Introductions & Conclusions of a thesis are very critical parts of the entire essay. They serve as the opening and the end of the paper. While the introduction ushers readers to your paper, the conclusion gives them a take home. Here are how to write these parts of your essay.
Introductions
The introduction chapter is the gateway to your dissertation. It serves various purposes, including drawing readers’ attention to your work and its content. Besides telling the reader what to expect, it aims to entice them to read more; hence, it should be exciting. There is no cast in the stone formula for writing an introduction; however, it should be able to:
- Grab attention
A good introduction should contain an attention grabber (hook), which attracts the reader to read more. When creating a hook, you can consider:
- Something interesting by way of statistics or facts
- A rhetorical question, which provokes the reader, make them have a pang of conscience or create excitement
- Diffuse a myth related to the topic
- Focus on your topic
A good introduction should immediately introduce your readers to your topic. In doing this, you should state the paper’s subject area, its relevance and give a little background information on it. The background information should put your research in context.
- Thesis statement
Now it is time to make your thesis statement. In your thesis statement, include
- The main topic
- The main focus of the topic
- State your discussion for the thesis
Your thesis statement should be clear and concise, directly stating the research paper’s purpose and context. Mostly, it should be the last paragraph of the introduction.
Sample of introduction
Topic: social media usage
Hook: Which social media app do you use and for what?
Topic focus and context: unlike a decade ago, today’s youth are spoilt for choice regarding communication, information search, and entertainment. With just a click of a button on a smartphone, they get access to millions of content. It is true that some become addictive and increases the time spent on screen, which could affect productivity. However, responsible use of technology can increase productivity and save time. For example, instead of moving from one library to another to find material for your dissertation, you can use educational apps and software to access numerous contents. In this case, you have put technology to good use. In business settings, technology’s potential can be harnessed to reach a large audience, seek opinions on a product, and increase sales. Many businesses are now relying on apps to sell products and services. Also, several educational games and apps developed purposely for children can help them improve academically.
Conclusion
The conclusion part of your paper should summarize all the key points of your thesis. Most importantly, it highlights the take-homes of the paper. The conclusion may also suggest some recommendations in case further studies are to be done on the topic.
When writing a conclusion, you should:
- Re-echo your thesis statement to refresh your readers’ minds on the purpose of the paper.
- Summarize the key points in the paper and demonstrate how they support your claims.
- What significance is of these claims and the impact they could have on the reader? You can end by making a recommendation as to the way forward.