How to Write a Dissertation Introduction

Learn More with Advice from Experts!

The introduction to any text, whether it is a short essay, an in-depth research paper or a full-fledged novel, has to be cutting-edge and provide some insight into the text without going too much in detail.

Similarly, the first chapter of the dissertation i.e. the Introduction plays an important role in giving a ‘good’ impression of your dissertation overall.

Unlike any other text, a dissertation is an elongated research paper that follows through tons of in-depth research, spread over five chapters.

In this article, we are going to lay an emphasis on the Introduction chapter, its importance in the dissertation, how you can write it and some tips to remember while writing it.

We will also answer certain queries like!

• How to write an introduction for a dissertation?
• How long should a dissertation introduction be?
• What to include in a dissertation introduction?

What is the Structure of a Dissertation?

The structure of a dissertation varies according to the academic level and the requirements of the dissertation. A number of components are present in a dissertation. However, in general, there are five chapters in a dissertation. These include:

1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methodologies
4. Findings/Results
5. Conclusion

Other than these five main chapters, you will see other components in the dissertation as well. These include:

1. Title Page
2. Acknowledgements
3. Abstract
4. Table of Contents
5. List of Figures and Tables
6. List of Abbreviations
7. Glossary
8. Discussion
9. Reference List
10. Appendices

It is important to confirm the chapters and sections from your university. The Introduction comes after the Title Page, Acknowledgements, Abstract and Table of Contents. It serves as one of the main five chapters.

The Title Page is the first page of your dissertation and more like the cover. The abstract is a short summary that provides insight into the overall dissertation. It can be of around 300 words and should be clear and concise.

Adding the Table of Contents helps in navigating through the dissertation in a much easier way, considering that a dissertation may have a minimum of a 1,000 words.

What is the Importance of a Dissertation Introduction?

When it comes to writing a dissertation, a student has to work with each chapter carefully. The Introduction is supposed to give a background of your research topic while covering your research questions, aims and objectives.

This is so that you cover the WHAT, WHY and HOW of your overall research and make the Introduction compelling as a whole.

What are the five steps to cover the three W’s in your dissertation?

1. Explain the topic in general and the context of it
2. Address the focus and scope of your research
3. Justify how your research is relevant
4. List down your research aims and objectives
5. Provide a general overview of your dissertation’s structure

Remember, your dissertation employs a pivotal role in determining the significance of your overall research. You have to make it engaging enough to not only capture the attention of your reader, but to retain that captured attention as well. Even the best of the writers at some essay writing service UK based or the other are taught to make a cutting edge intro for their essays.

Just so that you are clear, here is a perfect Dissertation Introduction Example!

Things to Include While Writing a Dissertation Introduction

Like every other chapter, a dissertation introduction consists of a general structure as well. You can consider the Introduction to be a more detailed version of the Abstract.

What are the necessary things to include in your dissertation?

1. Background of your topic or problem to be discussed
2. A short and very concise review of the literature you have reviewed
3. Research question (s) that you have devised
4. Research aims and objectives that you wish to achieve
5. A brief recap of your overall dissertation
6. Limitations that you have faced during your research (in brief)

You as a student must have reviewed some literature in order to devise your research questions. Include your research questions in the Introduction along with your research aims and objectives.

Provide some background on the topic or problem of your focus, like what kind of previous research has been done on it and what is the importance of the topic in current times. Since many students leave the Abstract and a little of the Introduction for the end, you can give a brief recap of your overall dissertation when you revisit the dissertation. Similarly, you can also mention the limitations that you faced during your research process in a brief manner. This is usually mentioned in the Methodologies section in detail, however, you can mention some limitations in a concise way in the Introduction chapter.

Remember These Dissertation Introduction Tips For A Better Dissertation

While writing your dissertation introduction, you can follow some tips to ensure that it is top-notch in quality and helps in making it engaging enough.

1. Create a strong and interesting beginning sentence that helps in capturing your reader’s attention almost immediately.
2. Outline the scope of your argument but do not go much in detail or cover everything in the beginning only.
3. Try not to promise anything in your Introduction that you cannot deliver later.
4. Use straightforward language not only in your Dissertation Introduction, but throughout your dissertation instead of making the sentences too complex.
5. Format your dissertation after you have written it. If possible, ask a professional to read it and give you some feedback, most probably from a dissertation proofreading service. Check some dissertation writing services that provide this service.

Checklist for Your Dissertation Introduction

1. Introduce your topic and start explaining its context.
2. Define the focus of your research and broadly explain its scope.
3. Demonstrate the importance of your research and its subsequent relevance.
4. Formulate your research question (s).
5. State whatever research objectives and aims you have.
6. Include your conceptual framework and hypotheses (if they are relevant).
7. Outline the overall structure of your dissertation.