How to write an intro

1. Introduction
A general overview

2. Purpose
• The introduction to a paper is a very important section,
in that it sets the expectations of the reader. While there
is no one formula for a good introduction, in general, an
introduction to a formal paper of this type should
accomplish the following:

3. An introduction should attract
the reader's attention.
• Magazine and newspaper articles often accomplish this
with brief but interesting anecdotes, questions that
capture the reader's curiosity, something of personal
relevance to the reader, or other apt quotations,
provocative questions, or statements.
• Very often just raising the interesting issue that your
thesis explores is enough to pull your reader in.

4. It should be explicit
After having read the introduction, the reader should have
no doubt about what the central point of your paper is.

5. It should be significant
You should convince your audience that it should care
about what you have to say, though attention to relevance
and significance is part of constructing a successful thesis.

6. It can give a preview
Writers often summarize in a brief list of three or so points how
you are going to back up your thesis, so as to prepare the reader
and improve the reader's recognition and retention of those
points.

7. Not a place for long
background
A common impulse is to start a paper with the story of when a
person was born, or with some historical background. However,
unless some brief information is necessary to understand the
terms within or significance of the thesis, save the background
for your next paragraph.

8. Not too long
An introduction should be a single paragraph, at least for the
length of papers for this class. A page-long intro is usually too
long -- half a page or less is good. If your opening anecdote is a
long one, you don't have to finish it in the introduction -- just
introduce enough of it to get the reader's attention and establish
the significance of your thesis. You can finish it in the body of the
paper. (In fact, such a "teaser" is a common device of newspaper
feature writers.)

9. Not a dictionary definition
We're not interested in how Webster's defines "Postmodernism."
We are interested in YOUR take on it.

10. Not a grand generalization
The cliché of the "pyramid form" introduction often leads to
uninteresting sentences that begin with "Since the beginning of
time..." or "Throughout history...". Showing the significance of
your thesis does not mean that you have to demonstrate its
importance in the history of art or tie it to some universal
observation.

11. Parts of an Introduction
• Hook
• Background/Definition
• Thesis

12. Hook (To attract the reader)
1. Pose a specific question that will invite the reader to keep
reading for the answer - a provocative question works well to
engage readers, so long as it doesn't put them off
2. Choose statistics that you expect will surprise your reader or
that go against the common belief about a topic
3. Tell a short, interesting anecdote (or story) related to the topic
4. Provide an interesting (and relevant) quote
5. Develop an unusual or unexpected comparison

13. Definition and Background
• It is not a place for a dictionary definition or a long
background BUT
• You need to give enough information for the reader to
understand your thesis.
• You need to anticipate for a differing definition for your topic

14. Thesis
• Thesis has three parts
1. Significance
2. Your opinion
3. Your reasons or process

15. Thesis – Significance
• Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test?
• Tell the reader, why your opinion or paper is
important?

16. Thesis – Opinion
• Do I answer the question?
• Have I taken a position that others might
challenge or oppose?
• Is my thesis statement specific enough?
• Thesis statements that are too vague often do
not have a strong argument.

17. Process
• Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test?
• Process can guide the reader and show your
organization before they start reading your
paper

18. Sample Thesis (Opinion and
Process)
• A thesis STATES A POINT TO BE MADE, not
just a topic or a question:
• Less effective:
• We need to protect nature
• More effective:
• Protecting our forests is important due to its
ability to deter erosion, keep green house
gases low and provide substance for our
ecosystem

19. Sample Cont.
• Less effective:
• This paper is a comparison of McDonalds
and Burger King burgers.
• More effective:
• While McDonalds is cheaper the flame
broiled burgers of Burger King is juicer and is
more flavorful.

20. Sample Cont.
• A thesis should be SIGNIFICANT. It should not state the obvious.
For the purposes of this class, it should be disputable. That is, no
one wants to read a paper consisting entirely of facts or statements
no one would ever contest. Creative and well-supported
interpretations are much more interesting to read:
• Less effective:
•
Dogs bark when they are nervous.
• More effective:
•
Unlike wild dogs, domesticated dogs bark to alert the owners
of potential dangers, so they make good watch dogs.
• Remember: you don't want the reader to finish the paper and say,
"So what?"

21. Sample Cont.
• A thesis should go significantly beyond class
discussion, proposing an original interpretation.
• A paper should never summarize or restate other
people's ideas, whether from class discussions or
other sources. Of course, these sources may help
provide inspiration for your own ideas or evidence
for your points, but the thesis should be an idea
original with you.

22. Sample Cont.
• A thesis should be a single, distinct idea:
• Less effective:
• Comic book movies make a lot of money and they
are usually interesting.
• More effective:
• Movies based on comic books are interesting due to
their ….
• Or:
• Movies based on popular comic books earn a lot of
money because ….

23. Sample Cont.
• Most importantly, make sure the thesis is PRECISE AND
FOCUSED:
• Not effective
• The music of Pink is good.
• More effective:
• The early music of Pink combines folksy
sound with her belief in animal activism and
women’s rights through effective lyrics.

24. NEXT
• Please go to the WIKI for a more detailed description and
examples