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Introducing Sources

Signal phrases.

A signal phrase is a short introduction phrase that indicates that a quote or paraphrase is coming. By introducing a quotation or paraphrase with a signal phrase, you provide an effective transition between your own ideas and the evidence used to explore your ideas.

One of the best ways to let readers know more about your source is to use a signal phrase. Signal phrases help readers “move from your own words to the words of a source without feeling a jolt” (Hacker 406). A writer uses signal phrases to avoid dropped quotations, smoothly leading the reader into the source’s ideas.

How to Use a Signal Phrase

Signal phrases provide a seamless transition from the writer’s thoughts to a source’s thoughts and can provide details about the source that highlight credibility and expertise.

Avoid dropped quotations:

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (Greenspan 2).

Instead, use a signal phrase :

Did you know that some bread batters should be hand mixed? According to Dorrie Greenspan, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours , “This light mixing technique produces quick breads with a lovely open crumb” (2).

Signal Phrase Examples

In the words of noted psychologist Carl Jung, “…”

As cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead noted, “…”

Kanye West, Grammy award-winning songwriter and rapper, says, “…”

“…,” claims reality-TV star Hulk Hogan.

Authors Amy Tan and Tobias Wolfe offer two unique perspectives on growing up: “…” (Hacker 408)

Verbs in Signal Phrases

Choose an appropriate verb to create your own signal phrase that will make your source’s position clear (Hacker 408).

Work Cited [MLA]

Hacker, Diana. Instructor’s Edition: Rules for Writers. 5th ed . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.

Learn more about "Using Quotes Effectively" by reviewing this handout .

Learn more about the "Quote Sandwich" by reviewing this handout .

Quoting and integrating sources into your paper

In any study of a subject, people engage in a “conversation” of sorts, where they read or listen to others’ ideas, consider them with their own viewpoints, and then develop their own stance. It is important in this “conversation” to acknowledge when we use someone else’s words or ideas. If we didn’t come up with it ourselves, we need to tell our readers who did come up with it.

It is important to draw on the work of experts to formulate your own ideas. Quoting and paraphrasing the work of authors engaged in writing about your topic adds expert support to your argument and thesis statement. You are contributing to a scholarly conversation with scholars who are experts on your topic with your writing. This is the difference between a scholarly research paper and any other paper: you must include your own voice in your analysis and ideas alongside scholars or experts.

All your sources must relate to your thesis, or central argument, whether they are in agreement or not. It is a good idea to address all sides of the argument or thesis to make your stance stronger. There are two main ways to incorporate sources into your research paper.

Quoting is when you use the exact words from a source. You will need to put quotation marks around the words that are not your own and cite where they came from. For example:

“It wasn’t really a tune, but from the first note the beast’s eyes began to droop . . . Slowly the dog’s growls ceased – it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep” (Rowling 275).

Follow these guidelines when opting to cite a passage:

  • Choose to quote passages that seem especially well phrased or are unique to the author or subject matter.
  • Be selective in your quotations. Avoid over-quoting. You also don’t have to quote an entire passage. Use ellipses (. . .) to indicate omitted words. Check with your professor for their ideal length of quotations – some professors place word limits on how much of a sentence or paragraph you should quote.
  • Before or after quoting a passage, include an explanation in which you interpret the significance of the quote for the reader. Avoid “hanging quotes” that have no context or introduction. It is better to err on the side of your reader not understanding your point until you spell it out for them, rather than assume readers will follow your thought process exactly.
  • If you are having trouble paraphrasing (putting something into your own words), that may be a sign that you should quote it.
  • Shorter quotes are generally incorporated into the flow of a sentence while longer quotes may be set off in “blocks.” Check your citation handbook for quoting guidelines.

Paraphrasing is when you state the ideas from another source in your own words . Even when you use your own words, if the ideas or facts came from another source, you need to cite where they came from. Quotation marks are not used. For example:

With the simple music of the flute, Harry lulled the dog to sleep (Rowling 275).

Follow these guidelines when opting to paraphrase a passage:

  • Don’t take a passage and change a word here or there. You must write out the idea in your own words. Simply changing a few words from the original source or restating the information exactly using different words is considered plagiarism .
  • Read the passage, reflect upon it, and restate it in a way that is meaningful to you within the context of your paper . You are using this to back up a point you are making, so your paraphrased content should be tailored to that point specifically.
  • After reading the passage that you want to paraphrase, look away from it, and imagine explaining the main point to another person.
  • After paraphrasing the passage, go back and compare it to the original. Are there any phrases that have come directly from the original source? If so, you should rephrase it or put the original in quotation marks. If you cannot state an idea in your own words, you should use the direct quotation.

A summary is similar to paraphrasing, but used in cases where you are trying to give an overview of many ideas. As in paraphrasing, quotation marks are not used, but a citation is still necessary. For example:

Through a combination of skill and their invisibility cloak, Harry, Ron, and Hermione slipped through Hogwarts to the dog’s room and down through the trapdoor within (Rowling 271-77).

Important guidelines

When integrating a source into your paper, remember to use these three important components:

  • Introductory phrase to the source material : mention the author, date, or any other relevant information when introducing a quote or paraphrase.
  • Source material : a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary with proper citation.
  • Analysis of source material : your response, interpretations, or arguments regarding the source material should introduce or follow it. When incorporating source material into your paper, relate your source and analysis back to your original thesis.

Ideally, papers will contain a good balance of direct quotations, paraphrasing and your own thoughts. Too much reliance on quotations and paraphrasing can make it seem like you are only using the work of others and have no original thoughts on the topic.

Always properly cite an author’s original idea, whether you have directly quoted or paraphrased it. If you have questions about how to cite properly in your chosen citation style, browse these citation guides . You can also review our guide to understanding plagiarism .

University Writing Center

The University of Nevada, Reno Writing Center provides helpful guidance on quoting and paraphrasing and explains how to make sure your paraphrasing does not veer into plagiarism. If you have any questions about quoting or paraphrasing, or need help at any point in the writing process, schedule an appointment with the Writing Center.

Works Cited

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  A.A. Levine Books, 1998.

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Introductions

What this handout is about.

This handout will explain the functions of introductions, offer strategies for creating effective introductions, and provide some examples of less effective introductions to avoid.

The role of introductions

Introductions and conclusions can be the most difficult parts of papers to write. Usually when you sit down to respond to an assignment, you have at least some sense of what you want to say in the body of your paper. You might have chosen a few examples you want to use or have an idea that will help you answer the main question of your assignment; these sections, therefore, may not be as hard to write. And it’s fine to write them first! But in your final draft, these middle parts of the paper can’t just come out of thin air; they need to be introduced and concluded in a way that makes sense to your reader.

Your introduction and conclusion act as bridges that transport your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your analysis. If your readers pick up your paper about education in the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, for example, they need a transition to help them leave behind the world of Chapel Hill, television, e-mail, and The Daily Tar Heel and to help them temporarily enter the world of nineteenth-century American slavery. By providing an introduction that helps your readers make a transition between their own world and the issues you will be writing about, you give your readers the tools they need to get into your topic and care about what you are saying. Similarly, once you’ve hooked your readers with the introduction and offered evidence to prove your thesis, your conclusion can provide a bridge to help your readers make the transition back to their daily lives. (See our handout on conclusions .)

Note that what constitutes a good introduction may vary widely based on the kind of paper you are writing and the academic discipline in which you are writing it. If you are uncertain what kind of introduction is expected, ask your instructor.

Why bother writing a good introduction?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The opening paragraph of your paper will provide your readers with their initial impressions of your argument, your writing style, and the overall quality of your work. A vague, disorganized, error-filled, off-the-wall, or boring introduction will probably create a negative impression. On the other hand, a concise, engaging, and well-written introduction will start your readers off thinking highly of you, your analytical skills, your writing, and your paper.

Your introduction is an important road map for the rest of your paper. Your introduction conveys a lot of information to your readers. You can let them know what your topic is, why it is important, and how you plan to proceed with your discussion. In many academic disciplines, your introduction should contain a thesis that will assert your main argument. Your introduction should also give the reader a sense of the kinds of information you will use to make that argument and the general organization of the paragraphs and pages that will follow. After reading your introduction, your readers should not have any major surprises in store when they read the main body of your paper.

Ideally, your introduction will make your readers want to read your paper. The introduction should capture your readers’ interest, making them want to read the rest of your paper. Opening with a compelling story, an interesting question, or a vivid example can get your readers to see why your topic matters and serve as an invitation for them to join you for an engaging intellectual conversation (remember, though, that these strategies may not be suitable for all papers and disciplines).

Strategies for writing an effective introduction

Start by thinking about the question (or questions) you are trying to answer. Your entire essay will be a response to this question, and your introduction is the first step toward that end. Your direct answer to the assigned question will be your thesis, and your thesis will likely be included in your introduction, so it is a good idea to use the question as a jumping off point. Imagine that you are assigned the following question:

Drawing on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass , discuss the relationship between education and slavery in 19th-century America. Consider the following: How did white control of education reinforce slavery? How did Douglass and other enslaved African Americans view education while they endured slavery? And what role did education play in the acquisition of freedom? Most importantly, consider the degree to which education was or was not a major force for social change with regard to slavery.

You will probably refer back to your assignment extensively as you prepare your complete essay, and the prompt itself can also give you some clues about how to approach the introduction. Notice that it starts with a broad statement and then narrows to focus on specific questions from the book. One strategy might be to use a similar model in your own introduction—start off with a big picture sentence or two and then focus in on the details of your argument about Douglass. Of course, a different approach could also be very successful, but looking at the way the professor set up the question can sometimes give you some ideas for how you might answer it. (See our handout on understanding assignments for additional information on the hidden clues in assignments.)

Decide how general or broad your opening should be. Keep in mind that even a “big picture” opening needs to be clearly related to your topic; an opening sentence that said “Human beings, more than any other creatures on earth, are capable of learning” would be too broad for our sample assignment about slavery and education. If you have ever used Google Maps or similar programs, that experience can provide a helpful way of thinking about how broad your opening should be. Imagine that you’re researching Chapel Hill. If what you want to find out is whether Chapel Hill is at roughly the same latitude as Rome, it might make sense to hit that little “minus” sign on the online map until it has zoomed all the way out and you can see the whole globe. If you’re trying to figure out how to get from Chapel Hill to Wrightsville Beach, it might make more sense to zoom in to the level where you can see most of North Carolina (but not the rest of the world, or even the rest of the United States). And if you are looking for the intersection of Ridge Road and Manning Drive so that you can find the Writing Center’s main office, you may need to zoom all the way in. The question you are asking determines how “broad” your view should be. In the sample assignment above, the questions are probably at the “state” or “city” level of generality. When writing, you need to place your ideas in context—but that context doesn’t generally have to be as big as the whole galaxy!

Try writing your introduction last. You may think that you have to write your introduction first, but that isn’t necessarily true, and it isn’t always the most effective way to craft a good introduction. You may find that you don’t know precisely what you are going to argue at the beginning of the writing process. It is perfectly fine to start out thinking that you want to argue a particular point but wind up arguing something slightly or even dramatically different by the time you’ve written most of the paper. The writing process can be an important way to organize your ideas, think through complicated issues, refine your thoughts, and develop a sophisticated argument. However, an introduction written at the beginning of that discovery process will not necessarily reflect what you wind up with at the end. You will need to revise your paper to make sure that the introduction, all of the evidence, and the conclusion reflect the argument you intend. Sometimes it’s easiest to just write up all of your evidence first and then write the introduction last—that way you can be sure that the introduction will match the body of the paper.

Don’t be afraid to write a tentative introduction first and then change it later. Some people find that they need to write some kind of introduction in order to get the writing process started. That’s fine, but if you are one of those people, be sure to return to your initial introduction later and rewrite if necessary.

Open with something that will draw readers in. Consider these options (remembering that they may not be suitable for all kinds of papers):

  • an intriguing example —for example, Douglass writes about a mistress who initially teaches him but then ceases her instruction as she learns more about slavery.
  • a provocative quotation that is closely related to your argument —for example, Douglass writes that “education and slavery were incompatible with each other.” (Quotes from famous people, inspirational quotes, etc. may not work well for an academic paper; in this example, the quote is from the author himself.)
  • a puzzling scenario —for example, Frederick Douglass says of slaves that “[N]othing has been left undone to cripple their intellects, darken their minds, debase their moral nature, obliterate all traces of their relationship to mankind; and yet how wonderfully they have sustained the mighty load of a most frightful bondage, under which they have been groaning for centuries!” Douglass clearly asserts that slave owners went to great lengths to destroy the mental capacities of slaves, yet his own life story proves that these efforts could be unsuccessful.
  • a vivid and perhaps unexpected anecdote —for example, “Learning about slavery in the American history course at Frederick Douglass High School, students studied the work slaves did, the impact of slavery on their families, and the rules that governed their lives. We didn’t discuss education, however, until one student, Mary, raised her hand and asked, ‘But when did they go to school?’ That modern high school students could not conceive of an American childhood devoid of formal education speaks volumes about the centrality of education to American youth today and also suggests the significance of the deprivation of education in past generations.”
  • a thought-provoking question —for example, given all of the freedoms that were denied enslaved individuals in the American South, why does Frederick Douglass focus his attentions so squarely on education and literacy?

Pay special attention to your first sentence. Start off on the right foot with your readers by making sure that the first sentence actually says something useful and that it does so in an interesting and polished way.

How to evaluate your introduction draft

Ask a friend to read your introduction and then tell you what he or she expects the paper will discuss, what kinds of evidence the paper will use, and what the tone of the paper will be. If your friend is able to predict the rest of your paper accurately, you probably have a good introduction.

Five kinds of less effective introductions

1. The placeholder introduction. When you don’t have much to say on a given topic, it is easy to create this kind of introduction. Essentially, this kind of weaker introduction contains several sentences that are vague and don’t really say much. They exist just to take up the “introduction space” in your paper. If you had something more effective to say, you would probably say it, but in the meantime this paragraph is just a place holder.

Example: Slavery was one of the greatest tragedies in American history. There were many different aspects of slavery. Each created different kinds of problems for enslaved people.

2. The restated question introduction. Restating the question can sometimes be an effective strategy, but it can be easy to stop at JUST restating the question instead of offering a more specific, interesting introduction to your paper. The professor or teaching assistant wrote your question and will be reading many essays in response to it—he or she does not need to read a whole paragraph that simply restates the question.

Example: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass discusses the relationship between education and slavery in 19th century America, showing how white control of education reinforced slavery and how Douglass and other enslaved African Americans viewed education while they endured. Moreover, the book discusses the role that education played in the acquisition of freedom. Education was a major force for social change with regard to slavery.

3. The Webster’s Dictionary introduction. This introduction begins by giving the dictionary definition of one or more of the words in the assigned question. Anyone can look a word up in the dictionary and copy down what Webster says. If you want to open with a discussion of an important term, it may be far more interesting for you (and your reader) if you develop your own definition of the term in the specific context of your class and assignment. You may also be able to use a definition from one of the sources you’ve been reading for class. Also recognize that the dictionary is also not a particularly authoritative work—it doesn’t take into account the context of your course and doesn’t offer particularly detailed information. If you feel that you must seek out an authority, try to find one that is very relevant and specific. Perhaps a quotation from a source reading might prove better? Dictionary introductions are also ineffective simply because they are so overused. Instructors may see a great many papers that begin in this way, greatly decreasing the dramatic impact that any one of those papers will have.

Example: Webster’s dictionary defines slavery as “the state of being a slave,” as “the practice of owning slaves,” and as “a condition of hard work and subjection.”

4. The “dawn of man” introduction. This kind of introduction generally makes broad, sweeping statements about the relevance of this topic since the beginning of time, throughout the world, etc. It is usually very general (similar to the placeholder introduction) and fails to connect to the thesis. It may employ cliches—the phrases “the dawn of man” and “throughout human history” are examples, and it’s hard to imagine a time when starting with one of these would work. Instructors often find them extremely annoying.

Example: Since the dawn of man, slavery has been a problem in human history.

5. The book report introduction. This introduction is what you had to do for your elementary school book reports. It gives the name and author of the book you are writing about, tells what the book is about, and offers other basic facts about the book. You might resort to this sort of introduction when you are trying to fill space because it’s a familiar, comfortable format. It is ineffective because it offers details that your reader probably already knows and that are irrelevant to the thesis.

Example: Frederick Douglass wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave , in the 1840s. It was published in 1986 by Penguin Books. In it, he tells the story of his life.

And now for the conclusion…

Writing an effective introduction can be tough. Try playing around with several different options and choose the one that ends up sounding best to you!

Just as your introduction helps readers make the transition to your topic, your conclusion needs to help them return to their daily lives–but with a lasting sense of how what they have just read is useful or meaningful. Check out our handout on  conclusions for tips on ending your paper as effectively as you began it!

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Douglass, Frederick. 1995. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself . New York: Dover.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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It’s the roadmap to your essay, it’s the forecast for your argument, it’s...your introduction paragraph, and writing one can feel pretty intimidating. The introduction paragraph is a part of just about every kind of academic writing , from persuasive essays to research papers. But that doesn’t mean writing one is easy!

If trying to write an intro paragraph makes you feel like a Muggle trying to do magic, trust us: you aren’t alone. But there are some tips and tricks that can make the process easier—and that’s where we come in. 

In this article, we’re going to explain how to write a captivating intro paragraph by covering the following info:  

  • A discussion of what an introduction paragraph is and its purpose in an essay
  • An overview of the most effective introduction paragraph format, with explanations of the three main parts of an intro paragraph
  • An analysis of real intro paragraph examples, with a discussion of what works and what doesn’t
  • A list of four top tips on how to write an introduction paragraph

Are you ready? Let’s begin!

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What Is an Introduction Paragraph? 

An introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of an essay , paper, or other type of academic writing. Argumentative essays , book reports, research papers, and even personal  essays are common types of writing that require an introduction paragraph. Whether you’re writing a research paper for a science course or an argumentative essay for English class , you’re going to have to write an intro paragraph. 

So what’s the purpose of an intro paragraph? As a reader’s first impression of your essay, the intro paragraph should introduce the topic of your paper. 

Your introduction will also state any claims, questions, or issues that your paper will focus on. This is commonly known as your paper’s thesis . This condenses the overall point of your paper into one or two short sentences that your reader can come back and reference later.

