What are the most effective ways to write scientific introductions?

It is tempting to dive straight into a paper and spill out all you have to say. However, the point of writing a paper is to inspire, convince, or help your audience understand your point of view. Whatever your objective is, focus on your audience, not what you have to say (i.e. yourself). Write while keeping in mind who is listening/reading. What do they like? What do they know? What would convince them? What criticism might they have? Try to picture your audience with your mind's eye, and writing will become as natural as entertaining a conversation.

Another thing that I find helpful in explaining the background is the use of visuals such as charts, graphs and diagrams. As an audience myself, I can get a grasp of things faster when the text is summarized using illustrations.

We have all been there, gazing at an empty page, our minds buzzing with ideas, yet feeling a bit lost on how to lay them out neatly. A big temptation is to dive straight in and start writing, but that's a mistake. In my ten+ years writing scientific papers, I learned to start with a bullet point list of things you want to talk about, almost like a grocery list. Then, begin organizing the bullet points so that they make sense together and follow one another in a coherent narrative. Only then can you start writing in full sentences. The bullet points now provide a solid narrative structure that helps you avoid sidetracking. The task now becomes filling these "boxes" you set out at the beginning with content.

I write a lot of fiction as a hobby, and I always tend to frame my writing as a story I'm telling my audience. In this case, it's the story of 'how I answered a question' or 'why is this thing I found important'. I've written a lot more fiction than technical writing, so reminding myself that some writing skills transfer helps me get over the first hurdle of a blank page. It also means that I've told versions of the story at conferences, or grant review panels, or even informally to colleagues, so I can learn from that to improve the flow.

Lean and precise writing is key. Delivery of accurate information with short easy and crisp words plays magic and make content and rest of article attention grabbing.

I am Italian, and, like many people who speak romance languages, I tend to write long and complex sentences with many subordinates. But, let's face it: while this style is great for writing novels, it is not great for writing scientific papers. Scientific papers are already dense with content, stats, and complex concepts. Here are a few tips that I learned over the years. Use short sentences and keep them to the point. If a sentence is very long, it is hard to follow. Break down the sentence into smaller ones. Remember, losing your audience is the worst thing that can happen to you (especially if the audience is your reviewers). Use the active voice so it is clear who's the subject in the sentence. Define your acronyms and limit jargon.

I would add: 1. Start with a Hook: • Anecdote or Story: Begin with a brief, relevant anecdote or story that illustrates the importance of the research topic. • Startling Fact or Statistic: Present a surprising fact or statistic related to your field of study to capture attention. • Quotations: Use a quote from a prominent scientist or scholar that emphasizes the significance of the research problem. 2. Provide Background Information: • Contextualize the Problem: Explain the broader context of your research topic. What is the general area of study, and why is it important? • Literature Review: Summarize key studies and findings related to your topic. Highlight gaps, controversies, or unresolved issues in the existing literature.

Once, someone told me: the first sentence in a paper does not need a citation. You can do whatever you want with it. Start with a strong opening. A great first sentence can capture the attention and imagination of your audience. What to do with the audience's attention is up to you. I personally like to use the first sentence to provide a hook that can situate your paper within the wider field. Sometimes, the first sentence can provide a strong analogy or metaphor for the gist of your findings. You can be bold and engaging because it does not need a citation. Reviewers and editors are more willing to give some leeway for the first sentence than for the rest of the introduction.

1. State the Problem or Research Question: • Clear Statement: Clearly articulate the specific research problem or question your study addresses. Be concise and specific. • Justify Significance: Explain why addressing this problem is essential. What impact could solving this problem have on the scientific community or society? 2. State the Purpose of Your Study: • Objective/Hypothesis: Clearly state the objectives of your research or the hypotheses you aim to test. What do you hope to achieve with your study? • Scope: Define the scope and limitations of your study. What aspects will you focus on, and what aspects will you exclude?