Introduction (writing)

thumb|First page, introduction to [[In Flanders Fields]]

In an essay, article, or book, an introduction (also known as a prolegomenon) is a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing. This is generally followed by the body and conclusion.

Common features and techniques

The introduction typically describes the scope of the document and gives a brief explanation or a summary of the document. It may also explain certain elements that are important to the document. The readers can thus have an idea about the following text before they actually start reading it.

The University of Toronto provides advice about how to write essays:

<blockquote>A good introduction should identify your topic, provide essential context, and indicate your particular focus in the essay. It also needs to engage your readers’ interest.</blockquote>

Some authors write their introduction first, while others prefer to leave it for a later stage in the writing process; another option is to start with a rough draft introduction, and then come back to finish it after the body text is done. In contrast to the introduction, the abstract should do the job of summarizing an article, according to AJP.

<blockquote>The Introduction should state the motivation for the investigation and its relationship to other work in the field. Extensive reviews of the literature should be avoided. The last paragraph of the introduction should summarize the major findings, conclusions, and significance of the work, without reproducing the abstract.</blockquote>

So practice varies from journal to journal, as to whether introductions should include summaries.

Introduction (writing)

Common features and techniques

See also

References