Introduction

It sets the stage for the reader, and it should capture the reader’s attention and generate an interest in continuing to read the research article.

(Turner, 2018, p. 103)

Introduction

An Introduction section should provide the following characteristics:

  • development of the problem under investigation,
  • including its historical antecedents, and
  • statement of the purpose of the investigation.

(APA, 2010, p. 10)

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

The Introduction Section

Many scholars use the visual image of an inverted pyramid or a funnel to describe how the compelling problem can be effectively communicated. Typically the top portion of the funnel provides an articulation of the phenomenon of interest and why it is important, and an executive synthesis of the relevant literature helps to illustrate what is currently known about the phenomenon. Ultimately a narrowing of the funnel begins to occur that then considers what is not known about the phenomenon relative to the specific problem being given attention. Then the actual gap in the empirical literature is highlighted and reflects the narrowing of the funnel. At the bottom base of the funnel, it should become very clear that an important problem requires further research because the problem associated with the phenomenon and the lack of empirical attention that has been given to it demands more research. This typically results in the articulation of a statement on the purpose of the study that clarifies the intentionality of the research. Journal manuscripts typically embed this material in an initial ‘Introduction’ section that concludes with a concisely stated purpose statement associated with the study.

(Ellinger & Yang, 2011, pp. 116-117)

Points to Consider

The following points of consideration were recommended for an Introduction section by Bryman (2016):

  • You should explain what you are writing about and why it is important. Saying simply that it interests you because of a long-standing personal interest is not enough.
  • You might indicate in general terms the theoretical approach or perspective you will be using and why.
  • You should also at this point outline your research questions.
  • The opening sentence or sentences are often the most diccisult of all…. It is much better to give readers a quick and clear indication of what is going to be presented to them and where it is going. (p. 664)

APA Manual

The APA manual (2010) identified the following questions that should be answered in any Introduction:

  • Why is this problem important?
  • How does the study relate to previous work in the area? If other aspcets of this study have been reported previously, how does this report differ from the earlier report?
  • What are the primary and secondary hypotheses (or research questions) and objectives of the study, and what, if any, are the links to theory?
  • How do the hypotheses and research design relate to one another?
  • What are the theoretical and practical implications of the study?

(p. 27)

Questions to Ask about your research project and problem statement.

Ask often througout entire project.

  • Ask how the topic fits into a larger context (historical, social, cultural, geographic, functional, economic, and so on).
    • How does your topic fit into a lartger story?
    • How is your topic a functioning part of a larger system?
  • Ask questions about the nature of the thing itself, as an independent entity.
    • How has your topic changed through time? Why? What is its future?
    • How do the parts of your topic fit together as a system?
    • How many different categories of your topic are there?
  • Turn positive questions into negative ones.
  • Ask speculative questions.
  • Ask What if? questions. How would things be different if your topic never existed, disappeared, or were put into a new context?
  • Ask questions that reflect disagreements with a source: If a source makes a claim you think is weakly supported or even wrong, make that disagreement a question.
  • Ask questions that build on agreement: If a source offers a claim you think is persuasive, ask questions that extend its reach.
  • Ask questions analogous to those that others have asked about similar topics.
  • Look for questions that other researchers pose but don’t answer.
  • Find a Web discussion list on your topic, the ‘lurk’.

(Turabian, 2007, pp. 15-17)

Three Major Functions of a Problem Statement

The information that forms the problem statement must be first induced from the literature, framed around certain theoretical understandings, and articulated in a way that clearly represents the interests of the researcher.

Process for Developing a Problem Statement

  1. Identify a topic of scholarly interest.
  2. Develop expertise on the topic and its supporting bodies of knowledge through the literature and experience.
  3. Induce potential research problems through a process of continually analyzing and synthesizing the information.
  4. Confirm the truth of a research problem through the literature, discussion, and peer review.
  5. Construct a formal problems statement to ensure the logic of the research problem and communicate the problem to others.

(Jacobs, 2011)

Constructing Problem Statements

Problem statements typically have four main components that contribute to the communication of the study’s problem that is being researched.

These four components include:

  • Principle Proposition/Statement
  • Interacting Propostiion/Statement
  • Speculative Proposition/Statement
  • Explicative Statement

Problem statements are certainly not built from personal opinions of the individual researcerh or conclusions made from spurious sources of information that may have an inherent predisposition or perjudice about a topic. In this sense, research problem statements can be construucted to appear to be logically valid, but they may not actually be true in the manner that truth is defined here. Viewing problem statements in this way highlights the need to differentiate the quality of the scholarly sources in a field, including conference proceedings, journals, and professional texts. In general, the most ‘truthful’ scholarly scources are those that have undergone the most rigorous review processes. 

(Jacobs, 2011, p. 134)

Problem to Action

The four components of a problem statement help to guide the researcher in developing their research study. Addressing each of these four components help to move the researcher from problem to action in their study.

Frame the problem: practical urgency and scholarly gap

The strongest introductions braid two things together: why the topic matters in the world, and what scholarship has not yet resolved. Practical urgency alone reads like journalism; a scholarly gap alone reads like turf. Together, they motivate the study. A useful four-part frame:

  • Practical reality — the situation or problem in the field.
  • Why it matters — its implications for practice.
  • The gap — what existing scholarship has not yet addressed.
  • Your purpose — how your study addresses the gap, and the contribution it makes.

Your gap argument grows out of your literature review, and your purpose sets up the theoretical framework that follows.

Move from problem to research questions

The introduction should culminate in a clear statement of purpose and research questions. State them explicitly and, where you have several, number them; each question should be parallel in form and individually answerable (Reio, 2021). Well-formed questions become the spine of the study — each one should map forward to your method, your results, and your discussion.

The four-sentence test. Try writing your problem in four sentences: “[Practical reality]. This matters because [implication for practice]. Yet scholarship has [gap]. This study addresses that gap by [purpose], in order to [contribution].” If you can write those four sentences clearly, your introduction has a spine.

Common pitfalls

  • Establishing that the topic matters in general, without grounding it in your specific field.
  • Citing only the most recent few studies instead of the longer arc of the conversation.
  • Naming your field or topic only in the title and the final paragraph.
  • Promising a “comprehensive” treatment as the contribution — comprehensiveness is a method, not a contribution.
  • Ending without a clear purpose statement or answerable research questions.

Before you finalize — a self-check

  • Does my opening establish both practical urgency and a scholarly gap?
  • Is the gap supported by more than a handful of recent citations?
  • Would a reader recognize my field or topic framing in every paragraph, not just the title?
  • Do I end with a clear purpose statement and numbered, parallel research questions?
  • Does each research question connect forward to my method, results, and discussion?
  • Have I previewed the contribution my study will make?

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).

Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Jacobs, R. L. (2011). Developing a research problem and purpose statement. In T. S. Rocco & T. G. Hatcher (Eds.), The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing (pp. 125–141). Jossey-Bass.

Reio, T. G., Jr. (2021). The ten research questions: An analytic tool for critiquing empirical studies and teaching research rigor. Human Resource Development Review, 20(3), 374–390.

Turabian, K. L. (2007). A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations (7th ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Turner, J. R. (2018). Introduction, theoretical framework, and the problem statement. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 31(1), 103–106. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21271