Q: What should I write in the background of the study in a concept paper?

A concept paper is like a preamble to your study: it provides a roadmap or outline for your study before you commence the study. So, in the concept paper, you need to talk about why you are conducting the study and what you are aiming to achieve through the study. However, a concept paper is usually quite short compared with the final paper (after completing the study). You needn’t write great details in the concept paper, but only key points about your study. Thus, you don’t need to write a long background (context) for your study in the concept paper. However, you will still need to do a detailed review of the existing literature in the broad research area to arrive at the question of your study. Doing a detailed literature review will also help you determine if you are looking in the right direction. Additionally, it will provide a lot of information for when you write the final paper.

To answer the final part of your question, any opinion you provide in the final paper has to be an informed opinion, based on your review of previous literature. Correctly speaking, it should be a knowledgeable viewpoint or perspective. Also, due to the limited scope and length of a concept paper, you cannot really provide any opinion or viewpoint in it, although you can talk about the potential outcomes of your study.

For more information on concept papers, refer to the following resources:

• What is a concept paper?
• How can I write a concept paper on fast food consumption?
• What are the three strategies in elucidating a concept paper?