Introduction
The introduction is a key part of any research-based essay, setting the stage for the analysis and arguments to come. Please remember you should not use "I" in formal academic writing, and the examiner is not interested in your personal experiences or familiarity with the subject.
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Some examiners will skim over the body of the text, start with the bibliography and conclusions/recommendations, and afterward read the introduction. In fact, they may only skim over the body of the text making sure the methodology is properly followed and is fully referenced and documented.
Here are some tips on writing an effective introduction that hooks readers and sets up your research properly.
1- Clearly Establish Your Topic and Research Question
Your introduction should begin by clearly stating the specific topic and research question or problem you are addressing. Avoid broad, general openings; be concise and specific right away. The reader should have no doubt what your essay will be exploring. State your research question in the form of an actual interrogative question, not a broad theme. Ensure it is focused enough to be thoroughly addressed within the length requirements. See my earlier blog post on writing a research question.
The rationale for this study: justify why this topic merits investigation
The introduction should clearly explain why this topic and research question merit investigation. Justify why this area deserves scholarly attention and analysis. Provide rationale by highlighting gaps in current research, contradictory findings, potentially problematic practices that need interrogating, or new perspectives that could be beneficial for other researchers on the topic. Essentially, you must explain why this study is needed and how it contributes to the broader field or discourse. Ensure the rationale links directly back to the significance of your specific research problem or issue.
Provide Relevant Background and Context
After introducing your specific focus, give readers the background and context needed to understand it. Summarize briefly how this topic fits into the broader field or discipline. Define any key terms, concepts or theories that will be utilized. Providing this framing early allows readers to appreciate the significance of your research question and approach. However, balance brevity with sufficient background to enable comprehension.
Explain Your Methodology and Structure
A good introduction outlines the methodology and structure of your essay. Describe how you will address this question - what methods, sources, tools or theories will be utilized? Introduce the reasoning behind your choices. Also, give a brief overview of how the essay will be organized into sections. This "roadmap" prepares readers for the analysis and arguments ahead. You can use an LLM to generate a structure for your essay using a prompt like: "Create a structure at 2 levels on <topic>. Act as an expert in <field>."
Hook and Engage Your Audience
An introduction should immediately engage readers' interest. Consider incorporating a thought-provoking quotation, surprising fact, anecdote or vivid example related to your topic. Make a bold statement readers might initially disagree with. Posing an interesting contradiction or paradox can also capture attention. Strategically use such techniques to hook your audience right from the start.
Link Back to Your Research Question
Conclude the introduction by circling back to your specific research question or problem, emphasizing how your essay will contribute to understanding this pressing issue. Reiterate the significance of the topic and your motivation to explore it. Leave readers eager to dive into the analytical meat of your work.
2- Key Elements to Refine and Strengthen
When you have completed the full essay, revisit your introduction to refine it based on your actual findings and arguments. Here are some key elements to strengthen:
Emphasize Your Central Thesis
Once your analysis and conclusions are clear, underscore your central thesis or the key insight your essay delivers. Establishing this clearly upfront signals the significance of your work. All subsequent arguments should tie back to this central premise.
Adjust Background Details
Revise any introductory background details that ended up not being directly relevant to your analysis and discussion. Streamline framing context to just key essentials tied to your research focus.
Reflect Accurate Structure
Adjust the overview of your essay structure to precisely match the final organization. Revise to mirror the actual section headings and flow of ideas.
Foreshadow Key Points
To create stronger coherence, subtly preview some of your most important points, examples or conclusions. These foreshadowing hints stitch together introduction and analysis.
Revise Opening Hook
Reevaluate your opening hook based on the final shape of the essay. Ensure it accurately reflects your central research insights. Refine striking examples or anecdotes that now seem misaligned.
3- Polishing Your Introduction with a LLM (AI)
In our view, for the introduction section the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Claude can be productive at the very beginning if you have no idea how to start, or at the very end after you have written your draft. It can help you find pathways. Work with your teacher on how to avoid the pitfalls of using an LLM and optimize your prompting technique. Remember there is no magic prompt that writes an introduction for you and you will need to fine-tune and interact with the LLM to get a decent draft. It is essential, however, that you make the text your own and edit it accordingly.
Since the introduction is normally written at the end when you have written the body or your essay and the conclusions, you can try out these prompts
Prompt for starting your introduction
For this type of LLM use, the FUSED prompting method is most suitable, it stands for:
• Focus
• Understand
• Synthesize
• Evaluate
• Deliver
Here is a sample prompt that should work for most LLMs:
Here are the guidelines for the introduction:
- What is your specific research topic and question? State it clearly early in the introduction.
- How can you explain the rationale for this study? Justify why this topic merits investigation.
- What background context is needed to understand the importance of this topic? Provide brief background.
- What key terms, theories, or concepts will be utilized? Define them.
- Why did you choose your particular methodology and sources? Explain the reasoning.
- How will the essay be structured into sections? Give a brief overview.
- How can you immediately engage readers' attention? Use an interesting hook.
- Why is this research question significant and worth exploring? Emphasize the motivation.
- What is the specific research question? Circle back and reiterate it at the end.
- How can you refine the introduction to foreground your central thesis?
- What background details and structure overview need adjusting to match the final essay?
- How can you subtly preview important points and conclusions?
- Does the opening hook accurately reflect your actual focus and insights? If not, how can you revise it?
Here are the assessment criteria <insert the checklist for an EE as a pdf file>
Prompt for polishing your introduction
After editing the introduction and completing the final draft of your essay you can use an LLM to give the final polishing:
Acts as an experienced research writer, and expert in <field>, making sure the introduction to is an essay based on the guidelines, following the attached assessment criteria, and is coherent with the draft of the rest of my essay.
Make sure the introduction forms a coherent narrative structure, assuring that it is cohesive, clear and impactful. Evaluate the overall flow and paragraph structure to ensure it's engaging. Finally, deliver a finalized introduction in correct and formal academic English in no more than 1,000 words.
Here are the guidelines for the introduction:
- What is your specific research topic and question? State it clearly early in the introduction.
- How can you explain the rationale for this study? Justify why this topic merits investigation.
- What background context is needed to understand the importance of this topic? Provide brief background.
- What key terms, theories, or concepts will be utilized? Define them.
- Why did you choose your particular methodology and sources? Explain the reasoning.
- How will the essay be structured into sections? Give a brief overview.
- How can you immediately engage readers' attention? Use an interesting hook.
- Why is this research question significant and worth exploring? Emphasize the motivation.
- What is the specific research question? Circle back and reiterate it at the end.
- How can you refine the introduction to foreground your central thesis?
- What background details and structure overview need adjusting to match the final essay?
- How can you subtly preview important points and conclusions?
- Does the opening hook accurately reflect your actual focus and insights? If not, how can you revise it?
Here is the draft essay: <insert draft here>
Here are the assessment criteria <insert the checklist for an EE as a pdf file>
Final Remarks
By revising your introduction to integrate these elements, you can craft a polished opening that hooks readers and structurally sets up your research analysis perfectly. The introduction may be short, but it deserves significant refinement and strengthening.
#polishing #essaywriting #academicwriting #researchskills
Works Cited
DP Business Management: EE Checklist. (2023, October 25). Retrieved from https://www.thinkib.net/businessmanagement/page/39260/ee-checklist
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