The Introduction

Though it comes first, there is no rule floating around somewhere that it has to be the first thing you write.  Many writers like to write the introduction after they've written the main body of the paper because then they have a firm understanding of their paper's direction.  This method has many advantages: you have time to think of a good opening sentence as well as analyze the elements of your paper which need to be addressed in the introductory paragraph (or two).  Pick a technique that works for you--that's what's important.

No matter the order in which you write your paper, the introduction needs to contain some basic elements:

    First, it needs to get the readers' attention;
    Second, it announces what you are going to do in your paper;
    and third, it establishes your credibility as a writer and historian.

If you follow this criteria, your reader will want to continue reading your paper.  The primary function of the introduction is to "hook" your reader--to get him or her to want to turn the page and discover what more you have to say on the topic.  These tips on how to accomplish the elements of a good introduction will help interest your reader and set the stage for the rest of your paper.
 

1.    Get the reader's attention.    *    Show that your topic is interesting, fascinating, or curious.  If you can demonstrate that the topic is capable of raising interesting questions, then you will interest your reader as well as suggest the credibility of your topic as one worthy to study.  Here's an example by Jonathan Kozol in his work Illiterate America:

        Twenty-five million American adults cannot read the poison warnings on a can of pesticide, a letter from their child's
        teacher, or the front page of a daily paper.  An additional 35 million read only on a level which is less than equal to the
        full survival needs of our society.  Together, these 60 million people represent more than one-third of our society.
        Together, these 60 million people represent more than one-third of the entire adult population. 1

Kozol sets up his topic by using statistics and demonstrating the extent of what those statistics mean.  He is preparing the reader for his thesis, which is to wage war on illiteracy. 2

    *    Show that your topic has been misrepresented or misunderstood.  This will help establish the framework of your topic and where your thesis fits in that framework.  3

    *    Show that your topic raises important questions or serious consequences.  You can provide new information that will change the perspective on your topic. 4

    *    You may want to consider occasionally using a short sentence to begin your paragraph--maybe 4 or 5 words long.  John Trimble says that this will give your reader "a firm handle on the sentences that follow, and offer him the enchantment of surprise."  5

2.    Announce what your writing will do.

    *    Now that you have your reader's attention, you need to tell the reader what your paper is about.  Your beginning paragraph included the "hook," and now you need to end the introduction with your thesis.  Your thesis should be a tight, solid sentence.  It can be a statement or a question.  You could pose the question and then answer it in your thesis statement at the end of your introduction.  The thesis generally comes at the end of the introduction because you welcome the reader in with the "hook," build the context of your topic, and then you narrow it down to the specific focus of your paper.  This way, your reader is directed by a frame of reference that you establish.
 

3.    Establish your credibility as a writer and as a historian.     *    Establishing your credibility should be asserted in the introductory paragraph, but all of the tips listed here are just as important for the entire paper.

    *    Be careful with your language.  The language you use will determine to your reader if you are credible.  Avoid the pronouns "I" or "we," and especially avoid phrases such as "I think" or "I believe."  These phrases remind the reader that this is your opinion and that it may not be based on fact.

    *    Don't exaggerate.  Allow for doubts and uncertainties, and acknowledge varying viewpoints.  By bringing up opposing viewpoints, you tell your reader that you are familiar with all the material out there on your topic, and you can use it to provide the reader with a framework in which your research fits.  By bringing up opposing views, you can argue against why they may or may not work by providing the evidence you have researched.

    *    The sources that you quote should have respectable reputations.  There will be more on this in the section on the literature review.

Just remember: the introduction serves three functions.

1. It needs to get the reader's attention;
2. It announces what you are going to do in your paper; and
3. It establishes your credibility as a writer and historian.

The above tips will help you meet these three criteria and set the stage for a dynamic paper.
 
 

Michael Markowski's Homepage

1.  Quoted in Andrew Harnack, Writing Research Papers (San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1994), 83.
2.  Andrew Harnack, 83.
3.  Ibid.
4.  Ibid.
5.  John R. Trimble, Writing With Style (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1975), 36.