Background to a study

A Background to a study is an element of a research or chapter that presents contextual or

prerequisite information that is important or essential to understand the main body of
your thesis (topic or case under study).

The background to your study will present all important and relevant information
discussed throughout the research paper, providing a basis that particularly either
supports or refutes your thesis.

In addition, the background of the study will discuss your problem statement, rationale,
and research questions. It links introduction to your research topic and ensures a logical
flow of ideas. Thus, it helps readers understand your reasons for conducting the study.

Key aspects for Background Information in research

Researchers ought to understand their topics in detail, relevance as well as importance.

The length and detail of your background will therefore, depend on the degree to which
you need to demonstrate your understanding of the topic.

Paying close attention to the following aspects will help one in writing suitable background
information in a given research paper:

 Attention and consideration should be given to any theories, concepts, terms, and
ideas that may be unfamiliar to the target audience and will require you to provide
any additional explanation.
 One needs to take note of historical data that needs to be shared in order to provide
context on why the current issue emerged.
 There will be need to cater for ideas or concepts that may have been borrowed from
other disciplines that may be unfamiliar to the reader and need an explanation.
 Attention should also be focused on the uniqueness of a study if any. For example
one’s research study may be unique for which additional explanation is needed? For
instance, in the event that one has used a completely new method
Points to note when writing your background

 A background should begin with defining a topic and audience. It is important that
researcher identifies which topic they need to review and what the audience already
knows about the topic.
 There is need to proceed by searching and researching the relevant literature. In
this case, it is advisable to keep track of the search terms used and the articles that
one downloads.
 Researchers also need to know that it is helpful to take notes while reading. One
prudently needs to be careful when copying quotes verbatim. It is advisable then to
put them in quotation marks and cite the sources where deemed necessary.
 In addition, a researcher should keep a background focused but balanced enough so
that it is relevant to a broader audience. Aside from these, a background should be
critical, consistent, and logically structured.
 In a nut-shell, the background to a study is key to introducing your audience to your
research topic and should be done with strong knowledge and thoughtful writing.

How to avoid common errors and write a good a background

While writing an effective background, you ought to steer clear of some mistakes. The most
common mistakes in writing the background include the following:

 Don’t write a background that is too long or too short. Focus on including all the
important details but write concisely.
 Try not to be ambiguous. Writing in a way that does not convey the message to the
readers defeats the purpose of the background, so express yourself keeping in mind
that the reader does not know your research intimately.
 Avoid unrelated themes. Try and center your discussion around the pivotal aspects
of your research topic i.e. highlight the gaps in the literature, state the novelty of the
study, and the need to conduct the study.
 Don’t be disorganized. Not discussing the themes in a chronological manner can
confuse the reader about the progress in the field, so try and organize your writing
carefully.
Conclusion;

A well coined background to a study will be critical, consistent, and logically structured
with divergent views, facts or arguments as well as evidences well cited from a global
perspective; to a continental view; down to a national scenario and finally the local
perspective in question or under study. This will not only facilitate understanding but will
also draw points of reference, comparison and general conclusion about the thesis or case
study.

References

1. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-background-of-study-
and-literature-review
2. https://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-write-the-background-of-your-study?
refer=scroll-to-1-article