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Drafting.

Drafting. For most college research projects, drafting should begin at least two weeks before the instructor’s deadline in case you need to gather more information or do more drafting. Set a deadline for having a complete draft, and structure your work with that date in mind. Gather your notes, outline, and sources, and read through them, getting involved in your topic. Most writers find that some sustained work (two or three hours at a time) pays off at this point. Begin drafting a section that you feel confident about. For example, if you are not sure how you want to introduce the draft but do know how you want to approach a particular point, begin with that, and return to the introduction later. The most important thing is to get started.

working title and introduction. The title and introduction play special roles, for they set the stage for what is to come. Ideally, the title announces the subject of the research essay or project in an intriguing or memorable way. The introduction should draw readers in and provide any background they will need to understand your discussion. Here are some tips for drafting an introduction to a research essay:

It is often effective to open with a question, especially your research question. Next, you might explain what you will do to answer the question. Then end with your explicit thesis statement—in essence, the answer.
Help readers by forecasting your main points.
Establish your own credibility by revealing how you have become knowledgeable about the topic.
A quotation can be a good attention-getter, but you may not want to open with a quotation if doing so will give that source too much emphasis.

conclusion. A good conclusion to a research project helps readers identify what they have learned. Its job is not to persuade (the body of the essay or project should already have done that) but to contribute to the overall effectiveness of your argument. Here are some strategies that may help:

Refer to your thesis, and then expand to a more general conclusion that reminds readers of the significance of your discussion.
If you have covered several main points, you may want to remind readers of them. Be careful, however, to provide more than a mere summary.
Try to end with something that will have an impact—a provocative quotation or question, a vivid image, a call for action, or a warning. But guard against sounding preachy.