How To Write A Dissertation Introduction Or Thesis Introduction Chapter: 7 Steps + Loads Of Examples

In this video, we're going to look at how to write  a high-quality dissertation or thesis introduction   chapter. We're going to explore the seven  essential ingredients of a strong introduction   chapter, one at a time, as well as the essential  things that you need to keep in mind as you craft   each section. We'll also share some useful tips  and tricks to help you optimize your approach.   So grab a cup of coffee, grab a cup of tea -  whatever works for you and let's jump into it! Hey, welcome to Grad Coach TV, where we demystify  and simplify the oftentimes a seemingly bizarre   world of academic research my name is emma  and today we're going to look at how to write   a high quality dissertation or thesis introduction  chapter so that you can craft your intro with   confidence if you're new here be sure to subscribe  for more videos that can help you conquer your   dissertation or thesis now before we jump into  it let's quickly clarify some terminology you'll   notice that i've used the words dissertation  and thesis interchangeably while these terms   do reflect different levels of research for  example masters versus phd level research   the introduction chapter generally contains the  same seven essential ingredients regardless of   level so in this video dissertation equals  thesis with that out of the way let's take   a look at how to craft a winning dissertation  introduction chapter step by step to craft a   high quality dissertation or thesis introduction  chapter you need to understand exactly what this   chapter needs to achieve in other words what's its  purpose well as the name suggests the introduction   chapter needs to introduce the reader to your  research so that they understand what you're   trying to figure out or what problem you're trying  to solve more specifically you need to answer four   important questions in your introduction chapter  these questions are number one what will you   be researching in other words your research  topic number two why is it worthwhile so your   justification number three what will the scope  of your research be so in other words what will   you cover and what won't you cover and number four  what will be the limitations of your research so   basically what will the potential shortcomings be  simply put your dissertations introduction chapter   needs to provide an overview of your planned  research as well as a clear rationale for it this   chapter has to explain both the what and the why  of your research what's it all about and why is   that important simple enough right well the trick  is finding the appropriate depth of information   as the researcher you're gonna be extremely close  to your topic and this makes it easy to get caught   up in the minor details while these intricate  details might be interesting you need to write   your introduction chapter on more of a need to  know type basis or it will just end up becoming   way too lengthy and dense you need to balance  painting a clear picture with keeping things   concise but don't worry you'll be able to explore  all of the intricate details in later chapters right now that you understand what you need  to achieve from your introduction chapter   we can get into the details while the exact  requirements for this chapter can vary from   university to university there are seven core  components that most institutions will require   we call these the seven essential ingredients  first i'll lay the ingredients out on the table   and then we'll take a closer look at each of  them if you have any questions about any of   the ingredients just drop a comment  below and we'll do our best to help all right the seven essential ingredients  are as follows number one the opening section   where you'll introduce your reader  to your research in high level terms   number two the background to the study where  you'll explain the context of your project   number three the research problem this is  where you'll explain the gap that exists   in the current research number four the research  aims objectives and questions where you'll clearly   state what your research will aim to achieve  number five the significance or justification   where you'll explain why your research is  worth doing and the value it will provide   to the world number six the limitations this is  where you'll acknowledge the potential limitations   of your project and approach and number seven  the structure where you'll briefly outline the   structure of your dissertation or thesis to  help orient the reader by incorporating these   seven essential ingredients into your introduction  chapter you'll comprehensively cover both the what   and the why i mentioned earlier essentially  you'll achieve the purpose of the chapter   you can also use these seven ingredients in  this order as the structure for your chapter   to ensure a smooth logical flow now this  isn't essential but generally speaking   it can help to create an engaging narrative  that's easy for your reader to understand right now that we've laid out these  seven ingredients let's get cooking the very first essential ingredient for your  dissertation introduction chapter is well an   introduction or opening section just like every  other chapter your introduction chapter needs to   start by providing a brief overview of  what you'll be covering in the chapter   the section needs to engage the reader with clear  concise language that can be easily understood and   digested if the reader your marker has to struggle  through it they're going to lose interest which   will make it harder for you to earn marks just  because you're writing an academic paper doesn't   mean that you can ignore the basic principles of  engaging writing that's used by marketers bloggers   and journalists at the end of the day you're  all trying to sell an idea yours just happens   to be a research idea so what goes into this  opening section well there's no set formula but   it is a good idea to include the following four  foundational sentences in your opening section   number one a sentence or two introducing the  overall field of your research for example   organizational skills development involves  identifying current or potential skills gaps   within a business and developing  programs to resolve these gaps   management research including x y and z  has clearly established that organizational   skills development is an essential contributor to  business growth number two a sentence introducing   your specific research problem for example  however there