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Introductions

An introduction is your paper’s first impression. If the reader is not interested in your introduction, they will have no desire to read the rest of the paper. So, your introduction should be informative, focused, and engaging.

What should an introduction do?

Without the introduction, the reader might get confused or lost and your thesis statement would make little sense. Thus, the point of your introduction is to provide the reader with the context needed to understand your paper: the exigency (urgency of a situation), the necessary knowledge (history and terms), and the current conversations and research (examples and short summaries).

In other terms, think of your introduction as a portal to another world. You need to transport the reader out of their daily life and into the world of your paper.

Ask yourself:

What do they need to know to understand the problem?

Why should they care?

How can I grab the readers' attention?

How can I lead them into my thesis statement?

FOR THE HOOK, AVOID:

using a dictionary definition

using the title and author

using grandiose generalizations

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Drafting an Introduction

Every introduction will be different, but a good introduction...

• ... grabs attention.

You can use a bold, direct statement; a specific quote that fits your argument; an engaging anecdote (if appropriate); etc.

• ... provides the essential context.

○ (see page 1) It must express exigency, necessary knowledge, and current conversations and research.

• ...summarizes, does not analyze.

For the research and current conversations, do not provide too much detail. Give short summaries on methods and concepts. Your paper is where you provide detail and analyze.

• ... transports the reader.

○ (see page 1) Create a portal to another world. To pull the reader from their wide world into your paper’s narrowed world, focus on engaging and relevant information.

• ... maps out the paper.

A good introduction should discuss everything you will focus on and why it is important. It should also be in the order it will appear in the paper.

• ... details your beliefs and arguments.

Do not be afraid to clearly state your own beliefs and interpretations of the topic and the research. An introduction, like the thesis, should be argumentative and debatable.

• ... addresses the assignment.

Your introduction and thesis must align with any assignment prompts.

TIP: Try to write the introduction last. Sometimes you need to write the rest of the paper to better understand the argument you want to make.