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Write a thesis. Develop a rough outline based on your research notes. Hook your readers from the beginning. Provide relevant background information to guide your readers. Present your claims and research in an organized fashion. Consider using headings and/or subheadings to organize your paper. Conclude your paper. Create your bibliography.
Once you have developed your ideas for your seminar paper and read your sources, you should be ready to write your thesis statement. Effective thesis statements express your argument in a clear, direct manner. Remember that a thesis should not be more than one sentence in length.  Make sure that your thesis presents an original point of view. Since seminar papers are advanced writing projects, be certain that your thesis presents a perspective that is advanced and original.  For example, if you conducted your research on the uses of relics in medieval England, your thesis might be, “Medieval English religious relics were often used in ways that are more pagan than Christian.” Writing an outline before you begin drafting your seminar paper will help you organize your information more effectively. You can make your outline as detailed or as scant as you want. Just keep in mind that the more detail you include in your outline, the more material you will have ready to put into your paper. Organize your outline by essay part and then break those parts into subsections. For example, part 1 might be your introduction, which could then be broken into three sub-parts: a)opening sentence, b)context/background information c)thesis statement. Your first sentence should be interesting enough that your readers will want to know more. Your introduction should also be engaging. Begin discussing your topic right away and help your readers understand your position in the first paragraph of your paper. Think about what you will discuss in the rest of your paper in order to help you determine what you should include in your introduction. Use your introduction to create a framework for your paper, explaining where your research fits into current thought on your topic and why your ideas matter.  For example, in a paper about medieval relics, you might open with a surprising example of how relics were used or a vivid description of an unusual relic. Keep in mind that your introduction should identify the main idea of your seminar paper and act as a preview to the rest of your paper. Providing adequate background information or context will help to guide your readers through your essay. Think about what your readers will need to know in order to understand the rest of your paper and provide this information in your first paragraph. Do your readers need to know about the history of your subject? Do they need to know what other scholars have written on the subject? The information your readers will need to know will depend on your subject and the argument you plan to make.  For example, in a paper about relics in medieval England, you might want to offer your readers examples of the types of relics and how they were used. What purpose did they serve? Where were they kept? Who was allowed to have relics? Why did people value relics? Keep in mind that your background information should be used to help your readers understand your point of view. Rather than trying to talk about multiple aspects of your topic in a single paragraph, make sure that each body paragraph focuses on a single claim or piece of evidence. Your discussion of each of these separate items should help to prove your thesis. For each body paragraph, you should do the following: Remember to use topic sentences to structure your paragraphs. Provide a claim at the beginning of each paragraph. Then, support your claim with at least one example from one of your sources. Remember to discuss each piece of evidence in detail so that your readers will understand the point that you are trying to make. Since seminar papers are often upwards of 10 pages, many writers use headings and/or subheadings to help organize their paper. These headings/subheadings help readers follow your argument by showing them what each section is about before they start reading. For example, in a paper on medieval relics, you might include a heading titled “Uses of Relics” and subheadings titled “Religious Uses”, “Domestic Uses”, “Medical Uses”, etc. Concluding a seminar paper can be difficult, especially if you have presented a long, complex argument. There are several ways that you can conclude that will be helpful and interesting to your readers. Before you write your conclusion, spend some time reflecting on what you have written and try to determine the most logical way to end your paper.  Some possibilities for concluding your paper include:   Synthesize what you have discussed. Put everything together for your readers and explain what other lessons might be gained from your argument. How might this discussion change the way others view your subject?  Explain why your topic matters. Help your readers to see why this topic deserve their attention. How does this topic affect your readers? What are the broader implications of this topic? Why does your topic matter?  Return to your opening discussion. If you offered an anecdote or a quote early in your paper, it might be helpful to revisit that opening discussion and explore how the information you have gathered implicates that discussion. Follow your instructor's directions for making your bibliography. Make sure that you use the correct style and that you have cited all of your sources. Before you finish with your essay, you will need to make sure that you have cited all of your sources. Not citing sources using in-text citations or a works cited page may be considered plagiarism and lead to failure of the paper or even the course.  Ask your professor what documentation style he or she prefers that you use if you are not sure. Visit your school’s writing center for additional help with your works cited page and in-text citations.