are conflicting views and an   overall lack of research regarding how to best  manage skills development initiatives in highly   dynamic environments where subject knowledge is  rapidly and continuously evolving for example   in the website development industry number three a  sentence stating your research aims and objectives   for example this research aims to identify  and evaluate skills development approaches and   strategies for highly dynamic industries in which  subject knowledge is continuously evolving and   lastly number four a sentence outlining the layout  of the introduction chapter for example this   chapter will provide an introduction to the study  by first discussing the background and context   followed by the research problem the research  aims objectives and questions the significance   and finally the limitations as i mentioned this  opening section of your introduction chapter   should not be lengthy typically these four  sentences should fit neatly into one or two   paragraphs max what you're aiming for here is a  clear and concise introduction to your research   not a detailed explanation now if some  of this terminology sounds unfamiliar   don't stress it we'll cover it in  more detail later in this video right with your opening section out of the  way it's time to add the next ingredient   the background to your study  so let's jump into that now that you've provided a high level overview  of your dissertation or thesis it's time to go   a little deeper and lay the foundation for your  research topic this foundation is what the second   ingredient is all about the background to your  study so what is the background section all about   well this section of your introduction chapter  should provide a broad overview of the topic   area that you'll be researching as well  as the current contextual factors this   could include for example a brief history  of the topic recent developments in the area   important concepts and key pieces of research in  other words in this section you need to provide   the relevant background information to give  the reader a decent foundational understanding   of your research area let's look at an example to  make this a little more concrete if we stick with   the skills development topic i mentioned earlier  the background section would start by providing an   overview of what organizational skills development  is and outline the key existing research regarding   development approaches then it would go on to  discuss how the modern day context has created   a new challenge for traditional skills development  strategies and approaches specifically that in   many industries technical knowledge is constantly  and rapidly evolving and traditional education   providers struggle to keep up with the new pace  of technologies importantly you need to write this   section with the assumption that the reader is  not an expert in your topic area so if there are   industry specific jargon and complex terminology  you should briefly explain that here so the reader   can understand the rest of your document don't  make assumptions about the reader's knowledge   in most cases your markers won't be able to  ask you questions if they don't understand   something so always err on the safe side and  explain anything that's not common knowledge right with your background and context laid out   the next step is to articulate what's missing from  the current body of skills development research   in other words the research problem which is  ingredient number three so let's dive into it now that you've given your reader an overview  of your research area it's time to get specific   about the research problem that you'll address in  your dissertation or thesis while the background   section would have alluded to a potential research  problem or even multiple research problems   the purpose of this section is to narrow the focus  and highlight the specific research problem you'll   address but what exactly is a research problem  you ask well a research problem can be any issue   or question for which there isn't already a  well-established and agreed-upon answer in   the existing research in other words a research  problem exists when there's a need to answer a   question or set of questions but there's a gap in  the existing literature or the existing research   is conflicting and or inconsistent so to present  your research problem you need to make it clear   what exactly is missing in the current literature  and why this is a problem it's usually a good   idea to structure this discussion in two three  sections specifically number one what's already   well established in the literature in other  words what's widely agreed upon by researchers   number two what's missing in the literature  so where is the literature gap and three   why this is a problem so why it's important to  fill this gap let's look at an example of this   structure using the skills development topic  organizational skills development is critically   important for employee satisfaction  and company performance reference   numerous studies have investigated strategies and  approaches to manage skills development programs   within organizations reference this paragraph  explains what's already well established in   the literature however these studies have  traditionally focused on relatively slow   paced industries where key skills and knowledge do  not change particularly often this body of theory   presents a problem for industries that face a  rapidly changing skills landscape for example   the website development industry where new  platforms languages and best practices emerge on   extremely frequent basis this paragraph explains  what's missing from the literature as a result   the existing research is inadequate for industries  in which essential knowledge and skills are   constantly and rapidly evolving as it assumes a  slow pace of knowledge development industries in   such environments therefore find themselves  ill-equipped in terms of skills development   strategies and approaches this paragraph  explains why the research gap is problematic   as you can see in this example in a few lines  we've explained number one the current state   of research number two the literature gap and  number three why that gap is a problem by doing   this the research problem is made crystal clear  which lays the foundation for your own research so with the research problem clearly articulated   the next step is to state what you're going to  do about it in other words what your research   aims objectives and questions will be which  is ingredient number four let's jump