Just as first impressions are important in social relations, the introduction is an extremely important element of the project. A poorly written introduction can prejudice the reader against the entire work, while a well-crafted one can earn the immediate respect of the audience. Due to the significance of this post, the introduction is given lengthy coverage in this manual.
The introduction serves two primary functions: to capture the interest of the reader and to succinctly present the idea to be researched. The research idea is hopefully of compelling interest to the student, and therefore should be presented to the reader in a way that stimulates some interest and enthusiasm in the reader. Scholarly writing need not be dull. If the writer can master the technique of an imaginary dialogue with the reader and the technique of the intellectual argument, then the document is almost assured to be engaging and intellectually stimulating.
Most project students have a strong belief that their research will result in predicted findings. They have put together the known evidence in a way that leads them to expect these findings. The case for the expected findings is the framework for the introduction. As this case is presented, the writer asks himself or herself questions, such as: “What do I want to say?” ‘’What do I need to say?” ‘’What is the essential point I want to make?” ‘’What should come first?” ‘’What should come first?” “What should come next?” “How is this point connected to the next point?”
As the reader reads the presentation, the reader also formulates questions. The writer needs to anticipate the reader’s questions and provide the answer. Some questions readers are likely to ask are: “What’s your point here?” ‘’Why are you bringing this in?” ‘’Why are you going into that now?” “What do you mean by this?” “How is that related to what you said before?” “Give an example to support your position” “What are your reasons for saying that?” “What evidence do you have for that?” and also “So what?” The answers to these questions guide the organization of the presentation of ideas and information, not only in the introduction but in the other chapters as well. These questions are especially important as the first draft is revised and polished.
The imaginary reader can be assumed to be intelligent, educated, familiar with the general principles of research design and statistics. The imaginary reader should be thought of as being totally naive about the content area of one’s own dissertation and also unacquainted with any of the newer research methods that have yet to reach the mainstream of most graduate and undergraduate education programs.
The second technique for the scholarly, yet lively presentation of the research idea is the use of the intellectual argument. An argument is an attempt to convince someone of the truth or rightness or validity of some claim or assertion by providing grounds or justification for believing or accepting it.
To make an intellectual argument, one must keep in mind the reader. One might begin by providing the background or context in which the claim exists. This backing for the claim comes from relevant theories, the findings of previous research, quotes from accepted authorities, publicly available statistics. Only the outline of the argument is presented in the introduction and then the argument is fleshed out with facts in the literature review.
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