Overview
You will need to bring all your written communication skills to this project. You will be very careful with proper citation. You will not use direct quotes. The whole of this paper is to be in your words. Ideas and information used from other authors are to be cited.
The introduction is the opening of the paper, and because of its unique location, does not require a heading or label. It provides an introduction and statement of the problem that will be studied (or reviewed). It sets the stage for the entire paper by establishing the nature of the question. It should demonstrate why this question was important to you by providing brief background information.
First address the problem! State the overall area of concern (populations-at-risk for injustice or discrimination; need for more functional affiliations for individuals and groups; unethical policies/practices; lack of knowledge in the field, etc.). Arouse the reader’s interest; tell the reader what to expect in the rest of your paper. Provide brief statistics to indicate the incidence of the problem. Next, discuss how this problem area affects individuals, communities, and society as a whole (what are issues of physical and economic health).
The potential utility of your study can be:
- an addition to current knowledge of a problem or a vulnerable population;
- to put theory to an empirical test;to better understand the relationship between variables;
- or to determine the effectiveness of a treatment method, technology, or program.
Variables
Conceptually define your major variables in a clear and concise manner, e.g. “wellness” or “compliance.”
Summary
In the closing two to three paragraph of the introduction, establish the need for future study related to this topic. That is, why did you decide to review this topic? What did your review of literature tell you (summary)? What do we need to study next to advance knowledge in this area?
The introduction should be at least 2 complete pages (double-spaced). Upload to this link before Sunday at 11:59 PM. For this assignment, no late papers will be accepted.
Some examples are attached from theses and dissertations. Take a look at how these introductions are setup (you can also use any of the research articles found on Google Scholar as an example). Note how all these introductions are building a story towards the main research question.