organization essay writing

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Organization and Structure

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There is no single organizational pattern that works well for all writing across all disciplines; rather, organization depends on what you’re writing, who you’re writing it for, and where your writing will be read. In order to communicate your ideas, you’ll need to use a logical and consistent organizational structure in all of your writing. We can think about organization at the global level (your entire paper or project) as well as at the local level (a chapter, section, or paragraph). For an American academic situation, this means that at all times, the goal of revising for organization and structure is to consciously design your writing projects to make them easy for readers to understand. In this context, you as the writer are always responsible for the reader's ability to understand your work; in other words, American academic writing is writer-responsible. A good goal is to make your writing accessible and comprehensible to someone who just reads sections of your writing rather than the entire piece. This handout provides strategies for revising your writing to help meet this goal.

Note that this resource focuses on writing for an American academic setting, specifically for graduate students. American academic writing is of course not the only standard for academic writing, and researchers around the globe will have different expectations for organization and structure. The OWL has some more resources about writing for American and international audiences here .

Whole-Essay Structure

While organization varies across and within disciplines, usually based on the genre, publication venue, and other rhetorical considerations of the writing, a great deal of academic writing can be described by the acronym IMRAD (or IMRaD): Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. This structure is common across most of the sciences and is often used in the humanities for empirical research. This structure doesn't serve every purpose (for instance, it may be difficult to follow IMRAD in a proposal for a future study or in more exploratory writing in the humanities), and it is often tweaked or changed to fit a particular situation. Still, its wide use as a base for a great deal of scholarly writing makes it worthwhile to break down here.

Introduction : What is the purpose of the study? What were the research questions? What necessary background information should the reader understand to help contextualize the study? (Some disciplines include their literature review section as part of the introduction; some give the literature review its own heading on the same level as the other sections, i.e., ILMRAD.) Some writers use the CARS model to help craft their introductions more effectively.
Methods: What methods did the researchers use? How was the study conducted? If the study included participants, who were they, and how were they selected?
Results : This section lists the data. What did the researchers find as a result of their experiments (or, if the research is not experimental, what did the researchers learn from the study)? How were the research questions answered?
Discussion : This section places the data within the larger conversation of the field. What might the results mean? Do these results agree or disagree with other literature cited? What should researchers do in the future?

Depending on your discipline, this may be exactly the structure you should use in your writing; or, it may be a base that you can see under the surface of published pieces in your field, which then diverge from the IMRAD structure to meet the expectations of other scholars in the field. However, you should always check to see what's expected of you in a given situation; this might mean talking to the professor for your class, looking at a journal's submission guidelines, reading your field's style manual, examining published examples, or asking a trusted mentor. Every field is a little different.

Outlining & Reverse Outlining

One of the most effective ways to get your ideas organized is to write an outline. A traditional outline comes as the pre-writing or drafting stage of the writing process. As you make your outline, think about all of the concepts, topics, and ideas you will need to include in order to accomplish your goal for the piece of writing. This may also include important citations and key terms. Write down each of these, and then consider what information readers will need to know in order for each point to make sense. Try to arrange your ideas in a way that logically progresses, building from one key idea or point to the next.

Questions for Writing Outlines

What are the main points I am trying to make in this piece of writing?
What background information will my readers need to understand each point? What will novice readers vs. experienced readers need to know?
In what order do I want to present my ideas? Most important to least important, or least important to most important? Chronologically? Most complex to least complex? According to categories? Another order?

Reverse outlining comes at the drafting or revision stage of the writing process. After you have a complete draft of your project (or a section of your project), work alone or with a partner to read your project with the goal of understanding the main points you have made and the relationship of these points to one another. The OWL has another resource about reverse outlining here.

Questions for Writing Reverse Outlines

What topics are covered in this piece of writing?
In what order are the ideas presented? Is this order logical for both novice and experienced readers?
Is adequate background information provided for each point, making it easy to understand how one idea leads to the next?
What other points might the author include to further develop the writing project?

Organizing at the sentence and paragraph level

Signposting.

Signposting is the practice of using language specifically designed to help orient readers of your text. We call it signposting because this practice is like leaving road signs for a driver — it tells your reader where to go and what to expect up ahead. Signposting includes the use of transitional words and phrasing, and they may be explicit or more subtle. For example, an explicit signpost might say:

This section will cover Topic A and Topic B.

