... first paragraph or page, alerting the reader toboth the subject of your paper and what you intend to say about thatsubject. In explanatory and informational papers, a thesis stated earlymakes ... summary, an abstract reduces a text to an outline of its most important points. But, whereas a summaryof an article’s essential points may be several pages long, an abstract willbe less than a page, ... investigating an issue with a clear, tangible,and accessible local presence. Instead of investigating abortion, gun con-trol, or affirmative action as general national issues, investigate a range...