The Time to Write

At long last, Ink Slingers! The time has come to write your report. By now you should have a pile of notes, an organized outline, unbounding enthusiasm, and unparalleled excitement. 

(Caught ya celebrating! Yay! We get to WRITE!)

1. The Introduction

Begin your research paper with a hook. Grab readers with a startling fact. An applicable quote. A tiny story. Something to catch readers' attention and make them want to keep reading past those first sentences. Your introduction must begin with a hook. 

Sample: "Louisiana's Lake Peigneur used to be a freshwater lake that was ten feet deep. Today, it is 200 feet deep and its brackish waters host saltwater marine life. The change occurred by accident."

Once you have your readers' attention, end that first paragraph with your thesis statement. Please, my noble Ink Slingers, do not forget to include your thesis statement at the end of your introduction. It needs to be clearly stated and then supported by the rest of your research paper. 

Sample: "Louisiana's Lake Peigneur used to be a freshwater lake that averaged ten feet deep. Today, it is 200 feet deep, and its brackish waters host saltwater marine life. The change occurred by accident. On November 21, 1980, oil drillers misinterpreted their coordinates, plunged a drill bit into a salt mine, and created a series of phenomena that would forever change the landscape of Lake Peigneur."

2. The Body

From your outlines, I can see you have a good idea on how to organize your paper. Great job! I want to remind you that you will be graded on good grammar and punctuation. Later, I'll post some editing tips to help you clean up your paper before submitting it. But keep this in mind as you write: Punctuation and capitalization are as essential as good organization. 

And, bless us, my preciouses, divide your report into paragraphs. While varying lengths of paragraphs is a good idea, an average paragraph is three to five sentences long. Longer ones are acceptable in your report, of course. 

And so are one-liners.

3. Conclusion

Conclude your report with a summary. Restate your thesis in your conclusion and offer a few closing remarks. 

Example: "Today, fishermen pull marine life from brackish waters in Lake Peigneur and read triple digits on their depth finders. A tug boat and an oil drilling derrick lie unrecovered in the depths of a salt mine. The disastrous mistake on November 21, 1980, has forever changed the structure of the lake. It also encouraged improvements in mapping systems, a happy idea for salt mine workers who mine beneath a lake."

(Hey, cheer up! If it isn't going well, try again!
That's the neat thing about words. 
I'd rewrite my hurried conclusion example if I 
were submitting this for publication. But it is 
my bedtime...so I'll clutch my head and leave it as is.)

4. Bibliography (References)

I suggest you keep a running list of sources as you go. Later, I'll post guidelines on how to enter your references. For now, just keep track of the ones you use.

Assignment: 

Go ahead. Grab a beverage and a snack. Settle into your favorite chair. Begin writing this paper you've been itching to work on! Success awaits!