This is from John McPhee: "Leads . . . are
flashlights that shine down into the story.” In our case we want to substitute research paper for story. And the lead is what he means by what begins the paper.
There are many different ways to begin. Here are a number of them:
Anecdote: Think of a little story that nicely frames
what your paper is about, as does a lead about some figure from the Freedom
Riders who became a professor at a prestigious university.
Scene: Begin by giving your readers a look at some
revealing aspect of your topic. A paper on how tropical rain forests function
as ecological filters might begin with a description of what the land looks
like after loggers or surface miners have left it.
Profile: Try introducing someone who is important to
your topic. For instance, if you are writing about “heart” in sports you might
start by talking about Joe Frazier, the fighter who has died recently.
Background: Maybe you could begin by providing important
and possibly surprising background information about your topic. A paper on
steroid use in sports might start by citing the explosive growth in use by high school
athletes in the last 10 years.
Quotation: Sometimes, you encounter a great quote that
beautifully captures the question that your paper will explore or the direction
it will take.
Dialogue: Open with dialog between people involved in
your topic.
Question: Pointedly ask your readers the question that
launched your research or the questions your readers might raise about your
topic.
Contrast: Try a lead that compares two apparently
unlike things that highlight the problem or dilemma the paper will explore. Say
you are a car enthusiast but your topic area is MU/local. Introduce your paper by telling us about
a car show you went to and how old fashion values that are described in the commencement addresses are demonstrated in the cars
you love.
Announcement: Sometimes the most appropriate lead that announces
what the papers about. Though such openings are sometimes not particularly
compelling, they are direct. A paper with a complex topic or focus may be well
served by simply stating in the beginning the main idea you will explore and
what plan you will follow.
--adapted from Ballenger, Bruce. The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers. New York: Pearson. 2012.
After reading this guide to introducing a research paper, it made me want to reconsider how I begin my own research paper. As of now my introductory paragraph doesn’t seem to fit with any of these suggested conversation starters. It could be a stretch but I think I used the background information method. After my conference with Dr. Archibald I should have a better idea of what I did right and what I did wrong when I started the research assignment. The project seemed very self-explanatory in the beginning stages, but now the process is a little confusing when I’m trying to connect all the pieces together.
ReplyDeleteBen,
ReplyDeleteAfter my conference with Dr. Archibald I had a better understanding of this paper and he told me specific things to write about. He will help you probably and if you are confused just ask him questions until you understand. This paper can be overwhelming at times, but once you have a good idea for the paper, I think you will be fine.
Right now I believe that my research paper does not really follow any of these ideas on how to start a paper. I think the one example that really interests me the most is probably the Anecdote one. During my meeting with Dr. Archibald, we were specifically talking about how to change my first paragraph, so this is a useful blog for when and how I want to change it. He almost wants me to have a timeline about when women gained their rights, so that could be the little story that tells what my paper is about. Or, I am doing healthcare CEOs and I know Capital Blue Cross had a women CEO, Anita Smith, since my mom works there, but Smith had to resign from that job and it is now ran by man. So I can think of a story to talk about her as well since it is so closely related to my topic and is basically an example of it too.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the course blog I connected that my beginning of my paper is related to anecdote. It says to think of a little story that frames the topic of your research paper. In the beginning of my paper I set the setting of a baseball game. I describe the cool brisk air, the clear day, the green grass, the player warming up for the game and even the smell of hot dogs in the stands. I set the setting for a baseball game. I described what every fan enjoys and showed how devoted these fans are to the game.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI feel you should definitely start your paper with an anecdote. I like the idea of started a paper with a little story to really get the feel of what the paper would be about. Since your doing your paper on women's rights you could start your report about the story of Rosa Parks and give the story from her point of view. That way your readers could really feel how and what these women went through. After your anecdote introduction you can do the timeline idea. I really think your paper will go far.
After I read "Research Paper Beginnings", I saw a lot of helpful suggestions that I could use to start my paper. I have already started out using an anecdote and a contrast, but I thought a dialogue would be helpful as well considering my topic. The beginning paragraph is the most important for any paper because it describes what you are going to write. For this research project, it is beneficial when I link education to race today. It is good to know we have helpful information on this blog site. This will really help me in the future when I have to start another research paper.
ReplyDeleteSammy,
ReplyDeleteI really like the fact that your anecdote really shows the true meaning of your paper and interests people. Maybe, you could use another beginning as well to spice up your paper a bit. Overall, I really have an understanding of what your paper is about and I hope that this blog helps you for this paper and in the future.