But intro paragraphs need to do a bit more than just introduce your topic. An intro paragraph is also supposed to grab your reader’s attention. The intro paragraph is your chance to provide just enough info and intrigue to make your reader say, “Hey, this topic sounds interesting. I think I’ll keep reading this essay!” That can help your essay stand out from the crowd.

In most cases, an intro paragraph will be relatively short. A good intro will be clear, brief, purposeful, and focused. While there are some exceptions to this rule, it’s common for intro paragraphs to consist of three to five sentences . 

Effectively introducing your essay’s topic, purpose, and getting your reader invested in your essay sounds like a lot to ask from one little paragraph, huh? In the next section, we’ll demystify the intro paragraph format by breaking it down into its core parts . When you learn how to approach each part of an intro, writing one won’t seem so scary!

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Once you figure out the three parts of an intro paragraph, writing one will be a piece of cake!

The 3 Main Parts of an Intro Paragraph

In general, an intro paragraph is going to have three main parts: a hook, context, and a thesis statement . Each of these pieces of the intro plays a key role in acquainting the reader with the topic and purpose of your essay. 

Below, we’ll explain how to start an introduction paragraph by writing an effective hook, providing context, and crafting a thesis statement. When you put these elements together, you’ll have an intro paragraph that does a great job of making a great first impression on your audience!

Intro Paragraph Part 1: The Hook

When it comes to how to start an introduction paragraph, o ne of the most common approaches is to start with something called a hook. 

What does hook mean here, though? Think of it this way: it’s like when you start a new Netflix series: you look up a few hours (and a few episodes) later and you say, “Whoa. I guess I must be hooked on this show!” 

That’s how the hook is supposed to work in an intro paragrap h: it should get your reader interested enough that they don’t want to press the proverbial “pause” button while they’re reading it . In other words, a hook is designed to grab your reader’s attention and keep them reading your essay! 

This means that the hook comes first in the intro paragraph format—it’ll be the opening sentence of your intro. 

It’s important to realize  that there are many different ways to write a good hook. But generally speaking, hooks must include these two things: what your topic is, and the angle you’re taking on that topic in your essay. 

One approach to writing a hook that works is starting with a general, but interesting, statement on your topic. In this type of hook, you’re trying to provide a broad introduction to your topic and your angle on the topic in an engaging way . 

For example, if you’re writing an essay about the role of the government in the American healthcare system, your hook might look something like this: 

There's a growing movement to require that the federal government provide affordable, effective healthcare for all Americans. 

This hook introduces the essay topic in a broad way (government and healthcare) by presenting a general statement on the topic. But the assumption presented in the hook can also be seen as controversial, which gets readers interested in learning more about what the writer—and the essay—has to say.

In other words, the statement above fulfills the goals of a good hook: it’s intriguing and provides a general introduction to the essay topic.

Intro Paragraph Part 2: Context

Once you’ve provided an attention-grabbing hook, you’ll want to give more context about your essay topic. Context refers to additional details that reveal the specific focus of your paper. So, whereas the hook provides a general introduction to your topic, context starts helping readers understand what exactly you’re going to be writing about

You can include anywhere from one to several sentences of context in your intro, depending on your teacher’s expectations, the length of your paper, and complexity of your topic. In these context-providing sentences, you want to begin narrowing the focus of your intro. You can do this by describing a specific issue or question about your topic that you’ll address in your essay. It also helps readers start to understand why the topic you’re writing about matters and why they should read about it. 

So, what counts as context for an intro paragraph? Context can be any important details or descriptions that provide background on existing perspectives, common cultural attitudes, or a specific situation or controversy relating to your essay topic. The context you include should acquaint your reader with the issues, questions, or events that motivated you to write an essay on your topic...and that your reader should know in order to understand your thesis. 

For instance, if you’re writing an essay analyzing the consequences of sexism in Hollywood, the context you include after your hook might make reference to the #metoo and #timesup movements that have generated public support for victims of sexual harassment. 

The key takeaway here is that context establishes why you’re addressing your topic and what makes it important. It also sets you up for success on the final piece of an intro paragraph: the thesis statement.

Elle Woods' statement offers a specific point of view on the topic of murder...which means it could serve as a pretty decent thesis statement!

Intro Paragraph Part 3: The Thesis

The final key part of how to write an intro paragraph is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is the backbone of your introduction: it conveys your argument or point of view on your topic in a clear, concise, and compelling way . The thesis is usually the last sentence of your intro paragraph. 

Whether it’s making a claim, outlining key points, or stating a hypothesis, your thesis statement will tell your reader exactly what idea(s) are going to be addressed in your essay. A good thesis statement will be clear, straightforward, and highlight the overall point you’re trying to make.

Some instructors also ask students to include an essay map as part of their thesis. An essay map is a section that outlines the major topics a paper will address. So for instance, say you’re writing a paper that argues for the importance of public transport in rural communities. Your thesis and essay map might look like this: 

Having public transport in rural communities helps people improve their economic situation by giving them reliable transportation to their job, reducing the amount of money they spend on gas, and providing new and unionized work .

The underlined section is the essay map because it touches on the three big things the writer will talk about later. It literally maps out the rest of the essay!

So let’s review: Your thesis takes the idea you’ve introduced in your hook and context and wraps it up. Think of it like a television episode: the hook sets the scene by presenting a general statement and/or interesting idea that sucks you in. The context advances the plot by describing the topic in more detail and helping readers understand why the topic is important. And finally, the thesis statement provides the climax by telling the reader what you have to say about the topic. 

The thesis statement is the most important part of the intro. Without it, your reader won’t know what the purpose of your essay is! And for a piece of writing to be effective, it needs to have a clear purpose. Your thesis statement conveys that purpose , so it’s important to put careful thought into writing a clear and compelling thesis statement. 

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How To Write an Introduction Paragraph: Example and Analysis

Now that we’ve provided an intro paragraph outline and have explained the three key parts of an intro paragraph, let’s take a look at an intro paragraph in action.

To show you how an intro paragraph works, we’ve included a sample introduction paragraph below, followed by an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

Example of Introduction Paragraph

While college students in the U.S. are struggling with how to pay for college, there is another surprising demographic that’s affected by the pressure to pay for college: families and parents. In the face of tuition price tags that total more than $100,000 (as a low estimate), families must make difficult decisions about how to save for their children’s college education. Charting a feasible path to saving for college is further complicated by the FAFSA’s estimates for an “Expected Family Contribution”—an amount of money that is rarely feasible for most American families. Due to these challenging financial circumstances and cultural pressure to give one’s children the best possible chance of success in adulthood, many families are going into serious debt to pay for their children’s college education. The U.S. government should move toward bearing more of the financial burden of college education. 

Example of Introduction Paragraph: Analysis

Before we dive into analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of this example intro paragraph, let’s establish the essay topic. The sample intro indicates that t he essay topic will focus on one specific issue: who should cover the cost of college education in the U.S., and why. Both the hook and the context help us identify the topic, while the thesis in the last sentence tells us why this topic matters to the writer—they think the U.S. Government needs to help finance college education. This is also the writer’s argument, which they’ll cover in the body of their essay. 

Now that we’ve identified the essay topic presented in the sample intro, let’s dig into some analysis. To pin down its strengths and weaknesses, we’re going to use the following three questions to guide our example of introduction paragraph analysis: 

  • Does this intro provide an attention-grabbing opening sentence that conveys the essay topic? 
  • Does this intro provide relevant, engaging context about the essay topic? 
  • Does this intro provide a thesis statement that establishes the writer’s point of view on the topic and what specific aspects of the issue the essay will address? 

Now, let’s use the questions above to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this sample intro paragraph. 

Does the Intro Have a Good Hook? 

First, the intro starts out with an attention-grabbing hook . The writer starts by presenting  an assumption (that the U.S. federal government bears most of the financial burden of college education), which makes the topic relatable to a wide audience of readers. Also note that the hook relates to the general topic of the essay, which is the high cost of college education. 

The hook then takes a surprising turn by presenting a counterclaim : that American families, rather than students, feel the true burden of paying for college. Some readers will have a strong emotional reaction to this provocative counterclaim, which will make them want to keep reading! As such, this intro provides an effective opening sentence that conveys the essay topic. 

Does the Intro Give Context?

T he second, third, and fourth sentences of the intro provide contextual details that reveal the specific focus of the writer’s paper . Remember: the context helps readers start to zoom in on what the paper will focus on, and what aspect of the general topic (college costs) will be discussed later on. 

The context in this intro reveals the intent and direction of the paper by explaining why the issue of families financing college is important. In other words, the context helps readers understand why this issue matters , and what aspects of this issue will be addressed in the paper.  

To provide effective context, the writer refers to issues (the exorbitant cost of college and high levels of family debt) that have received a lot of recent scholarly and media attention. These sentences of context also elaborate on the interesting perspective included in the hook: that American families are most affected by college costs.

Does the Intro Have a Thesis? 

Finally, this intro provides a thesis statement that conveys the writer’s point of view on the issue of financing college education. This writer believes that the U.S. government should do more to pay for students’ college educations. 

However, the thesis statement doesn’t give us any details about why the writer has made this claim or why this will help American families . There isn’t an essay map that helps readers understand what points the writer will make in the essay.

To revise this thesis statement so that it establishes the specific aspects of the topic that the essay will address, the writer could add the following to the beginning of the thesis statement:

The U.S. government should take on more of the financial burden of college education because other countries have shown this can improve education rates while reducing levels of familial poverty.

Check out the new section in bold. Not only does it clarify that the writer is talking about the pressure put on families, it touches on the big topics the writer will address in the paper: improving education rates and reduction of poverty. So not only do we have a clearer argumentative statement in this thesis, we also have an essay map!  

So, let’s recap our analysis. This sample intro paragraph does an effective job of providing an engaging hook and relatable, interesting context, but the thesis statement needs some work ! As you write your own intro paragraphs, you might consider using the questions above to evaluate and revise your work. Doing this will help ensure you’ve covered all of your bases and written an intro that your readers will find interesting!

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4 Tips for How To Write an Introduction Paragraph

Now that we’ve gone over an example of introduction paragraph analysis, let’s talk about how to write an introduction paragraph of your own. Keep reading for four tips for writing a successful intro paragraph for any essay. 

Tip 1: Analyze Your Essay Prompt

If you’re having trouble with how to start an introduction paragraph, analyze your essay prompt! Most teachers give you some kind of assignment sheet, formal instructions, or prompt to set the expectations for an essay they’ve assigned, right? Those instructions can help guide you as you write your intro paragraph!

Because they’ll be reading and responding to your essay, you want to make sure you meet your teacher’s expectations for an intro paragraph . For instance, if they’ve provided specific instructions about how long the intro should be or where the thesis statement should be located, be sure to follow them!

The type of paper you’re writing can give you clues as to how to approach your intro as well. If you’re writing a research paper, your professor might expect you to provide a research question or state a hypothesis in your intro. If you’re writing an argumentative essay, you’ll need to make sure your intro overviews the context surrounding your argument and your thesis statement includes a clear, defensible claim. 

Using the parameters set out by your instructor and assignment sheet can put some easy-to-follow boundaries in place for things like your intro’s length, structure, and content. Following these guidelines can free you up to focus on other aspects of your intro... like coming up with an exciting hook and conveying your point of view on your topic!

Tip 2: Narrow Your Topic

You can’t write an intro paragraph without first identifying your topic. To make your intro as effective as possible, you need to define the parameters of your topic clearly—and you need to be specific. 

For example, let’s say you want to write about college football. “NCAA football” is too broad of a topic for a paper. There is a lot to talk about in terms of college football! It would be tough to write an intro paragraph that’s focused, purposeful, and engaging on this topic. In fact, if you did try to address this whole topic, you’d probably end up writing a book!

Instead, you should narrow broad topics to  identify a specific question, claim, or issue pertaining to some aspect of NCAA football for your intro to be effective. So, for instance, you could frame your topic as, “How can college professors better support NCAA football players in academics?” This focused topic pertaining to NCAA football would give you a more manageable angle to discuss in your paper.

So before you think about writing your intro, ask yourself: Is my essay topic specific, focused, and logical? Does it convey an issue or question that I can explore over the course of several pages? Once you’ve established a good topic, you’ll have the foundation you need to write an effective intro paragraph . 

body-stack-of-textbooks-red

Once you've figured out your topic, it's time to hit the books!

Tip 3: Do Your Research

This tip is tightly intertwined with the one above, and it’s crucial to writing a good intro: do your research! And, guess what? This tip applies to all papers—even ones that aren’t technically research papers. 

Here’s why you need to do some research: getting the lay of the land on what others have said about your topic—whether that’s scholars and researchers or the mass media— will help you narrow your topic, write an engaging hook, and provide relatable context. 

You don't want to sit down to write your intro without a solid understanding of the different perspectives on your topic. Whether those are the perspectives of experts or the general public, these points of view will help you write your intro in a way that is intriguing and compelling for your audience of readers. 

Tip 4: Write Multiple Drafts

Some say to write your intro first; others say write it last. The truth is, there isn’t a right or wrong time to write your intro—but you do need to have enough time to write multiple drafts . 

Oftentimes, your professor will ask you to write multiple drafts of your paper, which gives you a built-in way to make sure you revise your intro. Another approach you could take is to write out a rough draft of your intro before you begin writing your essay, then revise it multiple times as you draft out your paper. 

Here’s why this approach can work: as you write your paper, you’ll probably come up with new insights on your topic that you didn’t have right from the start. You can use these “light bulb” moments to reevaluate your intro and make revisions that keep it in line with your developing essay draft. 

Once you’ve written your entire essay, consider going back and revising your intro again . You can ask yourself these questions as you evaluate your intro: 

  • Is my hook still relevant to the way I’ve approached the topic in my essay?
  • Do I provide enough appropriate context to introduce my essay? 
  • Now that my essay is written, does my thesis statement still accurately reflect the point of view that I present in my essay?

Using these questions as a guide and putting your intro through multiple revisions will help ensure that you’ve written the best intro for the final draft of your essay. Also, revising your writing is always a good thing to do—and this applies to your intro, too!

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What's Next?

Your college essays also need great intro paragraphs. Here’s a guide that focuses on how to write the perfect intro for your admissions essays. 

Of course, the intro is just one part of your college essay . This article will teach you how to write a college essay that makes admissions counselors sit up and take notice. 

Are you trying to write an analytical essay? Our step-by-step guide can help you knock it out of the park.

Need more help with this topic? Check out Tutorbase!

Our vetted tutor database includes a range of experienced educators who can help you polish an essay for English or explain how derivatives work for Calculus. You can use dozens of filters and search criteria to find the perfect person for your needs.

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Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Awesome Guide on How to Write an Essay Introduction

introducing a website in an essay

'I'd like to recall the day I nearly burned myself in flames in my automobile while going 250 mph and escaping the police'. – Thankfully, we don't have a story like that to relate to, but we bet we piqued your interest.

That's what we refer to as an efficient hook. Fundamentally, it's an attention-grabbing first sentence that piques an audience's interest and encourages them to keep reading. While writing an essay, a strong hook in essay introductions is essential.

Delve into the article if you're wondering how to start an essay with a strong introduction. This is the ultimate guide for writing the parts of a introduction paragraph from our custom dissertation writing service to engage your readers.

Introduction Definition

The introduction paragraph, to put it simply, is the first section of an essay. Thus, when reading your essay, the reader will notice it right away. What is the goal of an opening paragraph? There are two things that an excellent introduction achieves. It initially informs the reader on the subject of your work; in other words, it should describe the essay's topic and provide some background information for its main point. It must also spark readers' interest and persuade them to read the remainder of your article.

To provide you with essay writing services , we only need your paper requirements to create a plagiarism-free paper on time.

How Long Should an Introduction Be

Typically, there are no strict restrictions on how long an opening paragraph should be. Professional essay writers often shape the size of it with the paper's total length in mind. For instance, if you wonder how to make introduction in essay with five paragraphs, keep your introductory sentence brief and fit it inside a single section. But, if you're writing a longer paper, let's say one that's 40 pages, your introduction could need many paragraphs or even be pages long.

Although there are no specific requirements, seasoned writers advise that your introduction paragraph should account for 8% to 9% of your essay's overall word length.

And, if you place an order on our coursework writing services , we will certainly comply with your introduction length requirements.

What Makes a Good Introduction

All of the following criteria should be fulfilled by a strong opening sentence:

  • Start your introduction on an essay with a catchy sentence that draws the reader in.
  • It needs to include baseline information about your subject.
  • This should give readers a sense of the main argument(s) that your essay will address.
  • It must include all necessary information on the setting, locations, and chronological events.
  • By the end of your introduction, make a precise remark that serves as your essay's thesis.

What Are the 3 Parts of an Introduction Paragraph

So, what should be in a introduction paragraph? The introduction format essay has three sections: a hook, connections, and a thesis statement. Let's examine each component in more depth.

What Are the 3 Parts of an Introduction Paragraph

Part 1: Essay Hook

A hook is among the most effective parts of a introduction paragraph to start an essay. A strong hook will always engage the reader in only one sentence. In other words, it is a selling point.

Let's now address the query, 'how to make an essay introduction hook interesting?'. Well, to create a powerful hook, you can employ a variety of techniques:

  • A shocking fact
  • An anecdote 
  • A short summary

And here is what to avoid when using a hook:

  • Dictionary definitions
  • Generalizations
  • Sweeping statements that include words like 'everywhere,' 'always,' etc.

Once you've established a strong hook, you should give a general outline of your major point and some background information on the subject of your paper. If you're unsure how to write an introduction opening, the ideal approach is to describe your issue briefly before directing readers to particular areas. Simply put, you need to give some context before gradually getting more specific with your opinions.

The 5 Types of Hooks for Writing

Apart from the strategies mentioned above, there are even more types of hooks that can be used:

  • A Common Misconception — a good trick, to begin with, to claim that something your readers believe in is false.

Example: 'Although many falsely believe that people working from home are less productive – employees who get such work-life benefits generally work harder.'

  • Statistics — Statistical facts may provide a great hook for argumentative essays and serious subjects focusing on statistics.

Example: 'A recent study showed that people who are satisfied with their work-life balance work 21% harder and are 33% more likely to stay at the same company.'

  • Personal Story — sometimes, personal stories can be an appropriate hook, but only if they fit into a few brief sentences (for example, in narrative essays).

Example: 'When I had my first work-from-home experience, I suddenly realized the importance of having a good work-life balance; I saw plenty of the benefits it can provide.'

