Writing a good introduction

Read the introduction. How might it be improved? In what way?

Recently the sale of organs has become a very

Where?
When? controversial topic all around the world. In
developing countries it is very common as a way of
making money. Many people are against it, and there
Vague
are pros and cons to this issue. This paper aims to
discuss these and suggest ways to solve the problem.
Who?

Can it really Discuss what

cliché
be solved? exactly?
School essay vs. University essay
School University
Standard 5//6 paragraphs and word More paragraphs and word count of up
count of up to 500. to 2000 to 2,500.
Often a simple right or wrong; Much more complex argument with
advantages and disadvantages; for or numerous factors, and each
against argument. stakeholder affected in different ways.
Reading and using sources generally not Reading and using academically reliable
required. sources required.

Critical stance, deeper exploration and Developing a critical stance and

counter arguments generally not analyzing concepts.
required.
Being Critical means…

 Reading a wide range of texts from academically reliable sources

 Going beyond summarizing what you have read
 Not taking everything you read at face value
 Seeing how writers show different perspectives around an issue
 Comparing their stance to yours
 Finding gaps or inconsistencies in their research
 Using the facts you have understood to move the issue forward
 Being specific in your argumentation
 Coming up with your own ideas
Examples of inappropriate language

 Use of first person (I think; In my opinion…; My belief is that…)

 Incorrect citation “A journal called ABC states that…”; “E. Kelly states that…”
 The society (no ‘the’)
 Uncountable nouns i.e. evidence, research, proof, information.
 Generalisations and vagueness (people argue that…; as we all know…; X is a
controversial issue; X is a good practice)
 Starting a sentence with ‘And’
 Use of evaluative or emotional language (deplorable, exorbitant, distressing,
unfortunately, selfish, unfair, greedy)
 Colloquial language (loads of…; use of get; contracted forms i.e. it’s, doesn’t, can’t;
use of exclamation marks i.e. it threatens our life!)
 Other errors include tenses, prepositions, articles, spelling, punctuation, article +
noun agreements.
Points to remember
 Academic writing is based on research, and not
personal opinion or values. Data collected from this
includes statistics, interviews, surveys, lab tests etc.
which then help the writer argue a particular case.

 Writers discuss, evaluate, argue for or against and

analyse concepts in a removed, distant and objective
way. There is little or no direct interaction with the
reader.

 There is no right or wrong in academic writing.

Arguments are often expressed in cautiously and with a
small degree of uncertainty as research is constantly
developing.