Writing the Background of Your Study

What Is the Background of the Research and How Should It Be Written?

background of the research

The background of the research is one of the most important components of a research paper. The quality of the background determines whether the reader will be interested in continuing to study your research or not. Therefore, if you want to make sure that your audience is interested in reading your entire research paper, write the background of your research attractively and effectively.

In this DoNotEdit article, we will explain what the background of the study is and how it should be written.

What is the background of the research?

The background of the research is the first part of the article and defines the underlying context of the research. It includes the rationale statement of the key problem and an overview of the research questions, which we will explain in the rest of the paper.

The background forms the crux of the research because it introduces an uninformed audience to the research and its importance in a clear and logical way. Sometimes, the background may even examine whether the study builds on or refutes the findings of previous studies.

Any relevant information that readers need to know before proceeding to the article should be made available to them in the background section of the research.

What is the difference between background and introduction?

The introduction of your research paper comes before the background. Let’s find out what factors differentiate the background from the introduction.

The introduction only contains basic information about the research topic and does not state the purpose of the research. In contrast, the background makes the importance of the study clear in great detail.

The introduction provides an overview of the research topic from a broader perspective, while the background provides a detailed understanding of the topic.

The introduction should end by stating the research questions, aims, and objectives of the research. In contrast, the background follows no such format and only provides essential context to the study.

How should one write the background of the research paper?

The length of the background content and the details provided in the background of different research articles depend on the complexity and novelty of the research topic and are different. Sometimes, a simple background is enough, even if the study is complex.

Before writing and adding details to the background of the research, consider the following important points:

Include historical data: Current issues largely originate from historical events or findings. If the research borrows information from a historical context, add relevant data in the background.

Explain novelty: If the research study or methodology is unique or novel, provide an explanation that helps to understand the research better.

Increase engagement: To make the background engaging, build a story around the central theme of the research

Start with a strong beginning: Begin the background of the research by defining the research topic and then identify the target audience.

Cover key components: Explain all theories, concepts, terms, and ideas that may feel unfamiliar to the target audience thoroughly.

Take note of important prerequisites: Go through the relevant literature in detail. Take notes while reading and cite the sources.

Maintain a balance: Make sure that the background is focused on important details, but also appeals to a broader audience.

Mistakes while writing the background

Avoid these mistakes while writing the background of the research:

Poor organization: Do not place information without a structure. Make sure that the background reads chronologically and organize the sub-sections so that it flows well.

Ambiguity: Do not be ambiguous. While writing, assume that the reader does not understand any intricate detail about your research. If you want to know about what reviewers look for in a grant proposal, click here.

Unrelated themes: Steer clear from topics that are not related to the key aspects of your research topic.

Writing the Background

Writing the background for a research paper should not be a daunting task. But the paths you should take to write the background of research can always help you. Having the basic insight to write a high-quality, engaging, logically structured article is important for publication. Start with a strong research background. For more questions, contact our experts now!

In order to coordinate your study with other similar studies, researchers need to expand their awareness by referring to documents related to the chosen subject.

The aim of the research background

Research background

A) Establishing a logical connection between the previous research information and the research issue

B) Getting familiar with the theoretical or empirical framework of the research question

C) Getting familiar with research methods used in past research

D) Preventing repeating a work

D) Utilizing the useful experiences of previous researchers

A) Raising awareness of the weaknesses of previous researchThis entries was posted in Education and tagged Articleresearch background. Bookmark the permalinkEdit

The background of every study is the story existing behind it and usually comes in the introduction of a paper or thesis, though it is possible to elaborate on it later in the discussion section. Regardless of where you present your research background, you must concentrate on key goals in presenting it.

The reason for presenting the background is for your reader to understand the reason why you asked the research question and how your results adds to current evidence. It means that as you present the previous results, you should let your reader see the study gaps. In fact, the reader should know that your study aims to fill one or more of these gaps.

Keep focused

It might be tempting to start your background with different stories, but it is crucial to choose a right starting point. For example, If the subject of your study is cancer cells, you do not need to begin with the history of medical science. Instead you have to focus on new findings or more recent results that indicate persistent gaps in your field.

As you present the evidence that gave rise to your study, do not elaborate too much. You don’t need to discuss all details of prior findings like every step in a biochemical pathway. Only present those findings that are relevant to your own work and prompted you to ask your research question.

Connect your ideas

A crucial matter in presenting your background is the coherence and integrity of your story. Connecting the ideas and findings in a way to follow each other meaningfully is difficult for many writers. If it is the background of your thesis, then your theme will be its central question. Therefore, you use this theme as a lead in assembling the background of your study and it helps you stick only to the information that is relevant to this theme.

For instance, if you are working on a tumor cell biology with a focus on a specific pathway, that pathway and the steps that you are working on are the theme of your study. In presenting the background of this study you have to focus on the evidences that is directly related to that pathway. Do not expand and elaborate on other pathways or general issues in cell.

Underline the gaps

Your study started by asking a question and you did the research because it was an open question that required an answer. It means that you found a gap in the evidence that already existed. Laying out the relevant evidence that led to your research question, you should point to these gaps. Do not hesitate to clearly refer to gaps that your study aims to fill.

Not literature review

Remember that the background of a thesis is not the same as the literature review. The background is directly related to what your work addresses and should keep the focus on that theme, while the literature review is broader and involve anything related to your work even generally. It is where to take the publications you refer to in the background and elaborate on their content and implications, treating them more exhaustively. 

Some tips for writing the background section

Think about the direct chain of evidence guiding you to your own study. Prepare a list of the most important findings making up that chain of evidence. 

Summarize each contribution to that chain and make a meaningful story on theme. By using connecting words and phrases such as “then”, “following that discovery”, etc. show connections of your story to reader.

After the completion of your first draft, review it and remove all unnecessary things that do not relate to the chain of evidence that led to your research and the gaps it intends to fill. In the thesis you will be able to go through all these details in literature review section, but remember that the background should be a short summary of your literature review.

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