An argumentative and well-structured introductory paragraph  can be written by following the map above: first construct a topic sentence, write background and clarifying details after the topic sentence, and conclude with a thesis statement and subtopic presentation.

1. TOPIC SENTENCE

The first sentence of the entire writing, the topic sentence, commonly called the hook, makes a reader interested or uninterested. The topic sentence should be a bold claim or attention grabber that concisely introduces or hints at the topic. "Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay... Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity" (McCombes). Instead of merely stating a fact about the topic, it displays a bold claim to why the topic is important. The reader should be convinced to continue reading in the topic sentence. Try to open with information the reader may not know, rather than something obvious. 

Examples to base off: 

"Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement." (McCombes) The writer for the topic sentence above introduces a topic and displays an interpretation of the topic, hinting their writing will offer a different interpretation. The effect is the readers interest in what other interpretation there is. 

"Since Adam and Eve first partook of that forbidden fruit, humans have spent immense resources to develop the perfect accoutrement for all seasons and occasions." (Park) In the topic sentence above, the writer makes a bold claim, not simply providing a dry fact in the topic sentence. The dry facts can be saved for the body paragraphs and possibly the background information. By providing a bold claim it challenges readers thinking, making them interested, rather than a dry fact that they might already know. 

2. BACKGROUND AND CLARIFYING DETAILS

What follows is one to three sentences of background information. The background information is an overview of the topic, in which an introduction and surface-level information will be provided on the subject. Also included is a problem or questions to solve which will tie into the thesis. The background information aims to broadly describe the topic, which will be expanded on in the body. The background information allows readers to understand the claim better when provided with a thesis. The topic should be accurately described but very briefly, there should be enough information to make the topic relevant but no more, since the body paragraphs will take the main points and expand. Some examples of what information to use here is "Historical, geographical, or social context, an outline of the debate you’re addressing, a summary of relevant theories or research about the topic, definitions of key terms" (McCombes).

Examples to base off:

"The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use." (McCombes) First the writer introduces a basic fact of the writing system blind or visually impaired people use. The dry fact gives knowledge to understand what the Braille system is and where the name came from. The writer goes on to mention how society was at this time, providing a setting and giving readers information to imagine the situation the Braille system was made in. The writer ends off the background information with the problem at the time that led to the creation of the Braille system. 

"Providing readers with background on the topic allows them to better understand the issue being presented. This information provides context and history that can be crucial to explaining and arguing your point. For example, if you are arguing that there should never be a military draft in the United States, your introduction can include information about the history of the U.S. draft and the events that led to it being abolished." (Battaglia) The above source summarizes ideas for what to write the background sentences off. The point is to describe what your topic is in general terms, and then what happened to get to where it is today. 

3. THESIS AND SUBTOPICS

The thesis is the argument, purpose, or central claim of a piece of writing.  The written work is proving the thesis argument, so a clear, concise thesis is essential. Without a clear thesis, readers may not understand the argument, become confused by too much information, and disregard the whole essay.  Firstly, the thesis must be distinguished from the topic.  The topic is the general area of information and the thesis is the claim about that information (Barnet 206).  For example, "sin" is a topic and "sin is bad" is a thesis (Barnet 206).  

The thesis takes a stance about the topic, but not every stance about a topic is a good thesis.  Defendable theses have three main characteristics.  

1. A thesis focuses on one main point: When a thesis is written to include too many different topics, even if related, can distract readers from the goal of the paper.  The thesis: "Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support," is comprised of two main subjects, one about the internet and one about webpages, that are separated even though they are closely related ("How to Write a Thesis Statement").  The author should either make the thesis more concise by taking out one point (e.g., "Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support to marketing companies") or rewrite the thesis to include both topics in one point (e.g., "Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support) ("How to Write a Thesis Statement").

2. A thesis is relevant:  Often theses are clear and concise, but lack intrigue to the audience.  A thesis that is too general is more prone to this tendency because it doesn't provide an insight that the reader might already believe.  A thesis should make a specific claim about a topic that is broad enough to represent the body paragraphs, but also not too broad that the thesis is generally accepted (Huett 1).  Compare, "The trees make the park prettier," with, "The city power company should pursue other options instead of cutting down the two hundred year old trees in Sunnyside Park" (Huett 1).  The first thesis does present an argument, but it is a claim that might be insignificant and uninteresting.  The second thesis presents an argument that is significant and specific.  To add significance to your thesis, try examining your topic from a social, economic, political, scientific, etc. standpoint and answer the question, "Why is my thesis important?" (Barnet 207).  Some writers decide to write their thesis after their body paragraphs to construct a thesis that includes the topics of the body paragraphs and to have understanding of the whole topic before deciding on its significance.

