How to Write a Research Report Introduction

A research report brings together all of the research you have done on a topic, and the introduction paragraph explains that topic briefly to your readers.

A research report outlines the information you have learned about a topic through your research. It should be informational and educational in tone and exhaust the information you have learned about a topic without being overly wordy or lengthy. In order to get your readers interested in the body of your research report, write a solid introduction and you will leave them wanting to read more. The introduction is your reader's first exposure to your research report so it needs to be clearly written and engaging to effectively draw your reader into your report.

Instructions

1. Hook the interest of your readers with an engaging first sentence. This sentence may extend into a second or third as well, but the point is to get your reader interested in your topic. Some ways to do this include asking the reader a question to make him think about your topic, or starting with a statistic or other factual statement that you did not use elsewhere in your paper but that your reader would find interesting about your topic.

2. Explain a little bit of background information on your topic. In your introduction you need to explain to your reader why your topic is important and why he should be interested in reading your paper. Do this in one or two factual sentences.

3. State your thesis. Your thesis is the main idea of your research report. It is a factual statement of something specific about your topic; maybe it is something you discovered while conducting research or it is a statement that compares two things or argues a point. In any case, explain your thesis in one or two clear and concise sentences in your introduction.

4. Transition between your thesis and the rest of your paper. Explain a little bit about why your thesis is important or what considerations should be made about your research. This helps your reader make the connection between your introduction and the rest of your paper.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using phrases like, "in this paper" or "this paper will explain" in your introduction. Use statements of fact and preview your paper content without outlining it specifically.

References

• Rice University: Writing Research Papers
• Cambridge Rindge and Latin School: Writing an Introduction