如何铺路搭桥写好文章的开篇

Introduction to Academic Writing – How to Write a Compelling Introduction -020

Hey, it’s Dr. Liu here with Better LIFE Research TIPS. When writing a research paper, the importance of the introduction section is often underestimated. However, you only have one chance to make a first impression. A vague or boring introduction may prevent the readers from treating our paper seriously. On the contrast, a compelling introduction will make our readers want to read our paper in their full attention. In this video, I will show you the key strategies to write a compelling introduction in a research paper.

An effective writing model is to divide the whole introduction section into two parts. In the first part, we want to establish a niche in a research territory. And in the second part, we occupy that niche. In the first part, we begin with a general problem, and finish with an identified research question or research gap . In the second part, we offer to fill that gap with specific propositions, which may include the overall goal and specific objectives of the study.

The role of the first part is to help our readers to make a transition from their world to the topic we are writing about, and to convince the readers our paper may provide some value for them. It is like to establish a bridge to connect the readers’ world to our world. In order to make that connection, in the first few sentences, we’d better meet the readers at where they are. We may provide the readers something they want to know, and start with something they may already agree. The basic principle is to move from a general problem to specific research questions, and to move from what they want to know, to what we think they need to know.

We want to start from a general problem because a general problem usually can connect to more readers than a specific problem. But if it is too general, it may be boring to some experts. On the one hand, we do not want to start from a very specific topic that may discourage many target readers. One the other hand, we do not want to start too general, making a boring opening by repeating what everybody already knows. How general our opening should be will depend on our knowledge on the background of our target readers. And this knowledge usually can be obtained from literature review. From literature review, we may also obtain an idea about most of our target readers on what want to know, and what they have agreed or will likely agree. We want to start from a general problem that matters to our readers, a problem that they have agreed or will likely agree with its importance, because the best way to convince people is to connect the new knowledge with the existing knowledge they have already accepted. After connecting with the readers with a general problem, our main job in the first part of the introduction is to use logic to convince the readers of what they need to know, and the specific questions need to be answered in order to solve the general problem.

We need to provide a rationale to connect the proposed research questions with the general problem. We may make the rationale by listing important known and unknown about the problem, explaining what our readers may not know, and providing a context to help them better understand the significance of our study. By the end of the first part of the introduction, we should have convinced our readers that there is truly some specific questions need to be answered. A typical rhetoric pattern for the first part of the introduction is like “The importance of problem X has been widely recognized. A has found that… B has found that…. And that is why C is critical for solving the problem X. However, it remains unclear whether C is true or not.”

The role of the second part of the introduction is to specify our proposed solutions, how we will contribute, how we will create value for the identified research questions. The key is to demonstrate the clarity of our plan by providing a overall goal and well-defined research objectives of the current study. The overall goal usually echoes the general problem, and the research objectives usually echoes the research questions we raised in the first part of the introduction. Optionally, we may further assert a clear rationale to explain how do our objectives lead to the overall goal, and that rationale echoes the rationale that connects the research questions with the general problem. A typical rhetoric pattern for the second part of the introduction is like  “Our long term goal is to reach A. Our objectives in this study is to obtain B. Our rationale for this study is that B will lead to A.”

In summary, in the first part of the introduction, The key is to demonstrate the logic from the general problem to the specific research questions. In the second part of the introduction, The key is to demonstrate the clarity of our plan. When we have both the logic and the clarity, we will have a compelling introduction. Thanks for watching, I am Dr. Liu with research tips for the underdogs. If you like this video, please subscribe for more videos coming every week. Until next time, let’s keep studying for a better life.

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