What should I write in my dissertation introduction chapter?
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, right?!
That’s as true for your dissertation as it is for anything else in life.
As the person grading your dissertation reads through your Introduction, they’re already forming a judgement about it. Take this chance to really impress them with an incredible intro. Here are the six key things you need to include in your dissertation Introduction.
Great opener. This might be a quote from a piece of literature you’ve read or a statistic, something that really emphasises how important this topic is.
Explanation of your research title or question. Tell the reader what you’ve looked at. Use some different wording from the actual title of your dissertation. Paraphrase it, think about different ways to explain it. Use phrases like, “In other words…”, or “Put simply …”.
Aims and objectives. An aim is what you want to achieve, an objective is something that you will do to get there. For example, my aim might be to identify the different ways in which young people use social media platforms to find volunteering opportunities. One of my objectives might be to carry out an online survey in which I ask them a series of questions about this.
So what? Tell the reader why it is important to look at this topic. You might want to think about what’s generally going on in the world at the moment. Has anything happened that’s really emphasized how important your topic is? This might relate to a change in the law or policy, a case that’s been in the news, a key development within your area of expertise, or something that’s going to happen which necessitates a good look at your topic.
Key terms and definitions. Now you need to look at the language used around your topic and define any key terms. If there are central concepts or ideas, explain them. What are they? What do they mean? Are there varying interpretations or ways of thinking about them? Do different people define something in different ways. What understandings of the key terms and definitions will YOU be applying in your dissertation?
Road map. Provide the reader with an overview of the structure and content of your dissertation, so they know what’s coming and the order it’s going to be presented in. So, for example, you might write something along the lines of, “The literature review will explore the key bodies of theory and empirical research around young people, employment and social media. Thereafter, the methodology chapter outlines the approach to the empirical research. Following on from this, the findings will be presented…”.
There is one other very important thing worth mentioning here.
Whilst the Introduction chapter might be the first thing that people will read, it should be the last thing that you write.
Leave your Introduction chapter and write it last, after everything else.
As you go through the process of the literature review, methods, data collection and analysis, things might change. The Introduction chapter you write in the beginning might not reflect what your dissertation becomes! Then you’ll just have to write it all again. So, save yourself time and put the intro on ice for now!
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