How should you go about writing an introduction for a research paper? This article will discuss the purpose of an introduction and highlight some ways to start a paper and make an impact on your reader. 

What is an introduction in a research paper?

The introduction is the section of a paper that introduces the purpose of the paper. In simple essays, the introduction comes after the title as opposed to after the literature review in higher-level papers. 

The introduction to a research paper helps a reader to determine the relevance of a topic and also to get the scope of the research methods and research objectives.

Purpose of an introduction paragraph

Why is it necessary to write an introduction for your paper? The most common purpose of the introduction is to hook your reader into reading your topic. However, the introduction serves more purposes than grabbing your reader’s attention. These functions include:

• Highlighting the central issues to be addressed within your paper
• Discussing the background of your topic, making clear the gaps that necessitate your research on a topic
• Contains a thesis statement that gives the reader a gist of your perspective towards a research topic.

Parts of an introduction paragraph

Like all things academic, the introduction can be divided into parts without which your introduction may fail to meet its purpose. The introduction can be divided into a hook, a context, and a thesis statement.

The hook comprises a statement that focuses your reader’s attention on the topic, pushing them to read the essay further. the context then expands on the topic details to show the focus of your work and to also show why a given topic is important to study.

A thesis statement finally gives a summary of your argument, making clear the angle from which you are approaching the essay topic. These parts of the introduction allow you to easily plan the information to include in your paper, helping you overcome any confusing details.

Good ways to start a paper

We have already established the relevance of a good hook to an academic paper. However, what are some of the options for starting your paper?

1. Rhetorical questions

Rhetorical questions are a staple among various ways how to introduce a research question. These open-ended questions can be used to highlight a research problem and lead a reader through arguments within your essay. The questions can also be used to evoke a given emotion, making it easy to win your reader in a persuasive essay. 

Ideally, make questions from your research objectives, creating eagerness within the reader to answer these questions. 

2. Statistics and facts

Facts and statistics are a great way to lend credence to your arguments and to highlight a problem trivialized by your reader. Ideally, the fact should be related to your topic directly, helping you transition to the context and show how your paper will analyse the identified problem.

However, note that facts should be backed with proper references, helping the reader follow up on an issue and also removing any doubts of bias in your selected facts.

3. Anecdotes

Personal essays can be started with a story highlighting a key moment relating to your topic. Storytelling helps you to put various tools into use, appealing to your reader and smoothly transitioning to your thesis statement.

However, avoid giving away the end of your story, building curiosity for your reader to read further in search of answers to questions inspired by your introduction.

How long should an introduction be?

The length of an introduction varies depending on the level of essay you are writing and the overall word count. a simple 5-paragraph essay should have a single-paragraph introduction of up to a hundred words.

Conversely, higher-level research papers may have longer introductions as they carry more details compared to their lower-level counterparts. The introduction for research papers, thesis, and dissertation should range between 10% and 15% of the total word count.

If you are having challenges in establishing the total word count for your paper, we recommend that you revisit the faculty guidelines for clarification.

Final take

We hope that this guide was handy in addressing various issues you were facing with writing a paper introduction. Feel free to reach out to our experts for assistance with your essay and other aspects that you might struggle with in your academic journey.

This article will thus look at the history paper outline and guide you on some considerations for selecting your topic.

History research paper outline

The history research paper is divided into chapters, each carrying unique information. Some of the key areas of the history research paper include:

1. The abstract – this section carries up to three hundred words and offers a comprehensive summary of your arguments, methodology, and thesis statement. The abstract should sum up your paper to give readers ample materials to determine how well your paper fits their research. The abstract is often used by web crawlers to rank your papers and should therefore carry your keywords, allowing readers to easily locate your paper. 
2. The literature review – this is the summary of all sources you have gauged relating to your topic. the literature review allows you to highlight the knowledge gaps in various sources, thus serving as a justification for your research questions. 
3. Introduction – like the abstract, the introduction should highlight your thesis statement and justification of your research. However, this section should not highlight your key results. The introduction should show the approach taken to investigate your topic and hook your reader into reading your paper. 
4. Methodology – this part outlines the approach taken in investigating your topic, helping lend credence to various claims within your research paper. Unlike scientific papers, history research papers may not involve experiments and thus may do without a results section. 
5. Discussion – this chapter makes up the bulk of your topic and covers all your claims with relevant support. The discussion should be organized in a manner that the paragraphs build on each other to bring out a smooth flow of ideas in your paper. 
6. Conclusion – this chapter ties your arguments together allowing you to highlight the key findings of your paper. This section can also be used to make suggestions for future studies or to recommend how your findings may alter the results of an event. 
7. References 

How to choose a history research paper topic

Selecting a topic at random among the many history research paper topics is an approach that’s bound to result in struggles in the latter writing stages. We recommend that you invest thought into your topic selection to have a smooth writing experience. 

Some of the steps to choosing a history research paper topic include:

1. Analyse your essay prompt

Before selecting your topic, analyse the essay prompt provided by your tutor. This will help you to establish the general idea of your topic, helping you narrow your research without veering off the key issues under examination. 

