Persuasive Research & Proposal

STUDENTS, THIS IS THE TEXT FROM THE POWERPOINT BY THE SAME NAME.

Organizing paragraphs in a research paper

Organizing paragraphs

• Begin each paragraph with a claim.

a. The claim should be your own words, not someone else’s. In other words, do NOT use a direct quote.

b. Like the thesis statement, each claim should take a stand on a particular point.

c. Claims are stronger without “I think” and “I feel.” Don’t use “I.”

Organizing paragraphs

ii. Support your claims in the body of the paragraph.

a. Use evidence from the source—examples, expert testimony, and statistics/facts.

b. Vary how you incorporate the evidence. Use paraphrase and summary the majority of the time. Reserve direct quotations for powerful statements.

Organizing paragraphs

• Include explanation/analysis

a. Here’s where you show your critical thinking. Remember that you are persuading your reader.

b. In other words, here is your opportunity to explain the evidence and/or point out problems with the evidence.

c. Remember, don’t use “I”!

d. Each paragraph should contain about 50% evidence and 50% analysis.

Simplified Example paragraph

• Claim: Some advocates of face recognition technology argue that it’s a cheap solution, but this assertion is incorrect.

• Evidence: In 1998, Dr. Joseph Atick, the President of Visionics, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Financial Services. In his testimony, Atick declared that the ingredients needed for success were a sixty-dollar camera and a person’s face to scan (United States House of Representatives 3).

• Analysis: Unfortunately, this is an oversimplification. This number doesn’t include the price of the software itself, the personnel needed to monitor the system, or any other associated costs.

Paragraphs

n Keep in mind that the previous paragraph was SIMPLIFIED. It used only one source and included only a bit of analysis.

n Typical paragraphs should have evidence from at least three sources in each paragraph.

n Typical paragraphs should also contain just as much analysis by YOU the author of the paper.

SIMPLIFIED Example paragraph

Aspartame is harmful to a person’s health. The second poisonous chemical found in aspartame is Aspartic acid (aspartate). Aspartate is an amino acid that can be found in the brain functioning as a neurotransmitter. In conditions where brain cells are exposed to amounts of aspartate in excess, the end result is overstimulation and cell death. Neuroscientist Dr. John Olney has conducted several experiments with rats that demonstrated cell death in the brain when aspartate was administered orally (Metcalfe 4-6). Since this chemical is poisonous and causes brain damage in rats, Americans should be concerned about the adverse effects it may have on people.

Other reminders:

n You may have heard that a paragraph must be a minimum of three sentences. In a research paper, however, a three sentence paragraph is generally underdeveloped.

n Be sure to cite all evidence in a paragraph with a parenthetical citation (Brown 24).