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Q: How to write the introductory chapter of a masters thesis?

Detailed Question -

In a Masters thesis, is “Introduction” the name of Chapter 1? Does it refer to the entire Chapter 1 or is it a subheading inside Chapter 1 which has its own body like the Rationale and Statement of the Problem? What exactly does the Introduction and Background of the Study include? How do we write the Introduction and Background of the study? Is there a format (sequential arrangement of the contents) for writing the Introduction and Background of the Study?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Generally, the chapter titles in a thesis are formatted as follows:

Chapter X: Name of the chapter

You can choose to name the first chapter "Introduction" or something more imaginative if you feel like, depending on what is the norm in your field. However, if you choose to use more creative names, make sure they are not very informal. The introduction can be a separate chapter that gives an overview of the whole thesis, and it can be followed by other chapters about the Background of the study, Literature review, etc. Alternatively, it can be a large chapter with subsections such as Background, Literature Review, Statement of the problem, etc. 

Here are a couple of articles that explain how to write the introduction of a thesis:

However, these is no strict format and every field has a different preference. Perhaps it might be a good idea to discuss this briefly with your supervisor or senior colleagues before you start writing.

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