Sample Introduction For Medical Research Paper

Conducting the investigation is just one half of medical research. The other important part is presenting it to the scientific fraternity through published medical research papers.

“The face is the index of the mind”

The above saying is a perfect analogy for the role that the introduction plays in a medical research paper. In the main document of a medical research paper, though a title helps in attracting the attention of a reader, it is the introduction that lures the reader towards reading the entire document. Thus, the introduction plays a significant role in achieving the purpose of writing a medical research paper, which is increasing readership.

To write an ideal introduction, the author should have great clarity on the research work. So, the introduction should be the last part that the author pens after finalizing the content of other subheadings of the research article like methodology, results & discussion, and conclusion.

The content of an introduction comprises of three parts

Fig 1: Pictorial representation of the three parts of the introduction.

An excerpt from a medical research paper titled Fasting Triglycerides and Glucose Index as a Diagnostic Test for Insulin Resistance in Young Adults”² is given below as an illustration.

In the above example, the portion highlighted in yellow is the observation made by the reader gets to know why studying about insulin resistance is vital. Thus, the opening statement should establish the vitality of the chosen area of research. Similarly, in the below article the first two lines emphasize the need to study Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’ disease³

Fig:3 Illustration 2

Secondly, the author needs to brief on the knowledge existing on the subject. It comprises a large part of the introduction. The content should be relevant to the research story and should not elaborate on the subject matter. Only those references that are of significance to the research interest is cited here. The number of citations may be limited to a maximum of fifteen research works. Apart from existing information, this part also stresses upon the areas that need further exploration. Find below an illustration² highlighting the second part of the content. The underlined pieces state the knowledge gap.

Fig 4: Illustration 1: the second part of the introduction

In a lengthy research paper, this part can accommodate more information and citations. But if the journal limits the number of pages for the scientific paper, then this part can be shortened to present only the most relevant and essential material.

Finally, the last part of the introduction states the objective of the research, revealing the aim of the investigation. Below are two figures illustrating how to close the introduction part.

Fig 5: Illustration 1: Closing of introduction

Fig 6: Illustration 2: Closing of introduction

It could be noted that the last part of the opening could either be a single statement presenting the hypothesis as illustrated in Fig 3³ or it could also summarize the findings of the research to kindle more interest of the scientific fraternity as exhibited in Fig 4⁴.

https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/The_face_is_the_index_of_the_mind
Guerrero-Romero, Fernando, et al. “Fasting triglycerides and glucose index as a diagnostic test for insulin resistance in young adults.” Archives of medical research 47.5 (2016): 382-387.
Samsamikor, Maryam, et al. “Resveratrol supplementation and oxidative/anti-oxidative status in patients with ulcerative colitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.” Archives of medical research 47.4 (2016): 304-309.
Balandrán, Juan Carlos, et al. “Analysis of normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell contents in childhood acute leukemia bone marrow.” Archives of medical research 47.8 (2016): 629-643.

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