2. Introductions
• An introduction in a research paper serves
several purposes:
– It attracts the reader
– It indicates what you paper will be about
– It leads up to and includes your thesis statement.
3. Introductions shouldn’t…
• be comical.
• repeat the title.
• state the purpose outright.
• be personal to you.
• summarize your paper(that’s the conclusion’s
job).
• be in past tense.
4. My take on introductions:
• I believe that introductions can be grouped into
several categories.
– Informing
– Inquiring
– Contrasting
– Analyzing
5. Informing
• Tells the basics of your topic
• Gives historical background
• Gives information that the reader might need
to understand the paper better.
• Ex. If a paper is on vaccination pros and
cons…the introduction might introduce what a
vaccination is and how they are used.
6. Here is an example:
• Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist,
classified more than 4,400 species of animals
and 7700 species of plants. (“Linnaeus”). In
1753, he named the cacao tree Theobroma
Cacao. Theobroma in Greek means “food of
the gods” (Burleigh *15+). From the pods of
this rain forest tree come cacao beans, the
raw material of chocolate. Chocolate has a
long history as a highly prized food.
7. Inquiring
• This approach usually asks a series of
questions to get the reader to think before
introducing the topic in general…
• The questions usually foreshadow the thesis.
• Ex. If you are writing about space exploration
you would ask questions of the reader
concerning space. “What lays beyond our own
atmosphere? What is there to discover in the
vast regions of space?”
8. Inquiring Example
• What does the white whale represent? What are the
various techniques that Mark Twain uses? All the
attention focused on questions such as these tends to
obscure other important elements of Moby Dick and
Roughing It. These two texts are travelogues; that is,
they are records of the places, animals and people
found on journeys into strange and unknown frontiers.
The main characters of both books receive an education
from the world around them. They learn of other
cultures and ways of living; but in doing so, they also
receive a thorough education about the values and
assumptions of their own societies.
9. Contrasting
• Brings up two contrasting ideas
• Helps audience to compare the two
Example: You are comparing today’s cell phones to
the first ones. “ Many people can’t imagine
carrying a brief case-size phone with then
everywhere they go, but 15 years ago all cell phones
were about that size. If people at that time were
asked if it would be possible to have a phone
smaller than a deck of cards, most would not have
believed the possibility.
10. Contrasting Example
At first glance, it is difficult to see any similarities
between Alice’s character in Wonderland and those
of the central character in Hermann Hesse’s
Siddartha. Alice’s adventures are those of a young
girl in a world of imagination and nonsense.
Siddartha tells of the quest of an Indian boy for
spiritual fulfillment. However, when we look at the
underlying message, it becomes clear that what the
main characters experience is very much alike.
11. Quoting
• Introduces a quote about the subject by an
eyewitness or scholar on the subject.
• The intro will then discuss the quote to bring
up the subject of the paper.
• Example: “To be or not to be, that is the
question”, this quote from Shakespeare’s
Hamlet is one that is remembered by people
across the globe…
12. Quoting Example
“First they came for the communists, and I didn't
speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they
came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out
because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came
for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't
a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one
left to speak out for me.” This quote from Martin
Neimoller concerning the lack of action on the part
of German citizens against Hitler’s campaign of
hate, is a very telling quote indeed…
