How to Write a Research Paper Introduction (Examples)

A research paper introduction should serve four main purposes:

1. Hook the audience’s attention
2. Introduce the topic
3. Present a research question
4. Highlight the significance of your research

If you want to see how to structure a research paper introduction, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve laid out the processes required to create a research paper introduction and have highlighted the individual sections that are included within, along with examples.

Plus, at the end of this article, we’ve included some powerful AI tools, like Humbot’s suite, to streamline your essay introduction writing. Let’s get started!

Let’s get started!

Background Information

Providing background information is one of the first steps in crafting a research paper introduction. This is where you give contextual information about your topic and explain key ideas and concepts readers may not know.

Because the background information involves explaining the basic concepts of your research, this section will be part of your introduction in most cases.

Ultimately, you want to have enough background information to help readers understand your research, but not so much that you end up including unnecessary details.

What to include

Here’s what you should include when you’re writing background information for your introduction:

• Key concepts: Explain these concepts and terms so readers aren’t confused by your paper.
• Previous research: Here, you should include a summary of any previous research that is relevant to your own research.
• Relevance: You’ll also want to explain why the topic you’re exploring is important. You can point out any knowledge gaps that your research could fill.

Example

Here’s an example of some background information:

"Natural language processing (NLP) involves teaching computers to understand human language, a field pivotal to modern technology. Document clustering, a subset of NLP, groups similar texts based on content, aiding in data organization. Early research, like that of Manning (2008), focused on basic algorithms, but recent studies reveal limitations in handling complex datasets. With digital content growing exponentially, improving clustering techniques is critical for efficient information retrieval. This study addresses gaps in scalability, offering new insights into optimizing NLP applications."

In the above excerpt, unfamiliar concepts like "natural language processing" and "document clustering" are explained. This would make it easier for readers to grasp the author’s paper.

Research Question

As the name suggests, this is the part of your introduction where you present the question that you’ll try to provide an answer to. In a few words, the question should summarize the aim of your research.

The way you present your research question depends on what type of paper you’re writing:

• Argumentative: If yours is an argumentative paper, the research question should outline the dimension of the topic you’ll argue in favor of
• Analytical: Meanwhile, research questions in analytical papers should point out the aspect of the topic you’ll break down and analyze

What to include

Be sure to include the following when you’re writing your research question:

• Be specific: General questions have vague answers. Instead, you should concentrate on a very specific aspect of a more general topic. By doing so, you acquire answerable questions.
• Keep your audience in mind: Use jargon only when absolutely necessary. You want to communicate your question clearly to readers, regardless of their background knowledge.
• Aim for conciseness: The research question doesn’t need to be long or complicated. Aim to keep it short and straight to the point.

Example

Here’s an example of how to write a research question:

"This paper aims to determine which document clustering algorithms most effectively identify similar publications."

Notice how the author didn’t write a long and complicated research question full of jargon. Instead, they wrote a clear and concise question that’s easy to grasp.

Research Significance

The aim of this part of your introduction is to explain why your research is significant. Particularly, you’ll cover the implications your research could have on existing knowledge or future research on the topic.

Highlighting the significance of your research also demonstrates to readers that your research has real-world relevance.

You may also refer to this section as research relevance in some cases.

What to include

When writing the significance of your research, be sure to answer the following questions:

• Why does your research matter?
• How can your research impact existing knowledge?
• What is unique about your research? (Only if applicable. This section doesn’t always have to exist)

Example

Here’s an example of how to write a research significance statement:

"This study provides a foundation for researchers focused on document processing applications, offering a starting point for further exploration. Current clustering algorithms remain rudimentary, with accuracy needing refinement. By identifying effective methods, this research paves the way for advancements in the field."

The author also highlighted how easy it will be for other researchers to build upon their findings. This is one of the ways they conveyed the significance of their research.

Conclusion and Overview

In this section of your introduction, you’ll wrap things up and present the scope of what your paper will cover.

It’s actually quite rare to have a scope summary in your introduction when it comes to research papers. But it all depends on your instructor’s requirements and the type of research paper you’re writing.

Two of the ways you can conclude your introduction are:

• Presenting a hypothesis: This is particularly true for argumentative research papers. However, you research different sides of a topic doesn’t have to include a hypothesis.
• Including a preview of your paper: If your introduction is already a considerable length, you may prefer to add a short overview of the main things your paper will cover. There’s no strict rule that says you have to include an overview.

Example

Here’s an example of a concluding scope summary:

"This paper will evaluate K-Means, ROCK, and DBSCAN methodologies to identify which delivers the most accurate clustering results."

In this snippet, the author outlines the methodologies they’ll be testing and infers that the findings will bring to light which one is the best at providing accurate results.

That’s all there is to writing a research paper introduction!

Tips For Writing A Research Paper Introduction

Here are some tips to help you write a compelling research paper introduction:

• Refer to your outline: This can be really helpful when you need to gain clarity about the structure of your introduction.
• Hook readers in: Start with an interesting quote, data, or anecdote. The aim is to capture readers’ attention right away.
• Draft at a later stage: You can draft your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your paper. Doing so can give you a clearer idea of how to summarize your research.
• Keep your target audience in mind: Use simplified language instead of jargon, complex sentences, and complicated words if your readers aren’t familiar with academic research papers.
• Avoid repetition: Highlight the importance of your research only in one section—either in the background information or significance. You don’t need to repeat information in both.

Crafting a compelling research paper introduction can be challenging, but the right tools can streamline the process, saving time and enhancing quality. Here are some effective tools from Humbo to help you write a strong introduction:

• AI Humanizer: This tool refines AI-generated essay content to sound natural and human-like, ensuring your introduction feels authentic and engaging. It’s perfect for polishing drafts to captivate readers while maintaining originality.
• Citation Generator: Simplify referencing by formatting citations in styles like APA or MLA. A well-cited introduction builds credibility, and this tool ensures accuracy and consistency with minimal effort.
• Summarizer: Condense background research or prior studies into concise summaries for your introduction. It helps you provide context efficiently without overloading readers with details.
• Plagiarism Checker: Verify your introduction’s originality to maintain academic integrity. This tool ensures your work is unique, giving you confidence as you set the stage for your research.

Conclusion

Nailing your research paper introduction is essential.

If readers can’t get a good grasp of what your paper is about from your introduction, they may not feel like continuing onto the rest of your paper.

As you can see from the examples we provided above, an introduction is about highlighting the significance of your research. While also explaining the relevance of the research you’re about to present.