An Elaborate Guide to Writing an MLA Style Research Paper Introduction

An introduction is a very important chapter of any research paper. It informs the reader about the topic, significance, and scope of a study. If you’re asked to compose an MLA term paper, you should pay attention to composing its opening chapter because if you do it in a wrong way, the reader might not want to continue reading your paper after the introduction.

What to Write in Your Research Paper Introduction

1. Present the topic.

The first paragraphs of your paper should clearly introduce the general study area that you’ve chosen to investigate.

2. Address the problem.

The next thing you should do is state the specific problem that you’ll discuss in your paper.

3. Describe your study design.

You should briefly explain what actions you’ve performed to solve the indicated problem and why you’ve selected this particular methodology.

4. State the significance of your work.

You should list the sources that will benefit from your study and indicate the gap in the knowledge that your paper will fill.

5. Demonstrate the scope of your study.

It’s advisable to mention the limits and restrictions of your investigation. This way, the reader will understand what not to expect from your paper.

6. Present the key terms.

You should provide the explanation about each key term of your paper that might have different interpretations or be unknown to the reader.

7. Outline the body of your text.

The last paragraph of the first chapter should serve as a transition to the next chapters. Briefly indicate what they’re going to be about.

Guidelines to Formatting Your Research Paper in the MLA Style

If you want your teacher to accept your paper, you should format it correctly. General guidelines to the MLA style are the following:

• Double-spaced text;
• 12 pt. (desirably Times New Roman) font;
• 1-inch margins on all sides;
• Half-inch indentation of the first lines of paragraphs;
• Page number in the top right corner of a page;

Usually, the MLA style doesn’t require a student to create the title page for their research paper. Instead, you should list your name, the name of your supervisor, the information about your course, and the date in the top left corner of the first page. On the next line, you should center the title of your paper. It should be written in Title Case.
The title should be written according to the standard font requirements. However, if your title contains the name of a piece of literature, for example, you should write this name in italics.