  • Scenes — this type of hook requires making the readers imagine the things you are writing about. It is most suitable when used in descriptive and narrative essays.

Example: 'Imagine you could have as much free time as you wish by working or studying from home—and spend more time with your loved ones.'

  • Thesis Statement — when unsure how to do an essay introduction, some writers start directly with their thesis statement. The main trick here is that there is no trick.

Example: 'I strongly believe there is a direct correlation between a healthy work-life balance and productivity in school or at work.'

Part 2: Connections

Give readers a clearer sense of what you will discuss throughout your article once you have given a hook and relevant background information about your essay topic. Briefly mentioning your main points in the same sequence in which you will address them in your body paragraphs can help your readers progressively arrive at your thesis statement.

In this section of your introduction, you should primarily address the following questions:

You may make sure that you are giving your readers all the information they need to understand the subject of your essay by responding to each of these questions in two to three lines. Be careful to make these statements brief and to the point, though.

Your main goal is gradually moving from general to specific facts about your subject or thesis statement. Visualize your introduction as an upside-down triangle to simplify the essay writing process. The attention-grabbing element is at the top of this triangle, followed by a more detailed description of the subject and concluding with a highly precise claim. Here is some quick advice on how to use the 'upside-down triangle' structure to compose an essay introduction:

  • Ensure that each subsequent line in your introduction is more focused and precise. This simple method will help you progressively introduce the main material of your piece to your audience.
  • Consider that you are writing a paper on the value of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. In this situation, you may start with a query like, 'Have you ever considered how a healthy work-life balance can affect other areas of your life?' or a similar hook. Next, you could proceed by giving broad factual information. Finally, you could focus your topic on fitting your thesis statement.

Part 3: The Thesis Statement

If you're unsure of the ideal method to create an introduction, you should be particularly attentive to how you phrase your thesis statement.

The thesis of your work is, without a doubt, the most crucial section. Given that the thesis statement of your piece serves as the foundation for the entire essay, it must be presented in the introduction. A thesis statement provides readers with a brief summary of the article's key point. Your main assertion is what you'll be defending or disputing in the body of your essay. An effective thesis statement is often one sentence long, accurate, exact, unambiguous, and focused. Your thesis should often be provided at the end of your introduction.

Here is an example thesis statement for an essay about the value of a proper work-life balance to help you gain a better understanding of what a good thesis should be:

Thesis Statement Example: 'Creating flexible and pleasant work schedules for employees can help them have a better work-life balance while also increasing overall performance.'

Catchy Introductions for Different Essay Types

Although opening paragraphs typically have a fixed form, their language may vary. In terms of academic essays, students are often expected to produce four primary intro to essay examples. They include articles that are analytical, argumentative, personal, and narrative. It is assumed that different information should appear in these beginning paragraphs since the goals of each sort of essay change. A thorough overview of the various paper kinds is provided below, along with some good essay introduction samples from our argumentative essay writers:

Narrative Introduction

  • The writer of a narrative essay must convey a story in this style of writing. Such essays communicate a story, which distinguishes them from other essay types in a big way.
  • Such a paper's hook will often be an enticing glimpse into a specific scene that only loosely links to the thesis statement. Additionally, when writing such an essay, a writer should ensure that every claim included in the introduction relates to some important moments that have significantly impacted the story's outcome.
  • The thesis in narrative writing is usually the theme or main lesson learned from the story.
Narrative introduction example: 'My phone rang, and my mother told me that Dad had suffered a heart attack. I suddenly experienced a sense of being lifted out from under me by this immaculately carpeted flooring. After making it through, Dad left me with a sizable collection of lessons. Here are three principles that I know dad would have wanted me to uphold...'

Still Can't Think of a Perfect Intro?

When assigned to write an essay, students end up with a ton of questions, including 'How to structure an essay?', 'How to choose a good topic?'. Here at EssayPro, we employ only the best essay writers who are committed to students’ success.

Analytical Introduction

  • Analytical essay introduction format is another popular type. In contrast to a narrative paper, an analytical paper seeks to explore an idea and educate the reader about a topic.
  • Three important facts that support the analytical premise should be included in the middle section of the introduction.
  • A well-researched and well-thought-out claim will form a wonderful thesis because the main goal of this paper is to study the topic and educate readers. It's crucial to remember that this assertion shouldn't initially have any real weight. Although it will still be theoretical, it has to be articulated practically.
Analytical introduction example: “... Hence even though presidents, CEOs, and generals still have their daily schedules full of economic crises and military conflicts, on the cosmic scale of history humankind can lift its eyes up and start looking towards new horizons. If we bring famine, plague, and war under control, what will replace them at the top of the human agenda? Like firefighters in a world without fire, so humankind in the twenty-first century needs to ask itself an unprecedented question: what are we going to do with ourselves? What will demand our attention and ingenuity in a healthy, prosperous, and harmonious world? In a healthy, prosperous, and harmonious world, what will demand our attention and ingenuity? This question becomes doubly urgent given the immense new powers that biotechnology and information technology are providing us with. What will we do with all that power? ...” Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, Yuval Noah Harari

Persuasive Introduction

  • To persuade readers of anything is the sole goal of persuasive essay writing. This may be accomplished using persuasive strategies like ethos, pathos, and logos.
  • A hook statement for this paper may be anything from a fascinating fact to even comedy. You can use whatever technique you choose. The most crucial advice is to ensure your hook is in line with your thesis and that it can bolster further justifications.
  • Generally speaking, a persuasive essay must include three supporting facts. Hence, to gradually lead readers to the major topic of your paper, add a quick summary of your three arguments in your introduction.
  • Last, the thesis statement should be the main claim you will be disputing in this paper. It should be a brief, carefully thought-out, and confident statement of your essay's major argument.
Persuasive introduction example: 'Recycling waste helps to protect the climate. Besides cleaning the environment, it uses waste materials to create valuable items. Recycling initiatives must be running all around the world. ...'

Personal Introduction

  • The final sort of academic writing that students frequently encounter is a personal essay. In principle, this essay style is creative nonfiction and requires the author to reflect on personal experiences. The goals of such a paper may be to convey a story, discuss the lessons that certain incidents have taught you, etc. This type of writing is unique since it is the most personal.
  • Whatever topic you choose can serve as the hook for such an essay. A pertinent remark, query, joke, or fact about the primary plot or anything else will be acceptable. The backdrop of your narrative should then be briefly explained after that. Lastly, a thesis statement can describe the impact of particular experiences on you and what you learned.
Personal introduction example: 'My parents always pushed me to excel in school and pursue new interests like playing the saxophone and other instruments. I felt obligated to lead my life in a way that met their standards. Success was always expected on the route they had set out for me. Yet eight years after my parents' separation, this course was diverted when my dad relocated to California...'

Tips for Writing a Winning Introduction Paragraph

You now understand how to do introduction and have specific intro example for essays to help you get going. Let's quickly examine what you should and shouldn't do during the writing process.

  • Keep the assignment's purpose in mind when you write your introduction, and ensure it complies with your instructor's requirements.
  • Use a compelling and relevant hook to grab the reader's attention immediately.
  • Make sure your readers understand your perspective to make it apparent.
  • If necessary, establish key terms related to your subject.
  • Show off your expertise on the subject.
  • Provide a symbolic road map to help readers understand what you discuss throughout the post.
  • Be brief; it's recommended that your introduction make up no more than 8 to 9 percent of the entire text (for example, 200 words for a 2500 words essay).
  • Construct a strong thesis statement.
  • Create some intrigue.
  • Make sure there is a clear and smooth transition from your introduction to the body of your piece.
  • If you're looking for a custom writer , request assistance from the EssayPro team. We know how to write a term paper along with many other types of essays.

Don'ts

  • Provide too much background information.
  • Use sentences that are off-topic or unnecessary.
  • Make your opening paragraph excessively long.
  • Keep some information a secret and reveal it later in conclusion.
  • Employ overused phrases or generalizations.
  • Using quotation marks excessively

Now that you know what is in the introduction of an essay, we recommend reading the information on how to critique an article to gain more academic insight.

If you are still struggling with that, keep in mind that you can always send us your request to get professional assistance from our law essay writing service .

Get Help With Your ESSAY INTRO!

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thesis statement

The introduction to an academic essay will generally present an analytical question or problem and then offer an answer to that question (the thesis).

Your introduction is also your opportunity to explain to your readers what your essay is about and why they should be interested in reading it. You don’t have to “hook” your readers with a dramatic promise (every other discussion of the topic you’re writing about is completely wrong!) or an exciting fact (the moon can reach 127 degrees Celsius!). Instead, you should use your introduction to explain to your readers why your essay is going to be interesting to read. To do this, you’ll need to frame the question or problem that you’re writing about and explain why this question or problem is important. If you make a convincing case for why your question or problem is worth solving, your readers will be interested in reading on.

While some of the conventions for writing an introduction vary by discipline, a strong introduction for any paper will contain some common elements. You can see these common elements in the sample introductions on this page . In general, your introductions should contain the following elements:

  • Orienting Information When you’re writing an essay, it’s helpful to think about what your reader needs to know in order to follow your argument. Your introduction should include enough information so that readers can understand the context for your thesis. For example, if you are analyzing someone else’s argument, you will need to identify that argument and possibly summarize its key points. If you are joining a scholarly conversation about education reform, you will need to provide context for this conversation before explaining what your essay adds to the discussion. But you don’t necessarily have to summarize your sources in detail in your introduction; that information may fit in better later in your essay. When you’re deciding how much context or background information to provide, it can be helpful to think about that information in relation to your thesis. You don’t have to tell readers everything they will need to know to understand your entire essay right away. You just need to give them enough information to be able to understand and appreciate your thesis. For some assignments, you’ll be able to assume that your audience has also read the sources you are analyzing. But even in those cases, you should still offer enough information for readers to know which parts of a source you are talking about. When you’re writing a paper based on your own research, you will need to provide more context about the sources you’re going to discuss. If you’re not sure how much you can assume your audience knows, you should consult your instructor.

An explanation of what’s at stake in your essay, or why anyone would need to read an essay that argues this thesis You will know why your essay is worth writing if you are trying to answer a question that doesn’t have an obvious answer; to propose a solution to a problem without one obvious solution; or to point out something that others may not have noticed that changes the way we consider a phenomenon, source, or idea. In all of these cases, you will be trying to understand something that you think is valuable to understand. But it’s not enough that you know why your essay is worth reading; you also need to explain to your readers why they should care about reading an essay that argues your thesis.

In other words, part of the role of an introduction is to explain to your reader what is at stake in your argument. As you draft your introduction, it can be helpful to think about how you arrived at your thesis and to take your reader through a shortened version of that process by framing the question or problem that you are trying to answer and explaining why it’s worth exploring. It’s not enough to explain why the topic you’re writing about matters; rather, you need to explain what your essay adds to that discussion. So, for example, if you were writing an essay about the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health, it wouldn’t be enough to say that what’s at stake is that “people care about reproductive rights.” That would explain why, in general, someone might want to read about this topic. But your readers need to know why your thesis is worth arguing. Does it challenge an accepted view? Does it present a new way of considering a concept? Does it put the Supreme Court decision into a historical context in a way that is unusual or surprising?

  • Your thesis This is what you’re arguing in your essay.  

Tips for writing introductions 

  • If you are writing in a new discipline, you should always make sure to ask about conventions and expectations for introductions, just as you would for any other aspect of the essay. For example, while it may be acceptable to write a two-paragraph (or longer) introduction for your papers in some courses, instructors in other disciplines, such as those in some Government courses, may expect a shorter introduction that includes a preview of the argument that will follow.  
  • In some disciplines (Government, Economics, and others), it’s common to offer an overview in the introduction of what points you will make in your essay. In other disciplines, you will not be expected to provide this overview in your introduction.  
  • Avoid writing a very general opening sentence. While it may be true that “Since the dawn of time, people have been telling love stories,” it won’t help you explain what’s interesting about your topic.  
  • Avoid writing a “funnel” introduction in which you begin with a very broad statement about a topic and move to a narrow statement about that topic. Broad generalizations about a topic will not add to your readers’ understanding of your specific essay topic.  
  • Avoid beginning with a dictionary definition of a term or concept you will be writing about. If the concept is complicated or unfamiliar to your readers, you will need to define it in detail later in your essay. If it’s not complicated, you can assume your readers already know the definition.  
  • Avoid offering too much detail in your introduction that a reader could better understand later in the paper.
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How to write an essay: Introduction

  • What's in this guide
  • Introduction
  • Essay structure
  • Additional resources

The Introduction

An in troduction generally does three things. The first part is usually a general comment that shows the reader why the topic is important, gets their interest, and leads them into the topic. It isn’t actually part of your argument. The next part of the introduction is the thesis statement . This is your response to the question; your final answer. It is probably the most important part of the introduction. Finally, the introduction tells the reader what they can expect in the essay body. This is where you briefly outline your arguments .

Here is an example of the introduction to the question - Discuss how media can influence children. Use specific examples to support your view.

Example of an introduction

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How to Write an Excellent Essay Introduction

How to Write an Excellent Essay Introduction

3-minute read

  • 27th September 2022

Love it or hate it, essay writing is a big part of student life. Writing a great essay might seem like a daunting task, especially when you’re staring at a blank document, but there are formulas you can follow to make sure your paper hits the mark.

When you plan your essays , don’t neglect your introduction! It might seem like a trivial part of the paper, but it can make it or break it. A badly written introduction can leave your reader feeling confused about the topic and what to expect from your essay.

To help your writing reach its full potential, we’ve put together a guide to writing an excellent essay introduction.

How to Write an Essay Introduction

An essay introduction has four main steps:

●  Hook your reader

●  Provide context

●  Present your thesis statement

●  Map your essay

Hook Your Reader

The first part of your introduction should be the hook. This is where you introduce the reader to the topic of the essay. A great hook should be clear, concise, and catchy. It doesn’t need to be long; a hook can be just one sentence.

Provide Context

In this section, introduce your reader to key definitions, ideas, and background information to help them understand your argument.

Present Your Thesis Statement

A thesis statement tells the reader the main point or argument of the essay. This can be just one sentence, or it can be a few sentences.

Map Your Essay

Before you wrap up your essay introduction, map it! This means signposting sections of your essay. The key here is to be concise. The purpose of this part of the introduction is to give your reader a sense of direction.

Here’s an example of an essay introduction:

Hook: Suspense is key for dramatic stories, and Shakespeare is well-known and celebrated for writing suspenseful plays.

Context: While there are many ways in which Shakespeare created suspension for his viewers, two techniques he used effectively were foreshadowing and dramatic irony. Foreshadowing is a literary device that hints at an event or situation that is yet to happen. Dramatic irony is a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience or reader, although it is unknown to the character.

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Thesis statement: Foreshadowing and dramatic irony are two powerful techniques that Shakespeare used to create suspense in literature. These methods have been used to keep the reader intrigued, excited, or nervous about what is to come in many of his celebrated works.

Essay mapping: In this essay, I will be detailing how Shakespeare uses foreshadowing and dramatic irony to create suspense, with examples from Romeo and Juliet and Othello.

Pro tip: Essays take twists and turns. We recommend changing your introduction as necessary while you write the main text to make sure it fully aligns with your final draft.

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Essay writing: Introductions

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“A relevant and coherent beginning is perhaps your best single guarantee that the essay as a whole will achieve its object.” Gordon Taylor, A Student's Writing Guide

Your introduction is the first thing your marker will read and should be approximately 10% of your word count. Within the first minute they should know if your essay is going to be a good one or not. An introduction has several components but the most important of these are the last two we give here. You need to show the reader what your position is and how you are going to argue the case to get there so that the essay becomes your answer to the question rather than just an answer.

What an introduction should include:

  • A little basic background about the key subject area (just enough to put your essay into context, no more or you'll bore the reader).
  • Explanation of how you are defining any key terms . Confusion on this could be your undoing.
  • A road-map of how your essay will answer the question. What is your overall argument and how will you develop it?
  • A confirmation of your position .

Background information

It is good to start with a statement that fixes your essay topic and focus in a wider context so that the reader is sure of where they are within the field. This is a very small part of the introduction though - do not fall into the trap of writing a whole paragraph that is nothing but background information.

Beware though, this only has to be a little bit wider, not completely universal. That is, do not start with something like "In the whole field of nursing...." or "Since man could write, he has always...". Instead, simply situate the area that you are writing about within a slightly bigger area. For example, you could start with a general statement about a topic, outlining some key issues but explain that your essay will focus on only one. Here is an example:

The ability to communicate effectively and compassionately is a key skill within nursing. Communication is about more than being able to speak confidently and clearly, it is about effective listening (Singh, 2019), the use of gesture, body language and tone (Adebe et al., 2016) and the ability to tailor language and messaging to particular situations (Smith & Jones, 2015). This essay will explore the importance of non-verbal communication ...

The example introduction at the bottom of this page also starts with similar, short background information.

Prehistoric man with the caption "Since the dawn of man..."

Defining key terms

This does not mean quoting dictionary definitions - we all have access to dictionary.com with a click or two. There are many words we use in academic work that can have multiple or nuanced definitions. You have to write about how you are defining any potentially ambiguous terms in relation to  your  essay topic. This is really important for your reader, as it will inform them how you are using such words in the context of your essay and prevent confusion or misunderstanding.

Student deciding if 'superpower' relates to the USA and China or Superman and Spider-man

Stating your case (road mapping)

The main thing an introduction will do is...introduce your essay! That means you need to tell the reader what your conclusion is and how you will get there.

There is no need to worry about *SPOILER ALERTS* - this is not a detective novel you can give away the ending! Sorry, but building up suspense is just going to irritate the reader rather than eventually satisfy. Simply outline how your main arguments (give them in order) lead to your conclusion. In American essay guides you will see something described as the ‘thesis statement’ - although we don't use this terminology in the UK, it is still necessary to state in your introduction what the over-arching argument of your essay will be. Think of it as the mega-argument , to distinguish it from the mini-arguments you make in each paragraph. Look at the example introduction at the bottom of this page which includes both of these elements.

Car on a road to a place called 'Conclusion'

Confirming your position

To some extent, this is covered in your roadmap (above), but it is so important, it deserves some additional attention here. Setting out your position is an essential component of all essays. Brick et al. (2016:143) even suggest

"The purpose of an essay is to present a clear position and defend it"

It is, however, very difficult to defend a position if you have not made it clear in the first place. This is where your introduction comes in. In stating your position, you are ultimately outlining the answer to the question. You can then make the rest of your essay about providing the evidence that supports your answer. As such, if you make your position clear, you will find all subsequent paragraphs in your essay easier to write and join together. As you have already told your reader where the essay is going, you can be explicit in how each paragraph contributes to your mega-argument.

