3A. Introduction

What is the Purpose of an Introduction?

 

The introduction moves from general to more specific background information, giving readers contextual knowledge on your topic. The introduction states the scope of your Literature Review, includes your thesis, gives your objective, tells readers how the review is organized, and situates your work in the existing scholarly conversation.

illustration of the purpose of an introduction. Image is described in the paragraph above.

What Should be Included in an Introduction?

 

There should be five key areas included in the introduction of your Literature Review: Background, Objective, Scope, Thesis, and Overview. Use the following questions as a guide to write your introduction:

Decorative

Background

  1. What context or background information do readers need to know in order to understand the conversation between scholars and your analysis of it?
  2. In what ways is the research area important, interesting, problematic, or relevant?
  3. What do we not know about how the topic has been approached or applied?
  4. From what scholarly perspective has this topic been viewed? How can it be viewed differently?
  • Avoid providing too many details for background information.
  • State the problem as specifically and clearly as possible.
  • Highlight significance or importance of the topic.
Decorative

Objective

  1. What is the purpose of your Literature Review?
  2. Can you turn your research question into a statement?
  • Avoid rhetorical questions.
  • Make sure your objective is consistent with your scope.
Decorative

Scope

  1. How did you find your articles for review?
  2. What were your inclusion criteria?
  3. Were the studies you consulted limited by publication year, methodology, geographic area of publication or focus, theoretical framework, author perspective, or subtopic?
  4. Can you justify deliberately excluding works that address your topic in some way?
  5. Most topics have the potential to be quite large. How will you limit important components that comprise your topic (Figure C.1: Choose your scope) and how much detail will you devote to each of these aspects (Figure C.2: Choose your level of detail)?
Decorative

Thesis

  1. What is your principle finding?
  2. What is the value of your finding?
  3. What is the answer to your research question?
  4. Have you explained your thesis statement beyond simply stating a fact?
  5. Has your thesis statement addressed "how" and "why" questions?
  • State your thesis clearly.
  • Your thesis needs to answer your research question, not simply reiterate your research question as a statement.
  • Have a working thesis before starting to write your Literature Review, but know that you will most likely refine it while writing, because your ideas will become clearer as you explain your analysis.
  • Use words like 'because,' 'through,' 'by,' or 'due to' and answer 'how' and 'why' questions to extend your thesis statement.
Decorative

Overview

  1. How is your Literature Review structured?
  2. What sections are in your Literature Review?
  • Outline the order of sections in your Literature Review.
  • Use signal words to explain the relationship between those sections.