Center for Academic Writing

For many students, the introduction is the most difficult part of the research paper to write. This is perhaps because it requires you to have a clear idea of the purpose of your paper, how it stems from previous research in the field, and how it offers something new that contributes to that field. This contribution will usually be quite small, but it will be there, and it has to be made clear. The introduction is the part of your paper where you have to argue for your research, to persuade your reader that it is justified.

Many research papers follow the pattern 'situation-problem-solution-evaluation'. In other words, they describe a situation, identify something in that situation that is problematic, discuss a suggestion as to how this situation might be solved, and finally evaluate whether this solution is effective or not. The purpose of the introduction is to show the main features of this problem solving, and the key point in the introduction is the hinge on which the paper turns from identifying a problem to explaining how it will be solved. Extract 1 below shows this movement (in bold).

Extract 1

"While there has been extensive research into occurrence of wartime rape in Bosnia, and several writers have considered the role of the military in organising and maintaining 'rape camps', to date little research has been carried out as to the involvement of the civilian administration. In an attempt to redress this balance and shed light on this neglected area, this paper will investigate the role of civilian administrative organs in Srebrenica and Vukovar in the phenomenon of wartime rape. It will be shown that..."

Problem		Solution
little research has been carried out as to the involvement of the civilian administration	>	this paper will investigate the role of civilian administrative organs in Srebrenica and Vukovar...

Having identified the problem, the writer immediately puts forward a solution, which is at the same time, the purpose of the paper. In this way, the identification of the problem or puzzle (what is it we do not understand?) acts as a kind of springboard which enable the writer to introduce the purpose of the paper (the thesis statement). Of course, in order to be able to understand the problem, we need to know the situation in which that problem has arisen. It is not enough to start a paper with the words 'There is little research...' The reader might reasonably reply, 'why should there be any research?' In some languages, a writer may make unexplained statements that provoke the reader wonder 'why is he saying this?' The writer will then, hoping she has the reader's interest, later provide the answer to those questions. In English, the opposite pattern is more common. The writer will anticipate that certain statements will puzzle the reader, and prepare the ground so that when the statement comes, the reader is not surprised or confused. Consider the following examples. Which do you find is more reader friendly?

This paper recommends improvements to the Mongolian constitution. The constitution, drafted in 1992, has been shown to have severe defects and it is important to identify these and offer solutions.

The Mongolian constitution, drafted in 1992, has subsequently been shown to have severe defects. This paper will identify these defects, showing how they arose, and provide some tentative solutions.

In order to anticipate our reader's question 'why should there be any research?', then, we need to identify the field and the area of the research as in some way important, interesting, or central (ie. it has been the centre of research attention). If we look again at extract 1 above, we can see how the author (very briefly) does this when she writes:

"While there has been extensive research into occurrence of wartime rape in Bosnia, and several writers have..."

Thus she shows that the area is central and important because 'there has been extensive research'.

In this way, the first few sentences of a research paper typically move from the general situation to the specific topic the author will focus on. They mention what has been done (to show the area is interesting, and that they are familiar with previous research), then they show what has not been done in order to prepare the reader for the thesis statement in which the author explains the aim of the paper to fill the research 'gap' or solve the problem or puzzle that has been identified. This raises in the reader's mind the question 'how will you do this?' For this reason, most introductions end with a brief outline of the structure of the argument (sections of the paper) and/or the methodology to be used. In this way, the author has successfully 'introduced' the reader to the topic, aims and structure of the paper, so that s/he is well prepared to understand what follows.

The Thesis Statement

One of the most important elements of the introduction is the thesis statement. This is the sentence where you present the purpose of your paper. It needs to be clear, explicit and precise. Below is a list of points to help you check that your thesis statement is well written. For the purposes of exemplification, we use an imaginary thesis statement.

Sample TS:

This paper will attempt to discuss some aspects of the Mongolian 1992 constitution.

1. Does your TS state the ultimate goal of your paper, i.e. what you hope to achieve?

The sample TS is weak because it only tells what will be happening during the paper, not what will be achieved. The purpose of your research is not to discuss, but to use discussion (or better, analysis or evaluation) as a way of deciding how things are or what should be done - it is a means, not an end.

Improvement 1: This paper will attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of some aspects of the Mongolian 1992 constitution.

2. Does your TS precisely define the scope of your research?

Again, the sample TS is weak because it only tells us of the intent to look at some aspects of the constitution - we don't know which ones. Always try to define as narrowly as possible the aspects of the research topic that you will consider, so that both you and your reader know what you are doing and what you are not doing.

Improvement 2: This paper will attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mongolian 1992 constitution, focusing specifically on the legitimacy of the constitution making process and the question of constitutional continuity.

3. Do you avoid hedges that cast into question your competence as a researcher?

Hedges (cautious language) are often used in academic writing so as not to imply that the author has found the only correct answer but is rather offering a valid interpretation; however, the place for hedges is not in your thesis statement. Do not tell the reader that you will 'try', 'attempt', or 'make efforts' to do something; simply tell them you will do it. They can then judge for themselves how successful you are.

Improvement 3: This paper will ~~attempt~~ to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mongolian 1992 constitution, focusing specifically on the legitimacy of the constitution making process and the question of constitutional continuity.

4. Does your TS at least hint at the sort of results/conclusion you will reach?

Although you are not obliged to, it can be very helpful, again both to you and your reader, to indicate what you hope/intend to find at the end of your research. At the planning stage you may not be able to answer this question, but by the time you revise your draft introduction, you should know and be able to express your findings briefly. Our sample TS fails in this respect completely, as it makes no reference to findings. The sample can best be improved by adding a second sentence, but if you can express your TS in a single sentence that indicates what you expect to find, so much the better.

Improvement 4: This paper will evaluate the effectiveness of the Mongolian 1992 constitution, focusing specifically on the legitimacy of the constitution making process and the question of constitutional continuity. It will be shown that the roots of the present political crisis lie in the failure of the powers involved in the process to ensure a legitimate constitution.

Further examples for evaluation

Here are some more thesis statements from student writing. Evaluate and rewrite them if necessary, using the checklist questions.

This paper aims to cast light on the question of US fundamental interests that have guided its foreign policy towards Israel from 1980 till the present day, which will be achieved through a statistical analysis of the single case study.
This paper links the process of the political change of a state with the rules of diplomatic interaction and distinguishes the indicating parts of these rules, exploring their use and meaning.
The aim of this paper is to show how museum organization privatizes the historical and political discourse through the institutionalization of public memory, that is, to reveal the institutional character of the museum, using the example of the Ludwig Museum Budapest.