In establishing your position and defending it, you are ultimately engaging in scholarly debate. This is because your positions are supported by academic evidence and analysis. It is in your analysis of the academic evidence that should lead your reader to understand your position. Once again - this is only possible if your introduction has explained your position in the first place.

student standing on a cross holding a sign saying "my position"

An example introduction

(Essay title = Evaluate the role of stories as pedagogical tools in higher education)

Stories have been an essential communication technique for thousands of years and although teachers and parents still think they are important for educating younger children, they have been restricted to the role of entertainment for most of us since our teenage years. This essay will claim that stories make ideal pedagogical tools, whatever the age of the student, due to their unique position in cultural and cognitive development. To argue this, it will consider three main areas: firstly, the prevalence of stories across time and cultures and how the similarity of story structure suggests an inherent understanding of their form which could be of use to academics teaching multicultural cohorts when organising lecture material; secondly, the power of stories to enable listeners to personally relate to the content and how this increases the likelihood of changing thoughts, behaviours and decisions - a concept that has not gone unnoticed in some fields, both professional and academic; and finally, the way that different areas of the brain are activated when reading, listening to or watching a story unfold, which suggests that both understanding and ease of recall, two key components of learning, are both likely to be increased . Each of these alone could make a reasoned argument for including more stories within higher education teaching – taken together, this argument is even more compelling.

Key:   Background information (scene setting)   Stating the case (r oad map)    Confirming a position (in two places). Note in this introduction there was no need to define key terms.

Brick, J., Herke, M., and Wong, D., (2016) Academic Culture, A students guide to studying at university, 3rd edition. Victoria, Australia: Palgrave Macmillan.

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24 Attention-Grabbing Website Homepage Introductions

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When visiting your site, a user decides whether to hit the “back button” within milliseconds.

That’s right, milliseconds .

Your homepage is your only chance to get them to stay on your site and become a customer.

And since a company’s homepage accounts for up to 50 percent of the site’s total pageviews,  it’ll make or break your business.

You need to design a homepage introduction that’s “sticky” enough that they won’t leave.

How to Create the Perfect Homepage Introduction

Your homepage’s copy is a huge factor in how successful your homepage will be.

It’s the first thing your visitors will see, and it can serve as a short “elevator pitch” letting the visitor know what your site is about.

So your website introduction content absolutely needs to be compelling.

Fortunately, writing effective homepage copy doesn’t need to be complicated. That’s why on this page, I’ll cover 11 tips you can use to design a page that’s interesting enough to make visitors want to learn more, and successful in driving them to take action.

1. Be Concise

Your homepage has a few main jobs : Show visitors what they’re looking for, show them where to start, and establish your company’s credibility.

Accomplishing this doesn’t need to involve a lot of copy.

Of course, some products and services require more of an explanation than others. If your company’s core offerings are different from anything else on the market, you’ll need to do a bit more work to tell visitors what they are.

But if you’re offering a product or service that your target audience is already familiar with, this doesn’t need to be the case.

They’ll be able to get the basic idea within a few seconds. And from there, your goal should be to convince them that your business is the right choice for their needs and drive them to take action.

If visitors immediately understand the site’s overarching goal, direct text is the best way to get them to take the next step.

In fact, you should be able to accomplish everything you need in one to three sentences, as a general rule.

Did you know that editing copy to be more scannable and concise can increase usability by 124 percent ?

When you think about it, that makes perfect sense.

If the majority of your site’s visitors are scanning your content, some of them are bound to miss important information. They might read and remember the less-important details, but skip right over the copy that’s most effective in driving them to take action.

When you keep your copy concise, you remove everything but the copy you want your readers to focus on.

This way, you don’t have to worry about them getting distracted — because all they’ll see is your most important copy.

For example, take a look at Spotify’s homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-1-be-concise-spotify

The page’s headline illustrates the brand’s goal of making music accessible to everyone. Then, it gives visitors the option to try the product’s free version. At the top, visitors have the option to sign up for a premium membership, get help, or log in, as well.

It would be almost impossible for a visitor to get distracted on this page.

If you’re torn between creating a long, informative homepage or a brief one like Spotify’s, consider that short homepages regularly outperform longer ones.

In one test, Pipedrive wanted to see whether their lengthy homepage was really the most effective way to drive conversions.

They created a variant that was significantly shorter than the original and tested them against one another.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-1-spotify-variant

So, was this shorter page more effective?

“Yes” is an understatement.

The shorter variant achieved a 300 percent increase in conversions .

So you don’t need to include every last detail on your homepage to drive conversions. And as this study illustrates, leaving them out could help your visitors focus on the page’s main goal.

crazy egg ab test

2. Provoke Action

One of the most common reasons users leave a site is that they simply don’t know what to do .

It’s not that they don’t want to become a customer — it’s that they don’t know how.

This means that in addition to explaining what you’re offering, your homepage’s copy should also include a call to action.

And it shouldn’t be an afterthought, either. Your call to action is the most important element on the page .

After all, no matter how beautiful your design or compelling your copy, your homepage is useless if it doesn’t help you reach your business goals.

Your site isn’t just meant to inspire a positive reaction — it’s supposed to help you drive sales and generate leads.

And the best way to make this happen is to tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do.

Take a look at how Southwest accomplishes this on their homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-2-southwest

As soon as a visitor lands on this page, they’re instructed to book a flight — and to do so within the timeframe of their current sale; in this case, by Monday. The entire page is designed around this action, and the clear directive leaves no room for confusion.

Plus, the yellow “Book by Monday” button is a clear contrast with the page’s red background, making it immediately obvious where a user is supposed to click.

Now, let’s a take a look at another great website introduction example from Memrise:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-2-memrise

In this case, the call to action isn’t a button.

This is a bit unusual and goes against what many marketers consider best practice for high-converting calls to action.

But for Memrise, it works.

That’s because the site offers courses in 20+ languages — so it wouldn’t make sense for their homepage to direct all of their visitors to only one of them.

And while they could direct users to simply create an account, then select their desired language during the registration process, this would require visitors to browse a list of languages before signing up.

Assuming that most people start using a language-learning tool because they want to study a specific language, they’d want to be sure that a platform offers the one they’re interested in before registering.

Memrise integrates this process directly into their call to action, speeding up the process and likely increasing the number of visitors who sign up as soon as they see their desired language on the list.

3. Place Your Headline Prominently

Beyond the copy you use in your main headline, it’s also important to consider placement.

Your homepage has a limited amount of real estate for content, and your headline should take up a significant portion of that.

Although you can include other elements, like photos and graphics, you want to make sure that visitors don’t miss your copy.

So as you divide up your page, give your headline plenty of space.

For example, check out how Slack balances their copy with a custom graphic:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-3-slack

The graphic brings color and adds some visual interest to the page, but it doesn’t overpower the main headline.

The 50-50 split layout, combined with the bold font used for “Where Work Happens,” ensures that visitors’ attention will still be drawn to the copy.

Plus, the text has ample spacing around it to make it more distinct.

Next, let’s take a look at Google Drive’s homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-3-google-drive

Although the image background doesn’t leave “white space” in the same way that Slack’s homepage does, the minimalistic approach creates a similar effect.

The main headline immediately attracts attention, and the bright blue button is clearly where visitors are supposed to click.

4. Stay Above the Fold

As you place your headline, you should also ensure that it’s above the fold, regardless of the browser or device a visitor uses.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “above the fold” simply refers to the portion of a page a user can view without scrolling. It’s what appears as soon as they land on the page, and is the first content they’ll see.

This means that the content you place above the fold on your site is what will make the first impression on each visitor.

If visitors like what they see, they’ll either continue scrolling and learning, or they’ll take action.

But if the content within that first view isn’t enough to convince them that your business is worth their time, they may not bother to scroll and learn more.

This means that it’s essential to place your most attention-grabbing, compelling copy within the top, above-the-fold portion of your page.

If your page is simple, this is a relatively easy goal to accomplish.

For example, Duolingo’s homepage includes two simple, compelling sentences, and a high-contrast call to action.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-4-duolingo

This is all the site really needs to drive their main goal of encouraging visitors to try one of their courses — and it’s relatively easy to fit within the space offered by standard desktop, laptop, and smartphone screens.

For sites that offer a more complex product, this is a slightly more challenging task.

For example, Palantir is a full-service web agency offering strategy and consultation, brand development, web design, content strategy, training programs, and more.

That would be a lot to explain in the limited amount of space available above the fold on most browsers and devices.

So instead of cramming their homepage full of complicated details and directives, the company keeps things user-friendly with a simple headline, explanation, and call to action.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-4-palantir

And while this brief copy likely won’t be enough to drive readers to contact the company immediately, that’s simply the nature of the industry.

Web design and digital marketing typically require large investments of both time and money, so choosing a service provider isn’t a decision to take lightly. This means it would be unreasonable to expect this homepage to generate immediate conversions.

But it isn’t unreasonable to aim to grab visitors’ attention and make them want to learn more.

And that’s exactly what this straightforward, above-the-fold headline is designed to do.

The first impression that each visitor gets is simple and easy to understand. It won’t overwhelm them or prevent them from spending more time on the page.

From here, users can scroll to find case studies, testimonials, blog posts, and more information about each individual service.

And because this headline gives them a basic overview of what Palantir has to offer, they’ll be much more likely to do that than they would if the company attempted to squeeze all of those details into that top space.

5. Use Short, Unique Copy

Your headline is the first piece of copy a user will read on your page.

But your goal shouldn’t just be to get your visitors to engage with that first sentence or two. The true purpose of a headline is to compel them to keep reading and moving through your page.

Essentially, it needs to make them want to learn more.

But considering that, on average, five times as many people read a page’s headline than read the body copy, many sites aren’t successful in reaching this simple goal.

So as you create your best homepage , make sure that your headline copy is effective at grabbing readers’ attention.

Simplicity is one part of the equation, but your copy should also be unique.

Most consumers are used to hearing the same basic taglines and marketing claims, so the best way to grab their attention is to write something that stands out.

This will help your brand create a refreshing change of pace for readers and make a much more memorable impression.

For example, take a look at the headline on Audible’s homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-5-audible

Instead of using this space for a simple explanation of their service, the company features a bold, unique claim prominently on the page.

This is much more interesting than telling readers that they’re an audiobook service — especially since most of them probably already know that.

Of course, this method is easiest for well-established brands.

After all, companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon don’t need to spend too much time telling consumers who they are. The vast majority of us already know — so these brands have the most room for creativity when it comes to headlines.

But any company can use a unique headline, as long as they also include a more informative subheading or explanation.

For example, Lyft encourages users to sign up to become drivers with the headline, “Turn Miles into Money.”

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-5-lyft

While the subheading (“Sign up to drive with Lyft”) provides a more concrete explanation of what the page is telling visitors to do, that copy isn’t nearly as unique.

By featuring that first directive more prominently, Lyft is able to grab users’ attention, then give them more details once they’re already paying attention.

And while they’re certainly an established brand, this approach would work for virtually any company, regardless of how familiar consumers are with their products.

Use our tools to see how your copy is perfoming

6. Communicate Value Immediately

As soon as a visitor arrives on your site, you need to show them the value of what you’re offering.

And while that may seem obvious to you (and the rest of your marketing team), you’ll be most effective in converting visitors into customers if you spell that value out as clearly as possible.

If your business focuses on providing the most cost-effective solution in your industry, say that.

Regardless of how you deliver value to your customers, you should aim to highlight that clearly on your homepage.

This way, visitors don’t need to spend time digging through your pages to figure out how you can help them. They’ll know within seconds of arriving on your site.

For example, take a look at how ClickTime explains its product to users.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-6-clicktime

Right in the headline, they explain that they’re offering “Timesheets That Drive Performance.”

This alone could be a compelling explanation for visitors looking to improve their timekeeping process for employees.

But the page continues by explaining that customers can “reduce costs, increase project visibility, and stay on budget” using their product.

These are clear, concrete benefits, and ones that are likely compelling for just about any business owner — especially those looking for new time-tracking software.

The copy on this page is only a total of four lines long, but right away, visitors get a clear sense of value.

And if they’re looking for an efficient timekeeping solution, it’s immediately obvious that ClickTime could be a great option to consider.

PNC Bank takes a similar approach to explaining the benefits of their various credit cards.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-6-pnc-bank

In this case, the page shows four different credit cards, each with a different way of providing value.

On this main page, PNC needs to convey the core benefit of each to help users determine which one is best-suited to their needs. From there, each card has its own dedicated page, where visitors can find more information — but first, those visitors need to know which to click.

The company addresses this need by summarizing each card in one or two words: “Cash Back. Low Interest. Rewards. Travel.”

Of course, these are very simplistic ways of explaining the benefits of each. But each conveys a specific type of value, letting visitors decide for themselves which is most important.

7. Place Your Call to Action Logically

As I mentioned above, a call to action is an essential element of your site’s introduction.

A clear, direct call to action is the best way to encourage visitors to convert and generate the results that matter most for your business.

But much like your headline, it isn’t just the copy that matters for an effective call to action. The placement is also extremely important.

After all, it doesn’t matter how compelling your button text is if none of your visitors ever see it. This means that it should be a core part of your page’s design, right from the start.

And of course, you’ll want to make sure that it’s above the fold, along with your headline.

But beyond that, ensure that your call to action is placed logically in relation to the rest of the content on your page — and that it isn’t overshadowed by any of the other elements.

In fact, as you design your page, your call to action should be one of the only elements that visitors can engage with.

If your homepage offers your visitors too many options, you harm the chances that they’ll take any of them. This is the basic principle of Hick’s Law.

In its most basic form, this is the principle that the more choices someone has, the more difficult it will be for them to make a decision.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-7-hicks-law

In web design, it means that the fewer inessential elements a page has, the faster users will get to conversions.

So when it comes to designing your homepage, aim to arrange your elements in such a way that clicking your main call to action isn’t just a logical choice — it’s the only logical choice.

For example, take a look at the logical flow of elements on Aspiration’s homepage.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-7-aspiration

The page only contains three simple elements: A headline, a subheading, and a call to action button.

Each is straightforward, and they work well together to encourage visitors to sign up.

That’s because there’s a clear flow from the top of the page from the bottom.

It would be nearly impossible for a user to be confused about what they’re supposed to do or be distracted from the main action they’re supposed to take.

The page doesn’t do anything wildly inventive or unique, but its simplicity is a major part of its effectiveness.

Care/Of takes a similar approach with its homepage layout.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-7-care-of

Its main headline is attention-grabbing.

Its subheading is informative and straightforward.

And its call to action is simple and impossible to miss.

Again, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking. But it gives users a clear path to conversion.

This arrangement prevents visitors from missing important details, and from leaving the page out of confusion or frustration.

And when it comes to driving conversions, that’s much more important than innovative design.

8. Include Attention-Grabbing Graphics

Up until now, all of the tips I’ve mentioned relate to copy and calls to action. That’s because these are the two most important elements on your homepage.

And a homepage can be done well without too much in the way of graphics or photos. It’s possible to engage visitors and make them want to learn more with well-written, artfully-arranged copy.

Just take a look at this example from NeverBland:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-8-neverbland

In their case, simple works.

But that doesn’t mean that visual components aren’t important, or that they can’t make a positive impact.

In fact, when done well, they can be just as effective as a great headline at attracting a visitor’s attention and making them want to learn more.

They can make all the difference in how a user perceives your brand, and whether they decide to convert.

For businesses selling tangible products, they can also give visitors a more concrete idea of what those items are.

Just take a look at how Starbucks promotes their blonde roast espresso on their homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-8-starbucks

The copy here is well-written. It promises a smooth flavor that “packs a punch” and “waits under a velvety layer of thick foam.”

Sounds delicious!

But for most coffee drinkers, that photo is much more compelling.

Visuals are much more effective for attracting attention than copy alone, and they’re also more memorable. In fact, while most people will remember 65% of the visual content that they see three days later, they’ll only remember 10% of the written content for that same amount of time.

So with the right visuals, you can not only grab users’ attention but be much more confident that they’ll remember your brand after leaving your site.

And even if you aren’t offering a specific product that’s particularly visually interesting or photographs well, this strategy still works.

For example, just take a look at AllTrails’ homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-8-alltrails

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, they offer an app with maps of parks and trails.

While it’s unclear where this particular photo was taken, it’s reasonable to assume that by using the app, hikers could encounter a similar view — or at least that’s the idea behind this approach to image use.

Instead of showing a product or even a specific place, this image highlights the type of place its target audience is interested in finding: Pristine trails in beautiful environments.

So while this is a bit more abstract than, say, screenshots of the app’s interface, it’s more effective in conveying the experience they aim to provide.

But as you select images for your site, make sure that they don’t distract users from taking action.

And whatever you do, do not use image carousels.

Headers with an automated slider of various images used to be an extremely popular design choice for businesses in just about every industry.

After all, these headers let you showcase multiple high-quality images instead of just one. That’s got to be a good thing, right?

Not so much.

These carousels are bad for both SEO and user experience.

The alternating headings that come with each slide make it difficult for search engines to determine the page’s main idea. Carousels also often lead to slow page load times, which search engines like Google see as an indicator of poor quality .

Plus, these sliders are typically created with Flash, which is now universally accepted as bad for SEO.

In terms of usability, carousels tend to push important content below the fold. As I mentioned above, this is the exact opposite of what you should be aiming to achieve with your page’s layout.

Finally, a carousel of images can give visitors conflicting ideas as to what the main point of the page is, and which action they should take.

The bottom line here is that when it comes to visuals, it’s possible to incorporate them in a way that will help you attract attention and encourage visitors to take action.

But when done poorly, they can damage your SEO and harm your site’s user experience.

So as you decide which photos and graphics to include and where to include them, keep in mind that they move visitors closer to your page’s main goal — not distract them from taking action.

9. Use Plenty of Whitespace

As you may have gathered from the tips I’ve shared so far, simpler is often better when it comes to homepage design.

But even if you take a minimalistic approach to the elements you include on your page, you should still be conscious of incorporating white space.

White space is useful for clearly separating text, graphics, and other elements, and prevents pages from feeling too crowded.

It can also enhance the importance and distinctiveness of the type and draw the eye to specific pieces of copy.

For example, take a look at how Sellfy organizes their homepage.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-9-sellfy

Like a lot of the examples we’ve looked at so far, this one uses a logical flow of elements. Users are highly unlikely to have even the slightest amount of confusion as to what they’re supposed to do here.

This is partly due to the large amount of white space on the page.

The bright green button easily stands out against the white background, making it impossible to miss.

And although it immediately follows the page’s copy, it has plenty of space to “breathe” so it doesn’t feel crowded.

Apple takes a similar approach to the white space on their homepage.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-9-apple

True to the brand’s minimalistic aesthetic, the page focuses on a single product: The iPhone X.

As soon as a visitor lands on this page, they know exactly where they’re supposed to focus their attention.

That’s because Apple resisted the temptation to cram details about any other products, services, or promotions onto the page.

By limiting the content, they’re able to give each element ample space. This creates a user-friendly browsing experience and ensures that visitors will focus their attention on the particular product the page is designed to generate interest in.

10. Pique Visitors’ Interest

You probably can’t tell a user everything they need to know right on your homepage.

You might be able to convey the majority of the information they need if your product is simple. But even then, you’ll need additional pages to provide background about your company, go into detail about product features, and highlight customer testimonials and case studies.

And that just scratches the surface of the content you might use to drive your visitors to become customers.

Fortunately, you don’t need to include all of that information right from the start.

In fact, I don’t recommend that you try.

Instead, focus on writing a headline that will pique each visitor’s interest and make them want to spend more time browsing your site to find the information they need.

The way you accomplish this goal depends on your brand’s identity and goals, so there’s plenty of room for creativity.

But just to give you an idea of what it might look like, take a look at this homepage from Wix.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-10-wix

The company helps business owners and other users create websites without any technical experience.

This means that their audience is relatively broad.

Some of their users might be local store owners looking to expand their retail sales to an online audience, while others might be aspiring musicians or actors looking to house a digital portfolio.

These are just two possible uses. The options are virtually limitless.

And while this means that Wix has a huge audience to help, it also means that their homepage needs to cater to a wide demographic.

So instead of attempting to fit all of their potential customers into a narrow category, they simply tell all of them that, “It all starts with your stunning website.”

What, exactly, it “all” is, is left up to interpretation. And that’s perfectly fine — because as long as this headline grabs a visitor’s attention, they can easily browse Wix’s site to learn more about how the company can help with their specific goals.

For brands that cater to a relatively large audience, this is often a more realistic approach than attempting to write a headline that’s compelling to all of their potential customers.

First, focus on grabbing users’ attention — then provide the nitty-gritty details later.

This approach can work for businesses in any industry, too.

And if you think that your brand is too “boring” for it to be a valid tactic, just consider Dyson’s homepage.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-10-dyson

Vacuums aren’t exactly the most exciting product to shop for.

But this quote makes me want to learn why Dyson stopped developing corded vacuums — and it probably does the same for a lot of the site’s visitors.

Then, once they’ve generated that level of interest, they can keep users on the site long enough to convert.

11. Show Some Personality

So far, I’ve given you a lot of things to consider as you create your homepage.

And I stand by each of these tips.

But as you write your copy and select your images, don’t let a checklist of elements prevent you from letting some personality shine through.

While the value you provide might be your main selling point, your brand’s “identity” also plays a role in how your target audience perceives your company, and whether they ultimately become customers.

For example, take a look at how newsletter Lorem Ipsum encourages visitors to sign up on their homepage:

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-11-lorem-ipsum

The copy itself is extremely simple. “Be cool. Get the newsletter.”

This is very in line with the writing style found in the newsletter, so it makes sense that the site would use that same tone to tell visitors to sign up.

It shows off the brand’s personality right from the start so that visitors can make an informed decision as to whether they’d enjoy consuming additional content from Lorem Ipsum.

Plus, the image with their name written on a sticky note is another way to embody the brand in a memorable way.

Next, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is known for its amusing tagline of, “I got baked in San Francisco.”

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-11-mr-holmes

For this type of brand, it wouldn’t make sense to take a stuffy or overly-professional approach to website copy.

And it’s immediately clear from their homepage that they don’t take themselves too seriously.

The images here are attention-grabbing, and the color palette is visually appealing, but even the call to action of “Browse the Goods” is casual and in line with the brand’s voice.

This approach ensures that visitors know they’ve come to the right place, and can get a similar experience from the brand as they do in one of their bakery locations.

The Importance of Writing a Good Website Homepage Introduction

I’ve talked about the importance of a simple, uncomplicated design and a clear CTA on your homepage. That’s because you shouldn’t think of your homepage as a landing page. It’s really a transitional page that gets users closer to your content or product. If website vistors get stuck reading a whole bunch of introduction text, they may never take that essential next step that takes them into the real meat of your website.

Even if someone enters your site from a page other than your homepage, it doesn’t mean they won’t end up there somehow. According to KoMarketing , 36 percent of users who come from referral sites will click on the company logo to get to the homepage.

Your homepage becomes an important portal for users to find contact  and “about us” information, so don’t leave those off your homepage, either.

Ideal Blog Introduction Format: What Should Be Included?

So, we’ve talked about website introductions in general, but if you run a blog, your introduction text is going to be a little different. While you still want to be concise, you don’t want to be quite as concise as Spotify or Duolingo.

Your blog introduction text should grab your reader by relating to them somehow. It should explain the existence of the blog to give it context, and it should invite the reader to read on.

Let’s look at some great examples of blog introduction examples.

Blog Introduction Paragraph Examples

Mom blogs do blog introductions really well. Check out this example from Extremely Good Parenting. The text speaks directly to the user, relating to them as parents. Then there’s a CTA inviting users to click through to the Family Resource Room.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-extremely-good-parenting

Here’s a bit longer blog introduction. Dan Flying Solo includes two brief paragraphs describing his blog and introducing himself. The hero image at the top is actually a video. That and the fun picture of the goat make this introduction interesting, quirky, and dynamic.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-dan-flying-solo

How Do You Know What’s Working and What Isn’t on Your Homepage?

Once you have your website intro page set up, start monitoring its performance to determine what’s working and what’s not.

You can use tools like heatmaps and session recordings to see if that CTA really is getting people to click, or if the welcome statement for your website is too long.

Once you have a good sense of your strengths and weaknesses, do some A/B testing to figure out the best combination of homepage elements .

The point is, keep tweaking and keep analyzing. Don’t let your homepage sit idle while you focus on the rest of your site.

Discover User Engagement at a Glance With Heatmaps

Heatmaps are a graphical representation of where people are clicking on your site. The “warmer” the color, the more clicks a particular link, call to action or image is getting.

This heatmap example from WallMonkeys, a wall decal producer, shows the areas with the most user activity in red. The areas with the least amount of activity are in blue.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-heatmap-wallmonkeys

WallMonkeys used heatmapping to see where their customers were engaging with their homepage and where they needed to improve usability.

Use heatmapping to see if users are clicking where you want them to — on your CTA, most likely. If they aren’t, the next two steps may just tell you why.

Evaluate Recordings to Better Understand User Behavior

Recordings let you watch how real visitors interact with your homepage.

You get to see where they’re moving their mouse, where they’re clicking, where they’re getting stuck, and when they’re leaving. Watching a recording can gives you insight into user behavior and helps you adjust accordingly.

If your website visitor isn’t getting anywhere near your CTA, which you’ve placed just above the fold, but they’re spending a lot of time near your nav bar, maybe you need to move your CTA, or maybe you need to make it stand out more.

The Importance of Testing Usability for Your Website

You might be analyzing and testing your content or your product information like crazy, but are you testing your site usability , particularly your homepage? It’s more important than you might think.

Look at it this way, imagine walking into grocery store where the tomatoes are on one side of the store and the cucumbers are kept on the other side, next to the milk. Meanwhile, the peanut butter is in a different aisle than the jelly.

You would be confused and frustrated, searching for what you needed, and you’d probably leave. The store should be testing their product placement to make it clear and easy for customers.

The same principle applies to your website homepage. You need to test the elements of your introduction page for usability.

Let’s go through testing step by step.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Crazy Egg User Behavior Tools

Crazy Egg’s website optimization tools can help you analyze user behavior and improve your website introduction, if necessary. Here’s how:

To get a high-level idea of where people are landing on your homepage, look at your heatmap . You’ll see where people are clicking and what they’re interacting with on your page.

If your CTA or the links to other parts of your site are blue, you’re in trouble. That means people aren’t taking the next step to move through your homepage and onto your content or product pages.

If your homepage extends below the fold, a scroll map will tell you how far people are scrolling down before they leave. There are two scenarios that could be playing out, here.

First, your users could be scrolling to a certain point and then clicking through to another part of your page. Or, they could be scrolling down to a certain point and leaving your site entirely.

Compare this map to your heatmap to see which of these two is the case. If your links are glowing right about where your scroll map drops off, you’re all set. You may even want to consider moving those links up, so people don’t have to go digging for them.

If your links aren’t glowing, your users could be getting confused, or it could be they don’t realize they have to scroll down. Individual session Recordings will come in handy to determine what’s happening.

Overlay Report

An overlay report will isolate your clickable elements and tell you which ones, specifically, are doing best, using color coding on top of the page itself. So, if you have several links going to the same place, you can see which of those links is actually getting the clicks.

List Report

If you want to go even deeper, a list report provides you with rankings of your most clicked element in a table format. It includes visible and non visible elements (like the subcategories of a drop down menu, or a pop up modal). .

Now you have all these numbers and colors to look at, but you’re probably wondering why your users did what they did. That’s where Recordings come in. Watch actual users interact with your homepage introduction. See where they pause, where they click, and how far they scroll in real time. Compare that to the results from your maps to better understand where to place links and CTAs. See if any elements seem to be hindering their experience.

A/B Testing

Now you’ve gathered your data and analyzed it thoroughly. You’re pretty sure you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and you’ve come up with a few website elements to optimize.

If you’re ready to track whether those proposed design updates make a positive impact on your website navigation experience, you’re at Stage 3 of the Web Optimization Lifecycle : A/B testing.

Remember WallMonkeys? They gathered the data from their heatmaps and scroll maps and created new, tweaked versions of their homepage.

They tested versions with a more fun image and one with the search bar moved to the center of the screen. In the end, they ended up increasing their conversion rate by 550 percent.

grab-attention-website-home-page-introduction-wallmonkeys-conversion

Once you’ve analyzed your heatmaps and watched your recordings, it’s time to test your hypotheses. Determining which homepage elements are going to work is accomplished through A/B testing .

When you A/B test, you publish two versions of the homepage (option A and option B) and see which one performs better against predetermined metrics.

Most likely, you’ll start out testing your old homepage introduction against a revised one you’ve put together based on lessons learned from your analysis .

Your predetermined metrics could be anything from time on page to click-through rate, but most likely you’ll want to see how many users are click on your CTA .

Crafting a powerful website introduction page or great website introduction content can be the difference between visitors sticking around or bouncing via the back button.

You have a limited amount of time and space in which to convince them that your site is worth your time.

So as you design your homepage , make sure that each element is designed to grab visitors’ attention and drive them to take action.

Fortunately, this doesn’t need to be a difficult process.

Write and place each element carefully, limit the number of total elements, and arrange your page in a way that logically drives visitors to take a specific action.

Then, you can be confident that your site is designed to generate conversions right from the start.

Make your website better. Instantly.

Keep reading about design.

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Academic Phrasebank

Academic Phrasebank

Introducing work.

  • GENERAL LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
  • Being cautious
  • Being critical
  • Classifying and listing
  • Compare and contrast
  • Defining terms
  • Describing trends
  • Describing quantities
  • Explaining causality
  • Giving examples
  • Signalling transition
  • Writing about the past

pdf logo

There are many ways to introduce an academic essay or short paper. Most academic writers, however, appear to do one or more of the following in their introductions:

  • establish the context, background and/or importance of the topic
  • present an issue, problem, or controversy in the field of study
  • define the topic and/or key terms used in the paper
  • state the purpose of the essay or short paper
  • provide an overview of the coverage and/or structure of the writing

Slightly less complex introductions may simply inform the reader: what the topic is, why it is important, and how the writing is organised. In very short assignments, it is not uncommon for a writer to commence simply by stating the purpose of their writing.

Introductions to research dissertations and theses tend to be relatively short compared to the other sections of the text but quite complex in terms of their functional elements. Some of the more common elements include:

  • establishing the context, background and/or importance of the topic
  • giving a brief review of the relevant academic literature
  • identifying a problem, controversy or a knowledge gap in the field of study
  • stating the aim(s) of the research and the research questions or hypotheses
  • providing a synopsis of the research design and method(s)
  • explaining the significance or value of the study
  • defining certain key terms
  • providing an overview of the dissertation or report structure

Examples of phrases which are commonly employed to realise these functions can be seen by clicking on the headings listed below. Note that there may be a certain amount of overlap between some of the categories under which the phrases are listed. Also, the order in which the different categories of phrases are shown reflects a typical order but this is far from fixed or rigid, and not all the elements are present in all introductions.

A number of analysts have identified common patterns in the introductions of research articles. One of the best known patterns is the CARS model (create a research space) first described by John Swales (1990). This model, which utilises an ecological metaphor, has, in its simplest form, three elements or moves:

  • Establishing the territory (establishing importance of the topic, reviewing previous work)
  • Identifying a niche (indicating a gap in knowledge)
  • Occupying the niche (listing purpose of new research, listing questions, stating the value of the work, indicating the structure of the writing)

Establishing the importance of the topic for the world or society

X is a major contributor to … X plays a critical role in the maintenance of … Xs have emerged as powerful platforms for … X is essential for a wide range of technologies. X can play an important role in addressing the issue of … There is evidence that X plays a pivotal role in regulating … In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for … Evidence suggests that X is among the most important factors for … Xs are one of the most widely used groups of antibacterial agents and … There is a growing body of literature that recognises the importance of … X is an important component in the climate system, and plays a key role in Y. Xs are one of the most widely used groups of Y and have been extensively used for …

Establishing the importance of the topic for the discipline

X is of interest because … X is a classic problem in … X is an important aspect of … X is a fundamental property of … X is an increasingly important area in … The concepts of X and Y are central to … X is at the heart of our understanding of … Investigating X is a continuing concern within … X is a major area of interest within the field of … X has been an object of research since the 1960s. X has been the subject of many classic studies in … X has been instrumental in our understanding of … The theory of X provides a useful account of how … Central to the entire discipline of X is the concept of … The issue of X has received considerable critical attention. X has long been a question of great interest in a wide range of fields.

Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given)

Recently, there has been renewed interest in … Traditionally, Xs have subscribed to the belief that … One of the most important events of the 1970s was … In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in … Recent developments in X have heightened the need for … The last two decades have seen a growing trend towards … Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in … Recent trends in X have led to a proliferation of studies that … Over the past century, there has been a dramatic increase in … The past decade has seen the rapid development of X in many … Since it was reported in 2015, X has been attracting considerable interest. Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in … The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of …

Establishing the importance of the topic as a problem to be addressed

X is a major problem in … Of particular concern is … One of the main obstacles … One of the greatest challenges … A key issue is the safe disposal of … The main disadvantage of X is that … X impacts negatively upon a range of … It is now well established that X can impair … X has led to the decline in the population of … The main challenge faced by many researchers is the … Lack of X has existed as a health problem for many years. Xs are one of the most rapidly declining groups of insects in … Exposure to X has been shown to be related to adverse effects in … There is an urgent need to address the safety problems caused by …

Referring to previous work to establish what is already known

Recent evidence suggests that … Extensive research has shown that … Studies of X show the importance of … It has previously been observed that … Several attempts have been made to … Previous research has established that … Data from several studies suggest that … Recent research comparing X and Y has found … The existing body of research on X suggests that … There is a growing body of literature that recognises … Several theories on the origin of X have been proposed. Existing research recognises the critical role played by … It is now well established from a variety of studies, that … Recently investigators have examined the effects of X on Y. Surveys such as that conducted by Smith (2015) have shown that … Factors found to be influencing X have been explored in several studies. A number of cross-sectional studies suggest an association between X and Y… Studies over the past two decades have provided important information on …

Identifying a controversy within the field of study

A much debated question is whether … One major issue in early X research concerned … To date there has been little agreement on what … The issue has grown in importance in light of recent … One of the most significant current discussions in X is … In the literature on X, the relative importance of Y is debated. One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in … Questions have been raised about the use of animal subjects in … In many Xs, a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning … Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of … This concept has recently been challenged by X studies demonstrating … The debate about X has gained fresh prominence with many arguing that … Scholars have long debated the impact of X on the creation and diffusion of … More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about … One major theoretical issue that has dominated the field for many years concerns … The controversy about scientific evidence for X has raged unabated for over a century. The issue of X has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of … The causes of X have been the subject of intense debate within the scientific community. In the literature on X, the relative importance of Y has been subject to considerable discussion.

Explaining the inadequacies of previous studies

Previous studies of X have not dealt with … Researchers have not treated X in much detail. Such expositions are unsatisfactory because they … Most studies in the field of X have only focused on … Such approaches, however, have failed to address … Previous published studies are limited to local surveys. Half of the studies evaluated failed to specify whether … The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y. Previously published studies on the effect of X are not consistent. Smith’s analysis does not take account of …, nor does she examine … The existing accounts fail to resolve the contradiction between X and Y. Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas.

However, much of the research up to now has been descriptive in nature … The generalisability of much published research on this issue is problematic. Research on the subject has been mostly restricted to limited comparisons of … However, few writers have been able to draw on any systematic research into … Short-term studies such as these do not necessarily show subtle changes over time … Although extensive research has been carried out on X, no single study exists which … However, these results were based upon data from over 30 years ago and it is unclear if … The experimental data are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about …

Identifying the paucity or lack of previous research

There is little published data on … No previous study has investigated X. The use of X has not been investigated. Data about the efficacy and safety of X are limited. Up to now, far too little attention has been paid to … A search of the literature revealed few studies which … The impact of X on Y is understudied, particularly for … Few studies have investigated X in any systematic way … In addition, no research has been found that surveyed … So far, very little attention has been paid to the role of X. Surprisingly, the effects of X have not been closely examined. In contrast to X, there is much less information about effects of … A systematic understanding of how X contributes to Y is still lacking. Despite the importance of X, there remains a paucity of evidence on … To date, the problem has received scant attention in the research literature.

