Academic Writer
academic writer: organization: introductions overview
Overview
A very common way of introducing a text is to offer an
overview in the opening paragraph. This tells the reader what you are going to do. This
frequently takes a sequential form: Eg. First I will do this, then I will do this and
finally this. You may also wish to limit the scope of your
paper at this point and say what ground you are not going to cover.
EXAMPLE 1 Using the
first person
| Information technologies in tertiary science
education Information technologies have the potential to make huge improvements in education as they reshape society and create new learning opportunities. Whether this potential will be realized for all students depends on the ability of education to adapt at the local level. In this paper, I will briefly examine the impact of networking on science education. I will then investigate how these new resources are influencing the educational system and its ability to reach all students. I conclude by assessing the potential for adopting IT in university education over the next 5 years. |
EXAMPLE 2 A
more impersonal tone: 'This paper'
Notice the way that the verb modifies - 'identify',
'look', 'evaluate', 'identify'. This kind of modification
is a common way of creating unity in a paragraph. See: Creating
continuity by modified repetition.
| The introduction of technology-based teaching
in UK University education since 1990 This paper sets out to identify some of the major problems faced by British universities as they attempt to introduce a wide scale technology based teaching and learning environment. It looks first at some of the issues facing the Higher Education environment in general, with increasing numbers matched with relatively fewer resources. It then goes on to evaluate the position of Computer Assisted Learning as part of an overall supportive learning strategy. In conclusion it identifies possible areas of future research. |
EXAMPLE 3 A more impersonal tone: 'We' and 'it' This is common in academic work. See: Tone.
| Accounting Ethics Open marketing has had a big effect on the profession of accounting, not all of it positive. We can view the effect from three perspectives: the client's, the profession's, and society's. Additionally, two key areas that are affected by marketing must be addressed, these concern competition, and ethics. Marketing in public accounting is here to stay. Therefore making an argument against its existence would be pointless. However, in this essay it will be argued that, in order to achieve maximum benefit to the firm, the client, and society, stricter guidelines must be implemented at the firm level. |
Find out about other types of Introductions
Academic Writer 2000