Primary Research Paper
Introductions give context, purpose, and scope for your research. A well written introduction will also establish your credibility and expertise on the subject matter. Generally, they are written in the form of an triangle that has been turned upside down. While introductions can differ across disciplines, they often start broad, then narrow the context until arriving at a specific research question.
Background Information on The Research Topic: This can include what current research on your topic is already saying, historical context, and why you are doing this research.
Indicating Importance of Research: Why is your research important to your field of study, community, and audience? Is it filling gaps in current research? Or maybe starting a new area of research? Is it solving a problem current problem?
Narrow The Context: You have provided a foundation with your background information and now it is time to give is some specific details regarding your research. This includes what research is already saying about your topic and relevant details relating to your specific subject or question.
Specific Research Question: At this point, all you have left to do is state your research question. Often, it sound like:
“This paper explores…”,
“Looking at ____, this paper examines…”
“This study sought to correlate…”
Example One: Humanities
Between 1900 and 1915, major scientific breakthroughs in quantum mechanics physics induced shifts in visual, philosophical, and scientific perspectives represented in art and literature. This interest was maturing in concurrence with the European colonization of Asia, which increased global travel and intellectual exchange between Western and Eastern countries. Because many of the Western scientific discoveries were moderately compatible with traditional Buddhist beliefs concerning identity, consciousness, and perceived reality, Western theologians, psychologists, and philosophers began to engage with Eastern Buddhism. In turn, modernist artists and writers began to experiment with nontraditional forms, themes, and perspectives; more specifically, Virginia Woolf and her contemporaries developed an interest in identity, discontinuity, consciousness, and the distortion of space/time.
Virginia Woolf, who was a self-proclaimed atheist, had predominantly negative feelings towards Eastern religious principles and was hesitant to engage with them in her writing or personal life. However, despite her resistance, Eastern religion was saturating Woolf’s academic and artistic social circles. Woolf's close friend T.S Eliot for example, took interest in ancient Indian philosophy during his time at Harvard, studying Sanskrit, Pali, and Patanjali’s metaphysics between 1906 and 1914, with his poems such as The Wasteland and Four Quartets showing clear evidence of Eastern religious beliefs (Kane).
The integration of Eastern religious principles is evident throughout the Western academic and artistic communities of the early twentieth century, and Woolf, being an integral part of both communities, was undoubtedly influenced by the beliefs and ideologies of her peers, friends, colleagues, and family. Recognizing the prevalence of Modern Buddhism, specifically, in relation to Woolf’s communities, offers a new way to analyze her work as a reflection of global intellectual exchange. This essay explores the vital influence of Modern Buddhist theory on Woolf’s authorial choices regarding narrative perception and consciousness in Mrs. Dalloway.
Broad background information on research topic:
Time period (1900-1915)
Quantum mechanics
Art and literature
Colonization of Asia
Buddhism
More specific, but still fairly broad. The writer introduces a subject (Virginia Woolf) specific context about her community interests (identity, discontinuity, consciousness, and distortion of spacetime)
Nearly at the research question. The writer gives very specific historical context about Virginia Woolf and her writing. The writer also uses a source to introduces information regarding what is already known about her writing community.
The importance/implications of the research.
Research Question is stated.
Example Two: Sciences
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disorder marked by the destruction of insulin-producing β cells in the pancreas. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates T1D cases increase by 3% per year globally, with the 2nd highest number of new cases of T1D estimated to be from the USA [1]. Epidemiological studies indicate ~40% of T1D cases reported globally are associated with polymorphism in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene; however, the recent increase in the T1D numbers among children, in parallel with reduced frequency of HLA genotype, indicate increased environmental pressure as a responsible factor. As a result, our understanding of the disease pathology has evolved to the current model that T1D results from a combination of genetic predisposition and various environmental triggers that activate and accelerate disease severity
While immunomodulatory therapies like Cyclosporine A, anti-CD3/20 antibodies, and IL-1 inhibitors are only able to delay the onset of the disease, there remains significant interest in developing next-generation immunomodulators targeting immune system Treg cells, B lymphocytes, and the CD3 coreceptor [6,8–10]. However, trials are still in the early stages, and the cost benefit of these therapies compared to traditional treatments has yet to be determined.
Current therapeutic options only manage T1D, demanding novel and efficient therapies that prevent or delay disease onset. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15 – also known as macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 & NSAID-activated gene 1 protein and placental TFG-β) a known diabetes biomarker, has triggered widespread interest in this regard due to its impressive tissue-protective actions over the last 2 decades in broad range of metabolic disorder.
A recent study by our team has specifically demonstrated the benefits of GDF15 in reducing insulitis and T1D onset [13]. In this review, we map multiple GDF15-relevant pathways in T1D pathology and discuss the therapeutic potential of GDF15 in the treatment of T1D.
Broad background information on research topic:
Introduces the topic (Type 1 Diabetes)
Statistics on T1D Case
Possible Cause (Polymorphism on the HLA gene)
Possible cause (environmental pressure)
More specific, but still fairly broad. The writer introduces their current understandings of T1D pathology as a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. They then discuss current therapy options and their shortcomings.
Nearly at the research question, the writer introduces GDF15, the material being studied. They then discuss some of the characteristics that make it a promising possibility for therapeutics
The importance/implications of the research.
Research Question is stated.