How to Write the ‘Introduction’ Section of the Research Report

• This section is placed after the Contents Page and before the Body section of the report.
• The intention of this section is to define the topic, provide background and outline the purpose of the report.
• The introduction should be approximately 250 words in length.
• Read and discuss the example introduction, then use the sentence starters to formulate your draft.

Step One: State and define your topic.
Introduce your topic and explain any key terms / technical terms your reader needs to know and understand.

The purpose of this report is…
… is a central idea / term / concept in this report. It can be defined as…

Step Two: Provide background and context for the report.
This may include a summary of an event which has formed the basis of your research, or provide relevant historical, social or cultural details that may be necessary for understanding your topic.

Some background information is necessary in order to understand the research contained in this report… OR It is important to consider the context of / background to…

Step Three: State the purpose of the report.
This is done by introducing the three questions your report intends to examine.

This report will explore the issue by investigating the following three questions…

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to explore the relationship between modern lifestyle and childhood obesity in
Australia. ‘Obesity’ is a central concept to this report. It can be defined as ‘having an excess of fat in the body, based on the measure of the Body Mass Index (BMI)’ (Watts 2010, p.6).

It is important to consider the context of childhood obesity in Australia. In 1995, close to 25% of children between the ages of 7-15 were considered to be obese. This can be compared to figures drawn from 1985, when the percentage was just 11.5% (Healey 2009, p.13). Between 1985 and 2007, 27 Australian studies were undertaken on this issue. Analysis of findings can be seen to indicate a high increase in obesity rates during the last decade (Healey 2009, p.14).

This report will explore the issue by investigating the following three questions:

• What is the nature of the changes to childhood obesity rates in the last three decades?
• Is there a relationship between modern lifestyle and childhood obesity in Australia? Specifically, has an increased use of technology, combined with reduced physical activity, influenced these trends?
• What are the challenges raised by, and possible solutions to, childhood obesity in Australia?