WRITING A RESEARCH
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION:
DEFINITION
The introduction leads the reader from a general subject area to a
particular topic of inquiry. It establishes the scope, context, and
significance of the research being conducted by summarizing current
understanding and background information about the topic, stating the
purpose of the work in the form of the research problem supported by a
hypothesis or a set of questions, explaining briefly the methodological
approach used to examine the research problem, highlighting the potential
outcomes your study can reveal, and outlining the remaining structure and
organization of the paper.
https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/introduction
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION:
MAIN PURPOSE
To provide the reader with necessary background or context for a research
problem.
The statement of purpose is not simply a statement of why the research is
being done (That is what the rationale section is for). Rather, "purpose"
refers to the goal or objective of your research [4].
The purpose statement should answer questions.
• "What are the objectives of my research?" and
• "What do I expect to discover or learn from this research?
WHAT TO WRITE IN THE INTRODUCTION?
1. What do we know about the topic?
2. What we don’t know (gap in knowledge)?
3. What we are now showing?
WRITING A GOOD INTRODUCTION
• The first paragraph should provide a brief background in present tense
to establish context, relevance, or nature of the problem, question, or
purpose (what is known)
• The second paragraph may include the importance of the problem and
unclear issues (what is un-known)
• The last paragraph should state the rationale, hypothesis, main
objective, or purpose (why the study was done).
RESEARCH INTRODUCTION: KEY
ELEMENTS
Provide some background info and context.
Limit the scope of the discussion.
State the position or contention.
Outline the supporting points of the paper
https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-samples/assignment-types/writing-an-
essay/writing-the-introduction
WHAT GOES IN YOUR INTRODUCTION?
It introduces the problem and motivation for the study.
It provides a brief summary of previous work on the topic.
It outlines the purpose and specific objectives of the project.
It provides a ‘roadmap’ for the rest of thereport.
What does not go in your introduction?
Never put any results or decision in the introduction.
https://thesistips.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/how-to-write-your-introduction-
abstract-and-summary/
INTRODUCTION AS MENTAL ROAD
MAP: GUIDE 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?
https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/introduction
INTRODUCTION
• It is not a literature review. It should be a summary of existing
evidence that motivates your specific, proposed work.
• Start broad then become increasing specific.
• End with a review, and broaden out to discuss potential applications
(importance) of the proposed work.
• Topics to be addressed: what’s been done; what hasn’t; what is needed
and why; indicate your part or contribution (scoping your domain)
• Intro should contain some statements of objectives, purposes, and
hypothesis.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
GOOD THESIS STATEMENT
1. It is an assertion, not a statement of fact or observation.
2. It takes a stand rather than announces a subject.
3. It is the main idea not the title. It must be a complete sentence that
explains in some detail what you expect to write about.
4. It is narrow rather than broad.
5. It is specific rather than vague or general.
6. It has one main point rather than several main points. More than
one point may be difficult for the reader to understand and for the
writer to support.
Writing in the Discipline (p. 89)
BASIC ELEMENTS OF
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
CONTEXT
The problem you are addressing
Broad question or issue with some context
THESIS STATEMENT
Your answer to the problem
MAIN POINTS
Overview of
argument
Note: Thesis statement may come at end of the introduction
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 1
Increasing demand for timber and the depletion
of natural forest have encouraged the
utilization of many less popular species.
Bamboos have for a very long time been used
as timber. However, more understanding of
properties and behavior of bamboo timber is
important to evaluate the potential of bamboos
to produce high quality end products. Bamboo
is versatile resource characterized by high
strength to weight ratio and ease in working
with simple tools. Bamboo is the fastest
growing, renewable natural resource known to
us.
(Adopted from Gill and Kumar 2016)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 1 (CONT’D)
It is a small wonder, therefore, that this
material was used for building extensively by
our ancestors. It has a long and well
established tradition as a building material
throughout the tropical and sub-tropical
regions. It is used in many forms of
construction, particularly, for housing in rural
areas.
But, enough attention had not been paid
towards research and development in bamboo
as had been in the case with other materials of
construction including timber. Compared to
steel, cements and plastics bamboo has many
advantages like strength, elasticity and
lightness, but also disadvantages in processing
(Adopted from Gill and Kumar 2016)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 1 (CONT’D)
and connection: it’s tube structure is very good
for tensile and press loadings, but its irregular
dimensions and inhomogeneous material
structure are not easy to be processed by
machines and incompatible to the standardized
industrial connecting components. Moreover,
bamboo is easily split canes are difficult to be
treated with nails and screws which are
normally used for wood. Such shortages
restrict the use of bamboo in the industrial
context.
(Adopted from Gill and Kumar 2016)
BASIC ELEMENTS OF
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
ATTENTION GETTER
Begin with a story or concrete illustration that captures your
reader’s attention immediately,
CONNECTION
Tie your Attention Getter’s image to your
Thesis point by describing what the actual
situation from the prompt is
THESIS
Provide a statement
of what your
argument
is
Note: Thesis statement may come at end of the introduction
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 2
The demand of clean drinking water has
been increasing since the world population is
growing quickly. This made water resources as
one of the Earth’s most significant assets.
Water is important not only for human
consumption and situation but also for the
production of many industrial goods and
production of food and fiber. Water is also
considered as an important means of transport
in many parts of the world and plays a
significant factor in recreation.
