How To Write An Introduction To An Essay Paper

Introduction To An Essay

Essay writing, to most people, is a difficult task.

And, unfortunately, as a student, you cannot thrive without art essay writing.

Essay assignments such as argumentative essays, research essays, lab reports, and literature reviews, require good writing skills.

Producing a good paper requires the learning and mastering of the basics of academic writing.

One of the basic skills of academic writing that is crucial is writing a good introduction.

The introduction. Which, of course, is the first section of your essay serves two primary purposes:

Influences someone’s interest in reading your paper
Sets the tone for your paper

The different types of academic papers are started in different ways.

The following is a guide on how to start an essay. By the end of this article you will have learned how to start the following types of essays:

Also, you will learn how to start an essay with a quote.

To get a better idea of what a terrific introduction of an essay looks like, watch the video tutorial from James, who explains the method for writing the perfect essay introduction.

Tips On How To Start Your Essay

Consider the following guidelines to have a great start to your essay.

1 Planning and organization

Writing an excellent essay requires that you spare ample time for planning and organization.

The planning and organization phase involves:

Analyzing the given question or topic to come up with a suitable title
Identifying and gathering materials you will use as references for your essay
Determining the timeline; how long will you need to write the essay and proofread it?

2. Research your topic

You will not write a good introduction, leave alone the whole essay, without a good understanding of the given topic.

Therefore, the first step is to read widely on the topic.

You will find enough resources on the topic in libraries and scholarly journals and articles published online.

However, consider the credibility of an online source before using it.

As you research your topic, take short notes.

Your short notes will help you come up with a good outline for your essay.

If you find yourself struggling to write an essay, the most likely reason is that you didn’t conduct enough research.

3. Come up with an outline

You have started writing your essay, and halfway through you are out of words and points.

That is a situation you will encounter if you start writing with an outline.

An outline highlights the main ideas and the structure of your essay.

Furthermore, an outline will help you stay on topic.

4. Have a thesis statement

At this point, you have done the research and come up with an outline.

The next step is to come up with a thesis statement.

Scholars define a thesis statement as the roadmap to your essay.

As you research find a focus for your essay and develop a thesis statement from it.

A thesis statement presents the topic of discussion to the reader.

And, it helps the writer not to stray from the topic.

5. Draft the introduction

After following the steps outlined above, you are now ready to start your essay.

An essay has the following main sections:

Introduction
Body
Conclusion

The focus of this post is the introduction.

As mentioned before, the introduction stirs a reader’s interest in your essay.

Remember, you might be writing a topic that is not interesting to a reader. But a good introduction might hook an uninterested reader and make them read the entire paper.

How To Write A Good Introduction To An Essay

A good introduction:

Stir interest and curiosity

Your introduction, should grab the attention of the reader and stir some curiosity.

Remember, you only have one chance of hooking a reader.

Therefore, your first sentence should wow a reader.

Nonetheless, it should still be relevant to the subject of the paper.

To hook a reader using the first sentence of your essay consider writing:

A quote
An interesting piece of statistic
A fascinating fact
A rhetorical question

Since an attention-grabbing statement will not come out of thin air, consider writing your introduction last; after conducting your research and mastering the main ideas and argument of your essay.

2. Guide readers to your primary idea

You have already hooked your reader using the first sentence.

The next step is to maintain their interest in your paper.

So, the statements that follow should link to the first one by elaborating more on it.

3. Outline the essay

Outlining means giving your readers an idea of what your essay is all about.

Should they read your paper, what can they expect?

The idea is to give your reader a basic structure for your essay.

4. Include your thesis

A thesis statement makes a reader aware of your stand on the topic of discussion.

A good thesis statement is brief and straight to the point.

But most importantly, it should be an argument or an analysis worth reading.

5. Introduce your intention

As you provide your reader with a roadmap of your essay, make them know your intention.

The intention of an essay could be to:

Persuade
Inform
Explore
Critic

Whichever is your intention, let the reader know as early as possible.

How to Set up A Map for An Essay Introduction

How do you set up a map for people to follow?

