MLA Format Introduction Paragraph

• The Cover Page and the Title of Your Work

In MLA format, there is no need to have a cover page. However, some lecturers or supervisors may ask their students to include a cover page. When this happens, such a lecturer or supervisor will provide instructions on how to do so.

Put your title in the center of the page and ⅓rd away from the top of the page. Make sure you capitalize only the proper nouns in the title. Also, if your work has a subtitle, separate it from the title by adding a colon.

• Type Your Name, Class, Supervisor’s Name, and Due Date

After this, type your name (first name, followed by surname) and attach the word “By” before it. Make sure this is still in the center of the page.

For example,

“Introduction Paragraph MLA Format”

 By Oscar Root

Next, type your class and the section number. Make sure this information is on one line. Then press the “Enter” key and type your supervisor’s name on the next line. Press the “Enter” key yet again and type the due date of your paper in the format: Month, Date, and Year. Remember, this information is still at the center of the page.

For example,

“Class 1c Section 13 Ms. F. Belle March 5th, 2020”

• Introduction Paragraph MLA Format

Next, take your text back to align it to the left. Then start to write the introduction paragraph of your work. IN MLA format, it is advisable that you use font 12-point in Times New Roman. Also, make sure to use double-spacing throughout your paper and a line spacing of 2.0. Furthermore, make sure each page of your work has a running header. A running header is usually at the top right hand of your page and it contains your surname and the page number.

The Body of Your Paper

When writing an essay or a research work that requires long texts, it is advisable that you break them into sections. Not only does this make it easier for your supervisor to read your work but it also makes it easier for you to outline your thoughts. In MLA format, always number each section accompanied with a full stop and make sure it is in the center of the page. Also, ensure to write the first letter of each word in capital letters.

Now, sometimes, you may need to use tables and charts to visually represent what you have written. In MLA format, always add a figure number to your pictorial representation. For example, “Fig. 1” for one table. This should be written under the table, accompanied by a short caption that gives information on the type of illustration. For example, “Fig. 1 showing the number of news articles in October”.

If it is a photo you sourced, make sure you write out the source, publication and publication date, and the page number.

Citing in MLA Format

In academic writing, adding citations is necessary to give your work credibility else they will stand as mere opinions. To cite in MLA format, simply write out the information you have collected and add the author’s surname and page number after it. Make sure you put this in parentheses. However, if you write the author’s surname before the information, there is no need for parentheses.

For example, “News is something that is relevant and recent (Jones, 212)”

OR

“According to Jones, 212, the news is something that is relevant and recent.”

Some information may be longer than three lines so this means you have to separate them from the body text. Simply start the information on a new line and indent all with ½ (half an) inch. Make sure you still put the surname of the author and the page number of the information.

Put Your Endnotes

In MLA format, you can use endnotes in your bibliography. Of course, this should reflect in the main body of your text. Also, your endnotes should begin on a fresh page and ensure you do not bold, italicize, or underline the “Notes” heading.

Another important thing to do is to add numbers to your endnotes. However, if you are using an endnote processor, the numbers will automatically appear. Another thing to note is that the number of your endnote bibliography should tally with the endnote number in your body text.

You can also use your endnotes to provide more but brief information that you could not in your body text. Make sure the word limit is four lines. Also, indent the first line of every endnote by ½ (half an) inch.

Conclusion

Now, you know how to write a good introduction paragraph MLA format. With these tips your MLA thesis papers will always stand out and get high grades.

How to Write a Dissertation Introduction

Start With a Background Story

If you are unsure of how, to begin with writing your academic dissertation, you can start with a background story. Depending on your word count or what you have to say, your introduction chapter can be between 1000 – 2500 words. So, take your reader on a reading journey to the circumstances that surround your dissertation topic. This will help to hold the attention of the reader and keep them reading. Still, there are some things you must note. First of all, do not use flowery words in the background story. Also, avoid the use of (excessive) adjectives; simply use the words as they are. Finally, do not try to use “poetic license” by coining new words.