3. A thesis provides the subtopics:  A strong thesis should start a discussion.  A thesis should not present an argument without hinting to the reader why the author is making that claim.  If an author merely states, "Dog food is bad for dogs," a reader might dismiss them for being naïve and lacking evidence.  If an author writes, "Dog food is bad for dogs because of artificial additives, oversaturation of minerals, and lack of natural ingredients," then the reader knows the author is going to discuss the downsides of dogfood with regard to artificial additives, oversaturation of minerals, and lack of natural ingredients.  (*This is an example and does not contain accurate information*).  Generally, the subtopics (or evidence for the claim) is placed after the claim is made in the thesis statement ("Thesis Statements").

Creating an introduction paragraph is simple, however, there are mistakes that should be avoided. The following paragraph is an introduction written on the topic of scientific reporting. 

Scientific data and information are presented to the public by the media.  Article writers will use deceptive titles to grab an audience’s attention.  Article writers will use deceptive titles to grab an audience’s attention.  Titles often include questions and bold statements that are unrelated to the topic.  For example, "In the article, “People are Zapping Their Brains at Home to Improve Focus and Clear Brain Fog. But is it Safe?”, Berkeley Lovelace Jr. uses intriguing words, like “zapping” and “brain fog”, and question to engage potential audiences (Lovelace).  However, Lovelace markets brain stimulation devices to the audience without discussing the dangers of brain stimulation with accessible support.  Writers often fail to describe methodology, results, and market science to target groups.  Science reporting has many issues nowadays.

This introduction paragraph does include the features that is necessary for an introduction, however, these features are not developed. The features of that introduction paragraph can be compared to the introduction paragraph for this webpage. 

The first feature in the introduction paragraph is the topic sentence. The following sentence is the topic sentence from the webpage introduction paragraph.

An introduction provides the reader with the first example of the quality of writing and establishes the topics discussed in the writing (“The Role of an Introduction”). 

This meets the standard for a quality topic sentence because the sentence introduces the topic of the webpage and is conveyed in a clear way. 

Scientific data and information are presented to the public by the media. 

This does not meet the standard for a quality topic sentence because the sentence does not provide a clear topic for the audience. 

The next feature in the introduction paragraph is the background information. The following sentences are the background details from the webpage introduction paragraph.

An introduction paragraph is composed of three basic sections.  First, topic sentences attract the attention of an audience member and introduce the topic being discussed (“The Role of an Introduction”).  Second, background information about a topic is used to further familiarize the audience with the topic.  Finally, a thesis statement provides the argument or purpose of the writing to the reader and can be restated throughout a piece of writing to reinforce the argument (Williams).

This meets the standard for quality background sentences because these sentences enlighten the audience with general information about the topics. 

Article writers will use deceptive titles to grab an audience’s attention.  Titles often include questions and bold statements that are unrelated to the topic.  For example, "In the article, “People are Zapping Their Brains at Home to Improve Focus and Clear Brain Fog. But is it Safe?”, Berkeley Lovelace Jr. uses intriguing words, like “zapping” and “brain fog”, and question to engage potential audiences (Lovelace).  However, Lovelace markets brain stimulation devices to the audience without discussing the dangers of brain stimulation with accessible support.  Writers often fail to describe methodology, results, and market science to target groups.

This does not meet the standard for quality background sentences because the sentences do not provide enough information to support the thesis. The sentences introduce multiple topics, such as the methodology, results, and market sciences. However, these topics are not expanded upon, and this may create a disconnection between the content and the audience. 

The last feature in the introduction paragraph is the thesis statement. The following sentence is the thesis sentence from the webpage introduction paragraph.

This webpage will provide a guide to writing effective introductions by using a structure guide and example introductions.

This meets the standard for a quality thesis sentence because the sentence provides the audience with a direction that the webpage will take.

Science reporting has many issues nowadays.

This does not meet the standard for a quality thesis sentence because the sentence is vague. The sentence does not provide the audience with a clear direction for the essay, and this weakens the thesis statement. The thesis statement is meant to define the topics of a prompt; however, this sentence fails to address any topics.