This is the central theme of the whole paper, so include it in the first or second paragraph. After you state your thesis, tell the reader why they should care about the points you are making, and explain the arguments you are critiquing. Occasionally, some papers will present all of the arguments first and state the thesis at the end, but this is not recommended for college-level papers. If your thesis is "Mercy has more value than justice," you could follow that with a motivating statement such as: "In a system rules purely by justice, there is no room for humanity. A mother who steals a loaf of bread for her starving child would be treated as harshly as a person who shoplifts for a thrill. Although both should face consequences, mercy would dictate that the mother be given a lesser penalty than the shoplifter." Don't make the reader guess what you're talking about. If you are using a highly technical term, one with a very specific meaning, or a phrase which may be interpreted in different ways, take the time to define it. This will help the reader can easily follow your train of thought. Use these pronouns as signposts to announce what you are arguing. Even if you pick an argument without a clear right or wrong answer, you should always pick a side and stick to it throughout your paper. In the case of the paper on mercy vs justice, you would keep coming back to your position that mercy has more value than justice no matter how many objections you address. There will certainly be situations where justice must be implemented and a merciful approach is not appropriate. You can acknowledge that, because your argument is not that justice is never necessary, but that the quality of mercy has more intrinsic value than retributive justice. As you write your paper, think about what you're saying from the perspective of your reader. Think about any questions they might have and try to answer them in advance. Some questions your readers might have could include: "How do you define the terms 'mercy' and 'justice'?", "Does an emphasis on mercy only apply to everyday situations or does it extend to the justice system?", or "In what situations would you choose justice over mercy?" Philosophy can cover a lot of complex topics. Use analogies and metaphor to draw parallels between abstract ideas and everyday experiences. An analogy demonstrating the value of mercy might be that of a mother who forgives her child when the child has misbehaved, not because the child is blameless but because the mother loves the child and believes the child is remorseful and will do better next time.
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One-sentence summary -- Clearly state the thesis early in the paper. Define technical or ambiguous terms. Use phrases like "I will argue" or "My next objection". Don't be a "fence-sitter". Anticipate and answer questions. Use examples and analogies to support your point.

To build this love fort, you will need the following items: 5 sheets, a few blankets, one pole, 4 screw hooks, 1 spool of twine, 4 large safety pins, lots of pillows, a tape measure and scissors. If you don't have a pole, substitute an old shower rod or broom stick. You can also substitute large pieces of fabric or sarongs in place of your sheets. Pick an area that is fairly large and clear of furniture (you may have to rearrange your furniture to make this work). If you want people to see your fort, pick a high traffic area, like your living room. If you prefer to make your fort more private, you may choose to build it in your bedroom. This fort does not lend itself well to being built outside. Measure the pole. Screw two of the hooks into the ceiling so they are the same distance apart as the length of the pole. Cut two 3-foot long pieces of twine and use this twine to hang the pole from the screw hooks. Use the twine to tie a knot around one of the screw hooks. Then tie the other end of twine around the pole. Repeat this for both sides of the pole. Beginning with the heaviest sheet, layer the sheets and fabrics over the pole, creating a tent-like shape. When all the sheets are layered, measure 2 feet down from the front of the pole and safety pin all the sheets together. Make sure to safety pin the sheets on the other side of the tent as well. If you'd like the fort to be a little more private, add additional sheets and blankets to fill in the walls. Cut two pieces of 3-foot long twine and tie a piece to each of the two safety pins. Screw the two remaining hooks into the ceiling about 2 feet from either side of the pole. Tie the two pieces of twine attached to the safety pins to the two new screw hooks in the ceiling. This will help redistribute the weight of the fort, plus it will give it some more of its shape. Fill your fort with pillows and blankets for coziness. To make your fort more romantic, add chocolates and champagne. Make a heart garland by cutting heart shapes out of newspapers and using a needle and thread to string them together. Hang your garland over the sides of your tent. Try making a pom-pom garland by stringing pom-poms on a fishing wire, using a needle. Layer your pom-pom garland over your newspaper garland.
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One-sentence summary -- Assemble the materials. Choose the location of your fort. Hang the pole. Hang the fabrics. Hang the other hooks. Decorate the fort.

Once you have gathered the information for each part and written it up, you need to pull the whole thing together into one big report. Divide it into major processes and sub-processes, so it is easy to read. Use visuals where possible to clarify understanding. In addition, be sure to be as concise as possible, as many people will need to read this report. This statement does not need to be pages long. It can be a paragraph or two, as it just expresses the problem. In fact, the main part of the problem should be able to be expressed in a single sentence. Confirm your findings with team members and department sources. This step is a quality control check to ensure nothing has been omitted or misrepresented. Ask if any revisions need to be made. If you need to make revisions, change the document. Once you have made revisions, you need to send it out again, making sure to highlight the differences so your readers don't need to read the whole document again. Write out a short summary of your major findings so that they can be easily understood by readers. In most cases, the summary should be no more than two pages. Make sure to include references or links if you have created an electronic report. Create a presentation and presentation materials so that you can show your findings to the sponsoring party. If an oral report is necessary, prepare for that meeting by reviewing your findings.
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One-sentence summary --
Pull the information into a report. Keep it concise. Confer with your team members. Make the needed revisions. Summarize your findings. Present your report to sponsoring party.