into it now that you've clearly identified your research  problem it's time to identify your research   aims and objectives as well as your research  questions in other words it's time to explain   what you're going to do about the  research problem so what do you   need to do here well the starting point is  to clearly state your research aim or aims   the research aim is the main goal or the  overarching purpose of your dissertation or thesis   it's a high level statement of what you're aiming  to achieve let's look at an example sticking with   the skills development topic given the lack  of research regarding organizational skills   development in fast-moving industries this  study will aim to identify and evaluate the   skills development approaches utilized  by web development companies in the uk   as you can see in this example the research aim is  clearly outlined as well as the specific context   in which the research will be undertaken in other  words the web development industry in the uk next   up is the research objective or objectives while  the research aims to cover the high level what the   research objectives are a bit more practically  oriented looking at the specific things you'll   be doing to achieve those research aims let's take  a look at an example of some research objectives   to fit the research aim objective number one to  identify common skills development strategies   and approaches utilized by web development  companies in the uk objective number two to   evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies and  approaches and objective number three to compare   and contrast these strategies and approaches  in terms of their strengths and weaknesses   as you can see from this example these  objectives describe the specific actions   you'll take and things you'll investigate in order  to achieve your research aims in other words they   break down the research aims into more specific  actionable objectives the final step is to state   your research questions your research questions  brings the aims and objectives another level down   to earth these are the specific questions that  your dissertation or thesis will seek to answer   they're not fluffy ambiguous or conceptual  they're very specific and you'll need to   directly answer them in your conclusions chapter  the research questions typically relate directly   to the research objectives and sometimes can even  look a bit too obvious but they're still extremely   important let's take a look at an example of  the research questions that would flow from the   research objectives i mentioned earlier research  question number one what skills development   strategies and approaches are currently being  used by web development companies in the uk   research question number two how effective  are each of these strategies and approaches   research question number three what are the  strengths and the weaknesses of each of these   strategies and approaches as you can see the  research questions mimic the research objectives   but they are presented in question format  these questions will act as the driving force   throughout your dissertation or thesis from the  literature review to the methodology and onward   so they're really important if you want  to learn more about research questions   be sure to check out our detailed post on the grad  coach blog i'll include a link below this video a final note about this section it's really  important to be clear about the scope of your   study in other words what will you cover and  what won't you cover if your research aims and   objectives and questions are too broad you'll risk  losing focus or investigating a problem which is   too big to solve within a single dissertation  so you need to establish clear boundaries in   this section of your introduction chapter you  can do this for example by limiting it to a   specific industry country or time period  that way you'll ring fence your research   which will allow you to investigate your topic  deeply and thoroughly which is what earns marks right now that you've laid out your research  aims objectives and research questions   it's time to move on to the  next ingredient let's do it now that you've made it clear what you'll be  researching it's time to make a strong argument   regarding your study's importance and significance  so basically now that you've covered the what   it's time to cover the why but hold on didn't  we already discuss this in the earlier sections   well yeah kinda by this stage you've already  briefly alluded to the importance of your study   in your background and research problem sections  but you haven't explicitly stated how your   research findings will benefit the world so  now's your chance to clearly state how your   study will benefit either industry academia or  ideally both in other words you need to explain   how your research will make a difference and  what implications it will have let's take a   look at an example this study will contribute  to the body of knowledge on skills development   by surfacing and evaluating skills  development strategies and approaches   for industries in which knowledge and skills are  rapidly and constantly changing this will help   address the current shortage of research in this  area and provide real-world value to organizations   operating in such dynamic environments as you  can see in this example the paragraph clearly   explains how the research will help fill a gap  in the literature and also provide practical   value to organizations the section doesn't need  to be particularly lengthy but it does need to   be convincing you need to sell the value of your  research here so that the reader understands why   it's worth committing an entire dissertation or  thesis to it the section needs to be the salesman   of your research so spend some time thinking  about the ways in which your research will make a   unique contribution to the world and how  the knowledge you create could benefit both   academia and the industry then go on and sell  it in this section once you've done that it's   time to move on to the sixth essential ingredient  of the dissertation introduction the limitations now that you've sold your research to the reader  and hopefully got them excited about what's coming   up in the rest of your dissertation it's time  to briefly discuss the potential limitations   of your research now you're probably thinking  hold up what limitations my research is well   thought out and carefully designed why would there  be limitations well sorry to be the bearer of bad   news but no piece of research is perfect this