How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Guidelines
How to write the introduction
Preparing the text

A bad beginning makes a bad ending.

—Euripides

Guidelines

Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, we come to the paper itself. Some experienced writers prepare the title and abstract after the paper is written, even though by placement, these elements come first. You should, however, have in mind (if not on paper or in the computer) a provisional title and an outline of the paper you propose to write. You should also consider the background of the audience you are writing for so that you can best determine which terms and procedures need definition or description and which do not. If you do not have a clear purpose in mind, you might go writing in six directions at once.

It is wise to begin writing the paper while the work is still in progress. This makes the writing easier because everything is fresh in your mind. Furthermore, the writing process itself is likely to point to inconsistencies in the results or perhaps to suggest interesting sidelines that might be followed. Thus, start the writing while the experimental apparatus and materials are still available. Starting to write early also helps ensure that your coauthors still will be readily available to consult.

The first section of the text proper should, of course, be the introduction. The main purpose of the introduction is to supply sufficient background information to allow the reader to understand and evaluate the results of the present study without needing to refer to previous publications on the topic. The introduction should also provide the rationale for the present study. Above all, you should state briefly and clearly your purpose in writing the paper. Choose the references carefully to provide the most important background information. Much of the introduction should be written in present tense because you are referring primarily to your problem and the established knowledge relating to it at the start of your work.

Guidelines for a good introduction are as follows:

1.   The introduction should present first, with all possible clarity, the nature and scope of the problem investigated. For example, it should indicate why the overall subject area of the research is important.

2. It should briefly review the pertinent literature to orient the reader. It also should identify the gap in the literature that the current research was intended to address.

3. It should then make clear the objective of the research. In some disciplines or journals, it is customary to state here the hypotheses or research questions that the study addressed. In others, the objective may be signaled by wording such as “in order to determine.”

4. It should state the method of the investigation. If deemed necessary, the reasons for the choice of a particular method should be briefly stated.

5.   Finally, in some disciplines and journals, the standard practice is to end the introduction by stating the principal results of the investigation and the principal conclusions suggested by the results.

An introduction that is structured in this way (see, for example, Figure 10.1) has a funnel shape, moving from broad and general to narrow and specific. Such an introduction can comfortably direct readers toward reading about the details of your research.