“BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY”

REPORTERS:JEROME LEE AGCAOILI

LEA HELENA ESPIRITU
What is the Background of the Study in Research?
What is the Background of the Study in Research?
The background of the study is the first section of a
research paper and gives context surrounding the research
topic. The background explains to the reader where your
research journey started, why you got interested in the
topic, and how you developed the research question that
you will later specify. That means that you first establish the
context of the research you did with a general overview of
the field or topic and then present the key issues that drove
your decision to study the specific problem you chose.
Background of the Study Structure
• Before writing your study background, it is essential to understand what to include. The
following elements should all be included in the background and are presented in greater
detail in the next section:

• A general overview of the topic and why it is important (overlaps

with establishing the “importance of the topic” in the Introduction)
• The current state of the research on the topic or on related topics
in the field
• Controversies about current knowledge or specific past studies
that undergird your research methodology
• Any claims or assumptions that have been made by researchers,
institutions, or politicians that might need to be clarified
• Methods and techniques used in the study or from which your
study deviated in some way
Presenting the Study Background
• As you begin introducing your background, you first need
to provide a general overview and include the main issues
concerning the topic. Depending on whether you do
“basic” (with the aim of providing further knowledge) or
“applied” research (to establish new techniques,
processes, or products), this is either a literature review
that summarizes all relevant earlier studies in the field or
a description of the process (e.g., vote counting) or
practice (e.g., diagnosis of a specific disease) that you
think is problematic or lacking and needs a solution.
 Examples of a general overview
If you study the function of a Drosophila gene, for example, you can
explain to the reader why and for whom the study of fly genetics is
relevant, what is already known and established, and where you see gaps
in the existing literature. If you investigated how the way universities have
transitioned into online teaching since the beginning of the Covid-19
pandemic has affected students’ learning progress, then you need to
present a summary of what changes have happened around the world,
what the effects of those changes have been so far, and where you see
problems that need to be addressed. Note that you need to provide
sources for every statement and every claim you make here, to establish
a solid foundation of knowledge for your own study.
Where does the study background section go in a paper?
• Unless you write a research proposal or some kind of
report that has a specific “Background” chapter, the
background of your study is the first part of your
introduction section. This is where you put your work in
context and provide all the relevant information the reader
needs to follow your rationale. Make sure your
background has a logical structure and naturally leads
into the statement of the problem at the very end of the
introduction so that you bring everything together for the
reader to judge the relevance of your work and the validity
of your approach before they dig deeper into the details of
your study in the methods section.
How do you write background of the study in research?

How to Write a Background of the Study

• Identify Your Audience: ...
• Understand the Research Problem: ...
• Review Existing Literature: ...
• Include Historical Data: ...
• Identify Controversies and Gaps: ...
• Select Key Components: ...
• Craft a Logical Flow: ...
• Highlight the Novelty of Your Research:
How to Write a Background of the Study
The structure of a background study in a research
paper generally follows a logical sequence to provide
context, justification, and an understanding of the
research problem. It includes an introduction, general
background, literature review, rationale, objectives,
scope and limitations, significance of the study and
the research hypothesis. Following the structure can
provide a comprehensive and well-organized
background for your research.
• Here are the steps to effectively write a background of the study.

• 1. Identify Your Audience:

• Determine the level of expertise of your target audience. Tailor
the depth and complexity of your background information
accordingly.

• 2. Understand the Research Problem:

• Define the research problem or question your study aims to
address. Identify the significance of the problem within the
broader context of the field.
• 3. Review Existing Literature:
• Conduct a thorough literature review to understand what is
already known in the area. Summarize key findings, theories,
and concepts relevant to your research.
• 4. Include Historical Data:
• Integrate historical data if relevant to the research, as current
issues often trace back to historical events.

