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319 Writing an introduction: The most important criteria
The selected topic of your term paper, Bachelor thesis or Master thesis is announced to the reader via the introduction. The introduction should give the reader an overview of the topic or title and arouse their curiosity. Five elements should appear in every introduction: Relevance of the topic, problem, objective, method and structure of the work.
Relevance of the topic
You will invest a lot of time in preparing your work, whether it is researching or subsequently writing the work. It is therefore advisable that you are at least interested in your chosen topic, ideally even love it. Your interest is thus linked to your previous knowledge. This will benefit you at the latest when you defend, i.e. present, your bachelor’s thesis, and possibly also in later job interviews. In the introduction, you should explain to the reader why the topic is relevant beyond your own interest, for example for scientific research in your field or for practical application.
Problem statement
Problem statements must be formulated for every scientific paper and a good introduction formulates at least one specific question. You should address where there are still gaps in knowledge and how your work can fill them. You should definitely narrow down the question itself, for example whether it concerns an entire group or just a small area.
Objective
The reader of your paper should already get an overview of the «how» and «why» of your investigation in the introduction. To do this, you should clearly formulate the objective of your bachelor’s thesis.
Method
In this part, you describe the method you used for your thesis to answer the research question of your paper.
Structure of the work
Finally, your introduction should also provide an overview of the following chapters and the rough structure of the work. Feel free to refer to specific chapters and explain the logical structure of your work.
Introduction: Example for inspiration
We have created an example of a general introduction for you, which serves as a template for the structure and writing of an introduction.
Scarcity of resources, climate change and environmental pollution are the issues facing the global economy that are increasingly becoming economic, ecological and social challenges. A change in values is developing in our society that requires, among other things, new, innovative solutions. Many companies are therefore implementing the circular economy.
Circular economy is a system that reduces the use of resources or emissions by reducing, slowing down and closing material and energy cycles (source, year).
This research examines how resource scarcity, climate change and environmental pollution affect the global economy. The aim of this work is to show the risks and opportunities of the circular economy.
Using a quantitative study, current data from companies and the impact of the circular economy are analyzed, for which a comparison is made. The quantitative analysis was chosen in order to obtain measurable values for comparison.
Following the evaluation, case studies are researched and recommendations for the necessary actions are developed.
Writing the introduction – our 5 golden rules
No matter what text you write, there are a few general rules to follow when writing any introduction. These rules will help you write an interesting introduction and thus create suspense. In addition, following these rules will make the text easier to understand. Please note the following tips and rules:
- Don’t write useless phrases
An exciting introduction to term papers is not absolutely necessary, but you should avoid using phrases. Boring sentences like “The following term paper is about…” sound boring and devalue your topic. You should arouse the reader’s interest with the first sentence. - Formulate clear sentences
Clear sentences are easy to understand. If the sentences are too complex, your text will be difficult to read and important information can be lost.
Students often tend to use complex sentence structures and so sentences can become very long and go over several lines. The readability and comprehensibility of the text are made more difficult by such sentences. Putting a full stop can help. - Start with ideas
Creative beginnings are imaginative, interesting and give your work a personal touch. It is advisable to use a suitable quotation at the beginning. To provide background information right at the beginning, interesting facts could be an ideal introduction. - Avoid first person form
First person formulations are used less in academic papers, as they contradict the objective needs of science. An introduction is more popular if you formulate it in the passive form. The result of this is that first person formulations are avoided and your writing style remains passive. You should not use sentence beginnings such as “I have…” or “I am…”, as this seems egotistical and leaves an unpleasant impression. A good example is: “This research paper examines the question of…”. - Write the introduction last
It is advisable to write the introduction for academic papers shortly before completion. Then you know exactly how you proceeded and what results your work has produced. However, you should make a rough plan at the beginning so that you know what your work will look like when you start writing. Once the work is almost finished, you will certainly find it easier to write a precise, interesting introduction because you will simply have an overview of the important aspects.
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