Project Materials

How to Write an Introduction for Your Project

The introduction of your final year project is the first chapter any reader would see. This chapter is very important in any write up because it prepares the mind of the reader for what to expect as he continues to read. Again, this chapter creates a lasting first impression in the mind of the readers thus, it must be taken very seriously.

As a college student, a final year project is a ‘must do’ for you as it marks the end of your undergraduate program. Therefore, it goes a long way to determine if you’d graduate college and how good your grades would be. Giving your final year project a good introduction should be top priority for you. It tells the reader what the project is about without giving out special knowledge or exhausting all you know about your project topic.

Qualities of a Good Introduction

1. It should be exciting: A good introduction for your project should be able to excite your readers and encourage them to read through the entire report. I understand it is an academic writing, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be educational and exciting. An exciting introduction will make your readers enjoy reading your report.

2. It should combine the main points of your project: Your introduction should be drafted in such a way that it highlights the main points that are described in a more detailed manner in the rest of the project report.

3. It should be easy to understand: Your introduction is not the place to start using complicated words. As stated earlier, the introduction leaves a lasting first impression in the minds of your readers. If the introduction is vague and uneasy to understand, the reader will drop your write up. You should consider making use of simple words that are easy to understand in your introduction.

4. It should persuade the readers: Your introduction should persuade your readers into believing that what you have to say is important and thus they should pay close attention to it.

5. It should capture background information: Give background information that will help your reader understand your subject, or see why it is important. There is no need bombarding your readers with too much information in your introduction. Your introduction should contain pieces of information important to your research.

6. It should ask challenging questions: Your introduction should ask questions. It should contain a hypothesis. By doing so, you would be able to target the mind of your readers towards understanding the question and finding the answers within the lines of the rest of the project. An introduction that poses questions also gives the writer direction.

Guidelines for Writing a Good Introduction for Your Final Year Project

The very first chapter of your project write up which is the introduction is divided into smaller parts. They are;

1. Background of study: This section introduces your project topic. And gives an overview on important points centered on your topic. In this section, you should provide the arguments that led to the development of your topic. You should also state the different views by other researchers concerning your topic and highlight significant investigations other researchers have carried out as regards your project research. This section should also contain the present state of your research. You should add citations from your literature review that contains conflict in your area of research.

2. Statement of problem: In this section, you should state the specific problems that your research addresses. You should ensure that these problems are not created by your research but have been in existence and that you have decided to use your research to solve these problems. The problems stated in this section should be related to your research.

3. Aim of study: This includes research questions. This section provides an insight into the objectives of your research. Your questions should be structured in a way that the answers would be provided by your research. Close ended questions are not the best questions to be asked in research projects. This section usually begins with statements such as “the aim of this project is to determine…” You should highlight each aim individually.

4. Significance of study: This highlights the importance of addressing the problems that are stated in your research. You should be able to find a connection between solving your research problems and real life situations. Is it going to improve the safety of healthcare workers or is it going to make politics work better in the country? Would it ensure that infrastructural development becomes top priority for the success of the next generation? You should be able to state the importance of your research.

5. The scope of study: This section highlights the depth of your research. It also highlights the parameters that would be considered in the study. It considers the geographical location in which the test or survey would be carried out.

6. Limitation of study: In this section, you should be able to highlight the things that may affect the interpretation or accuracy of the results from your investigation. They include those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the application or interpretation of the results of your study. This may include; lack of previous study in the research area or sample size.

In conclusion, as earlier stated, the introduction of your project write up is the first chapter seen by any reader, including your project supervisor. How you write it goes a long way to determine how the rest of the write up would go. You should be confident in your writing and seek professional advice when you feel lost. Also, ensure you proofread properly in order to remove grammar errors and punctuation errors.