How to Write a Discussion Paper
Why Is It Important to Know How to Write a Good Discussion Paper?
Among the different types of essays, a problem-based (discussional) essay has a specific form due to the nature of the student’s and teacher’s activities. A discussion essay is a complex work that includes various styles and types of speech that can emphasize the genre characteristics of the text being created. This work allows students to implement the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in language, literature, and, depending on the chosen topic, history, geography, physical education, and other disciplines.
But irrespective of the choice of theme, it carries an educational and moral function in forming personality. Furthermore, the discussion nature of the work on the compositions of this genre develops students’ independent logical thinking, the ability to defend their point of view to substantiate it, and allows them to show a wealth of vocabulary and possession of a variety of syntactic structures, that is, to show the skills necessary for every literate person. Keep reading to learn how to write a discussion for a research paper.
What Is a Discussion Paper: Historical Background
Discussion papers are concise research articles written with various research target audiences in mind. These essays generally cover issues that have been carefully researched and are credible. They often discuss the preliminary results of studies on different disciplines.
To understand the nuances of a discussion paper and how to write it, we should turn to history. The need for a new form of communication with the reading public arose when no old paper solved the problems faced by society. Writers of the past shaped public opinion. Their words were listened to. They were called the “masters of thought.”
The first experiences of literary creation of discussion papers arose in the bosom of the church and were anonymous. Chronicles, hagiographies of saints, parables, and moral teachings concerned the inner life of people and were called spiritual ponderings. The first authors’ works appeared on the border of the XVI-XVII centuries, and literature became secular.
In the XVIII century, reading became a fashionable hobby of the educated nobility. However, the enlightened part of society, represented by writers, could not help noticing: the nobility’s elite was in a state of moral decline, and numerous problems appeared: social inequality, promiscuity, the cult of power and money, egocentrism, and imitation. It was time to give voice to these grievances.
The role of the mouthpiece, aimed straight into the soul of the secular reader, was taken up by the discussion essay. Originating in Britain, the genre quickly “migrated” to newspapers and magazines in France and later in other European countries.
How to Start a Discussion Paper
You begin with an introduction and your ideas on the significance of the subject, followed by an examination of the opposition and a point-by-point debunking of it. Then follows a thesis statement that expresses your opinion and a brief conclusive sentence. In a discussion essay, you can express your opinion on a subject. To write it, begin by agreeing with a specific viewpoint, researching your topic, and providing examples before moving on to the introduction and your thesis statement.
How to Structure Discussion Paper
Writing a discussion paper is a good way to get others to hear your opinion on a problem you are passionate about and think of solutions together. A discussion paper presents and discusses the issues surrounding a specific topic in depth. While writing a discussion paper, you must include a thorough discussion of both sides of the debated topic, reliable research, evidence, and several good examples.
Write your first draft, including any major points that you feel are important enough to include in a final paper but that aren’t yet developed entirely (because they’ll be developed later).
The opening paragraph should provide an introduction to the issue at hand. The first three paragraphs should be background information outlining your knowledge of the subject and why you are interested in it.
The rest of your paper will support these claims with evidence, so make sure you have enough of it before writing anything else!
The fourth paragraph should summarize your reasons for studying the topic; it might include where your interest stems from or how it will benefit others. The final sentence in this section should be your thesis statement; it explains what your paper will discuss and what you, as a writer, are trying to prove.
The rest of your paper will support these claims with evidence, so make sure you have enough of it before writing anything else!
Discussion Paper Outline
Once you have your thesis and have written the introduction, you can begin to prepare to write the body of your discussion paper. First, write an outline in which you summarize the main points (and counterpoints) that will be discussed throughout the body of the article. This will help focus your ideas and keep them organized during writing.
Draft your paper based on these points or topics and ensure there is no redundancy by deleting any unnecessary text from the first draft. Then, write any missing details in the second draft, such as facts, statistics, and quotes from other sources to support your argument(s), and add more reasons why this topic matters.
Discussion Paper Body: Structure
When you’re done with your research and writing, it’s time to draft a few paragraphs that summarize the key takeaways of your paper. Again, the goal is to be brief and to the point — you don’t want to list out a bunch of facts without explaining why they’re important or how they fit into the bigger picture. This is where you’ll also want to let go of any fear of being too general or obvious; while your teacher may already know what you’ve written about, other readers will not.
You’ve done the hard work of constructing a clear, cohesive argument. Now, it’s time to make sure that your takeaways are substantive. The first step is to ensure that they don’t just repeat what you said in the introduction — that would be redundant, and nobody likes reading redundancy! Please make sure you spend time thinking about how your research can be applied outside of academia or how it could help someone solve a problem they’re currently facing. The right way to do this is by asking yourself: “How could other people use this information?”
The second thing to avoid is saying something that someone else has already told you — don’t just say something different so it does not look like you’re plagiarizing someone else’s work! Now that you’ve identified the problem and explained why it’s a problem, it’s time to tell people how they can solve it. As mentioned previously, this section may include one or more solutions. You can also have other suggestions that might help with the issue.
If you’re having trouble thinking of possible solutions, start by brainstorming some options. This is an excellent chance for you to be creative and come up with solutions that haven’t been thought of before! If someone else has already suggested an idea similar to yours, don’t use it; instead, focus on creating something new and original — you want your paper to stand out from other compositions as much as possible.
How to Write Discussion Paper Introduction
Writing an introduction paragraph can be difficult because it needs to capture readers’ attention immediately; however, if done well enough, they’ll keep reading even after finishing this paragraph because they’re excited about what’s coming next.
Your introduction should include a statement of the problem or question that you will address in your paper. This is called a thesis statement. You may also want to mention why you chose to write on this topic and what makes it important or interesting to you. You might also briefly explain how this topic relates to other issues in your field of study, as well as any relevant examples from previous research or popular culture that illustrate your point of view and help make it more accessible for readers unfamiliar with the topic at hand.
How to Organize Discussion Paper Conclusion
The conclusion is the most significant part of your paper. It should summarize and evaluate the main points of your argument or at least connect them in a way that adds value to an already-finished piece. To do this, you must make sure that your discussion:
- Focuses on supporting the discussion’s main points.
- Is coherent and logical.
- Is well-supported by evidence.
- Is concise and easy to follow.
Once you think everything is good, look at your paper as a whole and see if it flows nicely from one paragraph to the next. Is there any awkwardness or confusion as readers move from one section to another? If so, consider rearranging some of your paragraphs for better flow or trying out new transitions between ideas (however subtle) to create a smoother path through the paper.
How to End Discussion Paper in an Interesting Way
Once you’ve finished, it’s time to go back and check over what you’ve done. Have you followed all the steps? Are your paragraphs numbered and in order? Is there anything that doesn’t make sense or needs more explanation? If so, go back and fix it. Make sure it corresponds to these keys:
- The importance of understanding your audience.
- The need to clearly define your topic and state it in a thesis statement.
- Understanding how to organize the paper’s content into paragraphs and subheadings.
- Ways of supporting your argument with evidence from sources you have used (if applicable).
Also, look at each sentence individually: can any of them be combined with other sentences without losing meaning or clarity? Would some sentences benefit from being broken up into smaller parts using commas (in lists) or semicolons (for lists of items related to each other)? These sorts of changes are often small but can greatly impact how easy it is for someone else — or even yourself — to read through your writing!
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