It is not a secret that most people judge a book by its cover, so if you want your research paper to be read from A to Z, it is important to write a powerful introduction in your research paper.
The first paragraph of your work must be catchy, inspiring, and interesting, motivating the audience to continue reading. In this article, you will learn everything about writing a research paper introduction and achieving outstanding writing results!
The following tips from AssignmentPay's expert team will help you understand how a research paper introduction should look and how to help readers enjoy your paper. If you don’t have enough time or energy to write a research paper introduction, you can always pay for a research paper - just contact us and get outstanding assistance within a chosen period of time!
What is the introduction in a research paper?
A good introduction should lead the reader from a generalized topic to a particular aspect. It helps to establish the main idea, context, research importance and summarizes background data on the topic, providing the main goal of the work. In addition, it contains a hypothesis, a set of discussed questions, and a used methodology.
Your introduction should also highlight potential results or explain the research structure and organization.
If you want to learn how to write a research paper introduction, you should answer three general questions:
- What is it?
- Why should you read it?
- What do you want your reader to think about it/ react to?
What should be in the introduction of a research paper?
The research paper introduction can be one of the most difficult parts to complete. The size of this section depends on the work type you are asked to complete.
Your introduction should define the topic and consist of a context and rationale, as well as a hypothesis and research questions. A thoughtful introduction sets a tone for the whole paper, grabs the attention of the reader and provides a thesis statement and hypothesis.
3 Overarching Goals of a Good Introduction
- To make sure you provide a clear and understandable summary of previous works on the subject to give a better understanding of the problem;
- To explain why your own research fills in the gaps in the literature and adds insufficient details to the topic;
- To note all sorts of contributions (including policy, theoretical, and empirical ones) of the research.
If you want to get a piece of advice on how to write a research introduction, you can read a comment from Professor of Modern English Literature at UChicago
Robert S Hicks:
A research introduction is the most significant part of the whole paper. Students sometimes neglect its importance and don’t pay enough attention to the details, which causes a loss of readers. That’s why it’s an essential part of the research paper. Learners should prepare their introduction thoroughly as its purpose is to catch the attention of their audience and convince readers it’s worth reading the whole research. Hence, it has to be captivating, interesting, informative, as well as concise and comprehensive. Writing an introduction, bear in mind the main purposes of the chapter - to introduce your research paper and describe its relevance, purposes, topic, etc. Statistics show students sometimes try to write the whole research in the intro. However, it’s a huge mistake that leads to bad results. There are some points that have to be mentioned in the intro. Just keep in mind the following points: relevance of the paper, its main idea, purposes, hypothesis, questions of the work, problems, methodology, and structure of the research. Speaking of the length, It depends on the complexity of the topic, your ideas, and your purposes, but make sure to make it concise. Lastly, I’d like to explain that your introduction should reflect the background information of the topic and provide readers with questions that are not researched enough so you will answer them in your paper.
How to write an Introduction?
The best way to get started if you lack information or ideas on writing an introduction is to learn about it online. Following tips from professional writers and tutors, you will be able to create outstanding work that won’t leave anyone indifferent.
Below, you will find the most relevant tips for writing a great research paper introduction.
Select the Topic
This step may be obvious, but it plays a crucial part in writing a great research paper. If you select an irrelevant, boring, or too general topic, you risk losing motivation and dropping the assignment somewhere in the middle.
Make a list of the matters you are interested in, conduct research to see whether chosen variants have much credible data online. Cross out options that can’t be backed with reliable sources or don’t stir up your interest.
Background Information
As with any book or movie, the introduction aims to set the background and give your assignment a certain context, allowing the reader to see how your work complements previous research on a similar topic.
That is why the first paragraphs of the introduction should explain the historical background, describing the first work in the field and other research that influenced the modern situation.
However, huge amounts of information can make it difficult to fit into several paragraphs, so be careful and provide only the most important information.
Rationale for your work
Rationale is an explanation of why you are using a certain film, book, or method in your work. The basic elements of a rationale are:
- Target audience and citation of literature
- Summary of the paper and its educational importance
- Goals of using the research and how it can be applied in practice
- Potential problems and how they can be solved
- Alternative sources, which the student can explore
Hook Sentence
A hook sentence is your chance to catch interest of the reader and make him want to learn more after reading the introduction in a research paper. Your hook may include:
- A literary quote
- Statistics or facts
- A rhetorical question
- Simile or metaphor
- Allegory
- Anecdote or joke
- Quote of a famous person
