A research paper is not as large as a diploma or a term paper, but it is still a scientific work, and for scientific works an introduction is an obligatory element. Therefore, the question is whether an introduction is needed in the research paper, the answer is unequivocal: necessary.

What should be in the introduction of the research paper

We list what you need to write in the introduction of the research paper:

• Justification of the relevance of the topic. This is an explanation of why it makes sense to research the chosen topic.

Example 1

Most often, the topic for the essay is given by the teacher in a forced manner (at best, providing the opportunity to choose from the list), and the topics do not change for years. Nevertheless, in any topic you can find something interesting and useful.

• This is what the author of the work plans to achieve as a result of its implementation. To be completely honest, the goal of most research papers is to get a mark on the classification or intermediate certification, but this is not at all what can be written in the introduction of the research paper. The correct goal is to study, analyze, compare, systematize something.
• Tasks of work. They represent steps towards a goal. Tasks are associated with the points of the research paper plan: each point is a separate task.
• The object and subject of the study is not necessary (the introduction to the research paper may not include them if the sample issued by the teacher does not have these items).
• Overview of sources. In this part of the introduction, the research paper should write about the works of which authors were used. It is not necessary to list the entire list of references; it is enough to mention a few of the most significant sources.

Thus, the introduction to the research paper contains the same points as in other scientific works, adjusted for the secondary nature of the work (in this regard, it makes no sense to indicate research methods, scientific novelty).

How to draw up an introduction to the research paper

Introduction of the research paper is written on a separate sheet following the content.

The first line is the heading – “Introduction”.

The design of the introduction as a whole coincides with the design of the rest of the research paper: as the text of the chapters is written, the introduction to the research paper is also written:

• The introduction page is numbered (usually its number 3: the first is the title page on which the number is not put, the second is the table of contents).
• The margins of the introduction page are the same as on the other pages.
• The title is drawn in the same way as the headings of other structural parts of the research paper (center alignment or paragraph indentation can be used, highlighting the title in capital letters is permissible).
• The text of the introduction is written in the same way as the text of the paragraphs. The standard for research papers is 14 Times New Roman font with one and a half line spacing and indentation of the red line 1.25 cm.
• The names of the points of introduction do not stand out in bold or italics.

How to start an introduction to the research paper

Many students are faced with the problem of how to start a research paper. Introduction is the first text section (the title page and the table of contents are made using examples or templates, and the introduction requires a creative approach). Let’s give some tips on how to write an introduction to the research paper:

• Read on the Internet what the introduction looks like in other essays. Even if the topic does not exactly match yours, you can borrow general starting phrases: “In modern conditions, the importance is increasing …”, “In recent years, there has been a trend …”.
• The first sentences should lead the reader to the relevance of the topic of work, but not yet to describe it. It is necessary to use more general characteristics, to consider a wider field.

Example 2

So, if the essay is devoted to value added tax, you can write several proposals on the taxation system as a whole, and only then move on to the role of the tax in question.

How to make an introduction to the research paper

By studying how the introductions are written in the research paper, one can identify typical phrases, the use of which will facilitate the task. Here are the design patterns that will tell you how to write an introduction to the research paper. Examples of phrases to justify relevance:

• The interest of researchers in this topic is due to the fact that …
• The relevance of the topic of work is due to the fact that …
• The problem … seems relevant in connection with …
• Questions … play an important role in …

It is even easier to solve the problem of how to write a goal and tasks in the introduction of a research paper. Sample wording:

• The aim of this work is …
• The purpose of the essay is …
• To achieve the goal, it seems necessary to solve the following tasks: …
• In accordance with the stated goal, the tasks are formulated as follows: …

Moreover, the goal practically repeats the topic of work, and the tasks correspond exactly to the chapters of the essay (each chapter represents a solution to a specific task). To get the wording of the tasks, you need to add the verbs to the titles of the chapters:

• To study.
• To systematize.
• To characterize.
• To consider.
• To analyze.
• To classify.
• Compare.

When writing an introduction, it is necessary to adhere to a scientific style, using the pronoun “I” and colloquial (slang) words is unacceptable.

How to make an introduction to the research paper easier

There are several secrets to simplify the introduction:

• Find a thesis or dissertation on a related topic. In these works, relevance is substantiated very qualitatively and voluminously, it will not be difficult to select a few sentences and retell them in your own words (so that the originality of the work when checking for anti-plagiarism is high).
• Do not rush to write an introduction. After the main part of the work is written, it is much easier to do than at the very beginning. The topic will already be familiar to you, you will be able to come up with your own ideas about what’s interesting in it (perhaps, when selecting material, you will encounter some scientific disputes or information about active changes and transformations of the subject of research). There will be clarity with the tasks and with the sources used.