A more subtle signpost might look like this:

It's important to consider the impact of Topic A and Topic B.

The style of signpost you use will depend on the genre of your paper, the discipline in which you are writing, and your or your readers’ personal preferences. Regardless of the style of signpost you select, it’s important to include signposts regularly. They occur most frequently at the beginnings and endings of sections of your paper. It is often helpful to include signposts at mid-points in your project in order to remind readers of where you are in your argument.

Questions for Identifying and Evaluating Signposts

How and where does the author include a phrase, sentence, or short group of sentences that explains the purpose and contents of the paper?
How does each section of the paper provide a brief summary of what was covered earlier in the paper?
How does each section of the paper explain what will be covered in that section?
How does the author use transitional words and phrases to guide readers through ideas (e.g. however, in addition, similarly, nevertheless, another, while, because, first, second, next, then etc.)?

WORKS CONSULTED

Clark, I. (2006). Writing the successful thesis and dissertation: Entering the conversation . Prentice Hall Press.

Davis, M., Davis, K. J., & Dunagan, M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations . Academic press.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

9.3 Organizing Your Writing

Learning objectives.

Understand how and why organizational techniques help writers and readers stay focused.
Assess how and when to use chronological order to organize an essay.
Recognize how and when to use order of importance to organize an essay.
Determine how and when to use spatial order to organize an essay.

The method of organization you choose for your essay is just as important as its content. Without a clear organizational pattern, your reader could become confused and lose interest. The way you structure your essay helps your readers draw connections between the body and the thesis, and the structure also keeps you focused as you plan and write the essay. Choosing your organizational pattern before you outline ensures that each body paragraph works to support and develop your thesis.

This section covers three ways to organize body paragraphs:

Chronological order
Order of importance
Spatial order

When you begin to draft your essay, your ideas may seem to flow from your mind in a seemingly random manner. Your readers, who bring to the table different backgrounds, viewpoints, and ideas, need you to clearly organize these ideas in order to help process and accept them.

A solid organizational pattern gives your ideas a path that you can follow as you develop your draft. Knowing how you will organize your paragraphs allows you to better express and analyze your thoughts. Planning the structure of your essay before you choose supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and targeted research.

Chronological Order

In Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , you learned that chronological arrangement has the following purposes:

To explain the history of an event or a topic
To tell a story or relate an experience
To explain how to do or to make something
To explain the steps in a process

Chronological order is mostly used in expository writing , which is a form of writing that narrates, describes, informs, or explains a process. When using chronological order, arrange the events in the order that they actually happened, or will happen if you are giving instructions. This method requires you to use words such as first , second , then , after that , later , and finally . These transition words guide you and your reader through the paper as you expand your thesis.

For example, if you are writing an essay about the history of the airline industry, you would begin with its conception and detail the essential timeline events up until present day. You would follow the chain of events using words such as first , then , next , and so on.

Writing at Work

At some point in your career you may have to file a complaint with your human resources department. Using chronological order is a useful tool in describing the events that led up to your filing the grievance. You would logically lay out the events in the order that they occurred using the key transition words. The more logical your complaint, the more likely you will be well received and helped.

Choose an accomplishment you have achieved in your life. The important moment could be in sports, schooling, or extracurricular activities. On your own sheet of paper, list the steps you took to reach your goal. Try to be as specific as possible with the steps you took. Pay attention to using transition words to focus your writing.

Keep in mind that chronological order is most appropriate for the following purposes:

Writing essays containing heavy research
Writing essays with the aim of listing, explaining, or narrating
Writing essays that analyze literary works such as poems, plays, or books

When using chronological order, your introduction should indicate the information you will cover and in what order, and the introduction should also establish the relevance of the information. Your body paragraphs should then provide clear divisions or steps in chronology. You can divide your paragraphs by time (such as decades, wars, or other historical events) or by the same structure of the work you are examining (such as a line-by-line explication of a poem).

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that describes a process you are familiar with and can do well. Assume that your reader is unfamiliar with the procedure. Remember to use the chronological key words, such as first , second , then , and finally .

