4 Keys To Writing A Successful Introduction

• What is a good introduction to an English-language paper about scientific research?
• How is a good introduction different from a literature review?
• Why is an introduction necessary?

To answer these questions, we will look the characteristics that are shared by all good introductions to research articles.


An introduction to a scientific research article should answer 3-4 questions for the readers (Zeiger 2000, 107-109; Booth, Colomb and Williams 2003, 224; Swales and Feak 2004, 244; Schultz 2009, 34; Valiela 2009, 139-140; Harmon and Gross 2010, 3-13: Schimel 2012, 35-65):



1) What is the current state of knowledge about your research topic?
 
     1a) Why is this topic important, interesting, or both?

2) What is unknown about your topic? What is a gap in current knowledge, or a problem, or an inconsistency?

3) How did you attempt to fill the gap, solve the problem, or resolve the inconsistency? 



Question 1 is always answered in successful introductions. There should be enough information so that readers of the journal can understand the knowledge gap that you are trying to fill (Lindsay 2011, 24; Schimel 2012, 56). Remember that you should not give too much information; this is not a textbook, nor a test of how much you know about the topic.

Question 1a is not always answered; however, it is often answered (Zeiger 2000, 108-109; Swales and Feak 2004, 244) and several authors recommend that you do answer it (Harmon and Gross 2004, 11-13; Schultz 2009, 34-35; Valiela 2009, 139; Schimel 2012, 40-42). Explaining why your topic is important and interesting can help convince the editor to send your article out to the reviewers. It can also convince readers to finish reading your paper. Although many students of English do not answer this question, it is easy to answer if you learn a some key words and phrases that are relevant to your field.



Question 2 is always answered in a successful introduction. The answer helps convince the journal editor, the reviewers, and the readers of the novelty of your work. By clearly describing the knowledge gap, you create space for your article in the crowded, competitive world of modern research (Swales and Feak 2004, 243-244). Sadly, my personal observations agree with what Schultz (2009, 194) has written: many English-language learners do not answer this question well. Improving your answers to question 2 may be the key to improving your introductions.



Question 3 needs to be answered, and this is almost always done at the end of the introduction, as most students know. This information must be included because everything else in the introduction builds up to it. For English-language learners, it is important to learn how to answer question 3 briefly and precisely.



To sum up, a good introduction answers key questions for the readers. Although an introduction cites the literature, it should be different from a literature review. This is because a good introduction defines a knowledge gap; it prepares and motivates the readers to read about your research; and it helps convince the editor and the reviewers to accept your article. For these reasons, a good introduction is necessary. The language you need to write a good introduction will be an ongoing topic of this blog.

EXERCISE:
Read some introductions written by native-speakers. Find the parts where they answer the above questions. Is there any useful language you could use? Can you rewrite the sentences with the useful language so that they describe your research?

COMING SOON: Some examples with useful language.

REFERENCES:
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The craft of research. University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Harmon, Joseph E., and Alan G. Gross. The craft of scientific communication. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Lidsay, David. Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words. Csiro Publishing, 2011.
Schimel, Joshua. Writing science: how to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Schultz, David M. Eloquent Science. American Meteorological Society, 2009.
Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak. Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. The University of Michigan Press, 2004.
Valiela, Ivan. Doing Science: Design, Analysis, and Communication of Scientific Research. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Zeiger, Mimi. Essentials of writing biomedical research papers. McGraw-Hill, 2000.