Thread by @DoctorODonovan

👋Welcome to the first #tweetorial in an 8 part series on "How to write a paper"

✍️This series is designed to help you improve your academic writing & includes top tips from established academics and journal editors.

✅We start this week with "How to write an Introduction"...

1/ ⚠️Start your Introduction with a gripping first sentence - spell out why your topic is important!

🗣️ According to @seyeabimbola, Editor of @GlobalHealthBMJ "Academic writing is persuasive writing".

➡️ Let's look at an example of a compelling opening statement 👇👇

2/ ✍️Our exemplar paper for this #tweetorial is called "Social media & vaccine hesitancy"

❗️Note how authors @slloydwilson & @CharlesShey start with an attention grabbing opening sentence, highlighting the importance of their work 👇

📕 Citation: gh.bmj.com/content/5/10/e…

3/🖼️ Once you've made a compelling opening statement, think about how you frame your work in relation to the "Big Picture". Think of it like you are telling a story.

❓ What do we already know about the topic?

👇Let's take a look at how @slloydwilson & @CharlesShey did this

4/ 👀In their paper they outline:

A. Why their work is important at this particular time (i.e. timeliness)
B. A brief overview of work already undertaken in this field (supported by relevant citations)
C. A statement outlining how they will address the gaps in the literature

5/ ➡️ Next, make sure you describe the specific issue you are addressing and the value you are adding.

❗️Highlight your specific research objectives and questions.

Lets look at how the authors from our exemplar paper did this...👇👇

6/ The authors clearly state they seek to answer 2⃣ research questions & frame these questions against the existing literature:
1. Does social media usage increase vaccine hesitancy in
populations?
2. Do foreign disinformation campaigns increase
vaccine hesitancy in populations?

7/⚠️ According to @seyeabimbola here are some common mistakes to try and avoid when writing your Introduction:

❌ Don't include *too much* information

✅Keep your Introduction relevant. Remember to explain key concepts, provide background information & discuss previous studies.

8/⚠️ Ensure your Introduction has a clear structure - say what you will cover, how, and why.
⚠️ Avoid bullet point lists. Instead, describe your study in prose.

✅A top tip is to read other published papers. Look at how the Introduction sections are structured.

⚠️NB: You don't have to start writing your paper with the Introduction. You might first decide to write the Methods section, then the Results, then the Discussion, and finally the Introduction & Conclusion.

👍There is no conventional method - do what works best for your piece.

➕ Here are some important resources which you may wish to read further when writing your Introduction:

🔗 This is a FANTASTIC checklist (Kudos @DrSherryPagoto): documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri…

🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.10…

📕 THE must read book by @trishgreenhalgh ⤵️

👍Thanks for reading - I hope this was helpful.

🕒 Next week we will cover "How to write your Methods section".

👋 I'll be crowd-sourcing ideas for this next week & would love to hear from you if you have any top-tips!

#phdchat #phdlife #PhD #AcademicTwitter #AcademicChatter

I wish to thank the following individuals who generously contributed their time, resources & advice this week: @seyeabimbola @mazwaite @FPfende @DrChrisPaton @HelenFry1 @ClaireJStandley @geniets @beswick_emily @muneera_rasheed @BlennerhassettA @JamesASmith92 @tobias_med /fin