Analyzing Risk Management Role in Mitigating Cyber Risks in Saudi Arabia

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How to construct a good dissertation introduction?

Introduction Chapter

The Introduction might present discussions on the broader subject area and why it is interesting / relevant (eg, the practical and/or theoretical significance), more specific background on study area(s) / examples / themes, together with a brief overview of the structure of the Dissertation. It will certainly include the aims and objectives that are the central tenant of your Dissertation and that you will be critically analysing throughout. It is usually best to progress from the general to the specific, rather than the other way round (similar to when you choose your topic). This means that typically the theoretical aspects of the topic and its relevance should come before the specifics of case studies, field-site, etc. However, it may be necessary to introduce some of the later information here, particularly if it reinforces why the topic is of interest to the reader or emphasises any applied aspect of your work. Note that introductory (as well as concluding) chapters are often best written last.

Here are some key components of a good Introduction chapter:

  1. Background to the research or the context in which the research took place and why this subject or issue is important. In some cases, you might need to clarify key participants and/or ‘actors’ in the area under investigation, or some important trends or pivotal variables of which the reader needs to be made aware.
  2. Aim and objectives (or research questions): A clear and succinct statement of the aims and objectives that the Dissertation is going to address.
  3. Research rationale: The reasons why this study was carried out.
  4. Dissertation structure: What topics are going to be discussed in each of the chapters and how the chapters are related to each other. This section provides a ‘road map’ of the work ahead. Thus, at a glance, they can see (1) where they are starting from, (2) the context in which the journey is taking place, (3) where they are going to end up, and (4) the route which they will take to reach their final destination. Such a ‘map’ will enable the reader to navigate their way through your work much more easily and have maximum appreciation of what you have done.