How to Compose a Winning Research Paper Proposal Introduction?
The introduction of a research proposal is of a great importance because it will lead your reader to a particular topic. It will establish the significance and context, summarizing what you plan to talk about in the paper and will give a very clear insight into your intentions. If you catch their attention with the introduction, they will stay with you towards the end of your research proposal.
Importance of the Proposal Introduction
Basically, the research proposal introduction is the mini-version of your overall paper. Therefore, it needs to be just as convincing as your main essay, because, honestly, you won’t have a second chance to make a good first impression if you fail the first time. A winning research paper proposal introduction will have to focus on these following questions:
- What will I be studying in my paper?
- Why would my paper be so important to investigate?
- What is already known about this topic that will be useful for my research?
- How is my paper going to influence our understanding of the topic?
By following these four guidelines, you are bound to make a great first impression simply because everything is laid out from the start. It needs to be a very concise paragraph that will contain valid information. You will not want your proposal to be disorganized, vague or full of errors — it will automatically create a bad impression. Make it engaging and make the readers believe that your analytical skills are top notch.
Approaching the Research Proposal
Since the proposal is what will get your readers to want to read your paper, you will need to clearly answer these three questions:
- What document is this?
- Why should I be required to read this?
- What do you want me to consider or think about?
The introduction of the paper proposal is pretty much an inverted triangle of information. Looking for clues, we’ve found this site, which we also recommend to you. We concluded that these are the main phases of writing a good introduction:
- Establishing a search area: A phrase or two which will highlight the importance of the topic you plan on discussing, as well as general statements and an overview of the research you plan on doing.
- Identifying a research niche: This is where you may talk about a few existing assumptions or formulate an existing problem or question. You may also reveal a gap between existing studies.
- Placing the research within the niche: This last part of the proposal introduction is where you state the intention of your analysis, the key characteristics that you plan to approach and give a brief overview of the structure of your overall paper.
Even though the introduction is the first part of your research proposal, you should write it once you reach the end of the project. Since it will have to mirror the conclusion of your paper proposal, you may want to work on them simultaneously.