How to Write a Seminar Paper Introduction: Structure, Length and an Example

A seminar paper introduction tells the reader what the topic is, what problem the paper deals with and what its research question is, then says why it matters and how the paper is organized. It works like a funnel: it starts with the broad topic and narrows down to the exact question. In a seminar paper the introduction takes roughly one to three pages, depending on your guidelines, and its final version is best written last, once you know what the paper actually found.

What the introduction has to do

By the end of the introduction the reader, usually your lecturer, should know three things: what the paper is about, what it asks, and why it is worth reading. That is why it is built like a funnel (the USC Libraries writing guide calls it an inverted triangle): a broad first paragraph about the field, then a gradual narrowing to a specific problem, to a gap in what is known about it, and finally to the research question.

In many institutions the introduction is not the place for the full literature review, and not the place for findings. It mentions a few key sources briefly to show the problem is real, and leaves the detail to the chapters that follow. This isn't a universal rule, though: the Open University of Israel's guide (2003, department of management and economics) lets you weave the literature into the introduction or present it in a separate chapter right after it, so check what your guidelines ask for.

The five parts of an introduction, in order

1. Topic and background. One paragraph that orients the reader: what the field is and what is generally known. A good first sentence starts with a fact or a phenomenon, not a dictionary definition.
2. The problem or gap. What is still unknown, disputed, or has changed. A few sources go here to show the problem exists.
3. Research question and aim. One clear sentence, usually at or near the end of the introduction. If you have hypotheses, they go here or in a separate chapter, depending on your guidelines.
4. Significance. Why the answer matters: to research, to practitioners, or to the people the topic affects.
5. Structure of the paper. A short paragraph on what each chapter contains: "Chapter one... chapter two...".

These are the common parts, but some guides also ask for the research method and the paper's limits. The Open University's guide asks for both, and Tel-Hai College's guidelines for a master's programme in education management ask for a short description of the methodology and the reason for choosing the topic. If your guidelines ask for this too, a natural place is right after the research question.

A sample introduction

The topic in this example is made up, and the places that need a source are marked (Author, Year). In a real introduction those are the sources you read, in the citation style your lecturer asked for.

Notice that the introduction does not reveal what was found: the answer to the research question is kept for the findings and discussion chapters. That is how many departments want it. At Tel Aviv University's Bible department, for example, the introduction should raise interest and not offer solutions. Other guidelines differ: in Tel-Hai's master's guidelines, a short summary of the main findings is part of the introduction. If yours ask for a summary like that, keep it short and leave the detail to the later chapters. How to write the discussion for this same paper, with the same example, is in the guide to writing the discussion and conclusion.

How long should the introduction be?

One rule of thumb is about a tenth of the paper, not counting appendices and the reference list. Treat it as a rough estimate: the Israeli guides we read state no percentage, and the length of the paper itself varies. At Tel Aviv University's Bible department it is about 20 to 25 pages, and elsewhere it can be shorter or longer. In the Open University guide, the examples are a one-page introduction, or a three-page one that includes the theoretical background. Your institution's or lecturer's guidelines beat any rule of thumb, so check them first. The numbers in the table are also our own rough estimate, not any institution's rule.

When to write the introduction

The easy way is to write it twice. At the start, write a short draft that helps you sharpen the research question and becomes the base of your proposal. At the end, once the discussion and conclusion are written, rewrite it so it promises exactly what the paper did. An introduction written only at the start often promises things the paper never got to.

How to open: sentences that work and ones to skip

These are recommendations, not laws: the University of North Carolina Writing Center warns against sweeping openings and dictionary definitions, but also lists a thought-provoking question as a possible opening, and reminds you that no opening suits every field.

Five common introduction mistakes

1. An introduction that is too long. When it grows, the literature review has usually crept in. Move the detail to the review chapter, if your guidelines have one.
2. Giving away the findings when nobody asked. In many departments the introduction presents the question, not the answer.
3. A vague research question. "This paper is about student employment" is a topic, not a question. A good question says what you examine, in whom, and which relationship you are looking for.
4. An introduction that doesn't match the conclusion. If the paper ends up answering something other than what the introduction promised, rewrite the introduction.
5. Claims without sources. Every claim about the world, like "more students work today", needs a source.

Introduction vs conclusion

A good introduction is written over a few short sessions, not in one night before the deadline. In Focusity you can add the seminar paper with its due date, and the app splits it into writing sessions in your free hours. For the whole paper, step by step, there is also the full seminar paper guide.

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