除了摘要,引言在你的essay或dissertation中很可能是你最后完成的部分。然而,它并不应该是你最后思考的部分。
你应该在早期就写好你的引言草稿。早于提交研究计划,制定出想法的大致轮廓,研究这个领域的缘由,希望探索建立的论题。
你可以,也应该,随着想法变化更新你的引言。记住引言可以帮助确保你的研究不偏离正确的轨道。
引言提供的是dissertation或其他研究项目的理论基础:你想回答什么,为什么做这个研究是很重要的。
引言应该明确声明研究的相关问题和研究目的(密切相关的问题)。
它还应该介绍并简要回顾文学主题,介绍和解释什么是已知的理论框架。如果在文献中有争议理论,那么对于研究者,引言就是一个好地方按照他或她自己的角度来契合dissertation的文献综述部分。
引言也应该表明你的研究将如何有助于理解主题理论。
根据你的研究计划写
你的essay或dissertation的引言在很大程度上取决于你的研究计划。
如果你还没有写研究计划,先写一些关于研究计划的想法。
引言需要为以后的工作制定一个方向和提供一个广泛的参数和/或你之前的研究内容。它应该说明下你选择研究这个领域的想法,过去文献的研究,以及你希望找到什么。
但是,与你的开题报告不同,这时你已经完成了工作。这意味着你的引言需要更清晰地表达关于你选择调查的内容和精准工作范围。
记住,不论当你什么时候完成它,对于读者而言,引言还只是你的开始工作。虽然可以让人们了解到你的研究结果,但是不应该包含任何详细的结论。
优秀引言的写作窍门:
一个有趣的开头语,将吸引读者的注意力
不要试图在引言中介绍一切,但要包含你工作和论题的宽泛大纲。
确保你不会承诺任何不能交付的工作。
保持简单的语言。尽管你应该这样做,这依然是引言特别重要的地方。
引言的最后,通常设置dissertation其他部分的大纲。
引言可以是这样的。比如“第二章会论述我选择的方法,第三章会说明结果,和第四章会讨论结果和结论”
不过,如果你的dissertation主题是严谨的,那么一个更复杂的轮廓应该是必要的。
起草、修改
与任何其他的写作essay一样,重新起草和编辑将会改善你的dissertation。
对于引言这点特别重要,因为它需要抓住读者的注意力,引导他们参与到你的研究。
确保你能达成这一点最好的方式就是给自己留足够的时间来写一个优秀的引言,包括几次修改。
绝对不要把引言当成一个轻松的工作
The introduction to your dissertation or thesis may well be the last part that you complete, excepting perhaps the abstract. However, it should not be the last part that you think about.
You should write a draft of your introduction very early on, perhaps as early as when you submit your research proposal, to set out a broad outline of your ideas, why you want to study this area, and what you hope to explore and/or establish.
You can, and should, update your introduction several times as your ideas develop. Keeping the introduction in mind will help you to ensure that your research stays on track.
The introduction provides the rationale for your dissertation, thesis or other research project: what you are trying to answer and why it is important to do this research.
Your introduction should contain a clear statement of the research question and the aims of the research (closely related to the question).
It should also introduce and briefly review the literature on your topic to show what is already known and explain the theoretical framework. If there are theoretical debates in the literature, then the introduction is a good place for the researcher to give his or her own perspective in conjunction with the literature review section of the dissertation.
The introduction should also indicate how your piece of research will contribute to the theoretical understanding of the topic.
Drawing on your Research Proposal
The introduction to your dissertation or thesis will probably draw heavily on your research proposal.
If you haven't already written a research proposal . Writing a Research Proposal for some ideas.
The introduction needs to set the scene for the later work and give a broad idea of the arguments and/or research that preceded yours. It should give some idea of why you chose to study this area, giving a flavour of the literature, and what you hoped to find out.
Unlike your research proposal, however, you have now completed the work. This means that your introduction can be much clearer about what exactly you chose to investigate and the precise scope of your work.
Remember, whenever you actually write it, that, for the reader, the introduction is the start of the journey through your work. Although you can give a flavour of the outcomes of your research, you should not include any detailed results or conclusions.
Some good ideas for making your introduction strong include:
• An interesting opening sentence that will hold the attention of your reader.
• Don’t try to say everything in the introduction, but do outline the broad thrust of your work and argument.
• Make sure that you don’t promise anything that can’t be delivered later.
• Keep the language straightforward. Although you should do this throughout, it is especially important for the introduction.
• At the end of the introduction, it is also usual to set out an outline of the rest of the dissertation.
• This can be as simple as ‘Chapter 2 discusses my chosen methodology, Chapter 3 sets out my results, and Chapter 4 discusses the results and draws conclusions’.
• However, if your thesis is ordered by themes, then a more complex outline may be necessary.
Drafting and Redrafting
As with any other piece of writing, redrafting and editing will improve your text.
This is especially important for the introduction because it needs to hold your reader’s attention and lead them into your research.
The best way to ensure that you can do this is to give yourself enough time to write a really good introduction, including several redrafts.
Do not view the introduction as a last minute job.