We know that while several elements make a good research paper, one of the best and most important ones to consider for your audience is a strong background for your study foundation. Our purpose for this article is to provide you with context for when you write your papers.

That said, several students complain that the background for a research paper is challenging. And that is partially true, only if you don’t know how to write it. This is why today, we’ll explore the fundamentals of how to write a background research paper, go ahead and help you clarify its key differences, and finally, provide you with crucial tips to create the best chapter for your study.

What is the Background of the Study? 

Just like every research paper, the background of the study is a crucial paragraph that provides rationale and context for your audience. It tells readers what the subject matter is. Next, it offers an overview of a broader scientific domain, and finally, explains the significance of existing knowledge. 

In other words, the background section of a research paper helps to establish the current knowledge of your topic. Furthermore, it can also help you to summarize existing research, and then highlight areas that lack investigation. Not just that, using this context goes ahead and sets the stage for your study and its contribution towards identifying knowledge gaps. 

You see, the background for a research paper underscores the need to investigate a topic further. It also identifies any areas that lack research, or that are inconclusive. Now that’s why the background section highlights these gaps, and what new knowledge it aims to uncover.

Purpose of Background of The Study

Here, we explore a few reasons why the background of the study is important:

• It provides a clear understanding of the research you’re conducting, the problem, and then its context.
• It also highlights the key concepts, theories, and research findings related to the problem.
• It also provides a rationale for your research questions and hypotheses about your research design.
• Identify the limitations and scope of the study.
• It helps identify the knowledge gaps that your study intends to fill.
• It also helps to establish the significance of a research problem and how much it potentially contributes to the field.

When to Write Background of The Study

Are you wondering when to write the background of the study? We are here to shed some light and answer that. Ideally, you should write a background of the study as early as possible, especially before you start data collection and your research design is complete.

This is important as it allows readers to establish a strong foundation for your research, and helps researchers to voice the rationale for the study. Typically, the background of the study comes right after an introduction, but before a literature review section. 

Research Paper Background Structure

Depending on your paper requirements and the study area, a background for a research paper can be organized differently. You’re allowed to use a logical order that includes several essential elements. Below we share a standard outline to help you organize the background statement:

• Introduction: Start with a precise research paper introduction that offers an overview of the chosen topic, plus its significance. This helps to capture your audience’s interest and provide context for the study.
• Questions and research objectives: Accurately voice the objectives, assumptions, and questions guiding the investigation. Ensure that these are directly related to the gaps stated in the literature review.
• Study rationale: You must examine how your findings can contribute, resolve practical challenges, advance knowledge, and create a broader impact in the subject area. Furthermore, you also must provide a valid reason for why the investigation is worth conducting in the first place, and how it contributes to the existing pool of knowledge.
• Scope and limitations: Here you must ensure that you outline any limitations that have an impact on your findings.
• Identify current issues: As an academic author, you must always clearly state a scientific problem your investigation will cover. This part helps to explain the significance of knowledge gaps and why further study is required.
• Literature review: Any student knows the value of conducting a thorough review of the sources regarding your investigation topic. You could even start by analyzing key concepts, and findings from your previous research that are relevant to the problem you want to solve. 
• Conclusion: Now you can safely summarize your background research paper section. However, you must emphasize the importance of the knowledge gap and the need for further study.

This is just a sample of the background research paper structure we curated. Feel free to adjust this section according to your specific instructions. 

Writing an Effective Background Section in 9 Easy Steps

If you want to make this section as comprehensive and engaging as possible, do the following: 

Recognize the Research Problem

• The first solution is to define the knowledge gap that your investigation will tackle.
• Then you assess the importance of this problem within your field.
• Lastly, provide a brief explanation of why the problem is relevant and explain why it must be solved. 

Analyze Literature

• Now here is a crucial part – conduct a comprehensive literature review. This will help you to gather data and gain insights into how you understand the subject.
• Also, you must analyze and understand essential concepts, discoveries, and theories, from the research conducted earlier on about your chosen topic.

Set Objectives

• Offer a well-defined reason for your investigation, and analyze the problem and the challenges faced during the literature review.
• Express the importance of your work and how it will help fill the gaps of knowledge within the chosen subject.
• Present questions your investigation will address.
• Ensure consistency between the research problem, the objectives, and the gaps you identified in the literature, and then showcase how your work will effectively fix those gaps.
• Choose the most critical elements to include in the background based on their relevance to your research problem. Prioritize information that helps build a strong foundation for your study.

Identify Your Audience

• First, you determine the level of expertise of your target audience. Once you have that figured out, you must tailor the depth and complexity of your background information accordingly.
• Remember, it’s advisable to always organize the background information in a logical sequence. You start with general context and move to more specific theories, and concepts, and then you focus on the specific problem. This is how you identify your audience and their needs. 

Following the above steps will help you to construct a well-organized, comprehensive background. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing the Background 

Below, we highlight a few common mistakes in writing the background that you should avoid: 

• Never write a background that is too short, or long. Only focus on the important details but make it short and sweet.  
• Always write in a manner that conveys the message to the readers at first read. Remember, express yourself but keep in mind the readers do not know your research intimately.  
• Try as much as you can to center your discussion around the crucial aspects of your research topic. For instance, highlight only the gaps in the literature, and the need to conduct the study.
• Don’t be disorganized. Ensure you only discuss the themes in chronological order for easier reading and understanding. Always topics that are not related to the key aspects of your research topic.
• Don’t be ambiguous. Always assume that the reader does not understand all the details about your research.
• Poor organization: Ensure that you always use a structure when writing. 

Note: Your background must always be in chronological order, which means organizing the sub-sections for an easier flow. 

Benefits of the Background of The Study

The background of the study has several advantages, and some of them include:

• Provides context: This helps the reader to understand your research problem in a broader context and also appreciate its importance.
• Identifies gaps in knowledge: The background of the study identifies gaps in knowledge that your study intends to fill. That then helps to establish the originality of the research and its potential contribution to the field.
• Justifies the research: The background of the study can also help to justify the research by demonstrating its importance and potential impact. 

Bottom Line

In summary, the background of a study is an important component of a research manuscript. It must be planned, well-structured, and presented in an eye-catching manner to compel your readers to read the manuscript. Not only that, it also creates an impact on the minds of readers and sets the stage for future discussions. 

A well-written/structured background of the study will not only provide researchers with a clear direction on how to conduct their research, but it will also enable readers to understand and appreciate the relevance of your research. Now, if you ever find yourself in need of academic writing services, don’t hesitate to reach out to Peachy Essay. They’re your one-stop shop for all your academic writing needs.