Steps of Writing a Dissertation or Thesis Introduction with Examples

The introduction is the first section of a dissertation or thesis. It appears after the front matter pages, consisting of a title page, dissertation preface, list of abbreviations, table of tables and figures, table of contents, and a dissertation glossary.

The thesis or dissertation introduction is positioned immediately after the glossary or the table of contents if the front matter does not include the glossary.

A dissertation or thesis introduction introduce the readers to the scope of research with a clear, concise, focused and relevant research topic.

Writing a Dissertation or Thesis Introduction in 6 Simple Steps

Starting the Introduction Chapter – Although the introduction is the first chapter of the dissertation or thesis, it is often written at last to make sure its content corresponds to the content in the preceding chapters.

Introduce the Topic and Provide Rationale – Introduce the topic to the readers and provide the background information.

Explain the Scope of Your Research – What specific issue your research aims to address?

Describe the Significance and Relevance of Your Topic – Describe the importance, relevance and implications of your work in the broader context of your chosen study area.

Establish the Hypothesis, Research Questions or Objectives – Develop the research questions and/or objectives so your readers know what you are trying to accomplish.

Provide an Overview of the Introduction Structure – End the introduction with an overview of the outline of the remaining dissertation or thesis chapters.

Step 1 – When to Start the Introduction

The introduction is the first chapter of a dissertation or thesis, but that does not mean you have to write it first. Many students leave the introduction to be completed as one of the very last parts of the thesis or dissertation.

However, the best practice is to write a rough introduction draft as you start your research and then return to it later to ensure it reflects the content of the subsequent sections, such as the literature review, research methodology, results and discussion, and conclusion.

Remember that you will need to revise the introduction section throughout the writing process. If you completed a research proposal before the dissertation, use it as a template because the information it contains is relevant.

Step 2 – Introduce the Topic and the Rationale

Start the introduction of your thesis or dissertation by introducing the topic and giving context to your research work. Provide the necessary background information, so the reader understands why there was a need to conduct research in your chosen study area and how your research will fill a particular research gap. Highlight the significance of your topic by referring to an important news article, an academic journal or a scientific debate.

Step 3 – Explain the Scope of your Research

Once you have introduced the audience to your research topic, it’s time to narrow down the focus and clearly define the scope of the research.

There are techniques you can apply to narrow the focus of the topic. For example, specify:

• The region you are targeting
• The demographics or communities
• Time specifics
• Company or organisation or groups
• Themes or aspects of the title

Step 4 – Describe the Significance and Relevance

As the document’s author, one of your key responsibilities is to demonstrate the significance and relevance of your research so your audience would know what motivated you to conduct research in the selected area.

Show how your topic relates to the existing work and explain how your work will add further value to the literature.

Start by providing an overview of the existing literature on the topic. Cite the most relevant sources, but you should refrain from conducting an in-depth survey of the related academic reference resources at this stage because you will be doing that in the literature review section.

Signify the importance of your research by describing the practical application of your work or showing how it could enhance the understanding of the relevant concepts.

In most cases, your research work will contribute both ways.

In a nutshell, your dissertation or thesis introduction should:

• Provide a solution to a theoretical or practical problem
• Find and address a research gap
• Propose a unique approach to addressing the problem
• Add value to the existing literature

Step 5 – Establish the Hypothesis, Research Questions or Objectives

Undoubtedly, the most critical part of writing an introduction is setting up the research questions and objectives, as they give the readers an insight into what they can expect from your research work.

Before establishing the research questions or objectives, clearly state the broad research aim. How you set up the research questions or objectives depends on several factors, including your academic level, subject, and area of research.

The introduction section can also have brief information about the research methods but only go into a bit of detail because this information will be provided in-depth in the research methodology section.

Step 6 – Provide the Structure Outline for the Thesis or Dissertation

End the introduction section with a structural outline for the complete thesis or dissertation. Provide a summary of each chapter showing how they relate to the overall research aim and questions or objectives.

Do not go into too much detail. Provide this information in a maximum of 1-2 short paragraphs. However, the amount of information you provide in this section depends on your academic level and the structural guidelines provided by your university. For example, you may need to write a summary paragraph for a PhD thesis or dissertation for each chapter.

On the other hand, a humanities dissertation, which uses thematic argument building, follows an unconventional structure, so you may not need to provide the structure outline at all.

Other dissertation guides: Dissertation writing guidelines, Dissertation or thesis preface,Glossary in a dissertation or thesis.

View the full example – https://essays.uk/sample-phd-medical-dissertation-part/

Introduction Chapter: Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions