Chapter 3: Writing the Introduction Section
Conceptualizing the Research Article
You may be aware that research articles have specific sections regardless of the academic discipline or journal. Generally, there are five commonly acknowledged sections of an empirical research manuscript: Introduction (including the Literature Review), Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion.
Notice that the figure depicts a research article in the shape of an hourglass. That shape provides a way for us to consider which sections of a research article will be general/broad and which will be specific/narrow. The first part — the Introduction — is one of the most general or broad parts of the entire article.
Warm-Up
Why do you think the Introduction needs to be general (broad) and not too specific (narrow)? What aspects of an Introduction contribute to its breadth?