With the right words, of course!

A good introduction is like writing out what your reader can expect and how they should navigate the rest of the essay.

Here are some essential dos and don’ts when it comes to creating a practical introduction:

-Do; be descriptive about where we’re going, e.g., “In this paper, I will explore…”

-Don’t make assumptions on who’s reading or why; make sure that all readers have enough information before moving forward with their understanding/experience. E.g., “This research aims at exploring….”

Essay introductions – the right way

The world is constantly changing.

Technology has a significant impact on society and how we live our lives.

Still, sometimes it can be difficult to tell what exactly these changes mean for us as individuals with limited knowledge of science or engineering.

While some people may welcome this technological revolution, others see its consequences in less flattering terms; increased unemployment rates due to automation taking over jobs that humans used to perform while also causing an increase in mental health issues like depression because they no longer have any purpose at work anymore.

This essay will look into how technology affects employment by exploring two different case studies: one about self-driving cars, which are becoming more popular every day, and another about robots being brought into the workforce instead of human employees who need bed rest after long shifts.

What to avoid in an essay introduction

Too much information

Some writers fill their introduction with a waffle.

tip: – Make sure you stay on topic and don’t give so much background information that the reader starts to feel like they are being taken through a history lesson from GCSE level up to university.

Remember, your readers have some knowledge of this subject before reading your work; make them think critically about it but keep it interesting for those who may not know too much as well!

Too many academic introductions can be tedious or overwhelming because authors often include every detail imaginable to provide context (and sometimes even acquaint newbies with basic facts).

This is one reason why we recommend following these top tips when making an opening.

Disjointed words and phrases

Make a connection between sentences clear.

Don’t just drop information on the reader without pointing the way through thoughts.

Don’t put so much in the introduction

Ever been told not to put all your eggs in one basket?

You’ve probably felt the fear of doing so, wondering if it might be better for you.

But is there any truth behind that saying or just an old wives’ tale?

What does this mean, and why would I need directions on how much time should go into my introduction before writing my essay’s body

Proofreading the essay introduction should be as crucial to your final product as any other step.

If you are not careful, it can have severe consequences for how well-received your work is by an audience and will result in a lower grade on their end.

Proofread every part of the paper with equal diligence because if one section falls short, this may affect its overall reception from readers, which could lead them to give less credit or even damage your grade!

How To Start Different Types Of Essays

The guidelines provided above are general.

But, the type of essay also dictates how you start writing.

In this section, you will find more guidelines on how to start different kinds of essays.

How to introduce an informative essay

Introducing an informative essay is easy as the essay only requires you to present facts.

So, a good way to start the introduction is by starting an interesting fact on the given topic.

In the introduction, body, and conclusion of an informative essay, avoid providing your own opinion or analysis of the topic.

How to introduce an expository essay

Like an informative essay, an expository essay serves the purpose of informing a reader on a particular topic.

However, in an expository essay, you need to persuade the reader.

Therefore, you have to inform, explain, describe and even provide evidence.

When writing the introduction to an expository essay, focus on providing an unbiased analysis of the topic of discussion.

How to begin an argumentative essay

An argumentative essay requires you to sway a reader to your line of thinking on a given topic.

Therefore, in the introduction, you need to let your reader know your argument and provide a brief explanation for your way of thinking.

How to start an analysis essay

In an analysis essay, you explore a topic and make use of the research to come up with an objective view of the given topic.

In the introduction, inform the reader of the meaning of the topic and introduce your analysis (what you concluded after your unbiased analysis).

Also, link your analysis to a practical and relevant principle, idea, or viewpoint.

How to introduce an essay using a quote

In some essays, especially creative essays, you can use a quote as the first statement.

However, you should use a quote that is relevant to the topic of discussion.

And, make sure you relate it to the main ideas in the essay.

With this approach, avoid clichés and overused quotes.

Conclusion

The tips outlined above will help you write a better introduction to your essay.

You can also refer to the sample essays on our website to see how experts introduce essays.

And, if you need professional help, you can contact us.

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