Introductions are the first contact readers have with your paper. Introductions give the reader clues as to what will appear in the following pages. They also make the reader interested and inform him or her about your purpose for writing. Here are some possible ways to begin your essay.
- Start with a relevant quote -- This is a good strategy to use because it grabs the reader's attention, and you can "hitch a ride" on the quoted person's ethos.
- Start by posing a question -- Questions generate interest by inviting the reader to engage the material and think critically.
- Start by telling an anecdote -- Anecdotes (short, interesting stories) help readers relate to the text in a personal way, especially if the anecdote can be framed as something that could happen to anybody.
- Start immediately with your thesis statement -- Sometimes it is helpful to get right to the point. Leading with your thesis statement engages the reader in a no nonsense, "let's get down to business" way. The most common practice in academic writing, however, is to place your thesis statement at the end of the introduction.
- Start broadly (a brief history of your topic?) -- Papers often begin with a wide view on a topic. This view narrows more and more, corresponding to how close the writer gets to the thesis statement and body paragraphs.
- Start by explaining a problem -- This strategy is usually appropriate in papers that argue policy or recommend a call to action.
written by Luke Rolfes
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