How to write an introduction section

Identify a clear problem and craft a concise statement revealing the gap between current and ideal knowledge. Show its significance and its potential to guide publication and future research.

Craft a clear statement of purpose at the beginning of your research text to convince readers and editorial boards of its significance.

Explain the IMRaD introduction by outlining the study’s rationale, the systematic review of literature, and the gaps that justify the research.

Explain the significance of your study by detailing who benefits and to what extent, and answer why your study should be published and what contribution it makes to the field.

Learn how research questions and hypotheses, written before research begins, guide a study from proposal to dissertation, and how null, alternative, and various hypothesis types are tested and refined.

Define key terms and variables with operational definitions in the introduction, and delimit terms while using acronyms to clarify research concepts.

Identify internal and external limitations that constrain methodology and conclusions. Explain how delimitations shape study scope, sample decisions, and practical constraints.

Outline the introduction’s final subsection by detailing the paper’s structure—thesis or dissertation—telling readers the chapter order and sections to expect.