Identifying a knowledge gap in the field of study

It is still not known whether … … much less is known about X. The nature of X remains unclear. Currently, there are no data on … What is less clear is the nature of … Very little is currently known about X in … Research to date has not yet determined … What is not yet clear is the impact of X on … There is still uncertainty, however, whether … The response of X to Y is not fully understood. Causal factors leading to X remain speculative. The neurobiological basis of X is poorly understood. Little is known about X and it is not clear what factors … To date, only a limited number of Xs have been identified. The mechanisms that underpin X are not fully understood. Much uncertainty still exists about the relationship between … This indicates a need to understand the various perceptions of X that exist among … It is now well established that … However, the influence of X on Y has remained unclear.

Stating the focus, aim, or argument of a short paper

In this paper, I argue that … This paper attempts to show that … The central thesis of this paper is that … In the pages that follow, it will be argued that … In this essay, I attempt to defend the view that … The aim of this essay is to explore the relationship between … The purpose of this paper is to review recent research into the …

Stating the purpose of the current research

The specific objective of this study was to … An objective of this study was to investigate … This thesis will examine the way in which the … This study set out to investigate the usefulness of … This dissertation seeks to explain the development of … This case study seeks to examine the changing nature of … The objectives of this research are to determine whether … This prospective study was designed to investigate the use of … This research examines the emerging role of X in the context of … This study systematically reviews the data for…, aiming to provide … Drawing upon two strands of research into X, this study attempts to … This thesis intends to determine the extent to which … and whether … This dissertation aims to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding … This study therefore set out to assess the effect of X …, and the effect of … The main aim of this study is to investigate the differences between X and Y. Part of the aim of this project is to develop software that is compatible with … There are two primary aims of this study: 1. To investigate … 2. To ascertain … This study seeks to obtain data which will help to address these research gaps. One purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which these factors were … The purpose of this investigation is to explore the relationship between X and Y.

Describing the research design and the methods used

Data for this study were collected using … Five works will be examined, all of which … This investigation takes the form of a case-study of the … This study was exploratory and interpretative in nature. This study uses a qualitative case study approach to investigate … The research data in this thesis is drawn from four main sources: … The approach to empirical research adopted for this study was one of … This dissertation follows a case-study design, with in-depth analysis of … By employing qualitative modes of enquiry, I attempt to illuminate the … Qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted to provide … Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this investigation. A holistic approach is utilised, integrating X, Y and Z material to establish … The study was conducted in the form of a survey, with data being gathered via … The methodological approach taken in this study is a mixed methodology based on … A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in the data analysis.

Explaining the significance of the current study

This is the first study to … This study provides new insights into … This work will generate fresh insight into … The study offers some important insights into … Understanding the link between X and Y will help … This is the first study to undertake a longitudinal analysis of … The present research explores, for the first time, the effects of … The importance and originality of this study are that it explores … The findings should make an important contribution to the field of …. Characterisation of X is important for our increased understanding of … It is hoped that this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of … This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring … This project provided an important opportunity to advance the understanding of … Therefore, this study makes a major contribution to research on X by demonstrating … There are several important areas where this study makes an original contribution to … The experimental work presented here provides one of the first investigations into how …

Describing the limitations of the current study

The thesis does not engage with … It is not the task of this paper to examine … This study is unable to encompass the entire … Establishing X is beyond the scope of this study. It is beyond the scope of this study to examine the … The analysis of X presented here is based solely on … A full discussion of X lies beyond the scope of this study. The reader should bear in mind that the study is based on … Another potential problem is that the scope of my thesis may be too broad. Due to practical constraints, this paper cannot provide a comprehensive review of…

Giving reasons for personal interest in the research*

I became interested in Xs after reading … My interest in this area developed while I was … I have worked closely with X for many years and … My personal experience of X has prompted this research. My main reason for choosing this topic is personal interest. It is my experience of working with X that has driven this research. This project was conceived during my time working for X. As a medical advisor, I witnessed …

* sometimes found in the humanities, and the applied human sciences

Outlining the structure of the paper or dissertation

The first section of this paper will examine… This paper begins by … It will then go on to … My thesis is composed of four themed chapters. The essay has been organised in the following way. The remaining part of the paper proceeds as follows: … The main issues addressed in this paper are: a), b) and c). This paper first gives a brief overview of the recent history of X. This paper has been divided into four parts. The first part deals with … The third chapter is concerned with the methodology used for this study. The overall structure of the study takes the form of six chapters, including … Chapter Four analyses the results of interviews and focus group discussions undertaken during … Chapter Two begins by laying out the theoretical dimensions of the research, and looks at how … The fourth section presents the findings of the research, focusing on the three key themes that …

Explaining key terms used in the current work

(also refer to  Defining terms )

Throughout this paper, the term ‘X’ will refer to … The term ‘X’ will be used in this thesis to refer to … Historically, the term ‘X’ has been used to describe … It is necessary here to clarify exactly what is meant by … The phrase ‘X’ will be used in this study to describe the … According to Smith (2002), X can be defined as follows: ‘ … ’ In this article, the abbreviation XYZ will be used to refer to … Throughout this dissertation, the term ‘X’ will be used to refer to … The term ‘X’ is a relatively new name for …, commonly referred to as … In this essay, the term ‘X’ will be used in its broadest sense to refer to all … In this dissertation, the terms ‘X’ and ‘Y’ are used interchangeably to mean … While a variety of definitions of the term X have been suggested, this paper will use the definition first suggested by Smith (1968) who saw it as …

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How To Write An Essay Introduction: A Step-by-Step Guide

Table of contents, determine your essay statement:, hook the reader:, provide overview and preview:, crafting your outline:, edit and revise:, conclusion:.

Writing a strong introduction is one of the most important parts of crafting a polished essay. The opening paragraph sets the tone for your argument and piques the reader’s interest right from the start. This article will break down the step-by-step process for writing an effective essay introduction, including determining your essay statement, hooking the reader with an attention-grabbing opening, providing an overview of the essay, and revising your writing. Relevant examples will be provided for each step to illustrate how it can be implemented. By following these guidelines and examples to write essay introduction, you’ll be well on your way to starting your essay off strong.

The foundation of any solid academic paper or essay comes from having a clear, focused statement. Your statement should present the central argument you will explore and prove over the course of the essay. It conveys the perspective or conclusion you have reached regarding the topic at hand and contains the key points or ideas you will analyse in your body paragraphs.

For example, let’s say the topic is police brutality in America . A weak statement might be:

“This paper will discuss police brutality.”

This statement is too broad and does not take a clear stance. A stronger statement could be:

“This paper argues that systemic racism within American police departments has led to disproportionate violence against people of colour and proposes policy reforms such as mandatory de-escalation training, community oversight boards, and bans on chokeholds as ways to promote racial justice and restore trust in law enforcement.”

This statement is clearer, narrower, and takes a definitive position that can be supported over the course of the essay. It outlines the key points that will be analysed in the body paragraphs. Some tips for crafting a strong essay statement include:

  • Narrow your topic to a single, manageable claim rather than a broad topic area. Ask yourself what specific point you want to make or prove.
  • Keep your essay statement concise – usually one sentence that is between 10-15 words. Short, sweet, and right to the point is best.
  • Use definitive language that takes a stance rather than presenting both sides. State your perspective overtly rather than hinting at it.
  • Include elements that will structure your essay, such as key terms, concepts, individuals, events, or works that you will analyse in depth.
  • Place the statement at the end of your introductory paragraph so readers have context before your central argument.
  • Check that your statement gives a sense of direction for the essay by tying back to the prompt or guiding question if one was provided. Make sure any contents or claims mentioned in the statement are logically argued and proven over the body paragraphs.

With conscious effort focused on these strategies, you can craft a crystal clear statement that sets an achievable roadmap for your essay’s structure and analysis. It’s the linchpin that holds everything together.

Now that you have identified your central argument, the next important element is hooking the reader right away with an engaging opening sentence. Your essay introduction only has a few short lines to capture attention and establish a compelling tone – so make them count!

For example, in an essay analysing the themes of power and corruption in George Orwell’s Animal Farm , you may begin with:

“While on the surface a simple fable about barnyard insurrection, George Orwell’s Animal Farm contains deeper parallels to the corruption of the Russian Revolution that have cemented its status as a classic of political satire.”

This opening directly references the subject work and piques curiosity about its deeper significance. Another essay, on debates over police funding, may start with:

“In June of 2020, as national protests against police brutality erupted across America, the Minneapolis City Council made a bold claim – they would dismantle the police department entirely.”

This current events reference establishes relevance while surprising readers on where the introduction may lead. Some other attention-grabbing techniques may include:

  • Quotes, statistics or facts: Drop an interesting snippet of evidence right off the bat to surprise and intrigue readers.
  • Rhetorical questions: Pose an open-ended query to make readers think and get them invested in the topic.
  • Vivid scenarios: Paint a picture with descriptive details to transport readers visually into your world.
  • Counterintuitive claims: Challenge conventional wisdom in a thought-provoking manner from the start.
  • Relevant anecdotes: Share a brief personal story that builds empathy and relevance.
  • Current events: Reference a newsworthy development to show timeliness of discussion.
  • Humour: Start off on a lighter note if your tone allows for a bit of levity to capture smiles.
  • Definitions: Clarify how you are using important terms in an original way.

The goal is to pique natural human curiosity by teasing just enough context without giving everything away. Make readers want to lean in and keep reading to learn more. With practice, you’ll develop your own signature style for captivating opener sentences tailored to your voice and content area.

After generating initial intrigue, use the next couple lines of your introductory paragraph to offer readers direction about where you aim to lead them. Provide a brief overview of key facts and background necessary to establish context for the topic. You can state the main themes, schools of thought, influential figures, opposing viewpoints or any other defining characteristics that help orient readers. Moreover, it’s helpful to give a quick preview of how the remainder of your paper is structured by stating the main supporting points and ideas you will expand upon in subsequent paragraphs. This overview transitions the reader smoothly into the body while retaining suspense about which evidence or analyses might surprise them along the way. You can also state the main themes or ideas that will structure your paper by saying something like:

“This paper examines three prevailing schools of thought on the debate, analyses the flawed assumptions behind popular arguments, and ultimately argues that sustainable policy reforms are necessary to make progress.”

A quick preview helps transition the reader into the body of the essay while retaining suspense about how your unique analysis and evidence will unfold. It gives them direction without revealing all your cards.

For a humanities essay on morality in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, an overview may be:

“This essay explores how Steinbeck portrays the human need for dignity and companionship through the lens of 1930s migrant work. It analyses the complex relationships between George, Lennie, and other characters to ultimately argue Steinbeck uses their plight to comment on the dehumanizing realities of the Great Depression.”

Providing a lightly detailed synopsis serves as a useful roadmap and entices continued learning without “spoiling” your full analysis and argumentative strategies still to unfold. It gives structure without giving everything away too quickly. Try to keep this final sentence of your introductory paragraph under 2-3 concise sentences for optimal impact and flow.

As highlighted in the previous sections, it’s crucial your introduction tightly links back to your overall essay’s content and fulfils its signposting purpose. That’s why outlining both your introduction as well as the overall essay structure simultaneously is advised. Determine the flow of ideas for your body paragraphs first so the introduction can adequately mirror that intended progression and put forth clues about what’s to come without fully revealing your hand. Some tips for outlining:

  • Jot down your main points, analyses and support in note form in whatever sequential order makes the most logical sense based on how the evidence flows together.
  • Assign each chunk of information a corresponding letter or number to use as headings to structure the physical writing later.
  • Consider how long you want each body paragraph or section to be – aim for Uniformity but allow flexibility if needed.
  • Fill in any gaps where transitions between ideas may fall flat by inserting more research or brainstorming.
  • Note sources and direct quotations or examples you plan to incorporate with their corresponding place in the outline.
  • Leave space after each point to type out the full paragraphs once you begin physically writing up the essay.

For example, an outline analysing political themes in Shakespeare’s Macbeth may group as:

I. Introduction

Statement: Shakespeare uses…to critique early modern politics etc.

II. Royal Misconduct

A. Ambition

  • Quotes on Lady Macbeth’s speech
  • Examples of Macbeth’s soliloquies

B. Ethical Failures

  • Scene of murdering Duncan
  • Banquo’s ghost

III. Downfall of a Leader

A. Isolation of a Tyrant

  • Macbeth’s madness
  • Example of the witches’ final prophecies

B. Fall from Grace

  • Macduff’s return
  • Scene of final battle

A carefully mapped outline lays the essential roadmap for your essay and ensures each new section builds cohesively upon the last. Returning to review your essay introduction paragraph against this master plan before finalizing it is a great way to guarantee it delivers on signposting duties effectively.

Like any other part of the writing process, allow time for careful editing and revising your introduction. The advice of trusted writing consultants or professors can highlight areas where clarity or flow could be improved. When editing:

  • Evaluate the strength and focus of your statement. Revise as needed.
  • Check introductory paragraph follows a logical progression from start to finish.
  • Ensure any defined terms, names or background are clearly explained at first mention.
  • Evaluate your opening sentence – is it still an effective hook or could a stronger technique be swapped in?
  • Trim any excess wordiness that does not directly serve orienting the reader.
  • Proofread spelling, grammar punctuation to eliminate issues that break reading flow.
  • Consider reworking sentence structure for variances and eloquent phrasing.
  • Have your introduction mimic the organization and tone of the essay to follow.

Evaluate whether it successfully previews your paper’s substantive content and leave enough for the reader to discover on their own. Getting constructive outside eyes on your introduction is invaluable for perfecting its impact and quality prior to submission. Keep refining until you’re proud of each elegant, cohesive element!

In conclusion, crafting an introduction is as much an art as a strategic process. With practice and conscious attention to these elements, your opening paragraphs can set the stage for a strong essay that grabs reader attention from the very start and invites them into your perspective. Remember – determination of a focused statement that ties back to the essay’s key aims, hooking curiosity with an intriguing lead sentence, orienting with context and previews of what’s to come, and allowing time for revision will set your work up for success. Following these guidelines for writing an effective introduction lays the foundation for proficient academic and professional communications. Continue challenging yourself to develop your signature voice and writing excellence.

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How to Introduce a Journal Article in an Essay

Last Updated: February 9, 2024

This article was co-authored by Noah Taxis and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Noah Taxis is an English Teacher based in San Francisco, California. He has taught as a credentialed teacher for over four years: first at Mountain View High School as a 9th- and 11th-grade English Teacher, and then at UISA (Ukiah Independent Study Academy) as a Middle School Independent Study Teacher. He is now a high school English at St. Ignatius College Preparatory school in San Francisco. He recived a MA in Secondary Education and Teaching from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. He also received a MA in Comparative and World Literature from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BA in International Literary & Visual Studies and English from Tufts University. This article has been viewed 32,601 times.

Using a journal article in your essay can add to your credibility and make your points more persuasive. When you introduce an article to your readers, you help them understand why you're using it as a source. We've gathered a number of different ways you can introduce the journal article and transition between your thoughts and those of the other author. Pick the one that works best for you and your personal writing style.

List the title and the author.

An excerpt from an essay that mentions a journal article, with the title and the author of the article highlighted.

  • For example, you might write: "Albus Dumbledore describes the origin of the four Hogwarts houses in his article 'Separating Hogwarts Fact and Fiction.'"
  • Put the title of the article in double-quotation marks in your text. [1] X Research source
  • If you're quoting directly from the source, include the author's full name the first time you quote them. [2] X Research source

Summarize the article.

Use a summary if you only need the main point of the article.

  • For example, you might write: "The history of Hogwarts makes clear that the houses were never intended to be seen as 'good' or 'evil.' Rather, each house emphasizes and nurtures specific traits students have—how they use those traits is up to them."
  • Paraphrasing from the article is similar to summarizing. However, when you summarize, you're covering the entire article in a sentence or two. A paraphrase typically only covers a small portion of the article.

Provide any necessary background.

Explain how the author or the article is important with background info.

  • For example, you might write: "Professor Slughorn was one of the longest-serving teachers at Hogwarts, schooling generations of students in potions until his retirement."
  • You might also include some background if the author of the article is controversial or the article's conclusions have been seriously questioned. If you're doing this, go on to explain why you're using the article in your essay.

Explain the purpose of the source in your essay.

Try this if you need to justify using the source.

  • For example, you might write: "Although this essay doesn't discuss defenses against the dark arts, Gilderoy Lockhart's article provides an example of how you can't learn anything by plagiarizing the work of others."

Frame the source in the context of your own essay.

This is a good option if the article supports your own ideas.

  • For example, you might write: "This article demonstrates broad support for the idea that Hogwarts should continue to sort students into four houses."

Add a signal phrase to distinguish ideas from the source.

Go with signals to make a simple transition.

  • For example, you might write: "McGonagall argues that Slytherin House should be disbanded after the Battle of Hogwarts."

Discuss the source's limitations.

Include limitations if the source is an opposing viewpoint.

  • For example, you might write: "While McGonagall makes a compelling argument that Slytherin House should be disbanded, she was biased by her experiences. In this essay, I will show that the personality traits emphasized by Slytherin are positive traits that can be used for good."

Expert Q&A

  • Remember to include an in-text citation for the source if required by your citation guide. You'll also need an entry for the source in your reference list at the end of your paper. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • In an academic essay, you typically introduce a journal article in the first sentence of a paragraph. Then, use the sentences that follow to show how the material from the article relates to the rest of your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about academic writing, check out our in-depth interview with Noah Taxis .

  • ↑ https://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32501
  • ↑ https://www.ursinus.edu/live/files/1160-integrating-quotespdf
  • ↑ https://www.una.edu/writingcenter/docs/Writing-Resources/Source%20Integration.pdf
  • ↑ https://www.stetson.edu/other/writing-center/media/Handout%20-%20Incorporating%20Sources%20Effectively.pdf

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  • How to structure an essay: Templates and tips

How to Structure an Essay | Tips & Templates

Published on September 18, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction , a body , and a conclusion . But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body.

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Table of contents

The basics of essay structure, chronological structure, compare-and-contrast structure, problems-methods-solutions structure, signposting to clarify your structure, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay structure.

There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how you’ll organize the information within the body.

Parts of an essay

The three parts that make up all essays are described in the table below.

Order of information

You’ll also have to consider how to present information within the body. There are a few general principles that can guide you here.

