Today I have been working a lot on my introduction. I have been told that the point of a precis is to get the reader’s attention while at the same time situate them, introduce them to your topic, and convince them they should care. An introduction should therefore be captivating and informative without being too long (or too short). It’s easily the most difficult part of any paper. In order to write a persuasive and just all around good introduction the author has to have a very clear idea what their argument is and where they are going with the paper. There also has to be a thesis statement somewhere in there, in a paper this long, probably at the end of the first paragraph. Or the end of the last? I’m not sure. I should ask someone.
Speaking of my thesis statement and in alignment with the assignment for this week, I took a look back at the framing and focus questions that I wrote last semester to see if they were still guiding my research. I currently have two framing questions and one focus question:
Framing Questions
- How do facts get transformed to give science volatility?
- What role does science play in the policy making process?
Focus Questions
- How has objectivity functioned as a guiding rule for federal environmental science?
I look on all three of these inquires fondly because I can remember where my head was at and what new discoveries I as trying to understand when I wrote them. As for the current me, my framing and focus questions have moved away from these three though they’re still on the same page (literally and figuratively -wordpresspun-). You can see my updated questions here.
Working on my introduction has really helped me to nail down my argument and how I plan to convince my audience to take a trip with me. It has forced to really think critically about what I am trying to say and find concrete evidence in the form of both theory and more empirical information. I feel more confident about my paper after having worked on it.
Now I just have to prepare to scrap the entire thing and rewrite it all because “they say” a good introduction should be written, rewritten, and rewritten again. I’ll just take the rest of the evening to prepare myself for that.
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