After I read the blog I realized that I had some work that I would have to do in my paper. I had already known that I would after I had my conference with acrhibald and found where my paper was lacking. I think this will be a big help in working on revising my paper and I'll make sure to make good use of it. Personally I found that I had been too wide in my explaining my topic, hopefully I will be able to use this to fix that.
ReplyDeletePaige,
ReplyDeleteYes you have the right idea in the first paragraph being the one of the most important if not THEE most important paragraph in a paper. It will be the one to make the impact on the reader and make them want to finish reading, Personally I always try my best to make the first paragraph the best. Your topic sounds good and I hope your paper goes well.
After my meeting with you and reading this blog, I believe I found the right way to start my research paper. Since I am writing about when to not combine technology, I am going to start with the telephone and how it has changed over the years. I believe this is a good start since it is a common piece of technology today that is found in every household. With this I will be including an anecdote and a background. I don't believe it is necessary to have a quote for my specific topic. But I plan on trying to incorporate other ideas above.
ReplyDeleteBen,
ReplyDeleteYes, it does seem like you need a lot of work. I think that you should start with your first paragraph so you have a foundation. This blog shows many examples of how to make a good first paragraph. Be sure to take advantage of it and then move on to the body of your paper.@Benjamin Nothstein
I think that the ideas listed above are all very good ways to start the 3ResProj paper. I am going to go back into my paper and change my introduction to make it more interesting to the reader. I am still decided on which way I would like to do this though. My choices are starting off with a question, using the contrast method, or by finding a quotation that really highlights what my whole paper will be about. As of now I leaning more towards asking a question because my paper talks about how society has given people mixed messages as to what they should be doing in their diets. I could possibly ask a question such as, how has the world in which we live in today sent out mixed messages about body image and how it is affecting teen girls from the ages of 14-17? I will continue to look into my introduction and then I will decide which way is going to be the best way to start off my paper.
ReplyDelete@Darren Kushto
ReplyDeleteI think that you have a good idea on how to start your paper. Cell phones and phones in general have definitely shaped how are society has grown and changed over the years. I think it will make for an interesting paper by starting off by talking about this particular point. Also, make sure you have a good hook in order to catch the reader’s attention right away.
I think there a couple ways in which I can introduce my topic by the ideas I saw in the course blog. One of them being the anecdote, I could begin my research paper with a story of a particular individual in China that has been affected by the pollution there. Another way I could introduce my paper would be the background, I could write some interesting facts on pollution in China, this way my readers would understand the danger that Chinese citizens face due to pollution. I think the best way, however, to introduce my paper is to write an anecdote, this way I will begin my paper by a story of a specific individual who has suffered due to this issue. This would provide a detailed introduction to my paper and would intrigue my readers.
ReplyDelete@Kaila
ReplyDeleteI think it seems like you’re on the right track even though you still haven’t figured out which introduction method you wanted to use. I think it would be a good idea to see which method would sound the most interesting, this way people will want to further read your paper. I think by adding a question at the begging of your paper it will allow you to clearly state what you are about to discuss in your paper.
After taking a look at the Research Paper Beginnings blog post, I found a lot of new ideas for creating a better beginning for my paper. This post was great for me to read because this is exactly what my paper needs, a better beginning and opening. I think for my paper the best way to start would be by adding an anecdote. I think with this I can accomplish what the post said and think of a nice little story that frames what my paper is about. Because my topic has to do with crime and punishment and is focused on the media in trials and cases, I could give people a look inside a specific case that has to do with what I am writing about. I think in this way I will be able to give readers a better idea of what I am trying to discuss in my paper. In this way I will be able to draw my readers in and get them interested in my topic. If I explain a story from a case that has to do with my topic, they will be able to see the connection between the story and the rest of my paper.
ReplyDeletePaige, I really like how you are planning on using more then one of the Research Beginnings for your paper. I think this will create a very powerful opening and really get readers attention. I didn't consider choosing more than one of the suggestions for my paper but I think it could be a really great idea. I think after reading your post, I might also use the scene option in my beginning statement as well. The scene gives your readers a revealing look at some aspect of your topic. I think I could begin with an anecdote as well as adding a scene from a specific case that applies to my topic. I think your on the right track with your paper and it sounds like you have chosen some great options to begin your paper.
ReplyDeleteFor my paper I feel it would be best to ask a question. I feel it would intrigue the audience. From this post I realized the importance of the introduction to grabbing the audience. A quote could also grab the audience. Considering my topic, a quote from a killer might just shock the audience. They certainly say some shocking things that make people think and in my case would make them want to read more. Feed back on this decision would be helpful thanx~!!
