In academic writing, a writer is expected to clarify why the topic they discuss is significant, and this should be done when writing the Background of the Study. It is the first section of a scientific writing such as a research proposal, thesis or research article. It contains the rationale, the key problem statement, and a brief overview of research questions addressed in the rest of the proposal, thesis or paper. To do so, we are required to elaborate, at least, the topic as well as the trend and study related lately, the urgency of the selected topic, and the purpose of the study with hypothesis (if any).
In writing the Background of the Study, we should convince the readers of the importance of our proposed study so that they become interested to read further. In other words, the Background is where we position our study within the established academic realm. Thus, it is important to cite recognized authors or researchers to support our statements. Background of the study is crucial in both research proposals and research reports since a reader will decide whether or not they would continue reading the whole writing. In the background of study a writer explains why a study is unique. They do so by elaborating the gaps between several latest studies within similar issues. These gaps in knowledge are questions most scholars are still left within our field, for example, which part of the topic that has not been studied by the scholars. This information is obtained from reading enough papers in the related topic, where we can discover which gaps we could respond to with our study. In the Background of the Study the key terms are also defined. Other than that, we should write a background of study to state the thesis statement, the goal, and where to go with the study.
Background of the study is basically where a writer tells their readers the reason why they conduct a research or a study. It presents the ‘big picture’ of the study by identifying the context of the problem to be investigated. The background also sets the relevance and purpose of the study including the history of an issue being investigated and how it was dealt with in the past. Besides, we need to highlight how the proposed study will expand our field or potentially improve the lives of people through practical application. Most of the time, the background provides a discussion of how the problem being studied has developed over time, what the current trends related to the issue is, and what the unresolved elements are. For example, if we want to conduct a study about gender representation in home products advertisements, we need to establish a background of how advertisers need to create unique and interesting ads to sell the products, how advertisers represent different genders in advertisements, how gender representation has evolved over the years, what problems may arise in the society regarding this issue, and why the issue of gender representation in ads needs to be addressed.
Background of the study should describe the context of the study; specifically it serves to underscore why our study should be done in the context of previous similar studies. It should highlight the need to do further research to get an answer to an issue or problem, and that our study will try to find answer(s) to that issue or problem, or maybe offer a new angle on them. It expands on the statement,
“While studies have shown . . . there is a need to . . .”
However, remember that the Background of the Study is not a full Literature Review. Instead, it is a section where we show our understanding of the problem, our knowledge of the field, the gaps in knowledge, and how our research will fit in to advance the knowledge. Moreover, in writing the background of the study, a writer must use concise sentences to explain the context of the topic chosen. This is to avoid obscurity and ambiguity.