2. Brainstorm for ideas

Next, brainstorm the ideas you have regarding the topic. This will allow you to establish the interesting areas within a topic and also to analyse the concepts you have encountered during your study. 

The ideas from your brainstorming session allow you to identify the fields you are well versed in, reducing the struggle that comes with selecting a complex research paper topic. 

3. Conduct research

Research is vital to identify the extent to which a topic has been investigated. Ideally, avoid topics that have been tackled in multiple papers as this may limit your arguments or result in unintentional plagiarism from expressing unoriginal ideas. 

Also, check various emerging issues within the broad topic to establish the topics that allow for unique claims. 

4. Develop an outline

After choosing a topic, develop an outline to gauge the extent of arguments within the paper. This will help you determine the adequacy of resources for the topic and check how the arguments within your paper compare to the prescribed word count. 

It is best to avoid shallow topics as these may result in short papers, forcing you to shift to another topic after investing much time and resources in the initial topic. 

Topics for history paper

American history research paper topics

1. The worldwide background of the American Revolution 
2. How did the movies alter the way we thought about cowboys? 
3. The impact of the Civil War on society’s fabric, both directly and indirectly. 
4. How the cultural perception of a Native American was altered by horses and iron. 
5. The circumstances and consequences of the Civil War. 

Art history research paper topics

6. Modern European Art’s Influence on American Artists 
7. Europe’s Western Expressionism 
8. Ancient Civilizations’ Influence on Art History 
9. The Use of Mythology in Ancient Civilizations’ Art 
10. Salvador Dali’s Surreal World
11. Romanticism in Art, Literature, and Music 

Easy history research paper topics

12. Lessons from World Wars 
13. The Reasons Empires Fail 
14. most notable figures in American history 
15. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
16. Mormons’ influence on the evolution of American society
17. Female Renaissance figures 

Good history topics for research paper

18. Strategies for Alexander’s Conquest of Egypt 
19. When, How, and Where Did Rome Get Its Start?
20. What three factors led to the Boer War? 
21. What effect did the slave trade have on the economy of Europe? 
22. What impact did the American highway system have on culture? 
23. How was the Chinese Empire changed by Buddhism? 

Interesting history research paper topics

24. How did photography affect how crime was portrayed visually in popular culture? 
25. Egypt’s ancient history 
26. 10 reasons why people become slaves. 
27. What were the many theatres of World War II combat? 
28. 10 significant aftereffects of the Cold War 
29. How did the American Civil War begin?

World history research paper topics

30. Examine marriages in medieval Europe. 
31. Slavery was abolished in the US. 
32. Holocaust during World War II 
33. the development of a financial system 
34. Important Gothic architectural features 
35. What led to World War One?

Here, we’ll look at some tips on how to increase word count without compromising the quality of your arguments. Note that this article will avoid the common methods of spamming often recommended as means to lengthen a paper. 

How to extend paper length: things to avoid

Often, students may resort to unethical approaches in a bid to increase their paper length. Although these approaches may help you reach the recommended page count and word length, they might dilute your arguments, resulting in low scores. 

Some of the things to avoid as you lengthen your paper include:

1. Formatting your work with larger spacing and font than what was recommended in the instructions. 
2. Stuffing your paper with filler words 
3. Adding unnecessary information that does not relate to the topic
4. Extending the size of commas and periods in your paper
5. Reducing paper margins to squeeze the words to occupy more pages than they would have under the standard format
6. Increasing the spacing between words
7. Increasing the font size of the items within the footer and header of your paper
8. Don’t add extra words and phrases as this makes your essay harder to read

Although these approaches may get you to your intended page count, they often portray laziness. Also, these shortcuts to extending your word count may result in the loss of credits due to formatting and structural issues. 

Ways to make a paper longer

Here are some methods on how to lengthen a paper without the harsh consequences of the aforementioned shortcuts. 

1. Adding quotes to your work

If you had compressed a quote in a section of your paper, consider extending the quote to better capture the idea you were making an argument for. This allows you to build a stronger argument and extend your word count without resorting to filler words. 

Note that block quotes exceeding four lines are edited as a separate paragraph and enclosed in quotation marks. Also, be keen to add proper in-text citations to avoid plagiarism claims.

2. Perform further research on the topic

Before you get used to writing academic essays, you may find that your outline was limiting in arguments and thus a bit short of your prescribed word count. 

After writing your paper, we recommend that you develop a reverse outline detailing how your ideas appear within your paper. This will allow you to identify the ideas that need to be extended further and also to identify the gaps that could be addressed for a stronger argument. 

Alternatively, seek editing services for suggestions on the wanting arguments that could be developed better in your paper. 

3. Write out numbers in words

This is a common approach on how to extend word count. Besides adhering to the formal format of academic writing, writing numbers in words extend your word count without complicating your work for the reader. 

4. Spell out contractions

Like the former, this is a common way how to make a research paper longer. Contraptions such as don’t and can’t are not only shunned in academic writing but also limit your word count by merging two words. 

Splitting these contraptions into individual words allows you to extend your word count and also avoid penalties that would have come from using contraptions. 

