Learning Activity 4.5

This is my response to Oliver Parsons’ post for Learning Activity 4.5.

Oliver (2018) asked the questions: “What is one thing that acts as a “deal-breaker” for you in the introduction of an article? What is one thing that a researcher may say that would stop you from reading beyond the introduction?”

Hi Oliver,

For me, it is not so much what is written explicitly in the article that can act as a deal-breaker for me, but rather the tone that it is written in. I veer away from articles where the authors appear to be biased or partial to certain perspectives of the research topic. While I understand that bias cannot be completely avoided and all researchers have their own perspectives, I find it very off-putting when there is an obvious voice of favoritism for one side or another in an academic research paper. I believe that researchers need to remain as impartial and objective as possible when writing academic articles. One way that biases come out is when the authors cite only resources that support their views and opinions and do not present background information or prior knowledge in it’s entirety in order to sway the readers towards their way of thinking.

Thank you for your insightful post and question!

Ruth

References

Parsons, O. (2018, January 28). Learning Activity 4.5 [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/oplearning/2018/01/28/learning-activity-4-5/

As a consumer of research reports, the most important things for me in the introduction section of a high-quality research report are a clearly stated purpose and a concise summary of background information and prior knowledge on the topic. In general, I only read research reports when I am working on my own research paper or project. As such, I am reading through numerous reports in order gain information and knowledge on my topic of interest. Since I am reading a large number of articles, I need to be able to quickly read the introduction of a report and screen whether it is what I need for my research.

Aside from the abstract, the introduction is what I read quickly to determine if the article is useful for my research. The purpose of the article must be stated clearly so that I can immediately decide whether I will continue to read the article because it aligns with my research, or whether it investigates another area of the topic that is not helpful for me.

Adequate background information and discussion of prior knowledge is also important in the introduction. First, it allows me to better understand the purpose and methods that the researchers will use in their study. Second, I am able to have a general idea of the validity of the article based on the sources that it cites for their information. If the article cites reliable sources, I have more faith in the validity of the article and the quality of the research.

Is it possible to have a good research paper without a good introduction? Does a bad introduction always mean a poorly written or researched paper? 

Original assignment post found here.