Introduction

This section gives the reader the necessary background information. Depending on the type of project/report, the Introduction can include:

statement of the problem/s;

description of main aim/s, objective/s and scope (the parameters) of the report;

review of previous work/research in this area and identification of the relationship between this research and the current project (i.e. you need to identify the importance of the current project for scientific knowledge or commercial operations);

an overview of the report’s sections and their relationship to the research problem;

explanations of terminology if necessary;

method(s) of approach;

indications of scope and limitations of the study;

outline of material presented in rest of report.

While there will be some duplication in the contents of the executive summary and the introduction, the purpose of the executive summary is to provide a summary of the findings of each section of the report. The purpose of the introduction, however, is to outline what the report will cover and how these issues address the research problem.