25/06/2016
FUNDAMENTALS OF RESEARCH INTRODUCTION
Importance
This leads into the rationale behind the research, revealing whether it is building upon previous research, looking at something that everybody else has overlooked, or improving upon a previous research project that delivered unclear results.
This section can then flow into how you are going to fill the gap, laying out your objectives and methodology. You are trying to predict what impact your research will have if everything works as it should, and you ultimately reject the null hypothesis.
Limitations
The introduction is the place to highlight any weaknesses in the experiment from the start.
For example, an ideal experiment should have perfectly randomized samples, but there are many good reasons why this is not always possible. As long as you warn the reader about this, so that they are aware of the shortcomings, then they can easily judge the validity of the research.
This is much better than making them wait until you point it out in the discussion.
Assumptions
You should also point out any assumptions that you make about conditions during the research. You should set out your basic principles before embarking upon the experiment: any research will be built around some assumptions.
For example, if you were performing educational research, you may assume that all students at the same school are from a very similar socio-economic background, with randomization smoothing out any variables.
Tips
There are a few tips that can help you write a strong introduction, arousing interest and encouraging the reader to read the rest of your work.
Keep it Short
A long and rambling introduction will soon put people off and lose you marks. Stick closely to your outline for the paper, and structure your introduction in a similar way.
Define the Problem
The entire introduction should logically end at the research question and thesis statement or hypothesis. The reader, by the end of the introduction, should know exactly what you are trying to achieve with the paper. In addition, your conclusion and discussion will refer back to the introduction, and this is easier if you have a clearly defined problem.
Organization
As you write the paper, you may find that it goes in a slightly different direction than planned. In this case, go with the flow, but make sure that you adjust the introduction accordingly. Some people work entirely from an outline and then write the introduction as the last part of the process. This is fine if it works for you.
Once your introduction is complete, you can now think about attacking the rest of the paper.
