Good Introductions:

1. Grab the reader’s attention: beginning with a question (no rhetorical, common questions), beginning with a quote, beginning with a fascinating statistic
2. Gives an overview of your topic/argument: background information and history, avoid definitions, lay out issues (major points of agreement and disagreement)
3. State your position/thesis: thesis could be 2-3 sentences, thesis must be topic and comment about that topic
4. Set up for next paragraph: roadmap for the paper
5. Establish your audience
6. Answer the question “So What?”

Good Conclusions:

1. Recap earlier points of argument: Finally…, In addition…
2. Call to action
3. Implications of your argument
4. Areas for future study, what remains to be examined or done
5. Re-evaluation in hindsight with new perspective