Writing a masters dissertation is no easy job. Introducing different ideas and concepts and starting the discussion are students’ main challenges when writing a dissertation. On top of that, students have to do this in the introductory paragraphs or chapters of the dissertation when they do not have much idea about writing them. It requires them to establish their territory, define a niche, and introduce current knowledge and main concepts related to the research. Doing this is nothing less than summitting the Himalayas.
Introducing the main concepts in a dissertation is the main part of it. It is when you show your readers that you have enough knowledge of the research problem background and its primary factors. To introduce the main concepts, surely, you need some guidance as a student or beginner-level researcher. Yes, you can get that guidance by reading today’s article. Hence, let’s get started with today’s discussion by answering the question given below:
Why is it important to introduce the main concepts in a dissertation?
This is the question that many students ask about why it is necessary to discuss the main concepts in a masters dissertation. For such students, introducing the main concepts sets the tone of your research study. Explaining those ideas tells the readers what you know about the subject area and what you do not know. This introduction of the main concepts also relates to your credibility as a researcher. Discussing the main topics is also necessary because they present the background of your research problem. Hence, in the light of the points mentioned above, the importance of introducing the main concepts in a dissertation is now evident.
How do you introduce the main concepts in a masters dissertation?
If you want others to cite your research work, they must read your work. After reading the abstract, the introduction section’s job is to grab the reader’s attention. It is only possible when you have introduced the main concepts in your masters dissertation very well and have explained every point in detail. So, the following are the main points you need to consider when introducing the main concepts of your dissertation:
Provide background information and set the context
Introducing the main concepts starts with the background information, which ultimately sets the context for the upcoming discussions. One of the main purposes of giving background information is to let the reader into the topic easily. Know that the background information should not be too broad. The first sentence can be broad, but the next should point to a specific area.
For example. “Sustainable crop production is a function of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soils used in the fields. Almost all of these properties are affected by the soil’s organic matter.” See, instead of discussing sustainable agriculture, the researcher has first set the research context by discussing the organic soils. So, this is how you set the context of the main concepts of your masters dissertation.
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Introduce the specific concepts related to your research
Next up is introducing the specific concepts that relate to your research problem. In the previous step, you have only set the context of your research. This is the section where you will discuss the main topic in detail. You need to bring in some statistics and factual information to support the context of your research.
For example, if you are working on sustainable crop production, you can discuss which types of soils have more capacity to produce sustainable crops. You may also talk about the role of water in sustainable crop production. Giving concrete examples is a necessary part of this explanation. So, talk about the areas where they have used such strategies and mention their results. This will further solidify the concepts of your dissertation.
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Mention past attempts carried out to solve the problem
A formal literature review is not part of introducing new concepts to your masters dissertation. However, you must mention the literature where it is relevant and clarify how your research study is different from those carried out in the past. The differences in your research study can be very obvious. You may have used the same experiments but on different soil, in the case of sustainable crop production example.
Mentioning the past attempts is also necessary because it establishes your approach to the problem. It tells how the past searchers and your research differ, which is necessary when introducing main concepts.
Conclude the introduction of main concepts by providing objectives
Research objectives are the main entities of any masters dissertation. They should be logically derived from the background information, explanation of the main concepts, and the literature review. Note that this part of the dissertation gives specific details. For instance, in the earlier parts, you discussed sustainable crop production. In contrast, in the concluding part, you will discuss what soils can be the potential for sustainable crop production. Remember that you should not give many details in this section as they belong to the materials and methods section of the dissertation.
Here is an example of a good conclusion of the main concepts in a dissertation. “ We aimed at finding the effectiveness of four different soils regarding sustainable crop production.” Hence, it is the perfect example of a research objective based on introducing main concepts.
Conclusion
The introduction of the main concepts in a masters dissertation is like a road map. This road map tells the direction of your research to your audience. This introduction includes the background information on the research problem. It also outlines the reasons why is it necessary to mention those concepts. Conclusively, you must read the information above to know the right way to introduce the main concepts in the dissertation.
However, for better understanding, you can get masters dissertation help for assistance in crafting a good introduction to the main concepts.