Order of Importance

Recall from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” that order of importance is best used for the following purposes:

Persuading and convincing
Ranking items by their importance, benefit, or significance
Illustrating a situation, problem, or solution

Most essays move from the least to the most important point, and the paragraphs are arranged in an effort to build the essay’s strength. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to begin with your most important supporting point, such as in an essay that contains a thesis that is highly debatable. When writing a persuasive essay, it is best to begin with the most important point because it immediately captivates your readers and compels them to continue reading.

For example, if you were supporting your thesis that homework is detrimental to the education of high school students, you would want to present your most convincing argument first, and then move on to the less important points for your case.

Some key transitional words you should use with this method of organization are most importantly , almost as importantly , just as importantly , and finally .

During your career, you may be required to work on a team that devises a strategy for a specific goal of your company, such as increasing profits. When planning your strategy you should organize your steps in order of importance. This demonstrates the ability to prioritize and plan. Using the order of importance technique also shows that you can create a resolution with logical steps for accomplishing a common goal.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that discusses a passion of yours. Your passion could be music, a particular sport, filmmaking, and so on. Your paragraph should be built upon the reasons why you feel so strongly. Briefly discuss your reasons in the order of least to greatest importance.

Spatial Order

As stated in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
Writing a descriptive essay

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your reader, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you.

The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place. The key to using this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly trajectory from your starting point.

Pay attention to the following student’s description of her bedroom and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

Attached to my bedroom wall is a small wooden rack dangling with red and turquoise necklaces that shimmer as you enter. Just to the right of the rack is my window, framed by billowy white curtains. The peace of such an image is a stark contrast to my desk, which sits to the right of the window, layered in textbooks, crumpled papers, coffee cups, and an overflowing ashtray. Turning my head to the right, I see a set of two bare windows that frame the trees outside the glass like a 3D painting. Below the windows is an oak chest from which blankets and scarves are protruding. Against the wall opposite the billowy curtains is an antique dresser, on top of which sits a jewelry box and a few picture frames. A tall mirror attached to the dresser takes up most of the wall, which is the color of lavender.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives you have learned in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

Just to the left or just to the right
On the left or on the right
Across from
A little further down
To the south, to the east, and so on
A few yards away
Turning left or turning right

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph using spatial order that describes your commute to work, school, or another location you visit often.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Key Takeaways

The way you organize your body paragraphs ensures you and your readers stay focused on and draw connections to, your thesis statement.
A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts.
Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research.
Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing. It is useful for explaining the history of your subject, for telling a story, or for explaining a process.
Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasion paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance.
Spatial order describes things as they are arranged in space and is best for helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it; it creates a dominant impression.

Writing Home
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Organizing an Essay

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Some basic guidelines

The best time to think about how to organize your paper is during the pre-writing stage, not the writing or revising stage. A well-thought-out plan can save you from having to do a lot of reorganizing when the first draft is completed. Moreover, it allows you to pay more attention to sentence-level issues when you sit down to write your paper.

When you begin planning, ask the following questions: What type of essay am I going to be writing? Does it belong to a specific genre? In university, you may be asked to write, say, a book review, a lab report, a document study, or a compare-and-contrast essay. Knowing the patterns of reasoning associated with a genre can help you to structure your essay.

For example, book reviews typically begin with a summary of the book you’re reviewing. They then often move on to a critical discussion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. They may conclude with an overall assessment of the value of the book. These typical features of a book review lead you to consider dividing your outline into three parts: (1) summary; (2) discussion of strengths and weaknesses; (3) overall evaluation. The second and most substantial part will likely break down into two sub-parts. It is up to you to decide the order of the two subparts—whether to analyze strengths or weaknesses first. And of course it will be up to you to come up with actual strengths and weaknesses.

Be aware that genres are not fixed. Different professors will define the features of a genre differently. Read the assignment question carefully for guidance.

Understanding genre can take you only so far. Most university essays are argumentative, and there is no set pattern for the shape of an argumentative essay. The simple three-point essay taught in high school is far too restrictive for the complexities of most university assignments. You must be ready to come up with whatever essay structure helps you to convince your reader of the validity of your position. In other words, you must be flexible, and you must rely on your wits. Each essay presents a fresh problem.