ReplyDelete@IreneI believe the anecdote is great idea. It will definitely grab the heart strings of your audience. Maybe using some facts either in the story or after the story will really reel the audience in. A great story that people will respond to would be tragic events that occur to children. They really play on the heart strings
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this blog I feel that for my paper I am going to go in the direction of the background to begin. I feel that this is the best way to explain my topic which is on how criminals operate and are perceived. For the background part at the beginning of my paper I can look into how we used to perceive criminals and how they use to operate. So I figured I would then talk about the background of criminals and how they began and how much they have grown. Or I was also thinking of going in the direction of asking a question.
ReplyDelete@Victoria
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having a quote or a question starting off your paper. I also think that it is a great way to grab the readers attention and isn't that what you want to do at the beginning of a paper. I feel that these two ideas are both great ways to begin your paper.
I like the idea of including an anecdote in the beginning of my research paper because I have a great story that I feel I could use well. The story is from an article about how a increasing flow of Hispanic immigrants in the more unpopulated regions of Kansas has revived small towns and reverse the once decreasing population numbers. I feel like this would do a great job in introducing the positive affects brought out of illegal immigrants. Then after reading the blog I thought I Could probably add a contrasting anecdote at the beginning about a story that would reveal the negative effects of illegal immigration which probably would be relatively easy. The reason why I am interested in doing this idea is because the main purpose of my paper is to evaluate the positive and negative effects that illegal immigration brings in today’s U.S. economy.
ReplyDelete@Kaila Ober
ReplyDeleteI feel that you could take advantage your topic's controversial nature by starting with attention grabbing questions or quotes from the perspectives of victims who dealt with eating disorders. This might stray away from your paper's purpose however it was just a potentially helpful idea that I figured was worth mentioning.
It's interesting. I put something like the anecdote into my paper, but it was placed after where the fore shadowing would go. It's not exactly an anecdote, but it's similar to it. I personally like the "scene" beginning technique, but I don'y know how to do that with my topic. I'm taking a route with MU/local history, and it would be difficult to describe college students because I am writing against stereotypical ideas of college students. Perhaps I could use the "contrast" technique to show college professors' views of students and the opposite scenario. It would make sense to start off with the conflicting ideas and give a direction for the reader to see where I'm headed.
ReplyDeleteWestin, half way down your comment I thought to myself, "why would you want to show the positive and negative effects of illegal immigration." When I got to the end of your post I saw why, and it was because your topic is just that; to show the positive and negative affects of illegal immigration. that sounds like a good way to grab your readers' attention though, by writing in an anecdote of your story that you found. Maybe even, it might help to talk about long-term versus short-term effects.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great way to right away grab your audience's attention. Not to mention it will ease the boring-ness of research papers so to speak. My paper is going to be on the NBA labor lockout and I'll be arguing on behalf of the players. For my introduction I'm going to introduce using a few of these ideas. I'm going to start off with a quote about cooperation, then depict a scenario, and then announce what my paper will be about. "We are not put on this earth to see through one another, but to see one another through."-anonymous
ReplyDelete@Ben Donley I'm in the same boat, having to re-focus my paper, and re-do most of it. I think the message of having an interesting introduction is to set a tone, and make the paper interesting immediately. My conference with Dr. Archibald was very helpful as he gave me alot of ways to focus my ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn my conference with Dr. Archibald, he noted that the very beginning of the paper needed more work to introduce the paper because in the draft it was too abrupt. I think two of the example beginnings in the blog post could potentially work - anecdote and announcement - but I think anecdote would be more interesting to the reader. For the anecdote, I could use it by presenting some suprising information about online privacy which would hopefully catch the reader's attention and increase their interest in reading the paper.
ReplyDelete@dmlong
ReplyDeleteI think using more than one beginning is a good idea; I hadn't considered it. I don't really know anything about your topic but to catch the readers attention maybe you could start out with something about NBA players deserving more money (if that's what the lockout was about) because most people imagine all pro athletes as super rich and the reader would want to keep reading to see why you're saying they deserve more money (or whatever it is). Also, I really like the quote you included in your post about teamwork.
For my paper I am going to use an announcement for my paper. I feel it is the best way to go because I am using a topic that is focused around NCAA rules and regulations. The topic is not focused around inindividual players or individual schools so I can not really use a anecdote. I can not use a question because I am seeking to answer an already proposed question. I could use a background approach to my paper but I feel it would be weaker than an announcement. Overall I feel an announcement is the way to go to produce the best outcome for my paper.