(Adopted from Salcedo 2014)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 2 (CONT’D)
In the Philippines, 16 million Filipinos
do not have access to safe drinking water.
Access to clean and safe drinking water is still
a problem in many urban and coastal areas in
the Philippines. Polluted water contains many
disease – causing organisms such as bacteria,
viruses, and parasites. Major sources of
pollutants are plant nutrients (phosphates and
nitrates) and sediments. Sediment does not
directly affect the quality of water but it can
help to transport harmful substances such as
pesticides. Contaminated drinking water is the
reason why human beings keep on researching
for treatments and purification methods in
order to have clean and safe drinking water
(Millennium Development Goals, 2010)
(Adopted from Salcedo 2014)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 2 (CONT’D)
The United States Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) sets strict and
appropriate pH levels and maximum level of
total dissolved solids for drinking water. The
maximum level or characteristic established by
USEPA is followed globally. The Philippine
National Standards for Drinking Water adopts
the pH range of 6.5 – 8.5 and considered this
as operational water quality parameter. For the
total dissolved solids, the maximum level set is
500 parts per million (mg/L) and 10 ppm for
product water and undergoes reverse osmosis
or distillation process.
(Adopted from Salcedo 2014)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 2 (CONT’D)
This research study focuses on obtaining
average pH levels and total dissolved solid
content of processed water in different water
refilling stations in Iligan City. These
constituents may just be a secondary drinking
water contaminant but in extremities can cause
health risks.
(Adopted from Salcedo 2014)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 2 (CONT’D)
This research study focuses on obtaining
average pH levels and total dissolved solid
content of processed water in different water
refilling stations in Iligan City. These
constituents may just be a secondary drinking
water contaminant but in extremities can cause
health risks.
(Adopted from Salcedo 2014)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 3 (CONT’D)
In the United States, more than 1 in
every 12 fire fatalities occurs in passenger road
vehicles; these fires can develop and spread for
a number of reasons, such as ruptured
flammable or combustible liquid containers,
vehicle contents from occupants, and vehicle
components (insulation, fabric, plastics).
Depending on the data used, passenger vehicle
fires claim between $700 million to $2 billion
worth of property loss and nearly 500 human
lives in a given year. Within the last decade,
research into the vehicle fire problem has
developed, leading experts and researchers in
the automotive industry and fire protection to
begin tackling the vehicle fire problem through
statistical and technological research.
(Adapted from Patronik 2008)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 3 (CONT’D)
Through the analysis of actual vehicle
fires as well as large-scale tests, researchers
have been able to identify critical issues with
vehicles related to fires and their propagation.
Two major issues have been identified through
this research: pool fires under the vehicle and
engine compartment fires represent the most
detrimental of the fire scenarios. In this thesis,
research will concentrate on the engine
compartment fire scenario. Fire propagation
through the firewall separating the engine and
passenger compartments represents a critical
area for improvement in vehicle fire safety
based on data provided.
(Adapted from Patronik 2008)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 3 (CONT’D)
Both heat transfer through this barrier as well
as flame penetration are critical issues for
review and resolution; materials and methods
to prevent both these penetration mechanisms
are two of the many steps needed to reduce the
severity of vehicle filres and their potential to
harm occupants. Thus the objectives of this
thesis are to analyze current state of vehicle
fire issues and research through a literature
search and review and to subject a new
acoustic insulation to the requirements of
NFPA 556 and determine its
viability in vehicle manufacture from
experimental and cost-benefit results.
(Adapted from Patronik 2008)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 3 (CONT’D)
It is important to stress that changing one or
two materials in a vehicle will not drastically
improve the fire safety of the vehicle.
However, as a whole, if enough materials are
required to meet new, more stringent standards,
then their cumulative effect would decrease the
fire hazard to occupants. Product testing is an
essential part of this process.
(Adapted from Patronik 2008)
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION 3 (CONT’D)
Through various small bench and large-scale
experiments, the fire performance of a new fire
retardant acoustical insulation product has been
evaluated and compared to the standards
proposed by NFPA556. These experiments
focused on the acoustical insulation’s role as a
fire barrier in the firewall of vehicles.
Following a systematic review of the literature,
this report presents the experiments and their
results, comparing the process and results to the
proposed standards and research. Additionally,
the results of a cost-benefit analysis,
. which was
conducted to determine the feasibility of adding
this new fire retardant acoustic insulation to
new vehicles, are presented.
(Adapted from Patronik 2008)
REFERENCES
Gill, S. & Kumar R. (2016) To Experimental Study and Use of Bamboo in
Civil Structure as Reinforced Concrete. International Journal of Latest
Research in Science and Technology, 5(2), 102–105. Retrieved from
http://www.mnkjournals.com/ijlrst.htm
Salcedo, S.M.B. (2014). pH Determination of Drinking Water from Different
Water Refilling Stations in Iligan City. (Unpublished undergraduate
thesis). MSU – Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines.
1 https://www.monash.edu/rlo/assignment-samples/assignment-types/
writing-an-essay/writing-the-introduction
2 https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/abstract
3 https://thesistips.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/how-to-write-your-
introduction-abstract-and-summary/
4 http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsen/ResearchMethods /RM_3_
02.html