Avoiding a common pitfall

Though there are no easy formulas for generating an outline, you can avoid one of the most common pitfalls in student papers by remembering this simple principle: the structure of an essay should not be determined by the structure of its source material. For example, an essay on an historical period should not necessarily follow the chronology of events from that period. Similarly, a well-constructed essay about a literary work does not usually progress in parallel with the plot. Your obligation is to advance your argument, not to reproduce the plot.

If your essay is not well structured, then its overall weaknesses will show through in the individual paragraphs. Consider the following two paragraphs from two different English essays, both arguing that despite Hamlet’s highly developed moral nature he becomes morally compromised in the course of the play:

(a) In Act 3, Scene 4, Polonius hides behind an arras in Gertrude’s chamber in order to spy on Hamlet at the bidding of the king. Detecting something stirring, Hamlet draws his sword and kills Polonius, thinking he has killed Claudius. Gertrude exclaims, “O, what a rash and bloody deed is this!” (28), and her words mark the turning point in Hamlet’s moral decline. Now Hamlet has blood on his hands, and the blood of the wrong person. But rather than engage in self-criticism, Hamlet immediately turns his mother’s words against her: “A bloody deed — almost as bad, good Mother, as kill a king, and marry with his brother” (29-30). One of Hamlet’s most serious shortcomings is his unfair treatment of women. He often accuses them of sins they could not have committed. It is doubtful that Gertrude even knows Claudius killed her previous husband. Hamlet goes on to ask Gertrude to compare the image of the two kings, old Hamlet and Claudius. In Hamlet’s words, old Hamlet has “Hyperion’s curls,” the front of Jove,” and “an eye like Mars” (57-58). Despite Hamlet’s unfair treatment of women, he is motivated by one of his better qualities: his idealism. (b) One of Hamlet’s most serious moral shortcomings is his unfair treatment of women. In Act 3, Scene 1, he denies to Ophelia ever having expressed his love for her, using his feigned madness as cover for his cruelty. Though his rantings may be an act, they cannot hide his obsessive anger at one particular woman: his mother. He counsels Ophelia to “marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (139-41), thus blaming her in advance for the sin of adultery. The logic is plain: if Hamlet’s mother made a cuckold out of Hamlet’s father, then all women are capable of doing the same and therefore share the blame. The fact that Gertrude’s hasty remarriage does not actually constitute adultery only underscores Hamlet’s tendency to find in women faults that do not exist. In Act 3, Scene 4, he goes as far as to suggest that Gertrude shared responsibility in the murder of Hamlet’s father (29-30). By condemning women for actions they did not commit, Hamlet is doing just what he accuses Guildenstern of doing to him: he is plucking out the “heart” of their “mystery” (3.2.372-74).

The second of these two paragraphs is much stronger, largely because it is not plot-driven. It makes a well-defined point about Hamlet’s moral nature and sticks to that point throughout the paragraph. Notice that the paragraph jumps from one scene to another as is necessary, but the logic of the argument moves along a steady path. At any given point in your essays, you will want to leave yourself free to go wherever you need to in your source material. Your only obligation is to further your argument. Paragraph (a) sticks closely to the narrative thread of Act 3, Scene 4, and as a result the paragraph makes several different points with no clear focus.

What does an essay outline look like?

Most essay outlines will never be handed in. They are meant to serve you and no one else. Occasionally, your professor will ask you to hand in an outline weeks prior to handing in your paper. Usually, the point is to ensure that you are on the right track. Nevertheless, when you produce your outline, you should follow certain basic principles. Here is an example of an outline for an essay on Hamlet :

This is an example of a sentence outline. Another kind of outline is the topic outline. It consists of fragments rather than full sentences. Topic outlines are more open-ended than sentence outlines: they leave much of the working out of the argument for the writing stage.

When should I begin putting together a plan?

The earlier you begin planning, the better. It is usually a mistake to do all of your research and note-taking before beginning to draw up an outline. Of course, you will have to do some reading and weighing of evidence before you start to plan. But as a potential argument begins to take shape in your mind, you may start to formalize your thoughts in the form of a tentative plan. You will be much more efficient in your reading and your research if you have some idea of where your argument is headed. You can then search for evidence for the points in your tentative plan while you are reading and researching. As you gather evidence, those points that still lack evidence should guide you in your research. Remember, though, that your plan may need to be modified as you critically evaluate your evidence.

