Most writing tasks, especially for academic purposes, will require you to draft a proper introduction. While some introductions are easy, the same case may not apply to research papers. In an introduction for research paper, you need to follow specific rules and guides to ensure you meet the reader’s requirements. After all, it is the introduction section that sets the tone for your paper, and since the goal of a research paper is to meet all the requirements and score incredibly, you must adhere to some basic approaches that we will describe in this article.

What is an introduction in a research paper?

As the name says, the intro part of the research paper is the section the reader is likely to read first before exploring other sections of the paper. This means that this section is crucial as it defines, notes, and includes any other relevant information about the entire paper.

The reader, for instance, wants to know why you have written the paper and if they should keep reading your paper. Therefore, there is no doubt that the research paper introduction is a technical part of your paper, and it requires you to apply proven introduction techniques that will hook the reader to your paper.

So, while you take time to craft your research paper introduction, make sure the other person reading your paper will want to keep reading until the end. Also, create a simple hypothesis of what the reader should expect at the end of your paper.

How to start a research paper intro: parts of a introduction

As far as starting a research paper introduction is concerned, you might be wondering how long should an introduction be in a research paper. To estimate this, you must first, of all define the sections or elements that make a catchy introduction. These elements include:

• The purpose of the research
• A simple explanation of the context
• Definition of the whole idea
• A simplified summary of the topic
• Some facts about the topic, among many other elements

 

The following are the basic parts of a research intro:

1. Introducing the topic

In any research project, there must be a topic. So, you should master how to introduce a topic to your research paper. The topic you choose will have different concepts, depending on how you view it. The reader, too, can also view the topic in a different manner. That is why it is significant to explain your topic and your area of focus for the reader to understand the dimension of your research paper. However, there is no secret to introducing your topic. Simply re-state your topic, then add some information on the direction of your paper.

2. Review the literature

Next, you need to develop a statement that will help in developing your main body, better known as the literature review. Here, you will need some reliable sources to stress your concept. You can as well use other people’s work or statements here, but make sure you do correct citations.

3. Stress on rationale

Well, explaining your topic isn’t enough. After introducing the topic, the reader wants to know its relevance and why it should matter. The rationale is simply your attitude towards the topic and the significance of your essay.

4. State your thesis

This is a crucial and concluding part of the introduction paper. The thesis is a bold statement explaining your research paper in a summary form. The statement should support all the ideas and concepts you include in your paper. Therefore, a thesis should be engaging, give general information on the topic, and reflect on the importance of the issue raised on the topic.

5. Write the outline

At this point, you have all the relevant information for the introduction. Therefore, you simply need to write the outline your paper will follow. The outline is only relevant if the mentor requires an overview of your structure. The outline is simply a simplified plan of your paper.

Conclusion

The intro section of the research paper is a crucial part of your essay. Therefore, make sure you apply the above approaches for a catchy introduction.