Which question is the most useful to ask when revising a research paper?
*Does the writing have a clear sense of purpose? *Is my paper’s main idea, or thesis, clearly stated early on (within the first paragraph, ideally)? *Could I organize my ideas more logically (within a paragraph or among paragraphs)?
Can a research paper start with a question?
The paper should start with an introduction that states your question or puzzle, and your thesis. If you can’t state your thesis in one or at most two sentences, you probably do not have a clear answer/argument. Stop and think it through some more. Everything that is in your paper should strengthen your argument.
What’s a good transition sentence?
What are the components of good transition sentences? They make an explicit connection between ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. Good transitions use specific words. Try to avoid using pronouns like “this” to refer to an entire idea because it is not always clear who or what “this” refers to.