Name: _____________________
Research Paper
Introduction
Hour: ___ Date: ______________
Paragraph 1
Step 1: Title
✓ Your title indicates what the paper is about and entices people to read it.
✓ The title should be creative and academic.
✓ All words, except prepositions and articles, should be capitalized (unless a preposition or article
is the first word in the title).
✓ Write your title inside quotation marks.
example:
subject: The black plague
title:
“The Deadly Beginnings of Science”
Title:
Step 2: Attention Grabber/Opening Sentence
The first sentence of your paper should grab the reader’s attention. Consider using:
✓ thought-provoking details about the subject
✓ informative quotations
✓ dramatic, eye-opening statements
✓ thoughtful dialogues or engaging statements
✓ challenging questions
example:
It took an event that killed over 70 million people to trigger a subject that is now common place
in public schools: science.
Attention Grabber/Opening Sentence:
Step 3: General Info
✓ Assume your reader needs reminded of the historical event, invention, or person that you are writing
about.
✓ Only include information that is relevant to your paper (don’t use distracting personal information or
irrelevant facts).
example: The study of germs is common place today, but in the late 1300’s germs were not even
realized. The Black Plague haunted Europe and Asia during the 1300’s.
General Info:
S. Brull 2013
Name: _____________________
Research Paper
Introduction
Hour: ___ Date: ______________
Paragraph 1
Step 4: Thesis
✓ Rewrite your thesis statement here.
example:
The black plague spurred the field of science into existence by initially killing about one third of
the population at the time, being overcome by a primitive version of the scientific method, and
finally leading people to rationally seek a higher quality of life.
Thesis Statement:
Step 5: Rewrite
As you rewrite your introduction below, make sure that:
✓ sentences are of varied lengths,
✓ sentence openers are varied,
✓ transitions are effective,
✓ sentences are in parallel structure,
✓ wording is accurate and precise.
example:
“The Deadly Beginnings of Science”
It took an event that killed over 70 million people to trigger a subject that is now common place in public
schools: science. The study of germs is common place today, but in the late 1300’s germs were not even
realized. It was during this time period that the Black Plague, a deadly disease, haunted much of Europe and
Asia. The black plague spurred the field of science into existence by initially killing about one third of the
population at the time, being overcome by a primitive version of the scientific method, and finally leading
people to rationally seek a higher quality of life.
Rewrite:
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S. Brull 2013