4.2.1 Introduction

The introduction familiarises the reader with the topic of the thesis and awakens his/her interest. It describes the background, rationale, and motivation for the choice of subject, presents prior research where applicable, defines the research area, introduces the assignor, and formulates the task and objective. Here, the importance and topicality of the subject, its use in working life, and importance to the author’s own professional development can be qualified.

Figure 3. The basic structure of the introduction

For the reader, the essential questions to be answered by the introduction are the following.

What is developed or studied, and how?
Why are these issues developed or studied?
What is the larger context of the bachelor’s or master’s thesis (see Hirsjärvi et al., 2009, pp. 254–260)?

The introduction cannot be replaced by the abstract and vice versa. The introduction also functions as the first chapter of the report. A title other than “Introduction,” both more descriptive and topic-specific, is recommended (Hirsijärvi et al., 2009, pp. 238–241.)