Introductions

Introductions are important because they set the tone of your paper and give your audience necessary context. They
often involve three parts: a hook or lead, a bridge, and a thesis statement.

Hooks or leads are often short and capture your audience’s attention in the first sentence. There are several types of
hooks or leads, and they vary based on the formality and objectives of your paper. See pp. 72-73 in Work in Progress,
seventh edition and p. 22 in Joining Academic Conversations, seventh edition, for more information about leads.

Basic Introduction Format

Hook or Lead Types

• Quote
You may choose to quote a famous figure (e.g., Maya Angelou, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) to present a
tone for your paper. You may choose to quote a relevant, strong sentence you found in your research.
Regardless of the quote, make sure it’s related to your paper in some way, and make sure you always
attribute the quote to the speaker and cite the direct quote correctly *See Quoting, Paraphrasing, and
Summarizing Handout
 • Statistic / Fact
You may begin a paper, a research paper specifically, with a statistic or fact. Like the quote, make sure you
correctly attribute this information to the source from which you quote or paraphrase the statistic or fact.

• Story / Anecdote
You may begin less formal papers with a story or anecdote to grab the reader’s attention.

• Question
You may begin a paper with an interesting question that the paper then proceeds to try to answer. Avoid
opening a paper with a “common” question like “Have you ever thought about X?” Also, avoid opening a
paper with a rhetorical question. In both cases, they are too common or not specific enough to draw in an
audience effectively.

• Strong Sentence(s)
You may begin a paper with a strong or controversial sentence to grab the reader’s attention. One example
is “The pen is a metaphorical penis.” This sentence is nothing new ideologically but the use of “penis” can
make it surprising. Some may see this tactic as a gimmick or trick, so the objectives and formality of your
paper should be considered carefully here.

Bridge
• The bridge’s purpose is to connect information from the hook or lead to the thesis statement. This is the
place where you provide necessary context to narrow your focus from the more generalized hook or lead to
the more specific argument your paper will make in the thesis statement.

Thesis Statement
• *See Thesis Statements Handout

Want more help? Find us at the Writing Studio!

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Appointments:
Call 304.293.5788 or
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*Created by Natalie Updike, 2017