Why can’t I use sources in the background section of the Introduction?

Why can’t I use sources in the background section of the Introduction?

While this rule may seem strange to some, it is really quite logical in nature.  Therefore, we need to think logically about the purpose of an introduction as well as the purpose of YOU writing the essay.

In an Introduction, you are setting the stage for the reader.  You are not proving anything yet.  To capture your reader long enough to get him to the persuasive content in your body-paragraphs, you have to be present in the content of the Introduction.  You have to assert yourself.  You have to establish a presence.  You have to use your own voice to create an atmosphere of trust and professionalism.  However, if you have a 3-sentence Introduction that begins with a famous quote (not your content since it comes from someone else), followed by source materials to establish the background (again, not your voice since it is coming from an outside source), and then end the Introduction with a Thesis statement (your voice, finally), the reader is going to wonder how prepared you are for this topic.  How credible are you as a writer if in 3-sentences you were ‘really’ only present for one of them?  This is why you do not use source materials in any other location in an Introduction except for the “Hook” sentence, and that is only optional. 

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Think of it this way…

You are at a doctor’s office, and a nurse calls you to the back to take your vital signs.  This person is going to spend a few minutes with you and get personal.  She will take your weight, height, blood pressure, etc.  A certain level of trust and professionalism must be established for you to be willing to let her lead you through these stages and finally into a private room.  But what if she never looks at you directly and reads everything she says from someone else’s script?  

“Dr. Baynard states that your weight should be taken first since you are already standing.  Office manager Tonya wants to know if you have been experiencing any serious issues that the doctor should be made aware of immediately.  Nurse Lola indicates, here, that I should ask you to sit down so your blood pressure and temperature can be taken at the same time…” and she looks up at you for a moment and says, “I will take you to the room once these steps are complete.”

Hmmm.  I do not know about you, but I would not be very comfortable letting this nurse strap things to my arm, poke plastic into my mouth, and so on.  I would begin to question her ability to think on her own, let alone complete these tasks properly and sanitarily. After all, only one sentence she said came from her own brain: “I will take you to the room once these steps are complete.”

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This is the same with your Introduction. 

--Do not rely on others’ words and ideas to complete your task of introducing your topic. 

--Assert yourself from the first line of the introduction. 

--Take pride in your suave steps toward the Thesis statement, and then whammy! 

--Present your thesis statement as if there is no other logical belief on the planet! 

You want your reader to know that you are in control, that you have confidence in your view, and that you are going to persuade him to hold the same view by the end of the writing.

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© 2018 Jeanette L. H. Dick

For Educational Purposes Only

All Rights Reserved

Why Can’t I Put Sources in the

Background of the Introduction?