Writing a Paper Toolkit

Writing a Paper Toolkit

Overview: A paper or essays is comprised of three basic parts; the introduction, the body, the conclusion. When writing a paper, something that I find helpful is to pretend that the reader does not have knowledge about the topic to ensure the points are clearly explained.

  • Introduction
    • Introduce the topic
    • Introduce the 2-3 points you want to discuss
    • Key statement of your argument
  • Body
    • Paragraph One- describes point one
    • Paragraph Two- describes point two
    • Paragraph Three- as above
    • Body can be as many paragraphs as needed to convey your points
  • Conclusion
    • Reviews the intro and summarizes the points made in the body
    • Use the overall points made in the body of your paper to demonstrate how your argument is valid

The Introduction An introduction should tell the reader what your topic is about.

  • Use the outline to determine your topic and use the outline to guide what you should discuss in the paper and begin by introducing your topic
    • EXAMPLE- Over the years advancing technology and improved sterilization techniques have reduced infection rates in health care; however an important method of reducing infection rates that is often overlooked is the practice of hand washing.
    • Use the introduction to describe the key points you will be discussing and describe how you will discuss them in the paper
      • EXAMPLE- Research has demonstrated that three of the key areas where hand washing is important in breaking the transmission of infections are before entering a room, before providing a treatment and when leaving the room. In this paper the importance of hand washing at each of these particular points and the evidence that supports this practice will be discussed.
    • If you have a viewpoint that you will be defending this should be stated in the introduction paragraph.
      • EXAMPLE- While there are many new advances in health care to reduce infections, this paper will demonstrate how hand washing at specific point during the care process is equally important in reducing the spread of infection.

Body The body of your paper consists of the main points you will be describing. Often it is helpful to use a paragraph for each point and at the end of each paragraph summarize your point and use a sentence to link it to the next paragraph.

Structure of your paragraphs

  • Introduce your point
  • Describe and use evidence to support what you are saying
  • Summarize the point you have made with a description of how it supports your viewpoint
  • Transition to the next paragraph

Conclusion The conclusion is your opportunity to clearly restate the introduction and main points made in your paper.

Use this paragraph to strongly connect how the proven points in each paragraph demonstrate your argument is valid