SCHOOL OF LAW

Research Paper Writing

LAW/Sem-1/’20

Part I: Make a title page for an APA-style paper, or set the heading for an MLA-
style paper.

APA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style
_guide/general_format.html

MLA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_styl
e_guide/mla_general_format.html

Part II: Write an introductory paragraph, complete with a full, effective thesis
statement. Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of the introduction.
Your introduction should only be 100-150 words in total, including the thesis
statement.

Introductions should consist of:

1. A catchy “hook” to grab the readers’ attention

a. Academic hooks typically consist of either a surprising, relevant
statistic or a vivid description of a current problem or controversy

b. Personal stories and posing questions are acceptable for other types
of writing assignments, but not an academic research paper.

2. Any necessary background information that transitions smoothly from the

hook into the thesis statement.

3. The thesis statement

Thesis statements should consist of:

1. your topic
2. your opinion/focus

KLS/Sem-I/English-I (LW1111)/ RESEARCH PAPER WRITING

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 3. your three main supporting reasons, which will serve as the topics for each
of the body sections of your paper

You should have a very clear idea now of what the topic of each section/body
paragraph of your research paper will be. Begin by identifying each.

Topic of Body 1:
________________________________________________________________

Topic of Body 2:
________________________________________________________________

Topic of Body 3:
________________________________________________________________

Topic of Body 4:
________________________________________________________________
(optional, depending on word count)

Part III: Write three to four body paragraphs that consist of 150-200 words each.
(Remember, your whole paper will have a limit of 650-850 words, strict, so follow
these guidelines!) Cite as necessary, even paraphrases, or you will not pass the
assignment. Remember that quotes and statistics require quotation marks and page
numbers.

APA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style
_guide/general_format.html

MLA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_styl
e_guide/mla_general_format.html

APA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style
_guide/general_format.html

MLA Guide:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_styl
e_guide/mla_general_format.html

KLS/Sem-I/English-I (LW1111)/ RESEARCH PAPER WRITING

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Part IV: Add a conclusion paragraph of 100-150 words to your paper. Remember
that the goal of the paper is essentially to synthesize the paper as a whole and to
include a re-worded thesis statement.

Part V: Submit your revised paper thus far. Remember, you should not have
subsection headings. You also should have the formatting of APA/MLA, including
1” margins, a header, page numbers, justified alignment, indented paragraphs, and
12-point font in Times New Roman. Make sure you also fulfill all word count and
citation requirements.

KLS/Sem-I/English-I (LW1111)/ RESEARCH PAPER WRITING

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