• 5. Identify Controversies and Gaps:

• Note any controversies or debates within the existing literature.
Identify gaps, limitations, or unanswered questions that your
research can address.
• 6. Select Key Components:
• Choose the most critical elements to include in the background
based on their relevance to your research problem. Prioritize
information that helps build a strong foundation for your study.
• 7. Craft a Logical Flow:
• Organize the background information in a logical sequence.
Start with general context, move to specific theories and
concepts, and then focus on the specific problem.
• 8. Highlight the Novelty of Your Research:
• Clearly explain the unique aspects or contributions of your study.
Emphasize why your research is different from or builds upon
existing work.
What Makes the Introduction Different from the
Background?
Your introduction is different from your background in a number of
ways.
1The introduction contains preliminary data about your topic that
the reader will most likely read, whereas the background clarifies
the importance of the paper.
2 The background of your study discusses in depth about the
topic, whereas the introduction only gives an overview.
3 The introduction should end with your research questions,
aims, and objectives, whereas your background should not
(except in some cases where your background is integrated
into your introduction). For instance, the C.A.R.S. (Creating
a Research Space) model, created by John Swales is
based on his analysis of journal articles. This model
attempts to explain and describe the organizational pattern
of writing the introduction in social sciences.
Points to Note
• Your background should begin with defining a topic and
audience. It is important that you identify which topic you
need to review and what your audience already knows
about the topic. You should proceed by searching and
researching the relevant literature. In this case, it is
advisable to keep track of the search terms you used and
the articles that you downloaded. It is helpful to use one of
the research paper management systems such as
Papers, Mendeley, Evernote, or Sente.
• Next, it is helpful to take notes while reading. Be careful when
copying quotes verbatim and make sure to put them in
quotation marks and cite the sources. In addition, you should
keep your background focused but balanced enough so that it
is relevant to a broader audience. Aside from these, your
background should be critical, consistent, and logically
structured.
• Writing the background of your study should not be an overly
daunting task. Many guides that can help you organize your
thoughts as you write the background. The background of the
study is the key to introduce your audience to your research
topic and should be done with strong knowledge and
thoughtful writing.
What are the characteristics of background of the
study?

• The background of a study is the first section of the paper

and establishes the context underlying the research. It
contains the rationale, the key problem statement, and a
brief overview of research questions that are addressed in
the rest of the paper.
END OF THE
REPORT!!!!!
QUIZ TIME!!!!!!

GOOD LUCK AND DONT

FUCK IT UP!!!!!!!
MULTIPLE CHOICE
WRITE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1.It is Clearly explain the unique aspects or contributions of
your study. Emphasize why your research is different from
or builds upon existing work?

a.Identify Your Audience

b.Highlight the Novelty of Your Research
c.Craft a Logical Flow
d.Include Historical Data
• 2.It is Integrate historical data if relevant to the research,
as current issues often trace back to historical events?

a.Identify Your Audience

b.Highlight the Novelty of Your Research
c.Identify Controversies and Gaps
d.Include Historical Data
• 3.It Determine the level of expertise of your target
audience. Tailor the depth and complexity of your
background information accordingly.

a.Identify Your Audience

b.Craft a Logical Flow
c.Select Key Components
d.Include Historical Data
4.It Conduct a thorough literature review to understand what
is already known in the area. Summarize key findings,
theories, and concepts relevant to your research?

a. Select Key Components:

b.Understand the Research Problem
c.Review Existing Literature
d. Highlight the Novelty of Your Research
5.It Organize the background information in a logical
sequence. Start with general context, move to specific
theories and concepts, and then focus on the specific
problem?

a.Select Key Components:

b.Understand the Research Problem
c.Review Existing Literature
d.Craft a Logical Flow
IDENTIFICTION
WRITE THE CORRECT ANSWER
6.As you begin introducing your background, you first need
to provide a _____________ and include the main issues
concerning the topic

7._________ about current knowledge or specific past

studies that undergird your research methodology

8.You should proceed by searching and researching the

_____________.
9.Writing the background of your study should not be an
overly ___________.

10.Unless you write a research proposal or some kind of

report that has a specific “__________” chapter, the
background of your study is the first part of your
introduction section.
11-15 In your own understanding “WHAT IS
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY?
ANS`WER
1.B
2.D
3.A
4.C
5.D
6.general overview
7.Controversies
8.relevant literature
9.daunting task
10.Background