How can I construct a usable plan?

Here are two methods for constructing a plan. The first works best on the computer. The second method works well for those who think visually. It is often the method of choice for those who prefer to do some of their thinking with pen and paper, though it can easily be transposed to a word processor or your graphic software of choice.

method 1: hierarchical outline

This method usually begins by taking notes. Start by collecting potential points, as well as useful quotations and paraphrases of quotations, consecutively. As you accumulate notes, identify key points and start to arrange those key points into an outline. To build your outline, take advantage of outline view in Word or numbered lists in Google Docs. Or consider one of the specialized apps designed to help organize ideas: Scrivener, Microsoft OneNote, Workflowy, among others. All these tools make it easy for you to arrange your points hierarchically and to move those points around as you refine your plan.You may, at least initially, keep your notes and your outline separate. But there is no reason for you not to integrate your notes into the plan. Your notes—minor points, quotations, and paraphrases—can all be interwoven into the plan, just below the main points they support. Some of your notes may not find a place in your outline. If so, either modify the plan or leave those points out.

method 2: the circle method

This method is designed to get your key ideas onto a single page, where you can see them all at once. When you have an idea, write it down, and draw a circle around it. When you have an idea that supports another idea, do the same, but connect the two circles with a line. Supporting source material can be represented concisely by a page reference inside a circle. The advantage of the circle method is that you can see at a glance how things tie together; the disadvantage is that there is a limit to how much material you can cram onto a page.

Here is part of a circle diagram

Once you are content with your diagram, you have the option of turning it into an essay outline.

What is a reverse outline?

When you have completed your first draft, and you think your paper can be better organized, consider using a reverse outline. Reverse outlines are simple to create. Just read through your essay, and every time you make a new point, summarize it in the margin. If the essay is reasonably well-organized, you should have one point in the margin for each paragraph, and your points read out in order should form a coherent argument. You might, however, discover that some of your points are repeated at various places in your essay. Other points may be out of place, and still other key points may not appear at all. Think of all these points as the ingredients of an improved outline which you now must create. Use this new outline to cut and paste the sentences into a revised version of your essay, consolidating points that appear in several parts of your essay while eliminating repetition and creating smooth transitions where necessary.

You can improve even the most carefully planned essay by creating a reverse outline after completing your first draft. The process of revision should be as much about organization as it is about style.

How much of my time should I put into planning?

It is self-evident that a well-planned paper is going to be better organized than a paper that was not planned out. Thinking carefully about how you are going to argue your paper and preparing an outline can only add to the quality of your final product. Nevertheless, some people find it more helpful than others to plan. Those who are good at coming up with ideas but find writing difficult often benefit from planning. By contrast, those who have trouble generating ideas but find writing easy may benefit from starting to write early. Putting pen to paper (or typing away at the keyboard) may be just what is needed to get the ideas to flow.

You have to find out for yourself what works best for you, though it is fair to say that at least some planning is always a good idea. Think about whether your current practices are serving you well. You know you’re planning too little if the first draft of your essays is always a disorganized mess, and you have to spend a disproportionate amount of time creating reverse outlines and cutting and pasting material. You know you’re planning too much if you always find yourself writing your paper a day before it’s due after spending weeks doing research and devising elaborate plans.

Be aware of the implications of planning too little or too much.

Planning provides the following advantages :

helps you to produce a logical and orderly argument that your readers can follow
helps you to produce an economical paper by allowing you to spot repetition
helps you to produce a thorough paper by making it easier for you to notice whether you have left anything out
makes drafting the paper easier by allowing you to concentrate on writing issues such as grammar, word choice, and clarity

Overplanning poses the following risks :

doesn’t leave you enough time to write and revise
leads you to produce papers that try to cover too much ground at the expense of analytic depth
can result in a writing style that lacks spontaneity and ease
does not provide enough opportunity to discover new ideas in the process of writing

Organization

“organization” is a catch-all term referring to the patterns used to present information in writing., what is "organization" in writing.

