Establishing the importance of the topic:
One of the most significant current discussions in ……. X / is ......
It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the .....
X is the leading cause of death in western industrialised countries.
X is a common issue characterised by ......
In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for ......
In the history of humankind development, X has been thought of as a key factor in .......
X is an increasingly important area in ……….
X is at the heart of our understanding of ......
Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given):
Recent developments in X have heightened the need for ......
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in ......
Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in ......
Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in ......
The past decade has seen the rapid development of X in many .......
The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of......
Over the past century there has been a dramatic increase in ......
One of the most important events of the 1970s was ......
Traditionally, Xs have subscribed to the belief that ......
X proved an important ………. in the Y community.
The changes experienced by Xs over the past decade remain unprecedented.
Highlighting a problem:
However, these rapid changes are having a serious effect ......
However, a major problem with this kind of application is ......
Lack of X has existed as a health problem for many years.
Despite its safety and efficacy, X suffers from several major drawbacks:
However, research has consistently shown that first year students have not attained an adequate understanding of ......
There is increasing concern that some Xs are being disadvantaged ......
Questions have been raised about the ……… of ......
Highlighting a controversy in the field of study:
To date there has been little agreement on what ......
More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about .....
One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in ......
In many Xs a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning ......
The controversy about scientific evidence for X has raged unabated for over a century.
Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of ……
This concept has recently been challenged by ……. studies demonstrating …….
One of the most significant current discussions in legal and moral philosophy is ......
One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in ......
In many Xs a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning ......
The controversy about scientific evidence for X has raged unabated for over a century.
Questions have been raised about the safety of prolonged use of ......
The issue of X has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of .......
The issue has grown in importance in light of recent ......
One major theoretical issue that has dominated the field for many years concerns ......
One major issue in early X research concerned.......
Highlighting a knowledge gap:
So far, however, there has been little discussion about ......
However, far too little attention has been paid to ......
Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas.
The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y.
In addition, no research has been found that surveyed .......
However, there have been no controlled studies which compare differences in ......
The experimental data are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about ......
However, there is no reliable evidence that ......
Focus and aim:
This essay will focus on/examine/give an account of ......
The objectives of this essay are to determine whether ......
This essay seeks to address the following questions:
This essay critically examines/discusses/traces ......
The purpose of this paper is to review recent research into the ......
This paper will review the research conducted on ......
In this essay I argue that .....
The aim of this essay is to determine/examine ......
The aim of this study was to evaluate and validate ......
In the pages that follow it will be argued that ……
Outline of structure:
The main questions/issues addressed in this essay are…….
This essay first gives a brief overview of the
This essay begins by ...... It will then go on to ......
Finally, .......