Thesis, Topic Sentence, Transition, and Argument Strategy Workshop for Research Paper

Highlight your Thesis By this point in the writing process, you should have a thesis that: Makes a clear claim about the issue that invites discussion Makes a claim that answers the question you asked in your research proposal Can be thoroughly supported over the course of 6-8 pages Is NOT a question Is NOT a statement of fact If you need to make any last minute changes to your thesis, do so now.

Review: Checking for Topic Sentences Every single body paragraph of an academic essay needs to have an effective topic sentence. A topic sentence is a sentence at the beginning of a paragraph that clearly states the point that the rest of the paragraph will be about. For an academic essay, a topic sentence should do one of two things: clearly state the reason your thesis is correct that the paragraph will discuss clearly state how the ideas/stories/explanations in the paragraph relate to the thesis

Highlight the Topic Sentence of Each Paragraph Does each topic sentence clearly and succinctly state the main claim of the paragraph? Does each topic sentence connect the paragraph back to the thesis? Does the rest of the paragraph support and explain the topic sentence? (Make sure your paragraphs are on-topic.) If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” you need to do one of two things: Revise your topic sentence(s). Rewrite the paragraph so that it supports the topic sentence. If you realize that a paragraph covers too many topics to be covered by one topic sentence, you need to break up that one paragraph into several, each with its own topic sentence. If you finish early, go back and make sure that every sentence in each paragraph is related to the topic sentence for that paragraph.

Paragraph Order and Strategies for Organization Now that you know what the topic sentence for each paragraph is, you can analyze the order of your paragraphs. Here are some big ideas to keep in mind when thinking about organization: Put basic ideas before complex ones. Put historical context before ideas that require readers to know what happened. Put similar paragraphs together. Our example paragraphs about lending libraries and digital/rental copies should be near each other. Consider least/most most/least organization.

Most to Least/Least to Most Organization Begins with the least/most interesting or important point that supports your argument and arranges the rest of the details in points from least to most (or most to least) interesting/important. Either organization pattern can work for you, but you have to know why you are putting the paragraphs in the order you decide on. If you want to hit your readers with your most effective or important points/ideas first, go with most to least. If you want to build up from less important/effective ideas to more important ones, use least to most.

Paragraph Order and Strategies for Organization Look at the first topic sentence you found in your essay. In the margin, make notes on the following question. Why did you choose to put this paragraph first? What is it that makes it a good choice for the first point that supports your thesis? (You might say, “It gives the reader context they’ll need later,” or “It’s the point that effects the most people,” or “It’s my least important point, and I’m building up to my most important one.”)

Paragraph Order and Strategies for Organization Look at every other topic sentence in your essay and do the same thing. Why did you choose to put this paragraph second (or third, fourth, etc)? What is it that makes it a good choice for this spot in your essay? (You might say, “It gives the reader examples of the idea in the paragraph before it,” or “It expands a point I brought up in the last paragraph, but it’s less important,” or “It introduces opposition to the ideas in the last paragraph and refutes them.”)

Paragraph Order and Strategies for Organization Are your paragraphs in the most effective order? Do you need to move any of your paragraphs to earlier/later positions in the essay? Do you need to break up any paragraphs because they contain too many different ideas? What order should you put these new paragraphs in?

Transitions Between Ideas Transitions are like road signs that tell your reader where your argument is going. When you are going to move from one part of your argument to another, you need to transition smoothly. Good transitions remind the reader of where they have been and/or hint at where the argument is going. Transitions may be located at the end of a paragraph leading into a new idea, or at the beginning of a new paragraph.

Review of TSIS Chapter 8: Connecting the Parts Transitions help you connect your sentences/ideas to what came before, and to prepare your readers for what comes after. See Figure 6 on p. 107 for a visualization of this idea. Other transition pointers: Use transition words p. 109-110 within and between paragraphs, but make sure you use the appropriate words for your argument. Use pointing words p. 112, but be sure that what you are pointing to is clear. Repeat Key Terms and Phrases p. 114 Repeat Yourself – but with a difference p. 116 Our authors suggest that “after your first sentence, almost every sentence you write should refer back to previous statements in some way” (117). The trick is to do this smoothly and without becoming monotonous.

Checking for Effective Argument Strategies Mark uses of logos (arguments that appeal to sound reasoning/logic) in your essay. Are all facts/statistics/data given sufficient context and explained effectively? Every time you use a fact/statistic, do you explain what it means for your claim? Are your uses of logos free from logical fallacies? Do you use ethos to appeal to common values you believe you may share with your readers? How could you more effectively use ethos in your essay? If you use pathos, do you use it wisely and ethically? (Remember, pathos can be used to hide a lack of sound reasoning, so if you do use it, make sure your use of logos is strong.)