Draft

After you have gathered all the information you will need for your paper and have completed your outline, you will proceed to write the draft. Your notes will need to be arranged according to your outline. Notes that you will not use should be placed aside. (You may need them later.)

The draft will be written as though it were your final copy. It will have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The footnotes will be placed at the bottom of each page. The endnotes will be placed after the conclusion. The bibliography comes after the endnotes or after the conclusion, if footnotes are used.

The introduction should not be longer than one page. It should consist of a preamble that will familiarize the reader with your topic and conclude with the thesis statement.

The body paragraphs must each have a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Each body paragraph must be unified (dealing with one topic only) and coherent (ideas flowing smoothly together).

The conclusion must summarize the main points you made in your research paper and could have a statement which will linger in the mind of the reader. No new evidence should be introduced in the conclusion.

For information on writing footnotes or endnotes, see Bibliography.

For information on the format of the research paper, see Final Copy.