If you struggle with writing an introduction and finding the right wording, academic key phrases can help! Here is a list of 26 useful academic phrases to write the introduction of a research paper or thesis. Furthermore, examples from published academic papers across various disciplines are provided to demonstrate how the academic phrases can be applied effectively.
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Contents
- Academic key phrases presenting the research aim or objective in an introduction
- Academic key phrases linking the research to existing publications in an introduction
- Academic key phrases pointing out research gaps in an introduction
- Academic key phrases highlighting the research contribution in an introduction
- Academic key phrases previewing findings in the introduction
Academic key phrases presenting the research aim or objective in an introduction
The aim of this study is…
Example: “The aim of this study is the investigation of different molten copper alloys regarding their efficiency as catalytic media for the pyrolysis of methane in an inductively heated bubble column reactor.” (Scheiblehner et al. 2023, p. 6233)
In this study, we investigate…
Example: “In this study, we investigate the spatial shoot organization of the salt marsh grass Spartina anglica (common cordgrass) in small (0.5–1.5 m), establishing patches across a wide range of wave exposure and sediment conditions along the European coast.” (Van de Ven, 2022 et al., p. 1340)
Our primary objective was to assess…
Example: “Our primary objective was to assess subpopulation status through estimation of survival rates and abundance, particularly in comparison with the relative stability from 2007 to 2010 reported by Bromaghin et al. (2015).” (Bromaghin et al., 2021, p. 14252)
This study aims to answer the following research question:
Example: “This study aims to answer the following research question: how is the resilience of firms defined in the business and management field?” (Conz and Magnani, 2020, p. 400)
The goal of this paper is to…
Example: “The goal of this paper is to delineate whether, why, and how human-AI interaction is distinctly difficult to design and innovate.” (Yang et al., 2020, p. 174)
You may also like: How to write a fantastic thesis introduction (+15 examples)
Academic key phrases linking the research to existing publications in an introduction
The topic gained considerable attention in the academic literature in…
Example: “The relationship between BITs and FDI gained considerable attention in the academic literature in the last two decades.” (Amendolagine and Prota, 2021, p. 173)
Prior research has hypothesized that…
Example: “Prior research has hypothesized that racial and ethnic disparities may be mitigated if the patient and provider share the same race due to improved communication and increased trust” (Otte, 2022, p. 1)
Existing research frequently attributes…
Example: “Existing research frequently attributes these challenges to AI’s technical complexity, demand for data, and unpredictable interactions.” (Yang et al., 2020, p. 174)
Interestingly, all the arguments refer to…
Example: “Interestingly, all the arguments above refer to daily role transitions—more specifically: role transitions on teleworking days—as an important explanatory mechanism for both the possible conflict-reducing effect and the potential conflict enhancing effects of telework.” (Delanoeije et al., 2019, p. 1845)
Prior studies have found that…
Example: “Prior studies have found that court-referred individuals are more likely to complete relationship violence intervention programs (RVIP) than self-referred individuals.” (Evans et al. 2022, p. 1)
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Academic key phrases pointing out research gaps in an introduction
Yet, it remains unknown how…
Example: “Yet, it remains unknown how findings from aeolian landscapes translate to aquatic systems and how young clonally expanding plants in hydrodynamically exposed conditions overcome these establishment thresholds by optimizing shoot placement.” (Van de Ven, 2022 et al., p. 1339)
There is, however, still little research on…
Example: “There is, however, still little research on what integrated STEM approaches require from schools and teachers, and on the potential obstacles that may prevent teachers from running this kind of teaching.” (Bungum and Mogstad, 2022, p. 2)
Scholars working on the topic are still dealing with unanswered questions.
Example: “This implies that scholars working on the resilience of firms are still dealing with unanswered questions such as ‘Which definition of resilience do I have to adopt? What am I looking at?” (Conz and Magnani, 2020, p. 400)
Existing studies have failed to address…
Example: “University–industry relations (UIR) are usually analysed by the knowledge transfer channels, but existing studies have failed to address what knowledge content is being transferred – impacting the technology output aimed by the partnership.” (Dalmarco et al. 2019, p. 1314)
The topic is under-researched
Example: “‘Third places’ – public and commercial sites that are neither home nor work – are often overlooked by policymakers, health officials, and researchers alike (Glover & Parry, 2009). Yet they can serve vital and life-saving roles in our communities. Their relevance to public health and quality of life is understated and under-researched, particularly among socioeconomically marginalized, vulnerable, and isolated individuals.” (Finlay et al., 2020, p. 1)
Academic key phrases highlighting the research contribution in an introduction
This paper contributes to the field…
Example: “This paper contributes to the field by investigating how teachers perceive gains and challenges in an extensive teaching project called Project Weather Station, where lower secondary students design, build and program their own weather station by use of digital sensos and microcontrollers.” (Bungum and Mogstad, 2022, p.2)
In light of these considerations, we think it is interesting to analyze…
Example: “In the light of these considerations, we think it is interesting to analyse the impact of BITs on the propensity of foreign investors to generate linkages to local suppliers from both a political and an academic point of view. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that addresses this issue.” (Amendolagine and Prota, 2021, p. 174)
The contributions of this study are twofold/threefold/…
Example: “The contributions of this study are threefold. First, by examining daily role transitions as mediators in the relationship between telework and work-to-home and home-to-work conflict, our study helps to understand through which mechanisms telework affects thework-home interface…” (Delanoeije et al., 2019, p. 1845)
Moving a step further, in this article, …
Example: “Moving a step further, in this article, a comprehensive SDM is presented that establishes and quantifies interlinkages among resources and Nexus components by mapping data and incorporating outputs from well-established models, thus producing a modeling platform that can incorporate various data sets and modeling outputs in order to run scenarios and produce forecasted trends for future decades.” (Laspidou et al., 2020, p. 3)
Therefore, it is essential to review…
Example: “Considering the lack of HPAI management policies in the SSA in general, and South Africa in particular, the One Health program led by the WHO to fight zoonosis is harder to be achieved. Therefore, it is essential to review the status of the AIVs before and during COVID‐19 in South Africa and assess the challenges and efforts essential to mitigate the additional burden of bird flu in this nation.” (Uwishema et al., 2021, p. 5677)
This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, …
Example: “This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, we simultaneously accounted for possible positive and potential negative effects of telework on employees’ work-home conflict…” (Delanoeije et al., 2019, p. 1862)
Academic key phrases previewing findings in the introduction
The analysis showcases that…
Example: “The analysis showcases that to move from a general nexus thinking to an operational nexus concept, it is important to focus on data availability and scale.” (Laspidou et al., 2020, p. 1)
Our results are in line with the literature and confirm…
Example: “Looking at other control variables, our results are generally in line with the literature and confirm the importance of foreign investors’ characteristics as mediating factors on the extent of local sourcing.” (Amendolagine and Prota, 2021, p. 180)
Contrary to our expectations, the results…
Example: “Contrary to our expectations, the results from our European survey show that clustering of shoots by establishing S. anglica patches was universally observed across sites, despite widely varying environmental conditions.” (Van de Ven, 2022 et al., p. 1345)
The findings support the use of…
Example: “The findings support the use of legal referral pathways that can limit the negative impacts of carceral system involvement while highlighting the need for better strategies to engage and retain RVIP clients who have no court involvement.” (Evans et al. 2022, p. 1)
The results of the conducted experiments show…
Example: “The results of the conducted experiments show that the products of methane pyrolysis can be strongly influenced by a change in the used catalyst.” (Scheiblehner et al. 2023, p. 6241)
