7.5 Report Introductions
Writing Effective Report Introductions
Think of your report’s introduction as a mental road map that must answer for the reader these four questions:
-
- What was I studying?
- Why was this topic important to investigate?
- What did we know about this topic before I did this study?
- How will this study advance new knowledge or new ways of understanding?
A well-written introduction is important because, quite simply, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. The opening paragraphs of your paper will provide your readers with their initial impressions about the logic of your argument, your writing style, the overall quality of your research, and, ultimately, the validity of your findings and conclusions.
Structure and Approach
The introduction is the broad beginning of the paper that answers three important questions for the reader:
-
-
- What is this?
- Why should I read it?
- What do you want me to do, say, think, or feel?
-
Think of the structure of the introduction as an inverted triangle of information. Organize the information so as to present the more general aspects of the topic early in the introduction, then narrow your analysis or focus to more specific topical information that provides context before arriving at your research problem and the rationale for studying it. If applicable, in your introduction you can also touch on the potential outcomes your study will reveal.
The following are some of the general phases associated with writing effective introductions:
1. Establish an area to research by:
-
-
-
-
- Highlighting the importance of the topic, and/or
- Making general statements about the topic, and/or
- Presenting an overview on current research on the subject.
-
-
-
2. Identify a research niche by:
-
-
-
-
- Opposing an existing assumption, and/or
- Revealing a gap in existing research, and/or
- Formulating a research question or problem, and/or
- Continuing a disciplinary tradition.
-
-
-
3. Place your research within the research niche by:
-
-
-
-
- Stating the intent of your study,
- Outlining the key characteristics of your study,
- Describing important results, and
- Giving a brief overview of the structure of the paper.
-
-
-
*NOTE: Even though the introduction is the first main section of a research paper, it is often useful to finish the introduction late in the writing process because the structure of the paper, the reporting and analysis of results, and the conclusion will have been completed. Reviewing and, if necessary, rewriting the introduction ensures that it correctly matches the overall structure of your final paper.
Figure 7.5 below states the report’s purpose, specifies the report’s intended audience, provides a limited description of the report’s context and background, forecasts the report’s scope, and previews the report’s contents and/or organization:
The Narrative Flow
The following suggestions will help the narrative flow of your introduction:
-
-
- Your in