writing a psychology research report: the introduction

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> The abstract

Next up in my mini-series is the introduction. This is the section to introduce your topic (funnily enough) and it should begin with a brief outline of your research question - what are you trying to find out? What's the study looking at? Next, bring in previous research relating to your topic. I'd spend a lot of time finding research for this section as it'll take up the bulk of the introduction and you want it to be well-rounded and informative, yet concise; the more reading you do, the more you'll understand the topic and the better you'll be able to explain information. I normally start with an overview of previous (or early) research, followed by increasingly more recent and relevant work. Once that's been done, I'll start highlighting the gaps or issues with the previous research, validating the reason behind the study. Once you've pointed out a need for your study, finish the section by clearly stating your hypothesis. In summary:

• Briefly outline research question/topic
• Outline previous research
• State reason for current research
• State hypothesis

Other tips:

• Think of the introduction as an inverted triangle - it should begin with more general research and information about the topic, gradually becoming more and more specific until the hypothesis is stated.
• Write down your references in full APA format as you go along. It'll save so much time and hassle at the end.
• When I'm researching for something like this I like to keep all of my notes together and organised. When writing my domestic violence and sexism report I had three or four subsections and kept all previous research divided into those sections, e.g. research for 'domestic violence', research for 'sexism' etc:

• It might seem really time-consuming as opposed to just researching and writing as you go along, but this is honestly the best advice I can give you for writing an articulate, logical introduction. I can print off my work when I'm done and have it easily at hand to glance at, rather than having the "flow" interrupted by having to find research. This technique helps me to figure out what I'm going to say before I start writing as I can easily structure an argument based on my notes, and it makes any research gaps that I'm missing more obvious. It might not work for you, but in order to think logically I have to have everything laid out in front of me!

Next: the method