Stuck with your thesis introduction chapter? You are not alone.
Writing a thesis is already hard and writing the thesis introduction is even harder. It is the first part of the thesis and probably also the most important one. It will do more than inform the readers about what you have discussed in your thesis.
It will also engage the readers and keep them glued to your paper. It is an important factor that you give reasons for your readers to continue reading your paper.
Unfortunately, many thesis papers fail because they lack this factor.
Read this blog to learn how to write an engaging and winning thesis introduction.
Contents
A thesis introduction is the first chapter of your thesis. It informs the readers about several elements of your paper. These include the research objectives, the scope of the topic, and its usefulness.
It gives the reader an overview of what to expect in your thesis and the direction that your paper follows.
There are three important qualities that you need to add in a good introduction chapter.
These are sharpness, pertinence, and clarity.
Sharpness is the ability to directly communicate what your paper will discuss. It means that you should be specific in your thesis statement about the research aims and what you are going to focus on in your research.
You should also make sure that the topic for discussion is clearly defined.
When you are writing your thesis introduction, make sure that what you write is relevant to the topic of discussion. It should help the readers understand the thesis topic clearly and easily.
Last but not least clarity means that what you are going to discuss should be clear in the thesis introduction. You need to ensure that anyone who reads the beginning of your paper would be able to develop a good idea of your research’s aim.
Here are the components of a good thesis introduction;
A good thesis introduction chapter informs and engages the readers. It discusses the aims and objectives of the paper and the important aspects of the topic.
'How to develop a thesis introduction chapter outline?'
Here are the steps to develop a thesis introduction chapter outline;
Step 1: Start with the Introduction Hook
Your introduction must have a hook to interest your readers. It can be in the form of previous researches, an unusual phenomenon that you observed, or something that has made you curious about the subject.
Step 2: Give a Brief Background Note
It is necessary to give a background note in order to have a good thesis introduction. It will provide the necessary information about the topic of discussion. It can include previous researches, theories, assumptions, and ideas that are relevant to this paper.
Step 3: Give Your Thesis Statement
This will present what you are going to discuss. It is usually written in one sentence and this should be stated in simple terms so that it will be clear to the readers what your paper is about.
Step 4: Give the Main Points of Discussion
You have to state the main points of discussion or what you are going to present in your research. You must organize your paper in a way that will be easy for the readers to understand and follow. The main points should be briefly discussed and organized so that they would easily fit in one paragraph.
Writing an engaging thesis introduction is among the most important parts of your research paper. As a thesis statement is what you will focus on, it must be clearly presented so that the readers would have an easier time understanding what your paper is all about.
Here are the steps to write a winning thesis introduction;
You need to know who your audience is in order to make them fully understand what you are going to discuss. Identifying your readership will help you decide the style of writing that would engage them most.
It is better to write for the specialized as well as the people who do not specialize in your field. This will help you in making your thesis introduction more engaging.
You need to write your paper in a way that will interest the readers. The best way of doing this is by having an introduction hook. This must be something interesting and appealing so that everyone would want to continue reading your thesis.
You can also use specific examples or statistics to show authority on the topic you are discussing.
To make sure that the readers will understand what you are going to say in your paper, you need to include relevant background information. This can be done by referring to previous researches or theories which prove your point of view about the topic.
Your thesis statement must be presented clearly to make sure that the readers will understand what you are striving to discuss. Include the following information here;
The introduction to your thesis should pique the reader's interest while still leaving enough of the main points for the rest of the essay.
While the body of your thesis will clarify the major argument, you may want to mention a few of your primary supporting facts before getting into the thesis statement.
Unlike the abstract, the introduction chapter is added to the table of content of the thesis.
The following is a thesis introduction example:
"The driving forces behind the globalization of markets and businesses are technology, political shifts, and social movements. In this paper, I intend to discuss how the increasing rate of technological advancements has been changing the way people do business both locally and internationally. I will also discuss how the political landscape has been shifting throughout the years and how this has affected corporations. Finally, in my paper, I intend to show that social movements and changes in values have greatly impacted how people work with each other in order to achieve common goals."
This thesis introduction example is long and complicated. It tries to do too many things in the thesis introduction. It is also vague and does not focus on a single topic.
This would probably lose the interest of your readers from the beginning.
The following is a more effective thesis introduction example:
"The impact of technology on political stability in developing countries has not been studied extensively by researchers (Dahman). However, with the recent wave of revolutions taking place throughout the Middle East, political scientists are now looking into the role that technology has played in destabilizing regimes. The internet and social media have made it easier for people to organize themselves and gather information about their surroundings. It is therefore not surprising that many of these revolutions were organized through online networks."
This thesis introduction example is better than the first example because it is specific and only discusses one thesis topic. The reader knows exactly what to expect in the thesis and can easily compare it with what happens later on in the paper.
Furthermore, the writer used a great opening sentence that immediately grabs the attention of the reader.
Here are some helpful tips to write a great thesis introduction;
Starting your thesis with a strong introduction chapter is essential to hook your readers. When writing the introduction, it is important that you add enough details in it to engage the readers.
A strong opening entices readers in while laying the groundwork for the rest of the paper. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to producing an introduction, but these suggestions can assist you to write a decent beginning:
A good beginning should provide enough background information while also informing the reader of the study's objective. Remember to include the following points:
The introduction's length is determined by the thesis's length. The typical word count for an introduction is around 10% of the whole thesis document.
The ideal beginning for your introduction is a sentence that is broad and intriguing, which smoothly transitions into your paper. Also, starting with a more general statement will appeal to a larger audience. Consider whom the paper is intended to inform and then come up with something that would pique their interest.
An introduction paragraph will include the following three elements: a hook, background information, and a thesis statement. Each of these components is essential in letting the reader know what your paper is about and why it is written.