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Introductions

Introductions. Postgraduate writing: seminar 3 John Morgan. Intros you’ve written or read. What kind of information do you need to include in an introduction? Think in terms of essays, reports and journal papers.

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Introductions

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  1. Introductions Postgraduate writing: seminar 3 John Morgan

  2. Intros you’ve written or read • What kind of information do you need to include in an introduction? • Think in terms of essays, reports and journal papers. • What features can you remember of papers you have read, especially those which were more memorable or inspiring to read?

  3. Some specific concerns • Where do we begin and how do we structure the introduction? • A good introduction can be used as a reference throughout the writing, as it sets the scope of the paper. • It may not be possible to write the introduction before the body of the essay as you may not know what you are going to say.

  4. Predicting content • A good introduction tells the reader what the essay will be about. • If you read an introduction on its own you should be able to safely predict the content of the paper and assess whether it will be useful to read. • If you can’t do this, the introduction should be edited to suit what you have written in the body of the essay.

  5. Create A Research Space (CARS) • John Swales (1990: 141) • Through “genre analysis”, Swales identified common structures of biomedical research papers that have since been identified as being common in most academic fields

  6. Three “moves” • Establishing a territory: providing background information that previews the main problem. • Establishing a niche: providing details of the nature of the problem, or topic to be researched, from your own perspective, or from the perspective of how you are interpreting a set question. • Occupying the niche: indicating objectives and/or structure and/or findings as a result of your specific focus on the problem or topic.

  7. Your own introduction framework • Look at the notes or draft plans for an assignment or paper you are working on. Alternatively, you could look at a completed piece of work. Or even a paper in a published journal or a short paper in an edited textbook collection.

  8. Consider… • Can you see patterns like this running through the work? • Can you see variations on this theme? • Why would you choose to follow or vary this type of structure? • Do you have reasons for your choices?

  9. To get started … …think about your topic in terms of: • background needed to introduce it to your reader; • the main academic problem related to this issue; • your objectives in writing about this issue.

  10. Bibliography • Hill, S.S., Soppelsa, B.F. & West, G.K. (1982). “Teaching ESL Students to Read and Write Experimental Research Papers.” TESOL Quarterly 16: 333-47. In Swales, J.M. (1990). • National School Boards Foundation (2000). “Safe and Smart: Research and Guidelines for Children’s Use of the Internet.” [on-line] http://www.nsbf.org/safe-smart/full-report.htm (Accessed 26/10/05). • Swales, J. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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