Homework Help for High School Research Papers, Part 2

The Introduction and Thesis

The first part of a paper, and often the most difficult part to write, is the introduction. The introduction's purpose is two-fold: capture the audience's attention and state what the remainder of the paper will be about.

The thesis statement is the most important part of the introduction. While most of the introduction doesn't have to be written in any order, the thesis statement must be completed first. The thesis provides you with the focus for the entire paper.

To start, create a paragraph about the main idea of the paper. This paragraph should start broad and end specific. As the paragraph comes to a close, the statements should become more specific. The paragraph ends with the most important statement of the paper - the thesis statement.

All of the information in the rest of the paper acts as support for your thesis. In addition to the position, your thesis must also point toward the conclusion of the paper. Your thesis can also include the organizational flow of the paper, although this can also be mentioned as a different sentence or paragraph of the introduction.

The Body

Next comes the body, the longest and most detailed section of any paper. The body includes the bulk of your research information and source opinions. Remember that the body expands upon the thesis statement. Each body paragraph includes three items, not unlike the essay itself:

1. A topic sentence
2. A few supporting sentences
3. A transition sentence leading into the next body paragraph

The Conclusion

The conclusion marks the end of your paper, but you shouldn't take this section any less seriously that the rest of the essay. The conclusion is the part of the essay that remains with the reader. The conclusion is meant to show the importance of the thesis statement and leave a final impression. Instead of simply restating what you have said, synthesize or relate the points you made in the paper, and show how they fit itogether by doing the opposite of the introduction (i.e. go from specific to general).