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Crafting the Introduction: Overview

Explore how to write and structure an effective introduction, including refining your thesis statement, building essay maps, and more.

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.