How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

A good introduction is essential to any essay or dissertation. It sets up your argument and clearly indicates the scope and content of your writing.

Your introduction should be an authentic representation of your own ideas and research. However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used during the writing process to:

• Develop an introduction outline
• Summarise text
• Paraphrase text
• Provide feedback

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Developing an introduction outline

While the introduction naturally comes at the beginning of your paper, it’s often one of the last parts you write. Writing your introduction last allows you to clearly indicate the most important aspects of your research to your reader in a logical order.

You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm potential outlines for your introduction. To do this, include a brief overview of all relevant aspects of your paper, including your research question, methodology, central arguments, and essay type (e.g., argumentative, expository). For a longer essay or dissertation, you might also mention section or chapter titles.

Rearrange or edit the output so that it accurately reflects the body of your essay.

Example: Using ChatGPT to develop an outline

• Develop an outline for an essay introduction. The essay is a 2,000 word argumentative essay on the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative data.
• 1. 1. Hook/Opening Sentence:
        • Start with a thought-provoking statement, anecdote, or statistic related to the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
     2. Background Information:
        • Introduce the topic of children’s cartoons and their popularity among young audiences.
        • Highlight the prevalence of media consumption among children and the significant role that cartoons play in their lives.
        • Discuss the growing influence of marketing and advertising targeted at children.
     3. Thesis Statement:
        • Clearly state your main argument about the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
        • Example: “This essay argues that children’s cartoons have a substantial influence on consumer behavior, shaping children’s preferences, purchase decisions, and brand loyalty. This assertion is supported by a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.”
     4. Overview of Research:
        • Briefly describe the research conducted and the use of both qualitative and quantitative data.
        • Explain the purpose of the research in examining the relationship between children’s cartoons and consumer behavior.
        • Mention the sample size, research methods employed, and the sources of data (e.g., surveys, interviews, content analysis).
     5. Importance of the Study:
        • Discuss the significance of understanding the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
        • Highlight the potential implications for marketers, parents, and society as a whole.
        • Emphasize the need for critical examination of the messages conveyed through children’s cartoons.
     6. Preview of the Essay:
        • Provide a brief overview of the main points or sections that will be covered in the essay.
        • Example:
          • Examination of the persuasive techniques employed in children’s cartoons.
          • Analysis of qualitative data to understand the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors.
          • Presentation of quantitative data on the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior.
          • Discussion of the ethical considerations surrounding marketing to children.
          • Conclusion on the overall impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
     7. Transition to the Body Paragraphs:
        • Summarize how the upcoming sections will provide evidence and analysis to support your argument.
        • Example: “Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, this essay will delve into the persuasive techniques used in children’s cartoons, examine the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors, present quantitative evidence of the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior, discuss the ethical concerns, and ultimately draw conclusions about the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”

  Remember, this is just an outline, and you can modify and expand each section based on the specific details and emphasis you want to give to your essay.

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Summarising your arguments

At the end of your introduction, you may give a brief overview of specific sections of your paper.

You can use ChatGPT to summarise text and condense your writing to its most important ideas. To do this, copy and paste sections of your essay into ChatGPT and prompt it to summarise the text.

However, we don’t recommend passing off AI-generated outputs as your own work. This is considered academically dishonest and may be detected using AI detectors. Instead, use ChatGPT outputs as a source of inspiration to help you clearly indicate your key objectives and findings in your own words.

Alternatively, you can use a specialised tool like Scribbr’s free text summariser, which offers a smoother user experience.

Example: Using ChatGPT to summarise text

• Provide a one-line summary of the following paragraph: “Exposure to cartoons exerts a discernible impact on a child’s preferences, primarily through the establishment of robust associations between animated characters, branded products, and positive emotional experiences. Through repeated exposure, children develop an attachment to specific brands that influences their future buying choices. Furthermore, recent studies have established a correlation between the amount of time spent watching cartoons and children’s consumer behavior, including their demands for advertised products and their influence on family purchasing decisions.”
• Repeated exposure to cartoons influences children’s preferences, brand attachments, consumer behavior, and purchasing decisions.

Paraphrasing text

When writing your introduction, you may have difficulty finding fresh ways to describe the content of your essay. You can use ChatGPT as a paraphrasing tool to rephrase text in clear language. This can help you to communicate your ideas more effectively, avoid repetition, and maintain a consistent tone.

You can also use Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool, which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Example: Using ChatGPT to paraphrase text

• Paraphrase the following sentence: “This raises ethical concerns regarding the potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain, highlighting the need for responsible content creation and parental guidance to mitigate the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”
• The potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain gives rise to ethical concerns, emphasizing the importance of responsible content creation and parental guidance to reduce the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.

Generating feedback

Once you’ve finished writing your introduction, you can use ChatGPT to generate feedback. Paste your introduction into the tool and prompt it to provide feedback on specific aspects of your writing, such as tone, clarity, or structure.

You can also use ChatGPT to check grammar and punctuation mistakes. However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose and may fail to detect some errors. We recommend using a more specialised tool like Scribbr’s free grammar checker. Or, for more comprehensive feedback, try Scribbr’s proofreading and editing service.

Example: Using ChatGPT to get feedback

• Provide feedback on the above text with regard to tone of voice and clarity of structure.
• Feedback:

  The introduction effectively establishes the topic of the essay and provides a clear structure for the subsequent discussion. The tone of voice is appropriately formal and academic, which is suitable for an essay introduction. The language used is precise and objective, conveying the main ideas without unnecessary embellishment.

  However, there are a few areas where the clarity of structure could be further improved. The second paragraph could benefit from more explicit connections to the ethical concerns mentioned in the first paragraph. Additionally, the paragraph could be strengthened by providing specific examples or evidence to support the claim of embedded marketing in children’s cartoons.

  Furthermore, the last paragraph could be revised to provide a more concise summary of the main points that will be addressed in the essay. This would help to give the reader a clearer roadmap of what to expect in the subsequent sections.

  Overall, the tone of voice and the clarity of structure in the provided text are commendable, but a few minor adjustments can enhance the coherence and effectiveness of the introduction.

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Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools, fallacies, and research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have ChatGPT write my paper?

No, it’s not a good idea to do so in general—first, because it’s normally considered plagiarism or academic dishonesty to represent someone else’s work as your own (even if that “someone” is an AI language model). Even if you cite ChatGPT, you’ll still be penalized unless this is specifically allowed by your university. Institutions may use AI detectors to enforce these rules.

Second, ChatGPT can recombine existing texts, but it cannot really generate new knowledge. And it lacks specialist knowledge of academic topics. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain original research results, and the text produced may contain factual errors.

However, you can usually still use ChatGPT for assignments in other ways, as a source of inspiration and feedback.

Can ChatGPT summarise text?

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to summarise text. This can help you understand complex information more easily, summarise the central argument of your own paper, or clarify your research question.

You can also use Scribbr’s free text summariser, which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Can ChatGPT paraphrase text?

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to paraphrase text to help you express your ideas more clearly, explore different ways of phrasing your arguments, and avoid repetition.

However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose. We recommend using a specialised tool like Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool, which will provide a smoother user experience.