Things to Include in a Research Paper Introduction

• The presentation of the topic.
• The statement of the problem.
• The indication of the significance of your study.
• The presentation of the hypothesis.
• The explanation of the limits and scope of your study.
• The interpretation of key terms.
• The roadmap to the following chapters.

The Presentation of the Topic
You should reveal the general area of your interest right away and not keep your reader waiting to learn about it. Briefly provide the background of your topic so that the audience understands what your paper will be built around.

The Statement of the Problem
Now that the general topic is clear, you should indicate the narrow issue within this field that you want to address. Inform the reader about the main question(s) that you’re going to answer later in your paper.

The Indication of the Significance of Your Study
Here, you may present a brief literature review and demonstrate the gap in the knowledge that you’re going to fill with your study. Mention sources that will benefit from your work and indicate why they’ll benefit from it.

The Presentation of the Hypothesis
In this part, you should explain what you’ve expected to achieve with your study. Don’t mention predictions for accurate results but rather tell about the type of data that you were going to get.

The Explanation of the Limits and Scope of Your Study
You should describe the factors that didn’t allow you to achieve more accurate results. You should also write about the boundaries that you weren’t going to cross in your research so that the reader understands what not to expect.

The Interpretation of Key Terms
While your audience should be familiar with the narrow terminology of your field, there still might be terms that can sound ambiguous without additional explanations. Make sure to introduce and explain this sort of terms.

The Roadmap to the Following Chapters
The last part of an introduction is a transition to the body of your paper. Write briefly about each of the following chapters and explain their purposes. Don’t include any details that will be discussed in the actual chapters anyway.