In this article, writers-house.com will explain what is the purpose of an introduction. We will also consider effective writing strategies and common mistakes made by students when writing their introductions.
The Purpose of Introductions
Quite often, an introduction and conclusion turn out to be the most difficult parts to write. You may clearly understand what you’re going to write in the body of the paper, having some good examples and knowing what your answer to the essay question will be. If you plan your argument and write an outline before writing the body of your paper, this section won’t be too difficult. However, the body cannot appear out of the blue. You should prepare your readers for the main part and then provide conclusions so that the whole paper will make sense.
The introduction and conclusion help readers focus on your analysis. For example, you may address topics that have nothing to do with their everyday lives so they should prepare to read about a specific topic. A good introduction helps the audience focus on a certain issue and provides them with information that will help them better understand the main part. The conclusion also performs a transitional function, as it helps readers switch back to their everyday lives having some new knowledge.
Keep in mind that you may approach writing an introduction differently, depending on your academic discipline and the type of your paper. If you’re not sure about what your introduction should look like, don’t hesitate to ask your instructor.
Why You Need a Good Introduction
The main reason to write a strong introduction is that you only have one chance to make a first impression. The very first paragraph of your paper helps your readers understand what your paper will be about, and what’s your writing style. They can understand whether or not your work is of high quality and whether they should spend their time reading it. A disorganized introduction filled with errors will create a bad impression, while a well-written and engaging introduction will present you as a good writer so that others will want to read more.
An introduction also serves as a blueprint for the rest of the paper. It provides a lot of information. For example, in the introduction, your readers can learn what is the topic of the paper, why it’s important to discuss, and how you’re going to approach it. In most academic papers, an introduction also provides a thesis statement, which is the main argument. An introduction should also explain what sorts of information you’re going to use to support your claims.
The main purpose of an introduction is to make the audience want to read the whole paper. It must capture their interest so we recommend that you start with an interesting story, example, or question that will make your readers want to learn more. We also suggest that you consider your introduction an invitation to join the discussion.
Writing Strategies
First, think about the question you need to answer. The whole essay will be a response to that question, and the introduction should set the basis for your response, leading readers to the thesis statement, which is a direct answer. When writing the paper itself, you will likely check the prompt many times to make sure that you’re doing everything right.
Your paper should begin with a broad statement and then narrow it down, focusing on a specific issue. One of the effective strategies involves using the same approach for the introduction. You may start with a general statement and then focus on certain details that will help you present the thesis statement. We also recommend that you pay attention to the way your professor has formulated the question because the prompt itself might give you some clues on how to approach the writing process.
Decide how broad your introduction should be. Don’t forget that even general statements in your introduction should be directly related to the topic. You should be able to find the right balance between being too general and too specific. Think about the context of your topic and your audience. Your audience determines whether you should provide some background information about the subject or get right to the point because your readers are already familiar with the subject.
We recommend that you write your introduction last. Although it may seem like you should write it first because it’s the very beginning of your paper, the truth is that it will be much easier to write if the main part is finished and you perfectly understand what your paper is about. During the writing process, you will organize your ideas and develop your argument so you will also clearly understand what your audience should read first and why. Sometimes, students start to write their papers from the introduction because they clearly understand what their paper will look like. However, after that, it may turn out that the body of the paper takes a slightly different direction, so students have to rewrite the introduction, anyway. We also recommend that you always revise your paper when the first draft is ready to make sure that all the sections follow each other logically, building a strong and understandable argument.
However, don’t stop yourself from writing a great introduction and then changing it. For instance, writing an introduction may help you get started. Just don’t forget to return to your introduction later and edit it.
As we’ve already mentioned above, you should begin with something that will attract your readers’ attention. Here are some examples:
- a provocative quote that is directly related to your argument;
- an intriguing example;
- a vivid anecdote;
- a puzzling scenario;
- a thought-provoking question.
Make sure that your first sentence is not only attention-grabbing but also useful for your readers.
How to Evaluate an Introduction
Ask somebody to read your introduction and then ask them what they think your paper will be about. Let them tell you what tone and evidence they expect from this paper. If they make the right guesses, it means that you have a good introduction.
Types of Not So Effective Introductions
1. Placeholders
When an author doesn’t have much to say, they may write a meaningless or weak introduction. Such introductions are vague and don’t provide any valuable information about the subject and your point. The only purpose of a placeholder introduction is to make up the first section of the paper in an attempt to meet the requirements.
2. Restated questions
Sometimes, restating your question may be a good solution. However, don’t make restating the only feature of your introduction. We recommend that you write a more interesting and specific introduction instead because your professor certainly doesn’t want to read the same thing over and over again.
3. Dictionary definitions
Some introductions just explain terms used in the prompt using dictionary definitions. We recommend that you never write such introductions because anyone can grab the dictionary and look for a definition. If you need to focus on a specific term, a much better approach would be to develop a definition with readers, considering the term in the context of your paper. Keep in mind that any dictionary provides definitions without taking into account your particular topic so using dictionary definitions as an introduction is pointless. Besides, such an approach is extremely overused so your introduction will look unoriginal, creating a bad impression.
4. Broad statements about the history
Some introductions vaguely explain how important a topic has been throughout human history, in different societies, etc. There’s a little difference between the introductions of this kind and placeholder introductions because they are also broad and meaningless. Moreover, such introductions often suffer from clichés, which is no surprise given how often students try to write such introductions when they have nothing to say. Most instructors find such introductions annoying so we recommend that you never use them when writing your papers unless your topic directly points out the importance of the historical context.
5. Book report introductions
This type of introduction is used for book reports in elementary school. Such introductions provide the author’s name, the title of the book, and some basic facts about the content of the book. Students often feel tempted to use this type of introduction because it’s familiar and simple. However, this type is also ineffective because it doesn’t provide any new information.
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