The main purpose of introduction in a research paper of any discipline is to justify the reasons why you made a decision to write on your topic. Your goal is not to just introduce your topic to the reader and provide a general overview of previously conducted research on the topic, but to grab your reader’s attention and make him put aside everything he planned to just read your paper.
What’s the most typical mistake students make right at the beginning of their research paper writing? That’s right! They don’t have the slightest idea how to identify their own hypothesis, so, they end up using some trite phrases people are sick of. As the result, they never reach the desired effect and… fail!
So, to make a long story short, never start your paper of significance with the phrases like:
And so on and blah-blah-blah! What you’re required to do is to make a short description to the point of the research question. What kind of phenomena you have directed all your energies at? Why have you spent so many sleepless nights?
Next task you should accomplish to move to the next level is to provide a complete summary of previously done research that is linked to the topic you’ve picked. In other words, before you start working on this summary, you should research your topic in detail. To do so, look for appropriate and reliable sources among journal articles, books from local library and Internet pages. Let’s take a closer look at the process. You’ve found a number of journal databases. Select one of them. For instance, your fate is to deal with psychology and your choice fell on “Therapeutic Processes for Communication Disorders” by Robert J. Fourie. Once you have got knowledge from it, take a look at the reference section in order to find more useful literature to avail of. Don’t forget to take notes from the articles to make certain you know where you take this or that information. Make a simple note, which should include the name of the author, journal title, the publication date to help you keep track of all the materials you’ve used.
Once you’ve done with summarization of previously conducted research on your topic, point out the areas where, you personally believe, the research is flawed. In other words, you should show your reader where and why you are going to meet a lack. For instance, if you’re working on developmental written-expression disorders, you may know that there are no known ways to prevent it. You’re not required to invent cure and get a Nobel Prize, but you can point out what is missing from previously done studies and find out what questions weren’t answered before. At the end of the introduction, provide your personal hypothesis and explain what you expect to find out in your experiment.