The first is that your argument should move from the simplest claim to the most complex . The body of a good argumentative essay often begins with simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves towards more complex and contentious ones.

For example, you might begin by describing a generally accepted philosophical concept, and then apply it to a new topic. The grounding in the general concept will allow the reader to understand your unique application of it.

The second principle is that background information should appear towards the beginning of your essay . General background is presented in the introduction. If you have additional background to present, this information will usually come at the start of the body.

The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis . Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.

The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.

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The chronological approach (sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach) is probably the simplest way to structure an essay. It just means discussing events in the order in which they occurred, discussing how they are related (i.e. the cause and effect involved) as you go.

A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.

Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press.

  • Thesis statement
  • Discussion of event/period
  • Consequences
  • Importance of topic
  • Strong closing statement
  • Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages
  • Background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press
  • Thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation
  • High levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe
  • Literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites
  • Consequence: this discouraged political and religious change
  • Invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg
  • Implications of the new technology for book production
  • Consequence: Rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible
  • Trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention
  • Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation
  • Consequence: The large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics
  • Summarize the history described
  • Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period

Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around comparing and contrasting . For example, a literary analysis essay might compare two different texts, and an argumentative essay might compare the strengths of different arguments.

There are two main ways of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay: the alternating method, and the block method.

Alternating

In the alternating method, each paragraph compares your subjects in terms of a specific point of comparison. These points of comparison are therefore what defines each paragraph.

The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.

  • Synthesis of arguments
  • Topical relevance of distance learning in lockdown
  • Increasing prevalence of distance learning over the last decade
  • Thesis statement: While distance learning has certain advantages, it introduces multiple new accessibility issues that must be addressed for it to be as effective as classroom learning
  • Classroom learning: Ease of identifying difficulties and privately discussing them
  • Distance learning: Difficulty of noticing and unobtrusively helping
  • Classroom learning: Difficulties accessing the classroom (disability, distance travelled from home)
  • Distance learning: Difficulties with online work (lack of tech literacy, unreliable connection, distractions)
  • Classroom learning: Tends to encourage personal engagement among students and with teacher, more relaxed social environment
  • Distance learning: Greater ability to reach out to teacher privately
  • Sum up, emphasize that distance learning introduces more difficulties than it solves
  • Stress the importance of addressing issues with distance learning as it becomes increasingly common
  • Distance learning may prove to be the future, but it still has a long way to go

In the block method, each subject is covered all in one go, potentially across multiple paragraphs. For example, you might write two paragraphs about your first subject and then two about your second subject, making comparisons back to the first.

The tabs again show a general template, followed by another essay on distance learning, this time with the body structured in blocks.

  • Point 1 (compare)
  • Point 2 (compare)
  • Point 3 (compare)
  • Point 4 (compare)
  • Advantages: Flexibility, accessibility
  • Disadvantages: Discomfort, challenges for those with poor internet or tech literacy
  • Advantages: Potential for teacher to discuss issues with a student in a separate private call
  • Disadvantages: Difficulty of identifying struggling students and aiding them unobtrusively, lack of personal interaction among students
  • Advantages: More accessible to those with low tech literacy, equality of all sharing one learning environment
  • Disadvantages: Students must live close enough to attend, commutes may vary, classrooms not always accessible for disabled students
  • Advantages: Ease of picking up on signs a student is struggling, more personal interaction among students
  • Disadvantages: May be harder for students to approach teacher privately in person to raise issues

An essay that concerns a specific problem (practical or theoretical) may be structured according to the problems-methods-solutions approach.

This is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution.

The tabs below show a template for this structure and an example outline for an essay about the problem of fake news.

  • Introduce the problem
  • Provide background
  • Describe your approach to solving it
  • Define the problem precisely
  • Describe why it’s important
  • Indicate previous approaches to the problem
  • Present your new approach, and why it’s better
  • Apply the new method or theory to the problem
  • Indicate the solution you arrive at by doing so
  • Assess (potential or actual) effectiveness of solution
  • Describe the implications
  • Problem: The growth of “fake news” online
  • Prevalence of polarized/conspiracy-focused news sources online
  • Thesis statement: Rather than attempting to stamp out online fake news through social media moderation, an effective approach to combating it must work with educational institutions to improve media literacy
  • Definition: Deliberate disinformation designed to spread virally online
  • Popularization of the term, growth of the phenomenon
  • Previous approaches: Labeling and moderation on social media platforms
  • Critique: This approach feeds conspiracies; the real solution is to improve media literacy so users can better identify fake news
  • Greater emphasis should be placed on media literacy education in schools
  • This allows people to assess news sources independently, rather than just being told which ones to trust
  • This is a long-term solution but could be highly effective
  • It would require significant organization and investment, but would equip people to judge news sources more effectively
  • Rather than trying to contain the spread of fake news, we must teach the next generation not to fall for it

Signposting means guiding the reader through your essay with language that describes or hints at the structure of what follows.  It can help you clarify your structure for yourself as well as helping your reader follow your ideas.

The essay overview

In longer essays whose body is split into multiple named sections, the introduction often ends with an overview of the rest of the essay. This gives a brief description of the main idea or argument of each section.

The overview allows the reader to immediately understand what will be covered in the essay and in what order. Though it describes what  comes later in the text, it is generally written in the present tense . The following example is from a literary analysis essay on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

Transitions

Transition words and phrases are used throughout all good essays to link together different ideas. They help guide the reader through your text, and an essay that uses them effectively will be much easier to follow.

Various different relationships can be expressed by transition words, as shown in this example.

Because Hitler failed to respond to the British ultimatum, France and the UK declared war on Germany. Although it was an outcome the Allies had hoped to avoid, they were prepared to back up their ultimatum in order to combat the existential threat posed by the Third Reich.

Transition sentences may be included to transition between different paragraphs or sections of an essay. A good transition sentence moves the reader on to the next topic while indicating how it relates to the previous one.

… Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

However , considering the issue of personal interaction among students presents a different picture.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

  • Ad hominem fallacy
  • Post hoc fallacy
  • Appeal to authority fallacy
  • False cause fallacy
  • Sunk cost fallacy

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The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

An essay isn’t just a loose collection of facts and ideas. Instead, it should be centered on an overarching argument (summarized in your thesis statement ) that every part of the essay relates to.

The way you structure your essay is crucial to presenting your argument coherently. A well-structured essay helps your reader follow the logic of your ideas and understand your overall point.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

  • The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
  • The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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Free Samples To Introduce Yourself in an Essay

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  • Dec 13, 2023

Introduce Yourself in an Essay

Have you ever wondered what is the reason behind introduction essays? We can give a speech or self-introduction on ourselves. Then why write a self-introduction essay? Introducing yourself in an essay allows the audience or reviewer to understand your writing skills and self-awareness about yourself. However, how you introduce yourself can set the tone for the rest of your essay and leave a lasting impression on your readers. Further, a good introduction will also ensure you can hold the attention of the reader. This blog will explore some good ways to introduce yourself in an essay.

This Blog Includes:

Start with a hook, provide some background information, state your thesis, explain the purpose of your essay , conclude with a call to action, personal narrative essay, persuasive essay.

Also Read: Self Introduction Samples for Master’s Degree

How to Introduce Yourself in an Essay?

A strong introduction can grab your reader’s attention and make them interested in reading more. Here are some tips to introduce yourself in a good way for an essay: 

The first sentence of your essay should grab your reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. You can achieve this by starting it with a hook, which can be a surprising fact, an interesting quote, or a provocative statement. 

After you have hooked your reader, you can provide some background information about yourself. This can include your name where you are from, your educational background, or any relevant experiences that relate to the topic of your essay.

Also Read: Best Way to Start an Introduction About Yourself

Your thesis statement is the most important part of your essay and should be introduced early on in your introduction. Your thesis statement should clearly state your main argument or point of view on the topic you are writing about.

After you have introduced yourself and stated your thesis,  you should explain the purpose of your essay. This can include why you are writing the essay, what you hope to achieve with your writing, and what your readers can expect from your essay. 

Finally, you can conclude your introduction with a call to action. This can be a sentence or two that encourages your readers to take action or think about your topic in a new way.  

Samples 

Here are some sample introductions for different types of essays:

Growing up, I never imagined that a single moment could change the trajectory of my life. But that’s exactly what happened on a hot summer day when I was twelve years old.

Imagine a world where everyone had access to clean drinking water. It’s a simple concept, yet millions of people around the globe are still without this basic necessity. 

Here is a sample of how to introduce yourself in an essay.

Hello! My name is [Your Name], and I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce myself to you.

I was born and raised in [Your Birthplace], a place that holds a special corner in my heart for its rich cultural heritage and warm community. Growing up, I was surrounded by a loving family that instilled in me the values of honesty, perseverance, and kindness.

From an early age, I developed a keen interest in [Your Passion or Hobby], which has become a significant part of my life. Whether it’s [describe a specific experience or achievement related to your passion], I find immense joy and fulfilment in pursuing my passion.

In terms of education, I completed my [Your Degree] at [Your University]. During my academic journey, I not only gained valuable knowledge in my field but also cultivated essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication.

On the professional front, I have had the privilege of working in [Your Industry or Field] for the past [Number of Years]. My experiences have allowed me to collaborate with diverse teams, tackle challenging projects, and continuously learn and grow. I am particularly proud of [mention a specific accomplishment or project], which showcased my ability to [highlight a skill or quality you possess].

In my leisure time, you can often find me [Your Hobbies or Interests]. Whether it’s [specific activities or hobbies], I cherish these moments as they allow me to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance

At last, I would like to say that I am someone who values integrity, embraces lifelong learning, and seeks to make a meaningful difference in the world. I am eager to connect, collaborate, and learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives that others bring to the table.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I look forward to the exciting journey ahead and the chance to learn more about you as well.

Related Articles

Your introduction should be long enough to introduce yourself, provide some background information, state your thesis, and explain the purpose of your essay. However, it should not be too long and should not contain any unnecessary information.

Yes, using a quote can be a great way to start your essay, especially if it relates to the topic you are writing about. Just make sure to cite the source of the quote properly.

No, a call to action is not necessary in every essay. However, if your essay is meant to inspire action or change, including a call to action can be a powerful way to end your introduction.

By following these steps, you can create a strong introduction that will grab your reader’s attention and set the stage for the rest of your essay. We hope you can implement the tips provided here and set the tone for your next essay.

For more information on such related topics to level up your interview preparations, visit our  interview preparation  page. Check out our  career counselling  blogs and follow  Leverage edu.

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Simran Popli

An avid writer and a creative person. With an experience of 1.5 years content writing, Simran has worked with different areas. From medical to working in a marketing agency with different clients to Ed-tech company, the journey has been diverse. Creative, vivacious and patient are the words that describe her personality.

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EU AI Act: first regulation on artificial intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence in the EU will be regulated by the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI law. Find out how it will protect you.

A man faces a computer generated figure with programming language in the background

As part of its digital strategy , the EU wants to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure better conditions for the development and use of this innovative technology. AI can create many benefits , such as better healthcare; safer and cleaner transport; more efficient manufacturing; and cheaper and more sustainable energy.

In April 2021, the European Commission proposed the first EU regulatory framework for AI. It says that AI systems that can be used in different applications are analysed and classified according to the risk they pose to users. The different risk levels will mean more or less regulation. Once approved, these will be the world’s first rules on AI.

Learn more about what artificial intelligence is and how it is used

What Parliament wants in AI legislation

Parliament’s priority is to make sure that AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. AI systems should be overseen by people, rather than by automation, to prevent harmful outcomes.

Parliament also wants to establish a technology-neutral, uniform definition for AI that could be applied to future AI systems.

Learn more about Parliament’s work on AI and its vision for AI’s future

AI Act: different rules for different risk levels

The new rules establish obligations for providers and users depending on the level of risk from artificial intelligence. While many AI systems pose minimal risk, they need to be assessed.

Unacceptable risk

Unacceptable risk AI systems are systems considered a threat to people and will be banned. They include:

  • Cognitive behavioural manipulation of people or specific vulnerable groups: for example voice-activated toys that encourage dangerous behaviour in children
  • Social scoring: classifying people based on behaviour, socio-economic status or personal characteristics
  • Biometric identification and categorisation of people
  • Real-time and remote biometric identification systems, such as facial recognition

Some exceptions may be allowed for law enforcement purposes. “Real-time” remote biometric identification systems will be allowed in a limited number of serious cases, while “post” remote biometric identification systems, where identification occurs after a significant delay, will be allowed to prosecute serious crimes and only after court approval.

AI systems that negatively affect safety or fundamental rights will be considered high risk and will be divided into two categories:

1) AI systems that are used in products falling under the EU’s product safety legislation . This includes toys, aviation, cars, medical devices and lifts.

2) AI systems falling into specific areas that will have to be registered in an EU database:

  • Management and operation of critical infrastructure
  • Education and vocational training
  • Employment, worker management and access to self-employment
  • Access to and enjoyment of essential private services and public services and benefits
  • Law enforcement
  • Migration, asylum and border control management
  • Assistance in legal interpretation and application of the law.

All high-risk AI systems will be assessed before being put on the market and also throughout their lifecycle.

General purpose and generative AI

Generative AI, like ChatGPT, would have to comply with transparency requirements:

  • Disclosing that the content was generated by AI
  • Designing the model to prevent it from generating illegal content
  • Publishing summaries of copyrighted data used for training

High-impact general-purpose AI models that might pose systemic risk, such as the more advanced AI model GPT-4, would have to undergo thorough evaluations and any serious incidents would have to be reported to the European Commission.

Limited risk

Limited risk AI systems should comply with minimal transparency requirements that would allow users to make informed decisions. After interacting with the applications, the user can then decide whether they want to continue using it. Users should be made aware when they are interacting with AI. This includes AI systems that generate or manipulate image, audio or video content, for example deepfakes.

On December 9 2023, Parliament reached a provisional agreement with the Council on the AI act . The agreed text will now have to be formally adopted by both Parliament and Council to become EU law. Before all MEPs have their say on the agreement, Parliament’s internal market and civil liberties committees will vote on it.

More on the EU’s digital measures

  • Cryptocurrency dangers and the benefits of EU legislation
  • Fighting cybercrime: new EU cybersecurity laws explained
  • Boosting data sharing in the EU: what are the benefits?
  • EU Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act
  • Five ways the European Parliament wants to protect online gamers
  • Artificial Intelligence Act

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  • February 23, 2024   •   51:24 Your Questions on Open Conventions, a Gaza Schism and Biden’s Chances
  • February 21, 2024   •   1:02:55 Here’s How an Open Democratic Convention Would Work
  • February 16, 2024   •   25:12 Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden
  • February 9, 2024   •   1:05:42 Building the Palestinian State With Salam Fayyad
  • February 6, 2024   •   59:17 What Relationships Would You Want if You Believed They Were Possible?
  • February 1, 2024   •   1:09:13 ‘Why Haven’t the Democrats Completely Cleaned the Republicans’ Clock?’
  • January 25, 2024   •   1:08:34 ‘The Strongest Democratic Party That Any of Us Have Ever Seen’
  • January 19, 2024   •   1:08:27 ‘I Have No Idea How This Ends. I’ve Never Seen It So Broken.’
  • January 16, 2024   •   48:25 A Republican Pollster on Trump’s Undimmed Appeal
  • January 12, 2024   •   1:04:35 The Constitution Says Insurrectionists Can’t Hold Office. So What Is Trump?
  • January 9, 2024   •   1:02:26 How to Discover Your Own Taste
  • January 5, 2024   •   58:44 Tired? Distracted? Burned Out? Listen to This.

Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden

It requires them to embrace an old-fashioned approach to winning a campaign..

Produced by ‘The Ezra Klein Show’

[You can listen to this episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” on the NYT Audio app , Apple , Spotify , Amazon Music , Google or wherever you get your podcasts .]

A full transcript of this audio essay is available here:

Ezra Klein: My heart breaks a bit for Joe Biden. This is a man who has been running for president since he was young. He wins the presidency, finally, unexpectedly, when he’s old. And that age brought him wisdom. It brought an openness that hadn’t always been there in him. He’s governed as a throwback to a time before “I alone can fix it,” a time when presidents were party leaders, coalition builders.

Biden has held together a Democratic Party that could easily have splintered. Think back to the 2020 campaign, when he beat Bernie Sanders, when he beat Elizabeth Warren, when his victory was seen as, was in reality, the moderate wing triumphing over the progressive wing, the establishment over the insurgents.

But instead of making them bend the knee, instead of acting as a victor, Biden acted as a leader. He partnered with Bernie Sanders. He built the unity task forces. He integrated Warren’s and Sanders’s ideas and staff into not just his campaign but also his administration.

I had a conversation recently with Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the House progressive caucus, and I asked her why the Democratic Party hadn’t ruptured the way Republicans did. She pointed me back to that moment. Biden, she said, made this “huge attempt to pull the Democratic Party back together before the 2020 election in a way I’ve really never seen before.”

And it worked. Democrats had 50 votes in the Senate. Fifty votes that stretched from Bernie Sanders on the left all the way to Joe Manchin on the right. Biden and Chuck Schumer, they often could not lose even one of those votes, and at crucial moments, they didn’t.

With that almost-impossible-to-hold-together coalition, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats passed a series of bills — the bipartisan infrastructure deal, the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act — that will make this a decade of infrastructure and invention. A decade of building, of decarbonizing, of researching. They expanded the Affordable Care Act, and it worked — more than 21 million people signed up for the A.C.A. last year, a record. They did what Democrats have promised to do forever and took at least the first steps toward letting Medicare negotiate drug prices.

And the Biden team, they said they were going to run the economy hot, that at long last, they were going to prioritize full employment, and they did. And then inflation shot up. Not just here but in Europe, in Canada, pretty much everywhere. The pandemic had twisted global supply chains and then the economy had reopened, and people desperate to live again took their pandemic savings and spent. And the Biden team, in partnership with Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, got the rate of inflation back down, and we are still beneath 4 percent unemployment.

And I don’t want to just skip over that accomplishment. Most economists said that could not be done. The overwhelming consensus was we were headed for a recession, that the so-called soft landing was a fantasy. It got mocked as “immaculate disinflation.” But that is what happened. We didn’t have a recession. We are still seeing strong wage gains for the poorest Americans. Inequality is down. Growth is quick. America is far stronger economically right now than Europe, than Canada, than China. You want to be us.