5. Transitional phrases

Although transitional phrases do not add much to the final word tally, they can help you add some words to the final tally. Besides extending the length of your paper, transitional phrases lead your reader through your paper, making your arguments easier to follow. 

Final take

We hope that these techniques on how to make your paper longer came in handy to lengthen your essay. Also, note that academic papers are not fixed on a specific word count. many tutors allow you to go below or exceed the word count by 5% of the total word count. 

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the tips for selecting an academic topic to overcome issues relating to the word count. if you need help, feel free to consult our expert team for guidance on your academic journey.

One crucial aspect of writing a brilliant research paper entails developing an outline before you begin writing the piece. Creating the outline can prove beneficial in different ways, and the primary benefit entails making your writing easier and ensuring you don’t miss out on a crucial component of the research paper.

Some students lack ideas when it comes to creating an outline for a research paper. Consequently, it can lead to substandard research papers owing to the absence of specific components or the disjointed communication of ideas in the document. So how can a student learn to develop the correct outline for their research paper?

Research Paper Outline

The first step for any research work entails coming up with a unique topic. It has to form the basis upon which your entire study will revolve around. So, ensure that you have a subject before coming up with an outline.  So what role does a topic play in this context? The broader or narrower the subject, the more complex or less complex your discussions will prove. As a result, an outline will help you to break everything down and allow a logical flow of ideas in your research paper. Additionally, it will permit you to establish the limitation and scope of your paper early enough. It will then act as the springboard for your study outline.

An outline generally has three major sections, including the introduction, body, and conclusion sections. However, you have to confer with your instructor in writing some particular segments of the research paper, especially if they want these segments included.

• Introduction. Your research paper’s introduction has to contain the thesis statement and the aim of the study. Additionally, you can consider incorporating the significance of picking that specific topic. Further, state the type of methodology you want to use in discussing your subject. Let your introduction orient your audience to the main points contained in the paper.
• Body. Here, you have to present all of your arguments in supporting the thesis statement. Try and use three supporting arguments, especially whenever you take a position. So, begin with a loaded argument and follow it with a far stronger statement before concluding with the strongest as your concluding point.
• Conclusion. The section summarises all the arguments you have put forth, and it helps in allowing you to state your ultimate position.

Sample Outline of a Research Paper

Introduction

1. Problem statement
2. Term definition
3. Theoretical framework
4. Materials and methods
5. Research type
6. Respondents
7. Questionnaire
8. Hypothesis
9. Literature review
10. Limitation and scope
11. Significance of the research

Body

1. Study background
2. Data presentation and analysis
3. Test of correlation

Conclusion

1. Analytical summary
2. Reworded thesis
3. Recommendations
4. References

The provided outline points to the crucial components you have to consider for your standard research paper, especially if you want it to stand out. The absence of such an outline can lead to an improper structure with everything jumbled up.

Conclusion

If you want to write a brilliant research paper, then you have to develop a proper outline. It, therefore, can help if you considered the above tips to create your outline. Such a decision will ensure that you score highly in your research paper.

So, how can a student in the behavioral and social sciences field organize their paper as they write to submit for grading?

The Best Way to Organize a Social Science Paper

If you prove a student and in desperate need of inspiration, when it comes to organizing your write-up, then consider the following.

• Pick an excellent research problem. All you have to do at this stage entails reading research material effectively to understand what type of topic can prove perfect for the research. Additionally, narrow the subject idea from the broad concept and set timelines, upon which you can realize the subject idea.
• Prepare to write the paper. Here, you have to carefully consider the type of writing style you want to employ once you settle on a topic. Additionally, develop an outline to ensure that your work becomes simple and not confusing. Thereafter, settle on an appropriate style of paragraph development, where each paragraph starts with a topic sentence, and the concluding sentence transitions into the next paragraph, and so on.
• Develop the abstract. An abstract proves an executive summary of your entire research work. It has to give the reader sufficient information about your work but at the same time, prove brief and concise.
• The introduction. Here, you have to use the standard CARS model. Additionally, include the background information of the entire study, your research question or problem, and the theoretical framework that you base your entire study upon.
• Literature review. The section should include all relevant material that pertains to the study topic. Additionally, you have to track your citations and evaluate every information source you want to use. Such sources can prove primary such as articles, journals, books, etc. Sources can also prove secondary or tertiary.
• The methodology. Here you have to organize your methods as either qualitative or quantitative and elaborate your specific method.
• Results. You have to consider employing non-textual elements when communicating your results.
• Discussion. The section entails arguing your results out by supporting them with contextual literature. You also have to discuss the study limitations in this section.
• The conclusion. Should summarize the whole study and also contain the appendices.
• Proofreading. It proves crucial to proofread your work once you finish the writing process. So consider categorizing potential mistakes as either standard grammar errors or structural errors. Proofing will also ensure that your work comes across as concise.
• Cite sources. It proves vital for your document to come without any plagiarism, and as such, try and cite your sources appropriately. You can also include endnotes and footnotes, annotated bibliography, among others.

Conclusion

It becomes crucial for you to organize your social science paper from the time you start conceiving the idea to the time it gets ready for submission.