Introductions

One of the most important sections of your paper is the introduction.  If your introduction fails to catch your readers' attention, they may abandon your paper.  Of course, you must be sure that your introduction is appropriate for the rest of your paper.  A catchy introduction that promises more than the paper actually delivers is just as inappropriate as a bland introduction.

The Longman Concise Companion provides advice on introductory paragraphs in Chapter 7, section g (p. 46).