In any academic paper, the introduction section is the most crucial section. If you write a perfect introduction for your paper, you will motivate your reader to get hooked up to the end. However, a poorly crafted introduction for a research paper can make the reader switch off instantly, even if the main body has strong and valid points.
As a student, the goal is to get the best marks out of any research paper, especially when you want to graduate or want to move to higher levels of education. That is, every research paper introduction counts towards your success journey.
What is an introduction in a research paper?
When writing the introduction section of the research paper, the aim is to give the reader a simplified overview of what the whole paper entails. As far as the topic is concerned, you need to prepare the reader what to expect in the whole paper in the introduction section. This is how significant an introduction is to your academic paper.
Ways to start a paper: introduction for research paper
As mentioned, the purpose of the into is to hook the reader. Before we explore the tips that can help you write an incredible introduction, the following are perfect ideas on how to start an introduction to ensure you keep your reader on your toes:
- Select a perfect tone to match the topic
- State a famous quote
- State an amusing fact
- Create a dramatic scene
- Pose a question
There are many other creative ways you can explore that are used to hook the reader.
Top research paper introduction tips
Do you always get stuck when starting your research paper introduction? Well, in such a scenario, the following tips should come in handy:
1. Define the purpose of introduction paragraph
Before you start figuring out how your introduction will be, you must understand its purpose and role in the whole paper first. This move will ensure you get the right wordings and concepts, put them together and create a satisfying introduction paragraph for the reader.
2. Note the good ways to start a paper
We have mentioned above some of the best ways to start your intro. Depending on the topic, you can decide to use a question whereby the reader will want to know the answer later on. Using quotes is also a perfect plan since the reader will want to know how such a quote will relate to a given topic. Sometimes, stating a shocking fact will even raise the interest of the reader higher. So, depending on how creative you are, choose a perfect strategy that will suit your topic introduction.
3. Know how long should an introduction be
An introduction doesn’t require long and irrelevant content. The aim is to have the reader know what the paper is all about in an interesting manner. It is perfect that you keep about three to five sentences when writing the introduction. After all, you don’t want to expose all the information to the reader, but simply a tip of the whole paper.
4. Know how to introduce a research question
Should you choose to use a question in your introduction part, you must be super creative. Not all questions will fit in any topic. So, ensure that you don’t know the answer to the question; neither should the reader know the answer. This question should stimulate your research prowess as it stimulates the reader’s urge to the reader more.
5. Highlight the different parts of a introduction paragraph
Another tip that will guarantee you a perfect introduction is understanding the three different parts you should include. In general, an introduction should have a hook, which can be a question, then the context, and the thesis statement. All these sections have a significant element in ensuring the reader will be with your written ideas throughout the paper.
6. Check research paper introduction samples
One way of getting a clear idea is reading through different samples to get a rough idea of what introduction research papers entail. You can get such samples from already written materials and get a clue of how to start your own paper. The goal is to get the ideas and not to copy the ideas.
Conclusion
Have you in any way found it hard to write the best introduction for your research paper? Well, never struggle again. With this guide, I hope you have realized where you have been going wrong when writing an introduction for your paper and how to go about it.
