1. How to write an introduction
Giacomo Novara, M.D. , F.E.B.U.
Associate professor of urology, university of Padua, Italy
Associate editor European Urology 1

2. Introduction Clearly and simply explain
What the knowledge in the filed is
What the gap in the knowledge is (the research question)
Why filling the gap is important
Why it is relevant, why it is original
Very briefly how it will be answered

3. Introduction
Summarize other relevant papers in orderly (logic) fashion to set the background
Very often epidemiologic studies are cited

12. Introduction
Summarize other relevant papers in orderly (logic) fashion to set the background
Very often epidemiologic studies are cited
Use the best available pieces evidence (prefer a systematic review whenever available)
Otherwise use the most important papers (not all the ones you coauthored)
Not be an in-depth literature review
Not a summery of all the papers you read

13. Introduction Consider the style of the journal
some journals typically prefers very short introduction
Consider the number of references allowed
often just 30 (you cannot use 25 in the Introduction!)

14. Introduction Consider the profile of the journal readers
For urological journals, urologists clearly know most of the background story
For non-urological journals, the readership is wider and less likely to know the details

15. Introduction
An excellent study has an obviously important and original question, and therefore needs only brief introduction.
Make it short: words, ~3-4 paragraphs, 1 page

16. Introduction structure
1st paragraph: brief background in present tense to establish context, relevance, or nature of the problem, question, or purpose (what we know)
2nd paragraph: importance of the problem and unclear issues (what we do not know - gap in knowledge - why it is important to fill that gap)
3rd paragraph: rationale, hypothesis, main objective, or purpose (why the study was done - hypothesis for how you will fill that gap in knowledge).

17. Importance of the problem The purpose of the present
Introduction
Background
Importance of the problem
and unclear issues
The purpose of the present
study is …

18. Good example

19. Good example (II)

20. Good example (non urology journal)

21. Good example (non urology journal)

22. Improvable Introduction

23. Final tricks
Writing intro last can prevent writer’s block and is easier
Do not start from Adam and Eve
Do not include things which do not belong to this section (results or conclusions)
Do not include tables and figures