Here is an example of an introduction for our paper on intellectual property and the human genome:

"With the advent of the new digital technologies, intellectual property rights have taken on a new significance, and the laws that protect such rights have begun a process of change to keep pace with new formats and means of disseminating and copying information. One area of intellectual information that is in the forefront of this information revolution is genetic information, as exemplified by the recently announced identification of the sequencing of the human genome. This paper examines the legal and ethical background to the question of whether genetic information can be owned privately, some consequences of such ownership, and the prospects for the future of the human genome as an object of intellectual property. "

Writing the Body

In most cases, the body of your paper will consist of a collection of paragraphs. Each paragraph should develop a specific idea that supports your thesis statement. If you've written a decent outline, these "ideas" should be the topics and subtopics. The number of paragraphs in your paper will depend on the required length of your paper, the amount of research you've conducted and the amount of topics in your outline.

Listed below are some guidelines for good paragraph writing. Don't worry if you don't accomplish all of these tasks in your first draft. Try to at least jot down a topic sentence and a few supporting sentences from your notes then refer back to this page during the revision process to be sure you've developed your paragraphs adequately

Guidelines for writing paragraphs (Based on information from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab.)

• A paragraph should have a single focus. If it begins with one major point of discussion, it should not end with another.
• A paragraph should be coherent. The main idea of the paragraph should carry over from sentence to sentence. You can accomplish this by repeating key words in several sentences, using pronouns to refer to nouns in a previous sentence, and using transition words to link ideas from different sentences.
• A paragraph should have a topic sentence, which indicates the idea that the paragraph is going to deal with. It is generally best to place the topic sentence near the beginning of the paragraph, however it can be placed anywhere in the paragraph as long as it is clear to the reader.
• A paragraph should be adequately developed. The topic (which is introduced by the topic sentence) should be discussed fully and adequately. Beware of paragraphs that only have two or three sentences because they are probably not fully developed.

Some methods to make sure your paragraph is well-developed:

• Use examples and illustrations
• Cite data
• Examine what other people say using quotes and paraphrases
• Use an anecdote or story
• Define terms in the paragraph
• Compare and contrast
• Evaluate causes and reasons
• Examine effects and consequences
• Analyze the topic
• Describe the topic
• Offer a chronology of an event (time segments)

Here is an example of well constructed body paragraph:

"The impetus for the Human Genome Project, conceived in 1985 through the Office of Health and Environmental Research at the Department of Energy (DOE), was twofold. Then head of the DOE Charles DeLisi came up with the idea of a project that would perform DNA sequencing and computational biology upon reading a report from the congressional Office of Technology Assessment on technologies for measuring heritable mutations in humans (Cook-Deegan, 1994). The second inspiration for the DOE to jumpstart the Human Genome Project stemmed from the department's desire to make use of the state-of-the art technologies available to the national laboratories, which included "the best complex of supercomputers in the world and multidisciplinary teams of scientists" (Cook-Deegan, 1994, p. 98). Through a series of meetings, the project evolved until in 1986, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had joined the fray in considering the logistics of realizing the Human Genome Project."

Writing the Conclusion

Just as the introduction provided an overview of what was to come in your paper, the conclusion ultimately serves as a summary of the writing preceding it. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! A good conclusion will move beyond summation and expand on your thesis by revealing the ways in which your paper's thesis might have significance in the "real" world. Here are some suggestions from the Writing Center at Cleveland State University. for writing a conclusion:

• place the paper in a larger context
• serve as a call for action
• set forth a warning or hypothesis
• intentionally complicate the issues you have already introduced
• raise a question or questions
• introduce a relevant quote
• tell an appropriate anecdote

Here is an example of a conclusion. Note that it does NOT repeat the sample introduction which was used earlier on this page:

"An interesting analogy to the current situation of ethical questions about ownership of genetic information can be found in the history of the discovery and subsequent production of penicillin earlier in this century. Alexander Fleming, the Scottish bacteriologist who discovered penicillin in 1928, published his findings in 1929 but at the time failed to attract the interest of the scientific or medical communities. Not until the late 1930's did his findings spark the interest that would eventually lead the production of antibiotics (WGBH/PBS Online, 1998). If Flemington had imposed proprietary rights to his discovery rather than sharing it with other researchers and the world at large, one could reasonably argue that the antibiotic revolution in the fight against disease might have had a very different history. How a modern-day Flemington might decide to proceed amidst the current climate of a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry and competition for patent rights, is an open question, the answer to which would have consequences for all of humanity."

Useful Links

Introductions

• How to Write Introductions from Taft Community College.
• Writing an Introduction from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.
• Introductions and Conclusions from the Writing Center at Cleveland State University

Body and Paragraphs

• Body paragraphs and integrating sources from the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
• Crafting Paragraphs from the Writing Center at Cleveland State University.

Conclusions

• Strategies for Writing a Conclusion from Saint Cloud State University.

Introductions and Conclusions

• Introductions and Conclusions from the Writing Center at Cleveland State University.