is  especially true for a dissertation or thesis which   typically has a very tight or zero budget tight  time constraints and limited researcher experience   generally your dissertation will be the first  or maybe second formal academic research project   you've ever undertaken so it's unlikely to win  any research awards simply put your research will   invariably have limitations but don't stress  yourself out this is completely acceptable   and expected even professional research has  limitations as i said no piece of research is   perfect the key is to recognize the limitations  up front and be completely transparent about   them so that future researchers are aware  of them and can improve the study's design   to minimize the limitation and strengthen the  findings so long story short your limitations   section should show that you've thought  about the ways in which your study is limited   generally you'll want to consider at least the  following four common limitations these are   number one your scope for example perhaps your  focus is very narrow and doesn't consider how   certain variables interact with each other  number two your research methodology for   example a qualitative methodology could  be criticized for being overly subjective   or a quantitative methodology could be criticized  for oversimplifying the situation number three   your resources for example a lack of time money  equipment and or your own research experience   number four the generalizability of your findings  for example the findings from a study of a   specific industry or country can't necessarily  be generalized to other industries or countries   don't be shy here there's no use trying to hide  the limitations or weaknesses of your research   in fact the more critical you can be of your study  the better the markers want to see that you are   aware of the limitations as this demonstrates your  understanding of academic research so be brutal right once you've clearly communicated the  limitations of your dissertation or thesis it's   time to mix in the final introduction ingredient  which is the structural outline let's get to that now that you've clearly communicated  what your research is going to be about   why it's important and what  the limitations will likely be   the final ingredient is the structural outline the  purpose of this section is simply to provide your   reader with a roadmap of what to expect in terms  of the structure of your dissertation or thesis   in this section you'll need to provide a brief  summary of each chapter's purpose and contents   including the introduction chapter a sentence or  two explaining what you'll do in each chapter is   generally enough to orient the reader you don't  want to get too detailed here it's purely an   outline not a summary of your research let's look  at an example to make this a little more tangible   in chapter one the context of the study has  been introduced the research objectives and   questions have been identified and the value  of such research argued the limitations of the   study have also been discussed in chapter 2 the  existing literature will be reviewed to identify   key skills development approaches and strategies  within the context of fast-moving industries   especially technology intensive industries  in chapter 3 the theoretical framework will   be presented the adoption of a qualitative  inductive research approach will be justified   and the broader research design will be  discussed including the limitations thereof   so as you can see from the example this section  is simply an outline of the chapter structure   allocating a short paragraph to each chapter  done correctly the outline will help your reader   understand what to expect and reassure them that  you'll address the multiple facets of the study   by the way if you're unsure of how to structure  your dissertation or thesis be sure to check out   our video which explains dissertation structure  from start to end i'll include the link below all right so that covers the seven essential  ingredients of a high quality dissertation or   thesis introduction chapter i've thrown a lot  at you in this video so let's quickly recap   on the most important bits the seven essential  ingredients of a winning dissertation introduction   chapter are one the opening section where you give  a brief high-level overview of what your research   will be about two the study background where you  introduce the reader to the key theory concepts   and terminology as well as the context of your  study three the research problem where you explain   what the problem with the current research is in  other words the research gap four the research   aims objectives and questions where you clearly  state what your dissertation will investigate   five the significance where you explain what  value your research will provide to the world   six the limitations where you explain what the  potential shortcomings of your research may be   and finally seven the structural outline  where you provide a high level overview   of the structure of your document if you bake  these seven ingredients into your dissertation   introduction chapter you'll be well  on your way to building an engaging   introduction chapter that lays a rock solid  foundation for the rest of your document   remember while we've covered the essential  ingredients here there may be some additional   components that your university requires so  be sure to double check your project brief if you enjoyed the video please hit that  like button and leave a comment if you have   any questions if you're in the process of writing  your dissertation be sure to subscribe to the grad   coach channel for more research related content  lastly if you need a helping hand with your   research check out our private coaching service  where we work with you on a one-on-one basis   chapter by chapter to ensure that you craft a  winning dissertation if that sounds interesting   to you book a free consultation with a friendly  coach at www.gradcoach.com as always i'll include   a link below and that's all for this episode  of grad coach tv until next time good luck   you

Channel: Grad Coach

Views: 49,050

Keywords: dissertation introduction, thesis introduction, dissertation introduction chapter, thesis introduction chapter, how to write a dissertation introduction, how to write a thesis introduction, how to write an introduction for a dissertation, how to write an introduction for a thesis, dissertation writing, thesis writing

Id: x8mzfnWIoy4

Length: 30min 11sec (1811 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 14 2021