How to write an introduction Giacomo Novara M

Introduction • Clearly and simply explain – What the knowledge in the filed is

Introduction • Summarize other relevant papers in orderly (logic) fashion to set the background

Introduction • Consider the style of the journal – some journals typically prefers very

Introduction • An excellent study has an obviously important and original question, and therefore

Introduction structure • 1 st paragraph: brief background in present tense to establish context,

Introduction Background Importance of the problem and unclear issues The purpose of the present

Good example (non urology journal) The Platinum Journal

Improvable Introduction The Platinum Journal

Final tricks • Writing intro last can prevent writer’s block and is easier •

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How to write an introduction Giacomo Novara, M. D. , F. E. B. U. Associate professor of urology, university of Padua, Italy Associate editor European Urology giacomonovara@gmail. com The Platinum Journal

Introduction • Clearly and simply explain – What the knowledge in the filed is – What the gap in the knowledge is (the research question) – Why filling the gap is important – Why it is relevant, why it is original – Very briefly how it will be answered The Platinum Journal

Introduction • Summarize other relevant papers in orderly (logic) fashion to set the background – Very often epidemiologic studies are cited The Platinum Journal

The Platinum Journal

Introduction • Summarize other relevant papers in orderly (logic) fashion to set the background – Very often epidemiologic studies are cited – Use the best available pieces evidence (prefer a systematic review whenever available) – Otherwise use the most important papers (not all the ones you coauthored) – Not be an in-depth literature review – Not a summery of all the papers you read The Platinum Journal

Introduction • Consider the style of the journal – some journals typically prefers very short introduction • Consider the number of references allowed – often just 30 (you cannot use 25 in the Introduction!) The Platinum Journal

Introduction • Consider the profile of the journal readers – For urological journals, urologists clearly know most of the background story – For non-urological journals, the readership is wider and less likely to know the details The Platinum Journal

Introduction • An excellent study has an obviously important and original question, and therefore needs only brief introduction. – Make it short: 250 -500 words, ~3 -4 paragraphs, 1 page The Platinum Journal

Introduction structure • 1 st paragraph: brief background in present tense to establish context, relevance, or nature of the problem, question, or purpose (what we know) • 2 nd paragraph: importance of the problem and unclear issues (what we do not know - gap in knowledge - why it is important to fill that gap) • 3 rd paragraph: rationale, hypothesis, main objective, or purpose (why the study was done hypothesis for how you will fill that gap in knowledge). The Platinum Journal

Introduction Background Importance of the problem and unclear issues The purpose of the present study is … The Platinum Journal

Good example The Platinum Journal

Good example (II) The Platinum Journal

Good example (non urology journal) The Platinum Journal

Improvable Introduction The Platinum Journal

Final tricks • Writing intro last can prevent writer’s block and is easier • Do not start from Adam and Eve • Do not include things which do not belong to this section (results or conclusions) • Do not include tables and figures The Platinum Journal