How-to-write-an-Introduction

HowtowriteanintroductionSignificanceThepurposeofanintroductionistopreparethereaderforthebodyofwritingthatcomesafterit.Youknowwhatyouarewritingaboutandwhy.Butunlessyouinformyourreadersofthisinanintroduction,theywillfeellostandjudgeyouressaytobeanunclearpieceofwork!IntroductionThisisageneralintroductiontowhatthethesisisallabout.Itisnotjustadescriptionofthecontentsofeachsection.Brieflysummarizethequestion(youwillbestatingthequestionindetaillater),someofthereasonswhyitisaworthwhilequestion,andperhapsgiveabriefoverviewofyourmainresults.IntroductionWhatbelongsintheintroductorysection(s)ofyourpaper?1.Astatementofthegoalofthepaper:whythestudywasundertaken,orwhythepaperwaswritten.Donotrepeattheabstract.2.Sufficientbackgroundinformationtoallowthereadertounderstandthecontextandsignificanceofthequestionyouaretryingtoaddress.Introduction3.Properacknowledgementofthepreviousworkonwhichyouarebuilding.Sufficientreferencessuchthatareadercould,bygoingtothelibrary,achieveasophisticatedunderstandingofthecontextandsignificanceofthequestion.4.Explainthescopeofyourwork,whatwillandwillnotbeincluded.Introduction5.Averbalroadmaporverbaltableofcontentsguidingthereadertowhatliesahead.6.Isitobviouswhereintroductorymaterial(oldstuff)endsandyourcontribution(newstuff)begins?TheIntroductionFirst:Startwithsomebroadgeneralinformation:•biographical(author)•historical/social•contemporaryfacts•adefinition•ananecdote•apersonalinsightorexperienceTheIntroductionNext:startnarrowingyourfocustoaTOPICSENTENCE:Youstatewhatyourtopicisandwhatyouropiniononthetopicwillbe.ThreeelementsTopicStructureThesis(argument)Agoodintroductionindicatesthetopicthattheessayisaboutdescribeshowthebodyoftheessayisorganizedexplainsthepointofwritingtheessay(thepointofwritinganessayisusuallytoargueforathesis,soyouwillneedtoexplainwhatthesisyouargueforandhowyouargueforit–thisiscalledathesis-statement,andmostessayintroductionsincludeone.)FirstexampleSupposeyouhadtowriteatenpageessayonthetopicofwhetherbody-checkingshouldbebannedinjuniorice-hockey.Youdidyourresearchandfoundthatthereareseveralmainargumentsforandagainstaban.Inthebodyofyouressayyoudescribedandevaluatedthesearguments,anddeterminedthatargumentsforabanarestrongerthanargumentsagainstaban.Nowyoumustwriteyourintroduction!Firstexamplethetopic-sentenceisinred,essaystructureinblue,thesisinyellow):Thisessayisabouttheissueofbody-checkinginjuniorice-hockey.First,argumentsforabanonbody-checkingareexamined.Second,argumentsagainstabanarediscussed.Itisshownthatpro-banargumentsarestrongerthananti-banarguments.Therefore,thethesisofthisessayisthatbody-checkinginjuniorice-hockeyshouldbebanned.DiscussionoffirstexampleThisintroductionisallrightsofarasitgoes.Itisbettertohaveanintroductionthatincludesthethreeimportantelements(topic,structure,thesis)thantohaveonethatdoesnot.Manypeoplestartoutbywritingessayswithintroductionslikethisone.Itdoeshavethevirtueofbeingclear,andclarityisessential.Butletusreviewittoseeifitcanbeimproved.DiscussionoffirstexampleThestructure-sentencesarefine.Noticethatwordssuchasfirstandsecondareusefulinhelpingtodescribehowthebodyofanessayisorganized.However,ifyoucanconveythestructureofyouressaywithoutusingtoomanyorganizationalwords,thatisevenbetter.DiscussionoffirstexampleThetopic-sentencecouldbeimproved.Ratherthanwriting:“Thisessayisabout…”,itwouldbebettertowriteafewtopic-sentencesthatconveyasenseofthecurrentstateofthetopic.Thisnotonlytellsthereaderwhatthetopicis,butitalsogivestheimpressionthatyouareknowledgeableaboutthetopicandincommandofyourresearchmaterial.DiscussionoffirstexampleThethesis-sentencescouldbebetter.Insteadofwriting:“Therefore,thethesisofthisessayis…”simplygiveabold,factualsentencethatexpressesyourpositionontheissue.Thisconveysanairofconfidence,unlikethephrase“…thethesisofthisessay…”whichistimidandnon-committal.SecondexampleTheintroductiononthenextslidetakesthesepointsintoaccount.Compareitwiththepreviousintroductionandnotehowwordingthethreemainelementsdifferentlycanimprovetheimpactthattheintroductionhasonthereader.SecondexampleBody-checkinghasalwaysbeenacontroversialissue.However,therecentdecisionofHockeyCanadatoallowsomehockeyassociationstopermitbody-checkingamongplayersasyoungasnineyearsofage,onanexperimentalbasis,hasaggravatedthecontroversyquiteconsiderablyinrecentmonths.Perspectivesfallintothreemaincategories:viewpointsoffans,theofficialstandpointofHockeyCanada,andpositionsheldbythescientificcommunity.EvaluationofthemainargumentsshowsquiteclearlythatHockeyCanada’sdecisiontoallowbody-checkinginsomejuniorgames,evenonanexperimentalbasis,isaseriousmistake.DiscussionofsecondexampleThetopic-sentencesgiveanimpressionofthecurrentstateofthetopic(and,so,conveythetopicoftheessaytothereader)withoutusingthewordsessayortopic.Thestructure-sentencesinformthereaderofthemainpartsofthebodyoftheessayandtheirorderofdiscussion(viewsoffans,HockeyCanada,andscientificcommunity)withoutusingmanyorganizationalwords.DiscussionofsecondexampleThethesis-sentencestellthereaderwhereyoustandontheissueandhow