Lesson 1

Writing a Research Introduction: Background of The Study

Writing a very good Introduction in a research paper would give readers an overview of the
study itself. This would arouse interest to further explore the scope and content of the research
activity, hence this part of the research paper can be the most challenging part of the paper to write.
The length of the introduction will vary depending on the type of research paper you are writing. An
introduction should announce your topic, provide context and a rationale for your work, before stating
your research questions and hypothesis. Well-written introductions set the tone for the paper, catch
the reader's interest, and communicate the hypothesis or research statement.

(Source: “How to Write a Research Introduction”, Megan Morgan PhD., accessed December
29, 2020, https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Research-Introduction.)

Introduction should answer the question “Why”:

 Why you choose that topic for research?
 Why it is important?
 why you adopted a method or approach?
 and so on.

You can also think of the Introduction as the section that points out the gap in knowledge that
the rest of the paper will fill, or the section in which you define and claim your territory within the
broad area of research. The other job the Introduction should do is to give some background
information and set the context. You can do this by describing the research problem you considered
or the research question you asked (in the main body of the paper, you will offer the solution to the
problem or the answer to the question) and by briefly reviewing any other solutions or approaches
that have been tried in the past.

Parts of the Introduction in a Research Paper:

A. Background of the of the Study – Includes purpose and reason behind the conduct of the
study. This also serves as an Introduction.
B. Statement of the Problem – The main problem that the research is trying to solve, it
specifically points to the questions that the study needs to answer.
C. Significance of the Study -Identify who will benefit in the research and how they will be
benefited. This part should match the recommendation.
D. Scope and Limitation – identifies the coverage of the study and all the things that will not
be covered to be more specific.
E. Definition of Terms – Defines technical terms based on how they are used in the study.

The 4-step approach to writing the Background of the study

1. Provide background information and set the context.

This initial part of the Introduction prepares the readers for more detailed and specific
information that is given later. The first couple of sentences are typically broad. This part indicates
the wider scope of topics that is related to the research concept.

1
 Here are some examples:

 A paper on organic matter in soil can begin thus: ‘Sustainable crop production is a
function of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil, which, in turn, are
markedly affected by the organic matter in soil.’
 A paper that discusses the possible beneficial role of bacteria in treating cancer can
begin as follows: ‘The role of bacteria as anticancer agent was recognized almost hundred
years back.’
 A paper on lithium batteries can introduce the study with the following sentence:
‘The rapid growth of lithium ion batteries and their new uses, such as powering electric
cars and storing electricity for grid supply, demands more reliable methods to understand
and predict battery performance and life.’

2. Introduce the specific topic of your research and explain why it is important.
As you can see from the above examples, the authors are moving toward presenting the specific
topic of their research. So now in the following part, you can bring in some statistics to show the
importance of the topic or the seriousness of the problem. Slowly narrows down details that are
related to broader concept but in a more specific approach.

Here are some examples:

 A paper on controlling malaria by preventive measures, can mention the number of people
affected, the number of person-hours lost, or the cost of treating the disease.
 A paper on developing crops that require little water can mention the frequency of severe
droughts or the decrease in crop production because of droughts.
 A paper on more efficient methods of public transport can mention the extent of air
pollution due to exhausts from cars and two-wheelers or the shrinking ratio between the
number of automobiles and road length.

3. Mention past attempts to solve the research problem or to answer the research question.
As mentioned earlier, a formal review of literature is out of place in the Introduction section of
a research paper; however, it is appropriate to indicate any earlier relevant research and clarify how
your research differs from those attempts. The differences can be simple: you may have repeated the
same set of experiments but with a different organism or elaborated (involving perhaps more
sophisticated or advanced analytical instruments) the study with a much larger and diverse sample,
or a widely different geographical setting.

Here are two examples:

 ‘Although these studies were valuable, they were undertaken when the draft genome
sequence had not been available and therefore provide little information on the evolutionary
and regulatory mechanisms.’
 ‘Plant response is altered by insect colonization and behavior, but these aspects have been
studied mostly in sole crops, whereas the present paper examines the relationship between
crops and their pests in an intercropping system.’

2
 4. Conclude the Introduction by mentioning the specific objectives of your research.

The earlier paragraphs should lead logically to specific objectives of your study. Note that this
part of the Introduction gives specific details: for instance, the earlier part of the Introduction may
mention the importance of controlling malaria whereas the concluding part will specify what methods
of control were used and how they were evaluated. At the same time, avoid too much detail because
those belong to the Materials and Methods section of the paper.
Here are two examples:

 ‘We aimed to assess the effectiveness of four disinfection strategies on hospital-wide incidence
of multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile’
 ‘We aimed (1) to assess the epidemiological changes before and after the upsurge of scarlet
fever in China in 2011; (2) to explore the reasons for the upsurge and the epidemiological
factors that contributed to it; and (3) to assess how these factors could be managed to prevent
future epidemics.’

(Source: “4 Step approach to writing the Introduction section of a research paper”, Yateendra Joshi,
accessed December 29, 2020, https://www.editage.com/insights/4-step-approach-to-writing-the-
introduction-section-of-a-research-paper.)

Inverted Triangle Introduction

An Inverted Pyramid Introduction,

like an upside-down triangle is broad at top
and pointed at the base. It begins with a
general statement of the topic and then
narrows it to focus, ending with the point
of the paragraph, the research objective.
An example of this writing style is
presented on the next page on which a
student begins with a broader concept of
the problem the he/she will address. At the
middle part of her writing she focusses on
a set of assumptions regarding the topic
and ends with the problem that she wants
to solve or concepts to prove in the
research.

Figure 1. Inverted Pyramid Model in Writing

(Source: “A Practical Guide to Manuscript Writing With Particular
Relevance to the Field of Pediatric Hospital Medicine”, APP News
and Journal, accessed December 29, 2020,
https://hosppeds.aappublications.org/content/4/6/393.)

3
(Source: “Drafting an Essay: Introduction”, UW Canvas, accessed December 29, 2020,
canvas.uw.edu › courses › files › download.)