7 Essential Sections of an Winning Dissertation Introduction
7 Essential Sections of a Winning Dissertation Introduction
Finally, you’ve chosen a topic and probably written a proposal. Once it was approved, you can now create a dissertation outline. Now you need to begin writing your dissertation. You will need an introduction, regardless of whether you decide to order the parts chronologically or randomly.
Your introduction is the first section of your dissertation. The introduction is the first chapter of your dissertation. It draws attention to your dissertation and invites your readers to read it with admiration or simply for its sake. It is essential to have a strong beginning to make your readers, assessors, or graders eager to read the next sentence and chapter of the dissertation.
The introduction to a dissertation is the most important part. It sets the scene for your research and announces the direction and focus of your dissertation. It also tells your readers what, why, and how. The seven sections of a dissertation are the same as a thesis. They include the introduction, background, research problem, and research questions.
Our analysis shows that a thesis or dissertation introduction that includes these seven parts in its first chapter will show your supervisor or professor that you are thorough, focused, and determined. This is why many people write theses and dissertations that are never rejected or sent for endless revisions. Let’s now look at the technicalities involved in writing a dissertation introduction chapter.
When is the Best Time to Write Your Dissertation Introduction
The introduction and abstract are both the first parts of your dissertation or thesis that will be read. They should be written first. Writing the introduction, conclusion, and abstract after the rest of the parts is done works in most cases.
You will get a conclusion that matches the introduction. Save time and write an abstract with condensed information about the dissertation. There is no need to worry if you keep the structure of your thesis or dissertation intact and maintain the flow.
Retrospectively writing the introduction and ignoring the norms will allow you to create an introduction that accurately and balancedly represents the information in your dissertation. Your readers will see a clear picture of what they can expect when they dig deeper.
Second, you can save time by writing the conclusion last.
You can also request an introduction that matches your conclusion. This ensures that all information is consistent and linked up.
Writing the introduction after you have completed your chapters saves time and makes it easier for facts to be presented as they are. It also ensures that ideas flow well.
What’s the Purpose of a Dissertation Introduction
The introduction to your dissertation or thesis is, as we have already mentioned, the first chapter of the dissertation or thesis. As a rule, your dissertation introduction should fulfill the following roles:
- Give context and information that is relevant and thorough to your topic and study.
- Clarify your focus
- Mention the benefits that your research has for academia and professional practice.
- Specify the purpose, rationale, and goals of your research.
- Specify the research method and approach you used
- Make a map of the whole paper or a structure
The introduction should always include the background information section of the dissertation. It can be used as the opening in some cases, particularly if you need to keep the word count down or avoid repetitions and redundancy. You can choose to have the structure of each component of your dissertation introduction vary depending on your preference.
The Dissertation Introduction Chapter: Seven Must-Have Sections
It is important to know the key components of the introduction before you begin writing it. We have identified a pattern after looking through thousands upon thousands of dissertations. Before we wrote this guide, we met with some of the most tenured professors and had consultative meetings.
We can only say that the introduction to a dissertation in seven parts sets the tone for the rest of the dissertation paragraphs. It does the same in a thesis. These sections are covered in the introduction. This will ensure that you get the full grade.
These seven sections are what make a thesis or dissertation score the highest grades. The introduction section is the most important.
Section Opening
A dissertation introduction’s opening section serves many purposes. It is like a porch that serves multiple purposes. It is where you give a quick overview of all the material you will be covering in the introduction chapter.
Its primary purpose is to entertain the reader. It must be clear, concise, and to the point. It should also make it easy for your readers to understand the main points of your dissertation.
An excellent opening section doesn’t allow for mistakes. It is where you present your research idea or concept.
There is no one way to write this section. However, sentences can be used that discuss:
- Your research field in general
- Your dissertation or thesis’s specific research problem
- Research goals and objectives
- The introduction chapter outline
It should be as engaging and short as possible, as we warned above. It can be as short as 4 to 5 sentences or as long as 1 paragraph.
Background
A background information section is essential to help your readers understand the topic of your dissertation. It is better to let your readers know why the study was chosen than just stating its focus, context, scope, and purpose.
The previous section focused on the high-level overview of your dissertation or thesis. Now you must set the pace for your research topic. This is done through the background to the study.
This section should give a general overview of your topic. It has been approved. You have also written a proposal and conducted research. Now you are writing a dissertation that reports on the results.
You should also include context factors, such as a brief history, the reason it is relevant, recent developments, important research findings, and any other information that will help establish your topic’s authority. It is possible to start with broad concepts and then narrow them down so that your readers have a solid understanding of your research interests.
For example, if you’re writing a dissertation on using prognostics to help healthcare, then your background information section should include:
- A brief history of prognostics generally
- How prognostics have evolved
- Prognostication is a modern-day application
- Alternatives to prognostics
- Prognostication: Challenges and wins
- Explanation of terms for readers who aren’t experts
Research Problem
This section is also known as the problem description section. It’s where you tell your readers about the details of your research. This section is where you answer the question “What prompted you to research this topic?”
The background section has already provided information to your readers about the potential research problem. If there is more than one, the statement of the problem section narrows the focus and highlights the specific research problem.