In addition to this, make sure your writing language is clear and that you use concrete terms. For example, instead of writing, “in conclusion”, you can write, “conclusively”. If you are finding it difficult to exchange simple words for concrete ones, you can consult a thesaurus.

Another important thing to do is to use the passive voice and not an active voice in your writing. Not only is this more acceptable, but it will also help you with your word count. Also, write longer sentences. Your sentences should contain between 20 to 50 words.

Introduce Your Dissertation Topic and Aims

Your dissertation introduction chapter is the first chapter where you get to introduce your topic and the aims of your research. You may choose to do the introduction either in the middle of the chapter or at the end of the chapter. This also depends on the flow of your words. Now, your research aims or questions should complement your topic. Furthermore, you should separate them from the body text, in a block form and appropriately numbered. For example,

The intent of this dissertation will be further divided into three aims:

1. To uncover why children like sugar
2. To show how this can be curbed
3. To promote a healthy lifestyle

Use Appropriate Terminology and Define Them

When writing your dissertation, it is important that you use terminology centered around your topic. For example, if your topic was something like, “The Misappropriation of the Media”, you would need to use the appropriate terminologies in a consistent fashion. These include, “bias” “reporting” “news” “journalism” “under-reportage” among others.

Also, make sure you provide the definition for the terminologies especially if they are a major part of your work. Do not assume that your reader knows the meaning of these terminologies. Also, make sure that you use either a recognized dictionary or a research work to give definitions to those terms. However, it is usually best to use relevant research work for definition as this gives a more specific meaning to your terminology. Take a look at the difference in a definition for both a dictionary and a research work. For example, if you wanted to define the “misappropriation” in “The Misappropriation of the Media”, you can write like this:

“The Oxford dictionary defines misappropriation as ‘dishonestly or unfairly take (something, especially money, belonging to another) for one’s own use.‘”

OR

“According to Bramah (1998), misappropriation means, ‘the dishonesty of the media to manipulate a news story for political gains.'”

Give Indicators to Other Chapters of Your Dissertation

From your introduction, your reader should have a clear understanding of the intent of your dissertation. However, this does not mean that you should give so much description that you reveal the details of the other chapters. You can give brief descriptions but make sure to indicate that the other chapters of your work will expand on these. For example, “The methodology chapter will discuss further on the challenges of getting this information.”

Cite Relevant Literature

Make sure to cite relevant literature in your introduction. Whether you are defining terms or showing problems, let information with appropriate citation accompany these terms. Citing in a dissertation is easy. Most times all you have to do is use the author’s surname and the year of publication. Also, you may have to write the page number of the exact quote. For example, “Dennis (2015) explains that the media is biased towards certain groups of people.”

Write About The Structure of Your Dissertation

Finally, in your dissertation, write about the structure. Let your reader know that there are more chapters that they should expect and let them know which chapters. Also, include a brief description of what these chapters intend to show.

For example, “Chapter two of this dissertation shows the relevant literature used. Chapter three of this dissertation discusses the methodology employed during research. Chapter four of this dissertation presents data and discusses them.”

Structure of a Dissertation

• Chapter One: Introduction

This is the first chapter in your dissertation as has already been discussed in this article.

• Chapter Two: Review of Literature

Your literature review should contain three major areas. First of all, use select information from relevant works and show how they have helped you during research. Next, write about the shortcomings of those works. Finally, write why your research differs from previous literature.

• Chapter Three: Methodology

In this chapter, you will tell the reader what methods you have chosen to use and why. Also, you will discuss the sources you chose to gather data and why. In addition to this, you will discuss the challenges you faced in the course of research.

• Chapter Four: Analysis and Discussion

In this chapter, you will analyze and discuss the data you have gathered. It is in this chapter you will be able to show whether or not you have answered your Research Questions or Aims of the Dissertation.