Organization includes everything—from an entire volume of writing down the a single sentence. You may want to consider working with the big picture. To save stress later on, do your organization in the early stages of the writing process, working with an outline or a bulleted list. But be willing to reorganize your thoughts and ideas later on.

diagram of organization: cartoon diagram of internal organs, with different organs being labelled such as introduction, thesis, heading, evidence, and topic sentences.

How do I get started?

As a principle of writing, "organization" can be overwhelming to writers—there are numerous ways to organize your thoughts, your data, your images, your narratives, and your references. How do you choose the "best" approach? Different disciplines follow different models, and different audiences have varying—and often contradictory—expectations.

So where do you start?

Key note: always remember the architectural maxim "form follows function."

In other words, the form of your essay (the genre, the approach, the model, etc.) should always adhere to the function of your essay (the purpose, the goal, the thesis, etc.)

The General Principle

Think about organization as your paper's delivery message, a tool rather than a rule. Rather than simply filling words on a page, each segment of your paper should have a purpose within a larger whole. As a thought experiment, imagine the different parts of your writing (introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs, headings, footnotes, works cited, etc.) as the organs in your body. You don’t need a degree in etymology to know that “organ” and “organization” come from the same root. So, if every organ in your body has a purpose and a task, every part of your writing should also have a specific purpose in the broader context of delivering your essay's message.

When organizing your paper, always remember that "many roads lead to Dublin." In other words, while there are common methods of formatting a paper, choose the method that works best for you, your audience, and your discipline.

Literature Review

Writing in the sciences: imrd, source-based persuasive paper, the 5-paragraph essay.

Many developing writers are familiar with the 5-paragraph model of organizing an essay. In its most basic sense, a 5-paragraph essay

Tells readers what arguments you're going to present (the intro)
Presents those arguments (the body paragraphs)
Reminds readers what arguments the essay just presented (conclusion).

This organizational method is popular for many reasons, mostly because it's accessible and straightforward. Also, it's easy to test and easy to read.

However, as writers develop more experience with organizational models, they quickly become aware of the 5-paragraph's limitations—should, for example, every argument limit itself to three key points (the 3 body paragraphs)? Does the 5-paragraph model allow for counter arguments?

Key note: while many writers use the 5-paragraph model for short-answer essays, make sure it works for the task at-hand. The old architectural maxim that "form follows function" applies to writing as well: let your form (your style or organizational method) follow your function (your purpose or goal).

The Pattern of 5-paragraph Essays

A typical pattern of the introduction in a five paragraph essay is to engage the reader and inform them of the basic context of the essay, culminating in a concise but adequate thesis.

For this specific genre of writing, a top-down narrowing approach leads your reader in from the larger context and toward your specific points or claims. It may be helpful to think of the introduction of a five paragraph essay as a funnel or a triangle pointed downward. An effectively organized introduction in this genre begins with broader, more applicable language—addressing the context and establishing the tone—and it ends with a narrow thesis that is uniquely yours.

Example : "Using fear tactics in the classroom may encourage students to withdraw socially, promote feelings of anger and frustration, and cause students to mistrust the educational process in general."

The Body Paragraphs

It’s common for body paragraphs to each have their own internal organization, structured around clear and effective topic sentences. By having every other sentence in a body paragraph addressing or tying back to the topic sentence, just as every topic sentence should tie back to your thesis, you can help make clear connections about the relationship between your evidence and the points you’re making.

Example : "Education is a catalyst for economic growth and development. Nations that prioritize education often witness improved productivity, innovation, and a highly skilled workforce. Education equips individuals with the knowledge and skills needed for various industries, boosting employability and facilitating economic mobility. It fosters entrepreneurship and empowers individuals to create opportunities for themselves and others. Moreover, education reduces poverty by breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage, enabling individuals to access better job prospects and higher incomes. A well-educated population contributes to a thriving economy and sustainable development."

The Conclusion

Some writers organize the conclusion to look, in many ways, like an inverted introduction. If the introduction is a triangle pointed downward, the conclusion is a triangle pointed upward—expanding outward to address the larger implications of your topic.

