LibGuides@Southampton: Crafting the Introduction: Overview

Overview of crafting introductions

The introductions to most academic essays will combine some or all of the following elements:

Opening context, which eases the reader into the essay.
An aim statement, which expresses the essay's specific intentions and relates closely to the title.
The thesis statement, which concisely conveys the essay's central argument.
An essay map, which briefly presents the essay's structure or 'main beats'.

Explore the tabs above to learn more about each of these elements individually, then finish with our best practices to combine them all into a strong introduction.

You can also watch one of our recorded workshops on writing introductions and conclusions. One is for typical academic essays, and the other provides guidance specific to dissertations. You'll find these below.

Writing Introductions and Conclusions
This webinar recording covers the essentials of writing effective introductions and conclusions: how to structure them, what to include, and not include, and the symbiotic relationship between the two.
Writing the Dissertation: Introductions and Conclusions
This 60-minute webinar recording covers the essentials of writing the introduction and conclusion of a dissertation, or extended piece of writing: how to structure both chapters or sections, what to include and not include, and the symbiotic relationship between the two.

Criticality and Structure

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