Writing a Research Paper Introduction | Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Introduce your topic
To tell the reader what your topic is and why it’s interesting
or important.
Hook sentence is used (opening sentence of the
introduction, grab the attention of the reader)
( deeply impressive or creative. Clarity and relevance are still
more important than catchiness)
- Introduction of your research problem
- Overview of your study
Step 2: Describe the background
(through the form of related studies
and researches)
Step 3:
problem
Establish
your
research
Clue:
Focus with your independent/ dependent
variables
Or your research title
This is the place to review previous research and establish
how yours fits in. Make sure that the research
studies/literature should be APA 5 years only.
• Global / International
• National
• Local
Think in terms of these questions:
• What research gap is your work intended to fill? (Is
there a lack of understanding? Inadequate
information? Unexplored?, Deficiency of the Past
Studies?)
• What limitations in previous work does it address?
• What contribution to knowledge does it make?
• Compelling reason why there is a need for you to
study it. (Justification as to why you need to study
your research)
Ex. Although x has been studied in detail,
insufficient attention has been paid to y.
Ex. The implications of x study deserve to be
explored further.
Step 4: Specify your objective(s) or
purpose of the study (if qualitative,
elaborate more)
•
Empirical paper generally poses a research
question (sometimes with a hypothesis as to the
answer).
Example:
This study is an attempt to elaborate on and
clarify the link between women’s sex role
attitudes and experiences with sexual
victimization. I used two years of data from 54
college women to answer these questions:
(1) Do women’s attitudes influence
vulnerability to sexual coercion over a twoyear period?
(2) Are attitudes changed after experiences
with sexual victimization?
(3) Does prior victimization reduce or increase
the risk of later victimization?
Step 5. Significance of the Study
•
•
Step 6. Theory Used (if qualitative)
•
Discuss the practical implications of the study and
how its findings can be applied to real-world
situations or address practical problems
May profit or benefit certain group.
Introducing foundational theories or concepts
relevant to the topic to provide context for the
reader.
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