• Chapter Five: Conclusion

Here, you will give a summary of all you have done in the preceding chapters.

Bottomline

With this sample dissertation introduction, you now know how to write dissertation introduction. So, start practicing!

How to Introduce Your Topic

1. Write Your Summary Preview Last

Now, this may seem weird and unusual but it is actually the best approach to writing a summary preview. If you are writing a dissertation, thesis, or any such academic work, first write out your other chapters. These chapters include your literature review chapter, methodology chapter, analysis chapter, and discussion chapter. Writing these chapters first is easier because you have your ideas and data all laid out. A summary preview is more like a recap of all you have written, however, it is you introducing what you intend to write. And how can you know what you want to write if you have not organized your thoughts and data first? So, when you finish writing your other chapters, you can now go ahead with your summary preview.

2. Read Your Chapters Carefully

After writing your chapters, the next thing is to read them again carefully. This will help you understand what you have written so you can write a good summary preview. It will also help you identify any grammatical errors or misplaced sentences. Now, while doing the first reading, do not be in a hurry to mark out the points. Doing so may cause you to miss out on what you should understand.

After doing the first reading, then you can do a second one to mark out the points.

To know which points to mark out, go for strong statements. For example, “I believe that”, “I argue that”, among others. You can also use key quotes that the work draws attention to.

3. Draft a Rough Copy

After reading through the paper, the next thing you should do is draft a rough copy. No, do not worry about constricting perfect sentences or paragraphs. Take your time. Start with jotting out the main points and key focus of the literature, methodology, discussion, and analysis chapters.

4. Reference Literature

In writing a summary preview, there is some literature that you will need to add to boost your work. Usually, academic writing demands that you reference literature. This shows that your work is not mere opinion and a summary preview is no exception. Make sure you cite sufficient literature as is available. Of course, this depends on your word count. However, for a summary preview of 500 – 1000 words, citing between 10 – 15 literature should suffice.

5. Rewrite and Quote Directly

After drafting a rough copy, it is time to start writing your summary preview properly. Now that you have written out the succeeding chapters, it becomes easier for you to go ahead with the summary preview. However, you may still be stuck with how to open the first paragraph. You can start the first paragraphs with a background story of the focus of your topic. For example, if you are writing about insecurity in a community, you can refer to a news story on a recent real-life encounter.

Remember to cite the source of your news story or else your reader will view it as a fictitious tale. You can then continue by showing how the problem of insecurity caused you to develop your chosen topic. Next, introduce the topic to the reader. Furthermore, you can break down the intent of your topic into aims and/or research questions. The aims and/or research questions are important components that should feature in your preview. Also, make sure to give the correct definition of terms. Do not assume your reader knows it neither should you hope that they will consult a dictionary to find out. Now, when defining terms, it is advisable to use published literature over dictionaries. Using published literature improves your credibility as a researcher. Also, make sure that you use appropriate terminologies in a consistent manner. Finally, use transition words to show a flow of ideas.

How to Come Up with a Thesis Topic

Usually, students have many great ideas for their research work. However, coming up with the right topic can be hard. This is because a thesis topic has to be creative and most importantly, original. To come up with a thesis topic, simply write down as many topics that come to your mind. It does not matter whether they make sense or not, just write. Next, research to make sure that no other researcher has used the topic before. Academicians frown on plagiarism and may mark you down if they discovered your topic has already been used.

Also, make sure whatever topic you pick contains the keywords of your thesis. Finally, make your thesis topic short and concise.

Bottomline

Introducing a topic just got easier. Simply remember to follow the steps to introduce the topic and you are ready to write.

Master’s Thesis Outline Example

Chapter One: Introduction

The introduction of your topic is the first chapter of your master’s thesis. As the term implies, this is where you let your reader know what your topic is about and why you chose that topic.

