Your introduction: first impressions count! [5/8]
After the abstract, the introduction might well be the most important part of your paper. It is where you tell the editor and the reader directly and clearly why they need to read the paper. With the title and abstract, it also creates the paper's first impression and sets the tone for the rest of the article. With the conclusion, these sections might be the only parts of the paper that some overworked editors read before deciding on a desk-reject.
It is not unusual to spend one third of your writing time on perfecting these sections and write half a dozen versions. This post provides you with some tips on what to include in a good introduction and how to ensure the title, abstract and introduction work in harmony, each building on the other.
Emails vs. paper introductions
Paper introductions are a lot like emails. Imagine reading an email like this: "Blah Blah Blah Blah and oh.. by the way I want you to do this.". You wouldn't be likely to comply would you? Yet this is what many paper introductions read like. If you write to someone you haven't emailed for a while or at all, you are likely to include:
- a bit of context, such as how do you know the person or where you last met them,
- what the email is about and why it is important,
- why it is in their interest to respond to the email [what is in it for them].
An introduction to an academic paper is not very different, you provide context, explain why your research topic is important and tell the reader what is in it for them.
Provide the context
You don't jump straight into your research topic. First you need to establish the context of an area to research by:
- Highlighting the importance of the topic (in real life), and/or
- Making general statements about the topic, and/or
- Presenting a brief overview on current research on the subject.
Argue for your topic's importance
Next, identify your research niche by:
- Opposing an existing assumption, and/or
- Revealing a gap in existing research and explain why this gap is important, and/or
- Studying the topic in a new context and explain why this context is important.
Remember, just because something hasn’t been studied before, doesn’t mean it needs to be studied. You need to answer the “so what” question. Why is this topic important? Belly button fluff buildup is one of a million topics that hasn't been studied, but does that mean it should be? More seriously, just because there is a gap in the literature doesn't mean it needs to be filled. This might lead to what is called polyfilla research. Even though your research might only add one little brick to the house rather than adding an entire wall or even designing a completely new house, ensure you are not just filling a hairline crack.
What's in it for the reader?
Finally, you place your own research within the important research niche you have outlined by:
- Stating the intent of your study,
- Outlining the key characteristics of your study,
- Describing important results and contributions, and
- Giving a brief overview of the structure of the paper.
How title, abstract and introduction work in harmony
These three elements of your manuscript build on each other:
- The title includes the key concepts and research question (or sometimes the key conclusion)
- The abstract unpacks each the key concepts and resarch question, but also includes a background/context, methods, results, and implications
- The introduction is a complete mini-version of the paper
- The emphasis is on the study context, a brief literature review showing the importance of the research gap, the research question, and the study's key contributions
- The methods, results and implications for theory and practice are only discussed briefly, if at all, as these have separate sections in the manuscript
How to avoid a desk-reject?
- How to avoid a desk-reject in seven steps [1/8]
- Who do you want to talk to? Targeting journals [2/8]
- Your title: the public face of your paper [3/8]
- Writing your abstract: not a last-minute activity [4/8]
- Your introduction: first impressions count! [5/8]
- Conclusions: last impressions count too! [6/8]
- What do you cite? Using references strategically [7/8]
- Why do I need to write a letter to the editor? [8/8]
Related blogposts
- The four P's of getting published
- What is that conference networking thing all about?
- How to keep up-to-date with the literature, but avoid information overload?
- Useful resources when preparing for journal submission
- How to write for US journals with non-US data
- Where to submit your paper? Which journals publish on your topic
- Submit to only one journal at a time
Copyright © 2021 Anne-Wil Harzing. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Sat 6 Nov 2021 22:26
Anne-Wil Harzing is Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London and visiting professor of International Management at Tilburg University. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, a select group of distinguished AIB members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the scholarly development of the field of international business. In addition to her academic duties, she also maintains the Journal Quality List and is the driving force behind the popular Publish or Perish software program.
