After completing your literature review, you should have a good grasp of what is currently being discussed in your selected research topic. Your next step is to write an introduction to your research paper. Your introduction should follow this basic structure:
Identify the problem and area of interest
Be direct – avoid discussing information that doesn’t directly relate to the topic at hand
Briefly summarize key findings from the current research on your topic
What is currently known?
What gaps exist in the current body of knowledge?
Hint: Your topic will fill this gap, so write in such a way as to highlight the need for your “study”
The identification of the gap in knowledge should segue directly into the purpose statement
Statement of the purpose of your study
Include your research hypothesis
*Dr. Mitch Barton, Adjunct Professor of Kinesiology here at CBU, has done a great job of providing a sentence-by-sentence breakdown of the introduction section of one of his own published articles. Please review the article attached here and take strong note of the patterns illustrated by Dr. Barton, as this is an excellent example and explanation of each section of an introduction.