A research problem is a question or issue without a clear answer. Research gaps are where there is a problem. This prompts scholars and researchers to investigate and find the answer.
It is important to present the research problem clearly, concisely, and without ambiguity. When writing a dissertation proposal, you should quote the research gap that you have identified in your preliminary literature review.
For a great writing style, you should structure your problem statement in a three-part paragraph. These three sections should be included:
- These facts are already known or established in literature
- Literature gaps or missing facts
- Why is the problem important?
Research Objectives, Aims, and Questions
This section is slightly simpler because you will need to have created them when you submit your proposal for ethical clearance. As a matter of protocol, you will not be organizing them or further refining them.
Objectives and goals are two distinct things that should not be confused. There will be a general aim or objective, and then there will be a list of objectives or aims. The aims and objectives section will help your readers to determine the direction or focus of your research. You will also need to write the research questions or hypotheses. You will explain what you plan to do regarding your research problem.
Make sure you clearly define the research goal, which is the primary or overarching purpose of your dissertation or thesis. Write a concise statement that explains what your thesis or dissertation accomplishes to let your audience know your intentions.
Here’s an example: “Prognostic is still a relatively new field in healthcare computing, informatics. This study examines and assesses why it is important to implement prognostic in healthcare computing, informatics in order to solve Florida’s health information problems.”
Now that you have defined the goal, it is time to define the research objectives. Research objectives should be both pragmatic and specific.
Example of the aim example:
- To examine the role of prognostics for healthcare information management and computing
- To assess the effectiveness of prognostics when managing healthcare data
- To explore the future of healthcare computing prognostics
The objectives are the specific actions you will take in order to reach your research goals. The objectives break down your research goals into specific, actionable, and pragmatic objectives.
This section should include the research questions. These questions will help you tone down your aims, objectives, and research goals. These questions should reflect the purpose of your dissertation or thesis. These are the questions you answer in your dissertation or thesis conclusion. The research questions are derived from the research objectives, which is what you might have guessed. They also mirror the objectives of your dissertation.
Be specific in the section you write. You should focus on a country, region, city, or specific population. This helps to define your scope. This allows you to conduct a detailed inquiry into the problem or issue.
Significance, Justification, or Logic
The research you did is now complete, but what’s the argument for your study? This is a common sentence you used in your proposal. You will only need to change it to past tense, as you already did the research.
The significance of the first sections (background and research problem) has been mentioned before. It is still unclear what the study will bring to the benefit of the public and the rest of the world.
This section will allow you to tell the world how your findings can be applied in academia, professional practice, and anywhere else. What does the difference make?
This section describes the value of your research.
Limitations
You have spoken so highly about your research and yourself that you don’t need to be afraid of the limitations. It is not enough to sell your research and hope that they are satisfied. It is a good idea to highlight the limitations of your research.
This is what you had in mind in your research proposal. Now it’s time to modify the tenses, and perhaps add more limits and delimitations you have found in the course of research.
This is because no one piece of research can be perfect. Writing a thesis or dissertation can be difficult due to limited budgets, tight schedules, and limited research experience. This is also true for a thesis. If you have written an undergraduate thesis, the dissertation is usually the second research project. You must be aware of your limitations and transparent with your readers. These are some common areas you can identify limitations:
- Scope of your thesis or dissertation
- Methodology of research
- Resources used
- The generalizability of your findings
You don’t have to hide your limitations. Instead, let your markers know. This helps you demonstrate your understanding of research design and care for future researchers.
Structure or Outline
After everything necessary for a dissertation introduction is in place, it’s time to wrap up the introduction with a brief outline of your dissertation. This section gives your reader a guideline or structure for what they can expect from the next chapters of your dissertation.
This section contains a summary of each chapter, in plain English. Each chapter will have its own purpose and content. This includes the introduction chapter.
To orient your readers to your entire dissertation, you will need at least one sentence explaining each chapter. It is not necessary to be detailed.
A summary of the structure of the dissertation helps readers navigate the thesis or dissertation. This should summarize each chapter and highlight its contribution to the overall dissertation’s central goal. Each chapter should be described in a few sentences. However, if you’re dealing with complex topics or areas of research, it is important to have a paragraph for each chapter. This depends on how many words you have and what your outline is. Your supervisor will be consulted.
Parting Shot
A good introduction to your dissertation is key to success. It should be clear, concise, well-organized, and flow. It should also include background and overview sections to provide a foundational understanding for your readers.
A problem statement section should be included to explain the problem that you have studied. Before writing your dissertation, you should include the research objectives, aims, and questions. A significance section, which explains the value of your research for academia and the rest of the world, is also important.
Your research limitations should be explained in the limitation section. The last step is to wrap up the introduction with a structural outline. This will give a breakdown of each chapter and what your readers can expect.
We know what works and what doesn’t. For professors who mark dissertations, time is critical. Orderliness must not be sacrificed. These seven sections will help you create a compelling dissertation or thesis by organizing your introduction chapter. Is it really so inconsiderate to award a high score for an introduction chapter that is high-quality and solid? We’re willing to bet that nobody.
For better grading, you can counter-check your supervisor’s request to add additional components as part of the introduction. Good luck with your dissertation writing.
If you need help with wreiting your dissertation introduction, Order Now
