When it comes to academic papers, many people assume that the conclusion is the only important part. After all, that’s where all the results are summarized and analyzed. However, making sure you have a strong introduction can be just as important as a strong conclusion.
Think about how your reader will approach the paper. The abstract tells them roughly the research concerns and the approach taken. The introduction contextualizes the research in the broader scope of the subject. If the abstract gives a general idea of what to expect, and the conclusion summarizes the findings, the introduction supplies the relevant background to understand why the paper is essential. That’s why writing a solid introduction is vital to your scientific paper.
Anatomy of an Introduction
A good introduction should do three basic things:
Provide Context for Your Manuscript
Regardless of how specific your research question is, the job of the introduction always includes providing some background. This background might even be reasonably specific itself. The important thing is that your reader has the relevant information to understand why you chose to pursue this research. This basis of understanding engages the reader and makes the paper more accessible to people who aren’t familiar with your particular specialty.
Identify Gaps in the Current Research
Published research is going to be unique. Contributing to scientific knowledge requires recognizing holes in our current understanding, then taking steps to fill those holes. One role of the introduction is to explain the gap your research addresses. This can include building directly off previous work, documenting a particularly interesting or challenging research or engineering process, or refuting another paper. Either way, this will always involve officially citing the works that inspired yours, creating consistency and traceability for future researchers.
Explain the Significance of the Work
Once you have given the background and shown the need for your research, the final purpose of the introduction is to state what your research is contributing explicitly. The experiment can be something as simple as applying a previously existing technique to a novel circumstance. What’s important is that the reader knows the scope of the project and the specific gap in the knowledge your research fills. This allows future papers to avoid treading on the same territory, build off your research, or refute it if necessary.
Rules of Thumb
The three main jobs of an introduction seem simple enough, but applying them can be a difficult task. These are some general guidelines to keep in mind when writing a conclusion for a scientific manuscript.
Write for Your Audience
Most journals are going to have a word limit on submitted manuscripts. This means that you have to make some difficult decisions about what to include in your background and what to leave out. Additionally, you want to overload your reader with too much information or bore them with things they already know. That’s why it’s important to consider who will read your paper.
Papers for a more general readership will likely be broader in scope and should have more general background and context. If your paper is highly technical and only will be read by experts in their field, the background should start from the assumption of deep knowledge in the subject. This will keep your readers interested, informed, and engaged.
Task and Object
One good way to organize your introduction is to divide it into two sections: what the authors have done (the task) and what the paper aims to accomplish (the object). The tasks explain your contributions as a scientist, while the object prepares the reader for the structure of the paper
How to Write a Task Sentence:
- The sentence should start with an introductory clause, connecting the task to the research question.
- The sentence’s subject should be whoever did the work (i.e., ‘we’ or ‘the authors’).
- The research action should be expressed as a past participle. Ex: applied, assessed, calculated, compared
Ex: To confirm this assumption, we designed a series of experiments to determine whether porous carbon air bearings exhibited superior crash resistance compared to orifice-style air bearings.
What to Avoid
Don’t Repeat the Abstract
The abstract and the introduction serve different purposes. The abstract summarizes the motive, methodology, and findings of the paper. The introduction provides background info, notes prior art, and identifies the significance of the research. There is a slight overlap, but don’t waste precious words repeating the same information in one section that you did in a previous one.
Don’t Overstate or Exaggerate
Yes, the purpose of the introduction is to excite the reader and inspire them to continue reading. However, this does not mean you should make false claims about the importance of the work. The ‘significance’ of the work doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. It just needs to explore previously unanswered questions. However, this does not mean you should make false claims about the importance of the work. The ‘significance’ of the work doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. It just needs to explore previously unanswered questions.
To learn more about the mechanics of creating a high-quality scientific manuscript, contact me.