Developing an Introduction: The inverted pyramid Today’s agenda: Learn the structure and function of a scientific paper’s Introduction. Examine the Introductions of the papers that students chose. How are they similar and different? What works and what does not? Examine “mock introductions” and see if we can improve them. Presentations by students of the objectives of their studies.

Broadest scope, designed to appeal to diverse readers Progressively narrower scope: concepts, species, geographical scale, etc. with a smooth connection at each transition to avoid losing any readers that we started with Study goals: hypotheses

The first and last paragraphs of the Introduction “pin down” the paper by defining the broadest scope of the paper and the specific goals. The broadest scope, in the first paragraph, depends on the audience. If we are writing for a fish or fisheries journal we may start with fish concepts or themes whereas a paper in an ecology or behavior or evolution journal might begin with general themes and examples from other taxa before narrowing the focus to fish. Let’s look for examples of this. The last paragraph needs to be very specific, expressing the overall objectives and specific hypotheses of the study. The more specific the better.

Structure within paragraphs Each paragraph should have topic sentence, a series of sentences in logical order, and a concluding sentence that provides a link to the next paragraph. Awkward transitions between paragraphs are a sure way to lose readers (or points on papers, if you care about that).

Class activity Examination of Introductions in papers written by scientists and chosen by students. Let’s focus, not on the details, but on the structure. Did the author begin with a broad scope and lead us to the goals and hypotheses? Were the transitions smooth or abrupt?

Class activity 1-minute “speed presentations” of student-chosen papers. Capture the essential elements: the purpose, findings, and interpretation. Stand up at the front of the class and tell us what the paper is all about. Hints: Make eye contact Speak slowly, clearly, and loud enough Introduction is essential – get our attention! Conclude, do not just stop

Assignment: Write a carefully crafted statement of the objectives for your own study, as would constitute the last paragraph of your Introduction. Try to express both the overall goal and the specific hypothesis. Choose your words carefully; try to be precise and quantitative and predictive. E-mail it to me as a file in MS Word, using your name and “Introduction” (e.g., “Keeton Introduction.doc”).