Priceless Writing TipsHow to Write a Good Introduction: 3 Core Ingredients

how to write a good introductionThe introductory paragraphs take only up to 10% of the total word count of a paper, but they play a very important role in your projects. Let’s be honest, some busy readers would only skim through this first part and judge the whole paper.
You probably have your own strategies for writing good introductions. Yet, it’s always interesting to look also at what your colleagues are doing. Here’s our view on how to write a good introduction.

Once Upon a Time Part

The first common introduction mistake is to start on a too general note: “English literature has many outstanding masterpieces” or “Universe is full of mystery.” It may seem that introducing readers to the subject matter is a good idea. On the other hand, however, it may seem more like a mere waste of readers’ time and precious words. They already know the title of your paper and they already have certain expectations. That’s why, speaking about the problem itself from the very beginning is a much better idea.

Attention Hooks

The next advice on how to write a good introduction is to include a good attention hook:

  • striking statistic;
  • rhetorical question;
  • catchy quote;
  • explanation of why the topic is important.

Whereas you can sometimes have difficulties with finding the first 2 types of hooks, the third one is great for any occasion. Even if you don’t actually believe that the topic is important, you can always find some arguments to convince readers that they should care.

The Meat: A Strong Thesis Statement

Finally, after you set the stage for your topic and successfully grab everyone’s attention, it’s high time to announce your main claim. The next step in writing the perfect introduction is to include a strong thesis statement, including:

  • your position on the question;
  • a roadmap for the paper;
  • a brief summary of the main arguments.

Another important point is to link the introduction to the rest of the paper, consider the introduction vs. conclusion relation and the echo of a thesis statement in the entire project. Yet, that is another story, for another time. As to the question of how to write a good introduction, the afore-mentioned 3 ingredients are enough.
Please feel free to share with us your personal strategies for writing awesome introductory paragraphs, by commenting in the section below.

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