A good TCC introduction should contextualize the reader to the subject that will be covered in the work. It is not enough to say what the theme is, because it can be very comprehensive; you need to steer very clearly what your dissertation is about.
Another very important point is to inform the objective of your TCC and the methodologies used to achieve it.
Check out the 4 essential points of the introduction:
1. Theme presentation
Although starting the text, the introduction does not necessarily have to be written first. It depends on who writes.
There are people who feel more comfortable if they start literally from the beginning, and they can't do their work with the feeling that something is missing.
Others, in turn, are only able to advance after they have developed their dissertation and are aware of the directions it has taken, that is, they know exactly what was covered in it.
Anyone who likes to start with the introduction, needs to update it throughout the development of TCC. This ensures that no important points are left out.
You have to deliver what you promise, so a good tip is whenever you finish writing a part, go back to the introduction to write the point covered in it.
We cannot mention something that for some reason ended up not being developed, or even forget to mention something covered in the text.
In this way, we run the risk of the reader losing interest in reading the rest of the content because he has not found exactly what he thought he would find.
2. Delimitation of the treated subject
It is important to remember that when you present the theme of your work, you need to focus on what exactly will be covered in it. This is because a single theme can open up a huge range of dissertation possibilities.
Be clear in the definition of the theme, contextualize your reader right at the beginning, never throughout your work.
3. Purpose clarification
In a TCC, it is important to make people understand your objective, that is, the importance and relevance of your work.
If you focused on studying something that already exists using different methodologies — field surveys, interviews or research documentary, for example — people should notice this right in the introduction, understanding why you chose to do this form.
Be clear, objective and remember: the introduction should be unexplained. If it has to be short (it should occupy about 10% of the entire text), there is no space for explanations, after all, explaining is part of the development of the work. Just make sure what should be included in the introduction, that is, inform all topics covered in the text.
4. Organization of ideas
You do not need to indicate the points covered in the paper in the order they appear throughout the text. The important thing is that everything is there.
Although they are not presented in the same order, it is important that the points mentioned make sense, that flow, that is, it is very important to be aware of the aspects of cohesion and coherence already in the introduction.
It is not enough to indicate the points to indicate, as if it were just a list with what will be found in the text. If you organize your introduction very well, informing the points that will be covered, and of course, the objective of the work and the methodologies used, the reader will want to read it. The organization of ideas is one of the best attractions.
The reader has to start developing with this very clear in his head: what I will find throughout this work.
Example of ready-made TCC introduction
We selected some excerpts from the introduction of the course conclusion work (tcc), presented to the Psychology course at the State University of Paraíba, by Tamires Oliveira Santos.
With the theme Social Networks and the Existential Void in the Post-Modern World, the text presented meets the requirements that an introduction must meet:
1) Indicates the topics covered in the work in an objective way.
"It is in this context that this work aims to reflect on the use of social networks and existential emptiness, a concept addressed by Logotherapy and Existential Analysis. Since emptiness is an increasingly common feeling in contemporary society, one that people try to fill at all costs. This article also explains characteristics of the postmodern world and its main consequences in the relationships and way of existence of the human being, which with the lack of security brought about by the transformations of the capitalist consumption system itself, contributes to people being bewildered, with the lack of a reference to follow."
2) Clarifies the objective of the work and the methodologies used to carry it out.
"This is an article in which, to achieve the proposed objective, the methodology used was the bibliographic research, which consists of survey of material already prepared and published in documents, such as books and magazines, in order to explain a topic based on references theoretical. Bibliographic research is recognized as an important methodological procedure in the production of scientific knowledge capable of generating, especially in unexplored themes, the elaboration of hypotheses or interpretations that will serve as a starting point for other researches. (LIMA AND MIOTO, 2007)."
3) Motivates the reader to continue reading the work, mentioning what will be explained in its development.
"Therefore, more specific characteristics of the postmodern society will be described below, as it promoted a great development of technologies and will be briefly reported on the evolution of the internet in Brazil that culminated in the explosion in the use of social networks. Some considerations will also be made about the use of social networks and the relationship with the existential emptiness."
Be sure to read other texts related to this topic.:
- Tips for Introducing an Essay
- Cohesion and Coherence
- Epigraph for TCC: famous phrases to use at work
- TCC Summary: how to do in ABNT standards (with an example)