The introduction of your dissertation provides preliminary background information on your research topic, which is put in context. It is the section in which you clarify the focus of your study, highlight its rationale and significance, and specify your research aims and objectives. Your introduction is generally 5% to 7% of your dissertation.

Very often, your academic supervisor may ask you to write your introduction after writing your literature review. In such a case, it becomes even easier for you to showcase the most prominent authors in the field in the introduction.

Background of the Study

The background section aims at facilitating the understanding of your topic and justifying the need for research in this field. The easiest thing to do is to state its context and focus, and identify the gap in literature that needs to be addressed. You may seize the opportunity to mention the most popular authors or gurus whom you found most influential when you started researching your topic.

Remember that, though your research topic may be of great interest to you, this factor does not provide sufficient ground for research. Also, avoid writing too little or too much on the background of your study.

Rationale of the Study

The rationale for a study justifies your undertaking of such study, and the reason why you choose to focus on the research topic in question. It should include the gap(s) that your study intends to fill, as well as the contribution that your research will make to extant literature on the topic. Briefly, it rationalises the need for the study.

It is essential to link your rationale to the background information that you have provided. Ensure that you write in continuous flow by employing transitional phrases for your readers to understand the connection between these two sections. If written properly, the rationale will naturally set up the formulation of your research aims and objectives.

Research Aims and Objectives

As mentioned in our section on Research Questions, Hypotheses and Objectives, aims and objectives are two different things. It should not be a major problem integrating them in your introduction, given that they should have already been formulated in your Research Proposal. It is just a matter of organisation and clarity.

Usually, a research project has an overall aim that needs to be clearly and directly stated, whereas objectives stem from the aim and explain how that aim will be met. Objectives often appear as numbers or bullet points, and are active statements that are clear and identifiable.

Significance of the Study

The significance or value of your research has to appear in a different sub-section of its own, as it gives your readers the opportunity to judge the merit of your work in terms of its contribution to the research community.

For example, you may suggest that existing research on your topic of investigation lacks critical and in-depth investigation, but you must first ensure that this is the case by conducting a comprehensive literature review. Another argument would be that you are looking at an area of research from a different perspective.

Breakdown of Chapters

In this section, you simply give the list of your dissertation chapters. Unless your university precribes otherwise, there are usually five of them:

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Research Methodology
• Analysis and Discussion of Findings
• Conclusion and Recommendation