For example, “How To Write A Scientific Thesis“

Depending on your stipulated word count, your introduction can be between 1000 – 2500 words. Some students find it difficult to write their introduction but this does not have to be you. If you are unsure, you can start with a short story showing the problem of your chosen topic. Next, break down what you would like to uncover in your research through either Research Questions or the Aims of the Thesis. These questions or aims should be listed and numbered and then put in a block form, separate from the rest of your texts. Finally, you should introduce your topic again to the reader.

Now, through your introduction, your reader should be able to have a clear understanding of the intent of your topic. To make sure, read your introduction twice over. You can also give it to a senior or an expert researcher to read and give you their feedback.

However, it is important to note that you do not have to go into full details in your introduction chapter. Any information that requires an expansion, make sure you tell the reader that they will find it in the appropriate chapter.

For example, “This will be fully discussed in the methodology chapter of this study.”

Chapter Two: Review of Literature

In academic writing, you must research previously published works that relate to your study. This will help you with a clearer understanding of your chosen topic and how to write it. Furthermore, previous literature will provide you with more important information that you can use in your study as well. Besides gaining more knowledge from previous literature, you will need to cite the information you got from these works of literature. The citation style you will use depends on what reference style your supervisor asks you to use. There are different reference styles which include Chicago, Modern Language Association (MLA), Harvard, American Psychological Association (APA), among others.

Usually, you only need to use the author’s name and year of publication in parentheses. You can put this at the beginning or the end of the extracted information.

For example, “Dodworth (2021) opined that people fall ill due to a dirty environment.“

OR

“People fall ill due to a dirty environment, Dodworth (2021).”

Your literature review should contain three major areas. First of all, use select information from relevant works and show how they have helped you during research. Next, critique the gaps in those works, that is, areas that the work failed to explore, bias in the work, etc. Finally, write why your research differs from previous literature. This final part shows your reader that your study is not copy-and-paste or work that has already been done.

You may also choose to tell your reader here which theoretical framework that you are using for your study.

Chapter Three: Methodology

As the term implies, this discusses the methods you employed in your research. Here, you will tell the reader what methods you have chosen to use and why. Whatever method you use must be recognized, this means that it must have been developed by previous researchers. Also, you will discuss the sources you chose to gather data and why. If you eliminated any source that you initially chose in your thesis proposal, then you must write it out. If you added new sources, then you must write it out as well. Furthermore, you will discuss the challenges you faced in the course of research. For some students, their studies may require that they use interviews or questionnaires. Depending on the type of study, some people may be unwilling to grant interviews or fill their questionnaires. Thus, the student has to discuss these challenges in their methodology chapter.

Also in the methodology chapter, the student has to discuss the consent of their participants. Did they participate voluntarily? Did they participate voluntarily only to withdraw later on? Will their identity be coded? Etc.

Some studies require intense research so much that a student can ask for the help of another researcher. If you do this, you have to state that in your methodology.

Chapter Four: Analysis and Discussion

For some students, this may be one chapter while it may be two chapters for other students. This usually depends on the type of research that you are undertaking. Here, the student will analyze the data they have gathered. You may choose to use tables, charts, graphs, and even pictures to give visual aid to your written texts. Remember to label these visual aids accordingly, e. g. “Fig. 1. The table shows the number of news articles published in October 2020.”

After analyzing, you will then discuss what you have analyzed. It is in this chapter you will be able to show whether or not you have answered your Research Questions or Aims of the Thesis. You will also discuss if your study is open to further research.

Chapter Five: Conclusion

The conclusion is a summary of the work you have done. Here, you will recap your topic, why you chose it, and the aims of your thesis. You will also recap the methodology you used and the data and information you got from your findings. Finally, you can make recommendations on what other researchers can do to solve the problem of your work.

Bibliography

Here, you will give more information on the cited works used in your study. This information includes the author’s name, publication year, publication title, page number, and name and location of publisher. Remember, you should reference according to the provided reference style.

Conclusion

With these, you know how to write master thesis. There is just one step to successful writing: simply follow the recommendations provided below and your written piece will be flawless.