Dr. Armen Torchyan, MD, MPH slides from Dr Hafsa Raheel, PhD Oct 2014

Objectives of the session By the end of the session the students should be able to: Understand the structure of an introduction to a manuscript\report

Structure of a manuscript/report Abstract Introduction Materials and methodology Results Discussion Conclusion Acknowledgement References

Skeleton of an introduction Background Importance of the topic Global, regional and local data (magnitude) Build up a convincing argument Objectives Hypothesis Rational

Frequently asked questions 1. How long should my introduction be? One common mistake is to write an introduction that is too long; the introduction is so detailed that it is indistinguishable from the body of the essay! As a rule, an introduction should not be longer than about 8% (about 1/4 th ) of the length of the essay. For example, the introduction of a ten, fifteen, and twenty- page essay should be a maximum of about a page, a page and a quarter, and one and an half pages respectively.

Frequently asked questions 2. How detailed should the introduction be? Another common mistake is that the introduction is so detailed that it fails to indicate the topic of the paper in a Clear way! The introduction only needs to state the topic, general structure, and thesis of the paper.

Frequently asked questions 3. Why am I finding it hard to write the introduction? Its absolutely normal to be worried as this may be your first time Language barrier Write at least a draft of the body and redefine it later on

Frequently asked questions 4. What is an introduction for? Is it a summary? An introduction is not a summary. A summary repeats the main ideas of an essay. An introduction introduces the reader to the topic of the essay, and explains the point of the essay

Frequently asked questions 6. How many paragraphs should I use for the introduction? Introductions vary in length according to your purpose, writing style, the complexity of your topic, and the length of your essay

Frequently asked questions 7. How do I write the references? Vancouver reference styling is the preferred But its wise to refer to the author's guidelines of the journal you intend to submit to (or your course guideline)

How to evaluate your introduction draft Ask a friend to read it and then tell you what he or she expects the paper will discuss If your friend is able to predict the rest of your paper accurately, you probably have a good introduction

Examples of introduction

Comments and discussion?

References The writing center. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. s/ s/ Visit York Centre for Academic Writing online resources at: