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) – This may be the most important section in this handout
In the beginning you have a research plan that outlines your objectives, methods, and design. Sometime thereafter you have data. Then you have analyzed the data. What now?
Now you need a plan that will help you organize your thoughts. Such a plan, in the form of a detailed outline, will save you (and others) untold time and grief. The outline may take you a long time to develop, but it will greatly shorten your writing and revision time. I recommend an in depth outline that provides the thought to be included in every paragraph of your writing project.
After you have outlined what every paragraph will contain, you can note what tables, figures, citations, thoughts, etc. will be in each paragraph. Using word processing you can then move these thoughts around into a more logical sequence as you review the order. Great care in citation accuracy should be taken during this step; however, you will, in the end, still need to check each against the original citation. During the outlining of your materials and ideas, ask yourself those questions.
1. Is this item needed?
2. Where does it belong?
3. Are all necessary items included?
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Sections of the Document
The “first draft” should include all pages and sections from the title page to the references or appendix. This means everything – abstract, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of tables, etc. Always number the pages.
Introduction
The first major section is the introduction. The introduction and discussion sections are the most difficult to write. A poor writing job on the introduction will be the proverbial “kiss of death.” Keep it short, usually 1½ to 3 pages are sufficient for a writing project, and make sure the first sentence says something that ties closely to the purpose of your paper.
Something should be mentioned here about paragraph structure. Many people are unaware of the purposes of paragraphs. A paragraph is designed to present cohesive material in a succinct form; it also divides the text into logical subunits. Each paragraph is expected to have a topic or lead sentence and to provide a transition from what has gone on before to what follows. Correct paragraph formation allows the text to flow.
If you have a one sentence paragraph it usually indicates one of two things: 1) the thought is out of place, or 2) the thought is not important enough to be included. No one sentence paragraphs. If you have a page-long paragraph (or more) you had better reread what you have written. You probably have numerous thoughts that require more than one paragraph.
The introduction consists of four components (in order of appearance).
1. A solid introductory sentence that ties closely to the purpose of the paper.
2. The general field of interest (i.e., “Why is this a problem or why is this work important and needed – what is the justification for doing this work?”).
3. The general important findings of others concerning the field of interest (do not go overboard, this is not the location for great numbers of citations).
4. The purpose (objectives) of your thesis, or dissertation, or paper.
Use the introduction to get the interest of the reader and provide background for your objectives. Use the statement of purpose or objectives to concisely state your specific objectives.
Study Area
Most theses, dissertations, and papers will have a study area section. This is generally a