How to Write an Introduction to a Research Paper
Though introduction to any writing is frequently associated with beginning, it's not that simple for an introduction to a research paper. Here you can find a guide on how to write an introduction to a research paper, which presents a topic to the reader. While creating an introduction for a research paper students frequently get lost in the consistency of their thoughts. But following the structure and simple rules, you will succeed with your writing and get the desired mark..
If all these are ready, the only thing left is to make the outline for research paper structure. You should remember, however, that thesis statement is a statement, not a proof. You shouldn’t enumerate all the points you are going to cover – it is exactly what your paper is. Thesis statement is just an introduction to give the reader a general idea of what you are going to talk about. In most general terms, thesis statement is a question, while the rest of the paper is an answer to it.Doing Research
After you’ve selected the topic, it is time to do research. If you have done everything correctly, you already have a fair number of sources in view
How many sources you need in total may differ depending on the scope of your paper, but usually it is no less than five – you should clarify this point with your professor if it is not already mentioned in the writing guidelines you have received.
What can serve as a legitimate source of information? Almost anything:
- Books.
- Journal and newspaper articles.
- Encyclopedias and reference books.
- Web pages.
- Blog posts.
- Social media.
However, not all sources are created equal, and while you can quote blog posts and tweets to illustrate a point, they can hardly be considered as irrefutable evidence in and of themselves. Whenever possible, look for peer reviewed research, i.e., articles and books written by specialists in their particular fields recognized as such by the scientific community.
There are three main hubs where you may expect to find the bulk of your sources:
1. Internet
By far the easiest and trickiest source of information. On the one hand, you can find anything on the Internet. On the other hand, the trustworthiness of information found here may often be quite questionable. The legitimacy of some claims may be checked, in other cases you will have to follow your common sense and some common principles:
In most cases, you can trust the information received from .gov (government), .edu (educational) and .org (non-profit organizations) domains, although bias is still quite possible. Everything read on .com (commercial) websites should be perceived with a grain of salt, which goes double for blogs and social media – all of them differ wildly in quality, reliability and objectivity.
2. Libraries
Modern libraries have gone far ahead from just book repositories. Today they serve as powerful information hubs where you can find information in textual, graphic and video forms, access the Internet, take part in clubs and so on. You are, however, mostly interested in the choice of books and other publications that save you the expense and trouble of finding and acquiring them all. Don’t hesitate to consult librarians – they know much more about doing research than you do and can greatly assist you with finding sources and organizing them.
3. Academic Databases
In addition to the Internet, there are specialized databases (e.g., InfoTrac, LexisNexis, EBSCO) allowing you to search through and read hundreds of thousands of peer-reviewed publications
- Avoid Wikipedia. Wikipedia is indispensable when you have to figure something out quickly. It may provide a sound starting point for further research. But it is not exactly reliable as a source per se, as virtually anybody can edit its contents.
- If a publication is exceptionally helpful, make sure to look through its bibliography – you may stumble upon a couple of other books that may be useful in your work.
- Carefully document each and every source you are going to use: jot down its author, year of publication or whatever information is relevant for this particular source type.
Conclusion
The introduction of a research paper needs special attention. It is the business card of your project, which briefly reflects the essence of your research work. It provides the disclosure of the basic concepts and research issues. This reflects the interactive features of the main researched object with the outside world. This very important question can show your level of understanding of the chosen topic.
Often writing the introduction and the entire research paper is a real difficulty for the student. Sometimes he just has not enough time to write. Our service is ready to perform your task professionally and on time. The service 5homework was created to save student’s time, free him from the routine, to give the opportunity to gain practical skills and knowledge outside the traditional educational program. We provide professional assistance in the preparation of all types of student work – from consultation to full support.
The hook sentences are aimed to catch an eye of the target readers from the first line or few to make the audience read the paper from the beginning until ending or at least half of it. A hook sentence may be of different kinds: