Writing the introduction to a research report can often be a difficult experience.  Like many other activities, getting started is the most important part of the process and regardless of how difficult getting started can be, the introduction is a very critical section of the report.  The first few words the readers will read are crucial.  Will these first few paragraphs cause the readers to develop an interest in the project?  Will the readers know precisely what the entire project is about and how it was conducted after reading the introduction?  Is what the  research design is attempting to accomplish precise and clear?  These are but a few questions that the researcher must be aware of when preparing to write the introduction.

Where does one begin?  Put another way, how does the researcher get started?  The best way to begin is with an outline of this section of the report.  The outline is critical to the organization necessary for the introduction to logically cover all of the items that are necessary to convey to the reader what the entire project is about and why it was worth doing.  A typical outline which includes all of the necessary details is as follows:

I.   Introduction and Background.
 A.  Introductory paragraphs for establishing a general context for the study.
 B.  Introductory paragraphs for the specific context of the study.
              1.  What are the objectives of the research project?
              2.  What will the findings contribute?
              3.   Why is the project worth doing?
 C.  Introductory paragraphs for describing the purpose of the chapter.
 D.  Introductory paragraphs to describe how the chapter is organized.

II.  Overall Research Question and Hypothesis.
  A.  What is the overall research question?
  B.  What are the rationale and justification for the question?  Is it worth asking?  Why?
  C.  State the overall hypothesis.
  D.  What is the overall independent variable?
               1.  How was this independent variable manipulated?
  E.  What is the rationale for this hypothesis?  How does it relate to the research  question?

III.  General Research Design.
 A.  Introduction to how the research project will be conducted.
 B.  Description of the populations and criteria for identifying the populations.
 C.  Description of the samples and method used to select the samples.
 D.  Description of data collection methods and sources.  Why are these used?
 E.   Description of the statistics and analyses to be used.

IV.   Secondary Research Questions and Subhypotheses.
 A.  Introduction to other variables.
 B.  What are the specific secondary research questions?  Give rationales and justifications.
 C.  State the null sub-hypotheses

V.    Definition of terms.
 A.  Introduction to research terminology.
 B.  What unique terms should be defined?

VI.   Delimitations of the Study.
 A.  Introduction to delimitations.
 B.  What will not be a part of this research project?
 C.  Why will these possible issues not be a part of the project?

VII.  Organization of the Research Report.
 A.  What sections (chapters) will be included?  Why?
 B.   How will the findings be reported?
 C.   Description of graphics and other descriptors used.

VIII.  Summary of the Introduction and Research Design.

 IX.   Transition to Chapter Two, Review of Selected Literature.
 Failure to adequately cover all of the items in the outline will cause the readers to misunderstand what the researcher is trying to accomplish.  How will the reader go on to subsequent chapters of the report without a clear understanding of the research design?  The real issue here is very precise communication of exactly what research will be done and how the project will be conducted.  If the writer has written a good introduction, the readers will clearly understand the research problem, the objectives of the study, major hypotheses to be tested, terms, and delimitations.  The readers will also know exactly how the entire research report will unfold.