Elements of Language: Sixth Course, Chapter 6

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Writer's Model

Literary Research Paper

Writing a literary research paper helps you learn more about an author, a work of literature, or the culture that produced a work of literature. Literary research papers can examine an author's motives, a work's historical accuracy, or any other topic that can give you insight into the meaning of literature.

Many literary research papers use the structure illustrated in the framework below. Print this framework and use it as a guide when you write your own literary research paper.

Introduction
• Hook your readers.
• Provide necessary background.
• Include your thesis statement.

Grab your readers' attention right away You can use a brief story or an anecdote to draw readers into your paper. You can also use a thought-provoking quotation, a series of questions, or a vivid description of a scene.
Include background information If the topic might be unfamiliar to your readers, supply background information to help them understand your paper.
State your thesis Present your main idea about your research. Your thesis should be specific, assertive, arguable, and unique. A thesis statement can be more than one sentence in length, but try to make it as concise as possible.

Body
• Develop the first idea that supports your thesis.
• Develop the second idea and so on.

Present your research Develop each idea that supports your thesis. Support your ideas with evidence. Give examples or draw conclusions from your research, and be sure to cite sources.
Organize your ideas Remember to organize information in chronological order, in order of importance, or in logical order.

Conclusion
• Restate your thesis.
• End with some final insights into your research.
• Create a Works Cited list.

Return readers to the purpose of your research Sum up your main idea by restating your thesis, and include a final thought about your research.
Provide an alphabetically arranged list with complete publication information for each source you used List sources alphabetically by author's last name. Usually, a Works Cited list should begin on a separate page at the end of your paper.