Every college and university student has to tackle the dreaded task of writing a research paper, so mastering how to write an introduction to a research paper is mandatory as it is the opening statement of your task. A research paper is a very important part of a students’ graduation, as it contributes to a major part of the final grades. Failing to submit a well-made research paper can reflect very poorly and you may even face disciplinary action.
But the problem is, academic writing is a skill which needs to be honed with time. Most students don’t even understand how to write an introduction to a research paper properly, let alone writing a whole research. Although, writing the introduction is also not as easy as it may seem. Therefore, in order to get good at academic writing and submitting a well-made research paper, it is necessary to understand how to write an introduction to a research paper.
This is because, it has been noticed many times that the most challenging part of writing any academic assignment is, making up your mind to actually begin and pen down the first paragraph. Once you start writing the first few paragraphs of your essay or paper, the rest becomes easy and the ideas start to flow automatically, and you will start to wonder why you were afraid of it.
In this article, we help you in taking the first step in creating a professional academic article, by teaching you how to write an introduction to a research paper. On this article we cover the following topics:
Importance of a Research Paper
Research papers play a significant role in the academic life of a college or university student, so it is time to understand the most important element of that research paper.
Yes, the most important element of a research paper is not its level of research or the argument you’re presenting. Instead it is how to present all of that hard work in your research paper, because at the end it all boils down to how curious the reader becomes while reading the information you present. It is very important to present the information in such a way that it intrigues the audience and compels them to continue reading.
As first impressions matter a lot, the introduction offers you a chance to make a good first impression in the eyes of your reader, but the difference is, in a research paper you have only got your words and your mind to achieve that.
Therefore it is important, nay! In fact it is absolutely critical that you put additional focus, time and efforts in making a great Introduction.
Characteristics of an Ideal Introduction
An introduction is the first thing anyone reads in a research paper, therefore you must offer them some important information which makes their efforts and time they have spent in reading your paper, worthwhile!
You should know that you have already grasped the readers’ attention with your Title, and the abstract that you have written for your research paper. Now you have to present the information which is going to follow in the body sections of the research paper in a manner which will persuade them to read further.
To put is simply, after putting in the time to read through the abstract, a reader would ask themselves ‘Why!’ why should I continue reading this article, what will I gain from it. So it is important that you offer them a suitable answer to their questions. While you do that, it is important that you also provide tell them information about why you chose to pick this particular topic, and why it is of major significance in the field of the research topic.
Now in an academic article, you are not allowed to write in first person, with exception of a reflective article. Formal writing is menditory for research writing therefore answering the above questions requires skill and expertise.
These questions are Important characteristics of an introduction, because simply you will not have any opportunity to explain to the readers why this particular topic is important for the field of research , or why you choose your approach to the research in later stages.
Therefore an Introduction to a research paper must serve as a means to fill the gaps between what is present in the research paper, and what the readers want to know before reading the paper.
the paramenter relating on how to write an introduction to a research paper, it very important to understand how long your introduction should be. The introduction should be concise and yet deliver all the necessary information about the paper. Therefore, you have to know beforehand, about the length of the introduction.
An Ideal Introduction should be of around 10% of the total word count of the research paper. This word count can be relaxed to some extent depending on the contents and depth of the research.
However, you cannot learn about the total word count of your research paper before you have even written it. Therefore, the first thing to know is the total word limit of the research paper assigned to you in your university guidelines. Using this you can have a rough idea about the size of your introduction.
Although, you should never put too much focus on perfecting the introduction in the first attempt, when you write your research paper. This is the most common mistakes which students make. The best way to write an ideal introduction is to write a rough or an outline of how you want the introduction to look like and move forward.
Once you are done with writing the whole research paper, you should revisit your introduction and make amendments based on the final information in your research paper. This is because, when your write the contents of your research paper, many times the content changes as you write, because you understand more about the writing style. Therefore in order to have your introduction be in sync with your research paper, you must make changes to it in the end.
The same goes for the conclusion, however, by the time you get to the conclusion you already know what you have written in the body paragraphs, so it gets a little easier.
How to write an introduction to a research paper?
Understanding how to write an introduction to a research paper can be quite tricky. No matter how many guides you look through on the internet, the actual task of writing requires experience and skill. So the best way to understand how to write an introduction to a research paper is to learn by example and grow with experience.
We have compiled a list of step by step guide which you can use to write a well-made introduction to an essay.
Step 1: Having an Outline to your Research Paper
Step 2: Create an Outline to your Introduction
Creating an outline for your introduction will allow you to write it flawlessly, as it will involve carefully analysing the contents and flow of information in the introduction.
To create an introduction outline, use your research paper outline and identify a set of questions which you need to answer.
Step 4: Writing the Introduction
Now that you have all the tools and points you need, and have understood how to write an introduction to a research paper, you should finally get to writing.
Keep in mind the introduction paragraph should follow a flow as mentioned in your outline. Write it to the best of your knowldge without spending too much thought on each and every sentence. Just use formal professional language and stick to your introduction outline.
Step 5: Revisiting the Introduction
This step is very important as it refines your research paper introduction and takes it to the next level.
Once you finish writing the introduction, incorporating all of the points in your outline, now you can go ahead and finish up writing the rest of your research paper. Once you are done with all of the remaining steps, proofread the whole research paper. This step is very important as it lets you know that the information you have incorporated in your research paper is present in the most effective manner. This also helps you in bringing together all of the important points in your head, so that and make amends to your loosely framed introduction.
After proofreading the document, revisit the introduction, and highlight all the flaws and gaps that are present in it. Take your time here, as is the last step of the process.
Step 6: Finishing up
This is where you finish up your whole introduction as well as the research paper. So go and dot the I’s and cross all the T’s, in your introduction. Make sure that your address all the flaws and gaps with you highlighted in the previous step.
Now you are done! You have now understood the process of how to write an introduction to a research paper. Only that, if you follow this process carefully you can apply these steps to each and every paragraph in your research paper of any other academic article, and take it to extraordinary heights.
Tips to Writing a Well-made Introduction
There is no shortcut to perfection. There are however, few tips and tricks that make the whole process a bit simpler. Below are some practical tips which you should keep in mind while writing an introduction to your research paper.
We have a dedicated article on TEEL Structure of paragraph Writing so you can check that out as well!
No matter how loudly we yell it, the truth is, most of the time you don’t even realise where time went. But it is always advised to start your assignments early. Even if it means, just writing down the title.
If nothing, it will help you in remembering that you have a huge task of writing your research paper, pending. This will always prompt you to complete it.
One other benefit of starting your assignments early, is that you can get the required assignment help and guidance whenever you need it, from the experts at Total Assignment Help.
There is only one last tip we would like to give you, which is keep practicing, over time you will perfect the skill and no longer need to follow all of those step. You will become naturally good at writing academic articles with practice and get good grades!
Hope this article has contributed towards enhansing your understanding on how to write an introduction to a research paper!
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