Introductions

Introductions can be very difficult for beginning English writers. A good introduction can make or break an academic paper. Most of the time, if someone is not interested by your introduction, they will not be interested in the rest of your paper.

Here are some quick tips to make an interesting introduction:

1. Start with a story or an anecdote.
2. Start with an interesting and/or controversial question (Don’t just go for shock value, though).
3. Give a surprising fact or statistic.
4. Start with a broad example and narrow to your topic.

These are just a few things you can do to help the reader to gain interest in your topic.  However, you must be sure that whatever tactic you use clearly relates to your main point.