assignment

INTRODUCTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Introductions and conclusions are important components of any essay. They work to book-end the argument made in the body paragraphs by first explaining what points will be made (in the introduction) and then summarizing what points were made (in the conclusion).

An introduction works to let your reader know what he or she can expect from your paper. Your introduction should grab your reader's attention, introduce your topic, and explain your purpose.

1. Begin your introduction with a "hook" that grabs your reader's attention and introduces the general topic. You can do this with an interesting quotation (that you must cite), an anecdote that captures the topic, a rhetorical question, a direct statement, or an attention-grabbing fact or statistic.

2. Next, make a statement or two about the more focused topic that the paper will expand on. This part of the introduction can include background on the topic that helps to establish its context.

3. Finally, include your thesis statement. This statement should include your specific topic, your opinion/claim about that topic, and typically, the reasons you have for making that claim. This statement should be packaged so that if it were to stand on its own, it would let your reader would know your specific topic, the claim you make about that topic, and the reasons you have for making that claim.

A conclusion works to remind your reader of the claim and main points of your paper and summarizes what you want your reader to “take away” from your argument. Consider these tips when writing your conclusion:

1. Begin with your rephrased thesis statement to remind your reader of the point of your paper.

Summarize the points you made in your paper and show how they support your argument; tie all the pieces of your paper together.

2. Tell your reader what the significance of your argument might be. Do you want your reader to think differently, question something, or perform some action? Make a recommendation of what your reader should "do" with the information you just gave them.

After you have written your own conclusion, ask yourself:

· If my readers were to only read my conclusion, would they understand my paper's purpose?

· Do I summarize my argument for my readers?

· Do I answer the question "So what, who cares?"

· Do I tie all of my points together?

SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Some of your courses at Ashford University will require you to write an Annotated Bibliography. An Annotated Bibliography is a working list of references—books, journal articles, online documents, websites, etc.—that you will use for an essay, research paper, or project. However, each reference citation is followed by a short summative and/or evaluative paragraph, which is called an annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited, and to state how this source will be used in or relevant to the paper or project.

Thus, an Annotated Bibliography has two main parts:

1. the citation of your book, article, webpage, video, or document (in APA style)

2. your annotation

How to create an Annotated Bibliography.

1. Research the required number of scholarly sources from the library for your project.

2. Reference each source in APA format. For help on how to format each source, see our  sample references list.

3. Write two paragraphs under each source:

a. The first paragraph is a short summary of the article in your own words. Don’t just cut and paste the abstract of the article.

b. The second paragraph is a short discussion of how this source supports your paper topic. What does this source provide that reinforces the argument or claim you are making? This support may be statistics, expert testimony, or specific examples that relate to your focused topic.

Sample Annotated Bibliography Entry

Here is a sample entry from an Annotated Bibliography:

Belcher, D. D. (2004). Trends in teaching English for specific purposes. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24(3), 165-186. doi: 10.1017/S026719050400008X. This article reviews differing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) trends in practice and in theory. Belcher categorizes the trends into three non-exclusive sects: sociodiscoursal, sociocultural, and sociopolitical. Sociodiscoursal, she postulates, is difficult to distinguish from genre analysis because many of the major players (e.g., Ann Johns) tend to research and write in favor of both disciplines. Belcher acknowledges the preconceived shortcomings of ESP in general, including its emphasis on “narrowly-defined venues” (p. 165), its tendency to “help learners fit into, rather than contest, existing…structures” (p. 166), and its supposed “cookie-cutter” approach. In response to these common apprehensions about ESP, Belcher cites the New Rhetoric Movement and the Sydney School as two institutions that have influenced progressive changes and given more depth to “genre” (p. 167). She concludes these two schools of thought address the issue of ESP pandering to “monologic” communities. Corpus linguistics is also a discipline that is expanding the knowledge base of ESP practitioners in order to improve instruction in content-specific areas. Ultimately, she agrees with Swales (1996) that most genres that could help ESL learners are “hidden…or poorly taught” (p. 167) and the field of genre is only beginning to grasp the multitude of complexities within this potentially valuable approach to the instruction of language—and in turn, writing. This article provides examples as well as expert opinion that I can use in my project. This will provide me with evidence to support my claims about the current disciplines in ESL studies.

Guidelines for Formatting Your Annotated Bibliography

· Citations should be cited according to APA format.

· Annotations should be indented a half an inch (.5”) so that the author's last name is the only text that is completely flush left.