Example : "Education is the key to unlocking human potential and driving societal progress. It empowers individuals, fuels economic growth, fosters social progress, and enhances global competitiveness. As we embrace the transformative power of education, it is crucial to ensure equal access to quality education for all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic background or geographical location. By investing in education, we invest in a brighter future for individuals, communities, and our world as a whole."

What to chat with one of our consultants about the organization of your paper? Here are some questions to help.

Is my paper "clearly" organized?
Where does my organization break down?
Where could my paper be more clear?
Does my organization match the assignment's expectations?

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Knowledge Base

Organizational tips for academic essays

Published on November 10, 2014 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023.

This article presents some tips to help you figure out how best to structure your essay .

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Four tips for organization, other interesting articles.

In general, the purpose of the essay should dictate the organization of the essay—ask yourself what claims you need to establish in order for your reader to believe that your main claim is right. The claims that help establish your main claim are called “supporting claims.”

In many cases, each supporting claim will get a paragraph. When you’re outlining, try to phrase these supporting claims as rough topic sentences . In some cases, these supporting claims will also require some argument in order for your reader to believe them. If this happens, consider adding an additional argument or two in separate paragraphs to help establish your supporting claim.

Once you get a sense of the supporting claims that will form the basis of your paragraphs , consider the following tips:

Arguments usually proceed from the simplest claim to the most complex

In other words, the body of a good argumentative essay often begins with the more simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves to the more complex and contentious ones. There are a couple of reasons for this:

Often, a reader must understand the more basic claims before she can understand the more complex claims.
If you begin with a point your readers agree on without much trouble, you can build on this agreement to convince them of something more contentious.

Give the background early

If you have so much background information that it cannot be given precisely enough in the introduction , this information will usually lead the body of the essay , or the section that it is relevant to.

Define terms as needed

Technical language should be defined as or before it’s used—never wait very long to define a term you’ve used:

If you can, define your terms as you use them.
If you have so much technical language that defining terms as you use them is too interruptive, take a paragraph or so to define the terms and show how they relate to each other.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
False cause fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy

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Writing a Paper: Revising for Effective Organization

Revising for effective organization, whole-essay organization:.

These strategies will help you identify paragraphs with information or ideas that need to be rearranged or adjusted.

Read each paragraph. On note paper, write the central idea for each paragraph, forming an outline of your paper.
Does each central idea help you support the thesis of your paper? If not, then you have gone off-topic. Identify which paragraph does not relate to your assignment, and revise it.
Do your ideas progress logically? If not, then you have presented them out of order. Identify which paragraphs to present earlier or later in your paper, and rearrange them.

Individual-Paragraph Organization:

These strategies will help you identify sentences that need to be added to your paragraphs. Additionally, click this link for more details about organization on the Writing Center website.

Main point: The first sentence of each paragraph should present its main idea.
Evidence: The next line should support for your topic with cited sources.
Analysis: The next lines should explain the evidence and connect it to your topic.
Lead out: The last line of each paragraph should help readers shift smoothly to the new idea in the next paragraph.
If you find any paragraphs that do not follow the MEAL plan, identify which element is missing (main point, evidence, analysis, or lead out) and revise your paragraph to include this material.

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Academic Writing

How to Organize an Essay

Last Updated: March 27, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 284,152 times.

Essay Template and Sample Essay

Laying the Groundwork

Step 1 Determine the type of essay you're writing.

For example, a high-school AP essay should have a very clear structure, with your introduction and thesis statement first, 3-4 body paragraphs that further your argument, and a conclusion that ties everything together.
On the other hand, a creative nonfiction essay might wait to present the thesis till the very end of the essay and build up to it.
A compare-and-contrast essay can be organized so that you compare two things in a single paragraph and then have a contrasting paragraph, or you can organize it so that you compare and contrast a single thing in the same paragraph.
You can also choose to organize your essay chronologically, starting at the beginning of the work or historical period you're discussing and going through to the end. This can be helpful for essays where chronology is important to your argument (like a history paper or lab report), or if you're telling a story in your essay.
The “support” structure begins with your thesis laid out clearly in the beginning and supports it through the rest of the essay.
The “discovery” structure builds to the thesis by moving through points of discussion until the thesis seems the inevitable, correct view.
The “exploratory” structure looks at the pros and cons of your chosen topic. It presents the various sides and usually concludes with your thesis.

