Help! How do I write an essay introduction?

6 June

How to write the best essay introduction

With end-of-semester assignments in full swing, we break down THE MOST asked question of our editors.

What goes in the introduction? Where does my thesis statement go? What is a thesis statement?! Why/how do I state my argument in the intro? Help!

A barrage of ‘help’ questions has prompted us to lay out the Essentials of an Epic Essay Introduction.
Here’s how, in just SIX foolproof moves.

Let’s get started…

1ST MOVE: start by introducing the subject that is the focus of your essay. Do this by including some contextualising information.

→ Context is super important! The point isn’t merely to orient your audience towards what you intend to address; adding in context as you go indicates you know and understand what you are talking about! ✓

2ND MOVE: follow with a one- or two-liner stating why your chosen subject is SIGNIFICANT.

→This bit is extra important! Why? If you want your reader to care about what you’ve written, it’s essential that you spell out the importance of tackling your subject. ✓✓

3RD MOVE: introduce the specific question (or issue) within the main problem being addressed. (Hint: there’s a good chance this already features in your essay question). Or, if your essay question is broad, this is where you can narrow down your focus, allowing you to expand on an aspect that particularly interests you! ✓✓✓

→ This bit is important too! It shows your ability to identify the key issues of a debate or topic.

4TH MOVE: signal to your audience why this specific issue is SIGNIFICANT. Think of this in terms of ‘if nothing is done about X, then Y [insert ill-fated consequence here] will happen’. And we can’t have that happening, can we?! ✓✓✓✓

5TH MOVE: offer a clear response to the question or issue. This is where you present your THESIS STATEMENT, otherwise known as your ‘central’ or ‘main argument’. In a nutshell, it’s the position you are going to take; no sitting on the fence here, I’m afraid. Don’t get bogged down in the detail: succinct is definitely best. This isn’t to say your thesis must be all black and white; in fact, the body of your essay is exactly where you get to develop some of the complexities in your argument. ✓✓✓✓✓

6TH MOVE: provide a clear outline of the structure of your essay (aka your ‘roadmap’). ✓✓✓✓✓✓

A final (but oh-so-crucial) point.

We often hear of students feeling reluctant to nail their thesis statement upfront in their introduction: ‘No way; spoiler alert!’

While preserving a bit of mystery is all well and good when discussing, for example, the merits of GoT’s final episode, your essay is the one opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of a given subject.

Meaning?

There’s no room for mystery in the introduction; front up with a clear overview of your essay, and that includes the spoiler: what you will argue (thesis statement) and how you will go about it. Readers and markers will reward you!

See two examples below of a well-composed introduction.*

*numbers in square brackets denote each of the 6 moves in practice.

1. HOW HAS THE EURO’S CREATION LED TO POLITICAL ECONOMIC PROBLEMS FOR EUROPE?

The European Union (EU) recently experienced severe destabilisation following the recurrent banking and sovereign debt crises that first hit Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, followed rapidly by Italy.[1] Speculation has intensified over the survival of its single currency and its repercussions on the European integration project in maintaining economic and political harmony.[2] Debates largely centre on the commitment to and limitations of managing continent-wide divergences in a union comprising distinct national economies.[3] Adhering to the view that Europe’s initial project of an economic and monetary union was motivated and dominated more by political factors than economic ones (Soares, 2012), I argue that the institutional framework upon which it was constructed contains inherent flaws. These generate the preconditions for the current economic crisis and threaten larger political and social ones.[4] While calls for deeper fiscal and political integration are proposed as solutions (De Grauwe 2009), the likelihood of this gaining political support at the domestic level is low.[5] Instead, I advocate for fiscal and financial reforms to boost discipline and stability as more viable outcomes to curb future euro crises.[5] This essay proceeds as follows: I first examine the institutional setup and ongoing criteria of Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union membership. Drawing on those insights, I interpret the factors leading to the euro crisis and its fallout through a dependency theory lens before concluding with remarks on future directions for the euro.[6]

2. EVALUATE THE ROLE OF THE WHO IN GLOBAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE.

Beginning in the 1990s and accelerating into the 21st century, the global health landscape has rapidly evolved and expanded.[1] The proliferation of non-state actors including bilateral agencies, partnerships, foundations and multinational institutions (MLIs) driving major global health initiatives has challenged, diminished even, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s role as agenda-setter and moral authority in global health governance (GHG).[2] WHO’s capacity to direct and coordinate a global health agenda is restricted by a lack of core funding that underpins its reliance on extra-budgetary funds, endangering it of becoming little more than an instrument to serve donor priorities (People’s Health Movement 2008).[2] Additionally, WHO’s ability to provide leadership in global health has been seriously compromised because its mandate has been usurped by public-private partnerships and other MLIs like the World Trade Organization.[3] This paper examines the effects of such challenges, illustrated with examples of the tobacco epidemic and demonstrates how this provides both obstacles and a unique opportunity to strengthen leadership in GHG.[4] It is argued that for WHO to effectively respond to the changing health environment, it must lead the international community in taking a radical approach to GHG by adopting a global convention on health, attractive and mutually beneficial to developing and developed states alike.[5] The paper begins with an overview of the shift from ‘international’ to ‘global’ HG and a brief theoretical approach to international organisation behaviour. Drawing on these insights, it discusses the challenges and opportunities for WHO concerning GHG, before concluding that WHO, to reassert strong global health leadership, must adopt a convention approach to health challenges worldwide.[6]