And yet Biden’s poll numbers are dismal. His approval rating lingers in the high 30s. Most polls show him losing to Donald Trump in 2024. Then comes the special counsel report, which finds no criminal wrongdoing in his treatment of classified information, which is — remember — the question the special counsel was appointed to investigate. But the counsel takes a drive-by on Biden’s cognitive fitness. Says a jury would think him a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” Says Biden doesn’t remember when his son Beau died.

And Biden, enraged, does what people have been asking him to do this whole time. He takes the age issue head on. And he gives a news conference full of fury.

And then, when he is about to leave, he comes back to take one more question — this one on Israel and Gaza, where he says that America is no longer lock step behind Benjamin Netanyahu’s invasion, and then describing the effort he put in getting President Sisi to open the Egyptian border for aid, he slips. He calls Sisi the president of Mexico. Makes the kind of slip anyone can make, but a kind of slip he is making too often now, a kind of slip that means more when he makes it than when someone else does.

Since the beginning of Biden’s administration, I have been asking people who work with him: How does he seem? How read in is he? What’s he like in the meetings? Maybe it’s not a great sign that I felt the need to do that, that a lot of reporters have been doing that, but still. And I am convinced, watching him, listening to the testimony of those who meet with him — not all people who like him — I am convinced he is able to do the job of the presidency. He is sharp in meetings; he makes sound judgments. I cannot point you to a moment where Biden faltered in his presidency because his age had slowed him.

But here’s the thing. I can now point you to moments when he is faltering in his campaign for the presidency because his age is slowing him. This distinction between the job of the presidency and the job of running for the presidency keeps getting muddied, including by Biden himself.

This is the question Democrats keep wanting to answer, the question the Biden administration keeps pretending only to hear: Can Biden do the job of president? But that is not the question of the 2024 campaign. The insistence that Biden is capable of being president is being used to shut down discussion of whether he’s capable of running for president.

I’ve had my own journey on this. I’ve written a number of columns about how Biden keeps proving pundits wrong, about how he’s proved me wrong. He won in 2020 despite plenty of naysayers. The Democrats won in 2022, defying predictions. I had, in 2022, been planning to write a column after the midterms saying there should be a primary because Democrats need to see how strong of a campaigner Biden still was. The test needed to be run. But when they overperformed, that drained all interest among the major possible candidates in running. That test wasn’t going to happen. But still, I thought, Biden might surprise again. I’d grown wary of underestimating him.

We had to wait till this year — till now, really — to see Biden even begin to show what he’d be like on the campaign trail. And what I think we’re seeing is that he is not up for this. He is not the campaigner he was, even five years ago. That’s not insider reporting on my part. Go watch a speech he gave in Pennsylvania, kicking off his campaign in 2019. And then go watch the speech he gave last month, in Valley Forge, kicking off his election campaign. No comparison here. Both speeches are on YouTube, and you can see it. The way he moves, the energy in his voice. The Democrats denying decline are only fooling themselves.

But even given that, I was stunned when his team declined a Super Bowl interview. Biden is not up by 12 points. He can’t coast to victory here. He is losing. He is behind in most polls. He is behind, despite everything people already know about Donald Trump. He needs to make up ground. If he does not make up ground, Trump wins.

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest audiences you will ever have. And you just skip it? You just say no?

The Biden team’s argument, to be fair, is this: Who wants to see the president during the Super Bowl, anyway? And even if they did the interview, CBS would just choose three or four minutes of a 15-minute interview to air. What if CBS chooses a clip that makes Biden look bad?

That’s all true. But that’s all true in the context of a team that does not believe that the more people see Biden, the more they will like him. There’s a reason other presidents do the Super Bowl interview. There’s a reason Biden himself did it in 2021 and 2022, that Trump said he’d gladly take Biden’s place this year.

I was talking to James Carville, who’s one of the chief strategists behind Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, and he put this really well to me. He said to me that a campaign has certain assets, but the most desirable asset is the candidate. And the Biden campaign does not deploy Biden like he is a desirable asset.

Biden has done fewer interviews than any recent president, and it’s not close. By this point in their presidencies, Barack Obama had given more than 400 interviews and Trump had given more than 300. Biden has given fewer than 100. And a bunch of them are softball interviews — he’ll go on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, or Jay Shetty’s mindfulness podcast. The Biden team says this is a strategy, that they need apolitical voters, the ones who are not listening to political media. But one, this strategy isn’t working — Biden is down, not up. And two, no one really buys this argument. I don’t buy this argument. This isn’t a strategy chosen from a full universe of options. This is a strategic adaptation to Biden’s perceived limits as a candidate. And what’s worse, it may be a wise one.

I want to say this clearly: I like Biden. I think he’s been a good president. I think he is a good president. I don’t like having this conversation. And I know a lot of liberals, a lot of Democrats are going to be furious at me for this show.

But to say this is a media invention, that people are worried about Biden’s age because the media keeps telling them to be worried about Biden’s age? If you have really convinced yourself of that, in your heart of hearts, I almost don’t know what to tell you. In poll after poll, 70 percent to 80 percent of voters are worried about his age. This is not a thing people need the media to see. It is right in front of them, and it is also shaping how Biden and his campaign are acting.

Democrats keep telling themselves, when they look at the polls, that voters will come back to Biden when the campaign starts in earnest and they begin seeing more of Trump, when they have to take what he is and what it would mean for him to return seriously.

But that is going to go both ways. When the campaign begins in earnest, they will also see much more of Joe Biden. People who barely pay attention to him now, they will be watching his speeches. They will see him on the news constantly. Will they actually like what they see? Will it comfort them?

That was why that news conference mattered. That news conference had a point. It had a purpose. The purpose was to reassure voters of Biden’s cognitive fitness, particularly his memory. And Biden couldn’t do that, not for one night, not for fewer than 15 minutes. And these kinds of gaffes have become commonplace for him. He recently said he’d been speaking to the former French president Francois Mitterrand when he meant Emmanuel Macron. He said he’d been talking to the former German chancellor Helmut Kohl when he meant Angela Merkel.

None of these matter much on their own. The human mind just does this. But it does it more as you get older. And they do matter collectively. Voters believe Biden is too old for the job he seeks. He needs to persuade them otherwise, and he is failing at that task — arguably the central task of his re-election campaign.

And that can become a self-fulfilling cycle. His staff knows that news conference was a disaster. So how will they respond? What will they do now? They will hold him back from aggressive campaigning even more, from unscripted situations. They will try to make doubly sure that it doesn’t happen again. But they need a candidate — Democrats need a candidate — who can aggressively campaign, because again — and I cannot emphasize this enough — they are currently losing.

Part of my job is talking to the kinds of Democrats who run and win campaigns constantly. All of them are worried about this. None of them say that this is an invention or not a real issue. And this is key: It’s not the age itself they are worried about. The age of 81 doesn’t mean anything. It’s the impression Biden is giving of age. Of slowness. Of frailty.

The presidency is a performance. You are not just making decisions, you are also acting out the things people want to believe about their president — that the president is in command, strong, energetic, compassionate, thoughtful, that they don’t need to worry about all that is happening in the world, because the president has it all under control.

Whether it is true that Biden has it all under control, it is not true that he seems like he does. Some political strategists I know think that’s why his poll numbers are low. That even when good things happen, people don’t really think he did them. One was telling me that what worries him most about Biden is how stable his approval rating is — it doesn’t really go up or down. Inflation has gone down a lot in recent months. People feel a lot better about the economy. You can see that in consumer sentiment data. But Biden’s approval rating, it has not gone up. His performance on Ukraine did not make it go up. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act did not make it go up. To this strategist, it looked like a lot of Americans just don’t give Biden credit for things even when he deserves them. And Biden isn’t now a capable or aggressive enough campaigner to win that credit for himself.

The arguments I see even some smart Democrats making so they don’t have to look at this directly are self-defeating. The one I hear most often is that Trump is also old. He’s 77. He also mixes up names — he recently called Nancy Pelosi Nikki Haley. He sometimes speaks in gibberish. And it’s all true. But that is a reason to nominate a candidate who can exploit the fact that Trump is old and confused. The point is not to give Trump an even match. The point is to beat Trump.

Another argument I see is that this is ageism. This is an unfair thing to point out about Biden. It is age discrimination and, I have actually seen people make this argument, age discrimination is illegal in the workplace. But it is not illegal in the electorate. If the voters are ageist and Biden loses because of it, there is no recourse. You cannot sue the voters for age discrimination.

And then there’s the argument you’ve heard on my podcast. An argument I’ve made before. Biden doesn’t look like a strong candidate, but Democrats keep on winning. Biden won in 2020. Democrats won in 2022. They’ve been winning special elections in 2023. They just won George Santos’s seat in New York. There’s an anti-MAGA majority in this country and they will come out to stop Trump. And I think that might be true. I still think Biden might win against Trump, even with all I’ve said. It’s just that there’s a very good chance he might lose. Maybe even better than even odds. And Trump is dangerous. I want better odds than that.

I think one reason Democrats react so defensively to critiques of Biden is they’ve come to a kind of fatalism. They believe it is too late to do anything else. And if it is too late to do anything else, then to talk about Biden’s age is to contribute to Donald Trump’s victory.

But that’s absurd.

It is February. Fatalism this far before the election is ridiculous. Yeah, it’s too late to throw this to primaries. But it’s not too late to do something.

So then what? Step one, unfortunately, is convincing Biden that he should not run again. That he does not want to risk being Ruth Bader Ginsburg — a heroic, brilliant public servant who caused the outcome she feared most because she didn’t retire early enough. That in stepping aside he would be able to finish out his term as a strong and focused president, and people would see the honor in what he did, in putting his country over his ambitions.

The people whom Biden listens to — Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, Mike Donilon, Ron Klain, Nancy Pelosi, Anita Dunn — they need to get him to see this. Biden may come to see it himself.

I take nothing away from how hard that is, how much Biden wants to finish the job he has started, keep doing the good he believes he can do. Retirement can be, often is, a trauma. But losing to Donald Trump would be far worse.

Let’s say that happens: Biden steps aside. Then what? Well, then Democrats do something that used to be common in politics but hasn’t been in decades. They pick their nominee at the convention. This is how parties chose their nominees for most of American history. From roughly 1831 to 1968, this is how it worked. In a way, this is still how it works.

I’m going to do a whole episode on how an open convention works, so this is going to be a quick version. The way we pick nominees now is still built around conventions. When someone wins a primary or a caucus, what he actually wins is delegate slots. How that works is different in different states. Then they go to the convention to choose the actual nominee.

The whole convention structure is still there. We still use it. It is still the delegates voting at the convention. What’s different now than in the past is that most delegates arrive at the convention committed to a candidate. But without getting too into the weeds of state delegate rules here, if their candidate drops out, if Biden drops out, they can be released to vote for who they want.

The last open convention Democrats had was 1968, a disaster of a convention where the Democratic Party split between pro- and anti-Vietnam War factions, where there was violence in the streets, where Democrats lost the election.

But that’s not how most conventions have gone. It was a convention that picked Abraham Lincoln over William Seward. It was a convention that chose F.D.R. over Al Smith. I’ve been reading Ed Achorn’s book “The Lincoln Miracle: Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History.” My favorite line in it comes from Senator Charles Sumner, who sends a welcome note to the delegates, “whose duty it will be to organize victory.”

Whose duty it will be to organize victory — I love that. That’s what a convention is supposed to do. It’s what a political party is supposed to do: organize victory. Because victory doesn’t just happen. It has to be organized.

Everybody I have talked about this, literally everybody, has brought up the same fear. Call it the Kamala Harris problem. In theory, she should be the favorite. But she polls slightly worse than Biden. Democrats don’t trust that she would be a stronger candidate. But they worry that if she wasn’t chosen it would rip the party apart. I think this is wrong on two levels.

First, I think Harris is underrated now. I’ve thought this for a while. I’ve said this before, that I think she’s going to have a good 2024. Is she a political juggernaut, a generational political talent? Probably not. But she’s a capable politician, which is one reason Biden chose her as his running mate in the first place. She has not thrived as vice president. The D.C. narrative on her has turned extremely negative. But when Kamala Harris ran campaigns as Kamala Harris, this wasn’t how she was seen. And Harris, in private settings — she’s enormously magnetic and compelling.

Her challenge would be translating that into a public persona, which is — and let’s be blunt about this — a hard thing to do when you’ve grown up in a world that has always been quick to find your faults. A world that is afraid of women being angry, of Black people being angry. A world where, for most of your life, it was demanded of you that you be cautious and careful and measured and never make a mistake. And then you get on the public stage and people say, oh, you’re too cautious and too careful and too measured. It’s a very, very, very hard bind to get out of. But maybe she can do it.

Still, it is the party’s job to organize victory. If Harris cannot convince delegates that she has the best shot at victory, she should not and probably would not be chosen. And I don’t think that would rip the party apart. There is a ton of talent in the Democratic Party right now: Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore, Jared Polis, Gavin Newsom, Raphael Warnock, Josh Shapiro, Cory Booker, Ro Khanna, Pete Buttigieg, Gina Raimondo, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chris Murphy, Andy Beshear, J.B. Pritzker — the list goes on.

Some of them would make a run at the nomination. They would give speeches at the convention, and people would actually pay attention. The whole country would be watching the Democratic convention, and probably quite a bit happening in the run-up to it, and seeing what this murderer’s row of political talent could actually do. And then some ticket would be chosen based on how those people did.

Could it go badly? Sure. But that doesn’t mean it will go badly. It could make the Democrats into the most exciting political show on earth. And over there on the other side will be Trump getting nominated and a who’s who of MAGA types slavering over his leadership. The best of the Democratic Party against the worst of the Republican Party. A party that actually listened to the voters against a party that denies the outcome of the elections. A party that did something different over a party that has again nominated a threat to democracy who has never — not once — won the popular vote in a general election.

That seems like an OK contrast to me.

Yes, the Democratic Party has been winning elections recently. But it is winning those elections in part because it takes candidate recruitment seriously. That was true in 2020. Biden wasn’t the candidate that set the base’s heart aflutter, but he seemed like the candidate with the best shot at winning. So Democrats did the strategic thing and picked him. And they won. In 2022, Democrats carefully chose candidates who fit their districts, who fit their states while Republicans chose MAGA-soaked extremists. And that is why those Democrats won.

The lesson here is not that Democrats don’t need to think hard about who they run in elections. It’s that they do need to think hard about who they run in elections. And they have been. They need to be strategic, not sentimental. And they have been. Because the alternative is Donald Trump. And Donald Trump is dangerous. And right now, Donald Trump is ahead.

I have this nightmare that Trump wins in 2024. And then in 2025 and 2026, out come the campaign tell-all books, and they’re full of emails and WhatsApp messages between Biden staffers and Democratic leaders, where they’re all saying to each other, this is a disaster, he’s not going to win this, I can’t bear to watch this speech, we’re going to lose. But they didn’t say any of it publicly, they didn’t do anything, because it was too dangerous for their careers, or too uncomfortable given their loyalty to Biden.

I’ve said on the show before that we live in a strange era with the parties. We’ve gone from the cliché being that Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line, to the reality being that Democrats fall in line and Republicans fall apart. I’ve mostly meant that as a critique of Republican chaos, but too much order can be its own kind of pathology. A party that is too quick to fall in line, that cannot break line, is a party that will be too slow, maybe unable, to solve hard problems.

So yes, I think Biden, as painful as this is, should find his way to stepping down as a hero. That the party should help him find his way to that, to being the thing he said he would be in 2020, the bridge to the next generation of Democrats. And then I think Democrats should meet in August at the convention to do what political parties have done there before: organize victory.

I recognize there’s going to be a lot of questions and comments and pushback to this piece. So we’re going to do an “Ask Me Anything” episode next week — on this, on 2024 broadly. We’ve set up a voice mail box, if you want to leave a message that could get played on the show. Please keep them under a minute. We’re not going to use ones that are very long. The number for that is 212-556-7300. Or you can email us, both text and a voice note, at [email protected].

You can listen to our whole conversation by following “The Ezra Klein Show” on the NYT Audio app , Apple , Spotify , Google or wherever you get your podcasts . View a list of book recommendations from our guests here .

An image of President Joe Biden

This audio essay for “The Ezra Klein Show” was fact-checked by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Annie Galvin, Rollin Hu and Kristin Lin. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , X and Threads .

Introducing Apple Sports, a new app for sports fans

The home screen for Apple Sports is shown on iPhone 15 Pro, prompting the user to set up their experience.

  • NCAA basketball (men’s and women’s)
  • Premier League
  • Apple Sports is available to download beginning today in the U.S. , the U.K. , and Canada , with support for English, as well as French and Spanish where available.
  • Apple Sports is free to download, and is available for all iPhone models running iOS 17.2 or later.

Text of this article

February 21, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

The free app for iPhone delivers real-time scores, stats, and more, all designed for speed and simplicity

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA  Apple today introduced Apple Sports, a free app for iPhone that gives sports fans access to real-time scores, stats, and more. Designed for speed and simplicity, the app’s personalized experience puts users’ favorite leagues and teams front and center, featuring an easy-to-use interface designed by Apple. Apple Sports is available to download now in the App Store in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada.

“We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want — an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “Apple Sports is available for free in the App Store, and makes it easy for users to stay up to date with their favorite teams and leagues.”

Apple Sports keeps fans up to date on the following leagues currently in season:

Additional leagues will become available on Apple Sports over time, including MLB, NFL, NCAAF, NWSL, and WNBA for their upcoming seasons.

Apple Sports gives fans a simple and fast way to stay up to speed on the teams and leagues they love. Users can customize their scoreboards on Apple Sports by following their favorite teams, tournaments, and leagues. Fans can easily navigate between scores and upcoming games; explore play-by-play information, team stats, lineup details, and live betting odds; 1 and tap to go to the Apple TV app to watch live games from Apple and connected streaming apps. 2 Apple Sports will also seamlessly sync with favorites selected within the My Sports experience including in the Apple TV app and Apple News.

Availability

  • Users have the option to turn off live betting odds in settings at any time.
  • A subscription is required for some services.

Press Contacts

[email protected]

Olivia DeJesse

[email protected]

Apple Media Helpline

[email protected]

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  29. Introducing Apple Sports, a new app for sports fans

    CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today introduced Apple Sports, a free app for iPhone that gives sports fans access to real-time scores, stats, and more. Designed for speed and simplicity, the app's personalized experience puts users' favorite leagues and teams front and center, featuring an easy-to-use interface designed by Apple.