ReplyDelete@Sammy Testa Sammy I like how you use an ancedote to introduce your paper it was something i would not have thought to do. The method I would uave chose for your specific topic would have been background because of the fact you could vring in the history of fans from the start to right now
ReplyDeleteIn my meeting with Dr. Archibald he said that my thesis and opening paragraph needed work. He suggested an anecdote. I think that I am going to use the anecdote to open my paper. I just have to think of a story or find a story that will be a great opener. There are so many different stories good and bad for crash dieting that it should not be too hard. Right now I am at a loss as to what story to use. I’m sure as with most things once I start searching I will come upon that gem and be able to go from there.
ReplyDeleteI always try to have a very good introduction paragraph that is interesting and not so much research. For this research paper I began to write my paper using background just to using a general timeline and history of immigration to the United States and then slowly narrowing it down to my specific topic. I think that after reading this blog and going to my conference with Dr. Archibald I decided that I am going to use a little bit of background but also add it as a anecdote to make it more personal and interesting to my readers.
ReplyDelete@Natasha MosierI think is a great idea to use an anecdote as your introductory paper because it will make it a lot more interesting for the audience. You might considered finding someone that has had a bad experience with dieting and use their story as an example, Im sure you can find some sort of article or book about that online. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI plan on opening my research paper with an anecdote about Jack Abramoff, showing the problems that can come from political lobbying. This will really grab the attention of the reader by asking the question "why would someone do this?" This will kick off the story and leave me open to build on it later in the paper.
ReplyDelete@Gabby
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a really good idea, but you must also think about grabbing the readers attention. Background and history is necessary, but for an opening you may want to go with something really attention grabbing, like the immigrants perilous journey into the country.
@CLucasI like how you picked that item. That will be the one I use also, because many people will be able to relate to it. I feel like most of the kids in our class will also use that idea to have an opening for their paper.
ReplyDeleteThese ideas of ways to start my paper have really helped me in thinking about how to begin mine. I often have a difficult time thinking of a way to capture the audience reading my paper in a way that makes them want to continue reading. Although many of these starter ideas would be valid to use in starting my paper I think I will use an anecdote or scene type beginning because I have come across many real life stories in my research about people being affected by hydro fracturing. The side I am taking is that hydro fracturing is dangerous to the environment, especially well water, which is important to many people. So by telling a story of someone whose water has been affected I think will be a good way to introduce my topic.
ReplyDelete@WFisher
ReplyDeleteI also liked the idea of using an anecdote to begin my paper because similarly to what your saying it seems like an appropriate introduction to my topic. I think that in your story you should start it out more personally, maybe about one family immigrating and then relate it into the greater increase in immigration. I feel like people relate better to more personal stories and by starting with that it would draw the reader in more.
I have already done anecdote, background, and quotation. I think it gives my paper a lot of structure and makes it a lot more interesting. I think dialogue will be the next thing I add to my paper. Considering my paper is the story about two men's lives and deals a lot with interviews there are a lot of discussions that I could include. Also, an announcement could help make my paper much more interesting! I think that it would make certain statements, especially the important ones, stand out more than others. I could use a little more over all background as well. I need to add about Ida B. Wells and the Freedom Riders. I think it is important to add this in order to connect all three of my papers together. That is one thing that Dr. Archibald pointed out to me when we talked during our conference.
ReplyDelete@CLucasI think that is a really good idea! I think it will interest people. Also, asking questions is another important thing to do. It makes the readers wonder and want to read more about your paper.
ReplyDeleteIn my paper, I used a lot of background information. I researched Herr and Lyte and wrote about their lives, schooling, and family. I also tried to fit in quotations to my paper. I think it would be very interesting to use dialogue in my paper, although I do not know where I would use it. After my conference with Dr. Archibald I have a much better understanding of what I will need to add into my paper to perfect it so that it makes sense and is up to par with Dr. Archibald's wants.
ReplyDelete@CLucas
ReplyDeleteGood Job! I think that adding the extra question will leave the readers wondering and pondering what could the answer be. It makes the paper more interesting.
In my paper there are quite a few quotations and background information. These ways of opening are all good but I usually lean towards using quotations. In my conference with Dr. Archibald he suggested using an anecdote so that is what I have tried to come up with and work into the paper.
ReplyDelete@Jess Swarr
ReplyDeleteIt's good that used a lot of background to help give the reader understanding of your topic. Dialogue seems like an interesting idea to me too though impractical in my paper.