Writing an Outline, Body

Paragraphs and Successful Transitions

Useful stuff for your Research Paper!

How do I organize my paragraphs?

• Follow your outline• Strive for clarity—organize time,

procedures, or priorities in an order that makes sense

• Keep similar subtopics together• Strengthen your argument as you

go—typically, strongest points should come at the very end.

Making an Outline• An outline is a plan for the content of your paper,

and the order you will put it in. Before we do ANYTHING else, let’s make a plan.

• You might make your outline in web form, or in a more formal bulleted list. It shows parts of your paper, like intro/body/conclusion, as well as big topics you will cover (usually about 4-5). Your outline should have a way of showing the smaller details/subtopics within each bigger topic.

• Your outline should also show where each of your sources will be incorporated into your paper.

• PLAN IT OUT.• YES, THIS IS REQUIRED. “Outlines don’t work for me” is

just a way of saying “I don’t take time to plan out what I write because I am lazy and/or cocky about my writing skills.”

Looks somethin

g like this!

Or this!

How should I write each paragraph?

A good paragraph is kinda like a burger…

General topic sentence that reveals the purpose of the paragraph

Juicy deliciousness: Specific INFORMATION that you paraphrase or quote and explain

The meat: Specialized INTERPRETATION… your own commentary/description of how the information matters to your paper’s overall purpose [STANCE]

General concluding sentence that reaffirms the purpose of the information given

How long should a paragraph be?

• You make this choice for each paragraph. There is no set length. In professional writing, it varies. Some paragraphs are super long, while some are quite short.

• However, in general, you should have at least one quote per paragraph and when in doubt don’t skimp on length… You don’t want your paragraph to look like this.

What are transitions?• A TRANSITION is basically a reason to

start a new paragraph. It describes the relationship between one paragraph and the next.o 1. Going a level deeper into the discussion of the topic

introduced in the previous paragrapho 2. Applying the idea mentioned in the previous paragraph to a

specific story or situation.o 3. Offering a different perspective/giving contrast to the idea

in the previous paragraph o 4. Marking a complete change in time or topic. (Adding

something completely new)o 5. Returning to the discussion of something mentioned

previously in the paper.

Graceful transitions use the topic sentence to carry the reader from

one paragraph to another. A small amount of information from the

previous paragraph should be carried to the

next.

Example of carrying over information in a transition that

offers contrast:

TRANSITION

WORDS!

For continuing a common line of reasoning:consequentlyclearly, thenfurthermoreadditionallyandin additionmoreoverbecausebesides thatin the same wayfollowing this furtheralsopursuing this furtherin the light of the... it is easy to see that To change the line of reasoning (contrast):howeveron the other handbutyetneverthelesson the contrary 

For opening a paragraph initially or for general use:admittedlyassuredlycertainlygrantedno doubtnobody deniesobviouslyof courseto be suretrueundoubtedlyunquestionablygenerally speakingin generalat this levelin this situation For the final points of a paragraph or essay:finally, lastly

 Transitional chains, to use in separating sections of a paragraph which is arranged chronologically:first... second... third...generally... furthermore... finallyin the first place... also... lastlyin the first place... pursuing this further... finallyto be sure... additionally... lastlyin the first place... just in the same way... finallybasically... similarly... as well To signal conclusion:thereforethishencein final analysisin conclusionin final considerationindeed To restate a point within a paragraph in another way or in a more exacting way:in other wordspoint in factspecifically 

Sequence or timeafterafterwardsas soon asat firstat lastbeforebefore longfinallyfirst... second... thirdin the first placein the meantimelatermeanwhilenextsoonthen