engage readers, so long as it doesn't put them off

2. Choose statistics that you expect will surprise your reader or that go against the common belief about a topic

3. Tell a short, interesting anecdote (or story) related to the topic4. Provide an interesting (and relevant) quote5. Develop an unusual or unexpected comparison

Definition and Background• It is not a place for a dictionary definition or a long

background BUT• You need to give enough information for the reader to

understand your thesis. • You need to anticipate for a differing definition for your topic

Thesis

• Thesis has three parts1. Significance2. Your opinion 3. Your reasons or process

Thesis – Significance

• Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? • Tell the reader, why your opinion or paper is

important?

Thesis – Opinion

• Do I answer the question? • Have I taken a position that others might

challenge or oppose?• Is my thesis statement specific enough?• Thesis statements that are too vague often do

not have a strong argument.

Process

• Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test? • Process can guide the reader and show your

organization before they start reading your paper

Sample Thesis (Opinion and Process)• A thesis STATES A POINT TO BE MADE, not

just a topic or a question:• Less effective:• We need to protect nature

•More effective:• Protecting our forests is important due to its

ability to deter erosion, keep green house gases low and provide substance for our ecosystem

Sample Cont.

• Less effective:• This paper is a comparison of McDonalds

and Burger King burgers. •More effective:• While McDonalds is cheaper the flame

broiled burgers of Burger King is juicer and is more flavorful.

Sample Cont.• A thesis should be SIGNIFICANT. It should not state the obvious. For

the purposes of this class, it should be disputable. That is, no one wants to read a paper consisting entirely of facts or statements no one would ever contest. Creative and well-supported interpretations are much more interesting to read:

• Less effective:•

Dogs bark when they are nervous.

• More effective:•

Unlike wild dogs, domesticated dogs bark to alert the owners of potential dangers, so they make good watch dogs.

• Remember: you don't want the reader to finish the paper and say, "So what?"

Sample Cont.

• A thesis should go significantly beyond class discussion, proposing an original interpretation.• A paper should never summarize or restate other

people's ideas, whether from class discussions or other sources. Of course, these sources may help provide inspiration for your own ideas or evidence for your points, but the thesis should be an idea original with you.

Sample Cont.

• A thesis should be a single, distinct idea:

• Less effective:• Comic book movies make a lot of money and they

are usually interesting.

• More effective:• Movies based on comic books are interesting due to

their …. • Or:

• Movies based on popular comic books earn a lot of money because ….

Sample Cont.

• Most importantly, make sure the thesis is PRECISE AND FOCUSED:

• Not effective • The music of Pink is good.

•More effective:• The early music of Pink combines folksy

sound with her belief in animal activism and women’s rights through effective lyrics.

NEXT• Please go to the WIKI for a more detailed description and

examples