Writing Topic Sentences for a research paper

Each paragraph in the research paper consists of Topic sentences. Paragraphs are topic sentence that helps in summarizing important information in each section of the research paper. You can express your main idea about paragraphs by writing a topic sentence.

The two main elements of topic sentences are:

1. Topic of paragraph
2. The main point of the paragraph

You can utilize topic sentences for establishing a smooth transition between different paragraphs. The topic sentence will help you in showing the interrelationship between different paragraphs.

How to Write Good Topic Sentences for Research Paper?

At the time of writing a research paper, The 4 steps you need to follow for ensuring that each paragraph and topic sentence represents the main arguments are:

Step 1: Write a thesis statement:

An initial step for developing the topic sentence is to write a strong thesis statement. It is a thesis statement in a research paper that comprises a summary of the objectives and main arguments of the academic paper.

Example of thesis statement:

Food wastage is one of the important environmental problems. There is a great requirement of bringing improvement in the system of food production and consumption.

Step 2: Write an outline of the essay and topic sentence:

It is a step where you need to write an essay structure. In simple words, it means that you should develop a plan for the topic which you want to cover in every paragraph.

While writing a topic sentence, you should make sure that it is clear and more specific. A topic sentence must be relevant to the thesis statement.

An example of Topic Sentence:

A finding of investigation reveals that the food sector has a great environmental effect.

Step 3: Explanation of Point along with evidence

This is a step where you need to provide examples and evidence for supporting your arguments. In simple words, you should expand the main point of the paragraph. It is the best technique that will help you in making paragraphs more relevant.

While writing a paragraph you need to make sure that the content you are writing is linked to the main idea which you have written in the topic sentence.

For Example:

“You can include the statistics and related arguments from existing literature for supporting point that is the effect of the food sector on the environment”

Step 4: Refining topic sentence

You can begin the topic sentence by just writing a simple statement. It is very much important to revise the statement. This technique will help you in ensuring that the content of every paragraph matches the topic sentence.

The characteristic of a good topic sentence is that it is highly specific. It means that a good topic sentence provides a clear sense related to the content in the paragraph.

An excellent topic sentence represents the direction of arguments.  It is very much important for you to ensure a proper link between different paragraphs in the research paper. In simple words, you should make sure that all the paragraphs in the research paper are arranged properly and logically.

Topic sentences as transitions between paragraphs:

The following things which topic sentence might do include:

1. Expansion of the point: If you are providing more detail about the topic in a paragraph or providing examples, in such case topic sentence utilizes words like in fact, indeed, furthermore, etc.

For Example:

Production of processed food is mainly responsible for wastage of raw food items.

2. Summarization and anticipation:  If in case, you have included the different aspects of the subject in a paragraph. In such a situation the transition sentence will provide a summary of the existing paragraph. A transition word represents the new information that you are going to include in a paragraph.

Example:

While processed food item has a negative effect on the health of people, a chemical used during farming has great influence in relation to the use of land, water.

3. Comparison: In case you have made a comparison between the two things then in such case transition sentence utilize words such as difference, yet, however, in contrast, etc.

Example:  

“However, farming is more sustainable as compared to the production and processing of food using machinery”

 How to write a topic sentence for a body paragraph?

In many cases, you can utilize the topic sentences for indicating the purpose and main point of different paragraphs at a point in time. Examples are given above related to the environmental effect of the food sector vs. farming. When these examples are combined they can become topics for argument. So you can start a paragraph by writing topic sentences.

Example :Topic sentence representing different paragraphs-

“In nations where people highly consume processed food items, move towards a plant-based diet for living a healthy life. Findings of the investigation show that the food industry has a great influence on the environment”

Where does the research paper topic sentence go?

You need to write a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph.  In a few cases, the topic sentences can be included in the paragraph. It is the technique that you can utilize for representing the change of argument direction in a paragraph.

For example:

The food sector has influence ion environment. Consumers only have the option to eat natural food items rather than processed food products. In a few circumstances, the environmental cost of choices related to food is not clear. Farming is considered to be more appropriate for producing food.

Conclusion

In the first sentence, we see that this paragraph will be about the evidence supporting a point. The second sentence shows how these points are backed up by more specific examples in later paragraphs of the paper.

The beginning sentences summarize key ideas and then provide an overview of what is to come next: providing strong backing with detailed descriptions as well as interesting anecdotes showing why it happened or explaining events that have transpired.