Writing IntroductionsCommunication Skills (Business)

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Purpose•What is the value of a good introduction to your

research paper?

To grab the reader’s attention?

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Purpose•What is the value of a good introduction to your

research paper?

To provide an overview of what is to come?

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Possible features of introductions

•Statement to generate interest•Relevant background information•Definition of key terms•Main purpose/argument of the paper•Mention of mainly referenced authors• Indication of research methods and results• Indication of the viewpoint taken •The structure/organisation of the paper

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“A recession is a temporary decrease in trade and industrial activity. In this paper, the common specific definition of a fall

in GDP in two successive quarters will be used.”

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“The first section explains why good corporate governance is important for economic prosperity. The second section

discusses the example of mining companies in South Africa...”

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“In this essay it will be argued that small and medium sized enterprises are unlikely to benefit from the recently

relaxed labour laws.”

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“Peterson et al. (2003) present evidence to support the theory, but Smith et al. (2007), Mahoney (2008) as well as

Carlsberg and Chan (2010) question the findings...”

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“The emergence of social technologies may be the greatest single trend transforming the business

environment at the moment...”

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Example sentences

Statement to generate interest Relevant background information Definition of key terms Main purpose/argument of the paper Mention of mainly referenced authors Indication of research methods and results Indication of the viewpoint taken The structure/organisation of the paper

“A case study was conducted to examine to what extent this model can be applied to a small family-owned

commercial enterprise...”

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Remember…

First impressions count!