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Writing Introductions: Research Dissertations

Introductions to dissertations tend to be short but quite complex. Some of the more common moves include:

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establishing the context, background and/or importance of the topic giving a brief synopsis of the relevant literature

indicating a problem, controversy or a gap in the field of study establishing the desirability of the research listing the research questions or hypotheses providing a synopsis of the research method(s) explaining the significance or value of the study defining certain key terms

provide an overview of the dissertation structure

explaining reasons for the writer's personal interest in the topic

Examples of phrases which are commonly employed to realise these functions are listed below. Note that there may be a certain amount of overlap between some of the categories under which the phrases are listed.

Establishing the importance of the topic:

One of the most significant current discussions in legal and moral philosophy is .... It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the ....

X is the leading cause of death in western industrialised countries. X is a common disorder characterised by ....

Xs are one of the most widely used groups of antibacterial agents and .... Xs are the most potent anti-inflammatory agents known.

X is an important component in the climate system, and plays a key role in Y. In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for ....

In the history of development economics, X has been thought of as a key factor in .... The issue of X has received considerable critical attention.

X is a major public health problem, and the cause of about 4% of the global burden of disease.

X is an increasingly important area in applied linguistics. Central to the entire discipline of X is the concept of .... X is at the heart of our understanding of ....

Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given): Recent developments in X have heightened the need for .... In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in ....

In the arena of X , there has been a recent surge in interest and research.

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Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in .... Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in ....

Since 1949 the submarine area off X has undergone intensive investigation .... The past decade has seen the rapid development and diffusion of X in many .... The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of..... Over the past century there has been a dramatic increase in ....

In the past two decades a number of researchers have sought to determine ..... X proved an important literary genre in the early Y community. One of the most important events of the 1970s was .... Traditionally, Xs have subscribed to the belief that .... X was widespread in the Middle East in the 1920s. Synopsis of Literature

Recently investigators have examined the effects of X on Y.

In the past two decades a number of researchers have sought to determine .... Previous studies have reported ....

A considerable amount of literature has been published on X. These studies .... Smith (1984: 217) shows how, in the past, research into X was mainly concerned with ....

Surveys such as that conducted by Smith (1988) showed that ....

The first serious discussions and analyses of X emerged during the 1970s with .... Recent evidence suggests that ....

Several attempts have been made to .... A number of researchers have reported ....

Xs were reported in the first models of Y (e.g., Smith, 1977; Smith, & Patel, 1977). What we know about X is largely based upon empirical studies that investigate how .... Studies of X show the importance of .... Highlighting a problem in the field of study:

However, these rapid changes are having a serious effect .... However, a major problem with this kind of application is .... Lack of X has existed as a health problem for many years.

Despite its safety and efficacy, X suffers from several major drawbacks:

However, research has consistently shown that first year students have not attained an adequate understanding of ....There is increasing concern that some Xs are being disadvantaged ....

Despite its long clinical success, X has a number of problems in use. Questions have been raised about the safety of prolonged use of .... Highlighting a controversy in the field of study:

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To date there has been little agreement on what ...

More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about .... One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in ....

In many Xs a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning ....

The controversy about scientific evidence for X has raged unabated for over a century. Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of ….

This concept has recently been challenged by …. studies demonstrating …. Highlighting a knowledge gap in the field of study:

So far, however, there has been little discussion about .... Little is known about X and it is not clear what factors .... However, far too little attention has been paid to .... In addition, no research has been found that surveyed .... So far this method has only been applied to ....

This indicates a need to understand the various perceptions of poverty that exist among .....

However, the evidence for this relationship is inconclusive .... What is not yet clear is the impact of X on ....

The neurobiological basis of this X is poorly understood.

However, much uncertainty still exists about the relation between .... Until recently, there has been no reliable evidence that ....

However, there have been no controlled studies which compare differences in .... Several studies have produced estimates of X (Smith, 2002; Jones, 2003), but there is still insufficient data for ....

No previous study has investigated X

Although extensive research has been carried out on ..., no single study exists which ....

Highlighting inadequacies of previous studies:

Most studies in the field of X have only focussed on ....

Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas. The generalisability of much published research on this issue is problematic. The experimental data are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about ....

Such expositions are unsatisfactory because they ....

However, few writers have been able to draw on any structured research into the opinions and attitudes of .....

The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y.

The existing accounts fail to resolve the contradiction between X and Y. Researchers have not treated X in much detail. Previous studies of X have not dealt with ....

Half of the studies evaluated failed to specify whether ....

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