Writing your Introduction.... Useful phrases......

General feeling about the topic:
Over the last (ten/5/20 etc.) years
Over the last decade
In the last few years
In recent decades
During the last 10 years
Previous findings about the topic:
Most studies seem to agree that (a noun clause)……..
The contention of many studies is that…..
The studies carried out in the past stress the fact that ….
Creating the research space/ Noting a gap in the previous studies:
Although/Despite the fact that/ international students make up 20% of the whole university population in the UK, the needs of international students have not yet been investigated.
However, very little empirical research has been carried out to……
However, even though many studies have reported ……, there has been very little research reported on………..
Research into/regarding experiences/problems/financial problems/social habits of international students in the UK has to date been limited.