JHEBS Links
Journal of Home Economics and Behavioral Sciences (JHEBS) > Research
More Details
..
A strong introduction engages the reader in the problem of interest and provides a context for the study at hand. In introducing the research concern, the writer should provide a clear rationale for why the problem deserves new research, placing the study in the context of current knowledge and prior theoretical and empirical work on the topic. Responsible scholarship stipulates that the writer properly credit the work of others. Whereas it is impractical to exhaustively describe all prior research, the most current and relevant studies should be cited. Swales and Feak (2004) identified four cornerstones of the introduction in a research paper, advising authors to establish current knowledge of the field; to summarize previous research, providing the wider context and background and the importance of the current study; to set the stage for the present research, indicating gaps in knowledge and presenting the research question; and to introduce present research, stating its purpose and outlining its design. Within this framework, the writer states the hypotheses of the current study and their correspondence to the research design (APA, 2010, pp. 27–28).