If you haven't been given an assignment, you can always run ideas by your instructor or advisor to see if they're on track.
Ask questions about anything you don't understand. It's much better to ask questions before you put hours of work into your essay than it is to have to start over because you didn't clarify something. As long as you're polite, almost all instructors will be happy to answer your questions.

For example, are you writing an opinion essay for your school newspaper? Your fellow students are probably your audience in this case. However, if you're writing an opinion essay for the local newspaper, your audience could be people who live in your town, people who agree with you, people who don't agree with you, people who are affected by your topic, or any other group you want to focus on.

Getting the Basics Down

A thesis statement acts as the “road map” for your paper. It tells your audience what to expect from the rest of your essay.
Include the most salient points within your thesis statement. For example, your thesis may be about the similarity between two literary works. Describe the similarities in general terms within your thesis statement.
Consider the “So what?” question. A good thesis will explain why your idea or argument is important. Ask yourself: if a friend asked you “So what?” about your thesis, would you have an answer?
The “3-prong thesis” is common in high school essays, but is often frowned upon in college and advanced writing. Don't feel like you have to restrict yourself to this limited form.
Revise your thesis statement. If in the course of writing your essay you discover important points that were not touched upon in your thesis, edit your thesis.

If you have a librarian available, don't be afraid to consult with him or her! Librarians are trained in helping you identify credible sources for research and can get you started in the right direction.

Try freewriting. With freewriting, you don't edit or stop yourself. You just write (say, for 15 minutes at a time) about anything that comes into your head about your topic.
Try a mind map. Start by writing down your central topic or idea, and then draw a box around it. Write down other ideas and connect them to see how they relate. [14] X Research source
Try cubing. With cubing, you consider your chosen topic from 6 different perspectives: 1) Describe it, 2) Compare it, 3) Associate it, 4) Analyze it, 5) Apply it, 6) Argue for and against it.

If your original thesis was very broad, you can also use this chance to narrow it down. For example, a thesis about “slavery and the Civil War” is way too big to manage, even for a doctoral dissertation. Focus on more specific terms, which will help you when you start you organize your outline. [16] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Organizing the Essay

Step 1 Create an outline of the points to include in your essay.

Determine the order in which you will discuss the points. If you're planning to discuss 3 challenges of a particular management strategy, you might capture your reader's attention by discussing them in the order of most problematic to least. Or you might choose to build the intensity of your essay by starting with the smallest problem first.

Step 2 Avoid letting your sources drive your organization.

For example, a solid paragraph about Hamlet's insanity could draw from several different scenes in which he appears to act insane. Even though these scenes don't all cluster together in the original play, discussing them together will make a lot more sense than trying to discuss the whole play from start to finish.

Step 3 Write topic sentences for each paragraph.

Ensure that your topic sentence is directly related to your main argument. Avoid statements that may be on the general topic, but not directly relevant to your thesis.
Make sure that your topic sentence offers a “preview” of your paragraph's argument or discussion. Many beginning writers forget to use the first sentence this way, and end up with sentences that don't give a clear direction for the paragraph.
For example, compare these two first sentences: “Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743” and “Thomas Jefferson, who was born in 1743, became one of the most important people in America by the end of the 18th century.”
The first sentence doesn't give a good direction for the paragraph. It states a fact but leaves the reader clueless about the fact's relevance. The second sentence contextualizes the fact and lets the reader know what the rest of the paragraph will discuss.

Step 4 Use transitional words and sentences.

Transitions help underline your essay's overall organizational logic. For example, beginning a paragraph with something like “Despite the many points in its favor, Mystic Pizza also has several elements that keep it from being the best pizza in town” allows your reader to understand how this paragraph connects to what has come before.
Transitions can also be used inside paragraphs. They can help connect the ideas within a paragraph smoothly so your reader can follow them.
If you're having a lot of trouble connecting your paragraphs, your organization may be off. Try the revision strategies elsewhere in this article to determine whether your paragraphs are in the best order.
The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin - Madison has a handy list of transitional words and phrases, along with the type of transition they indicate. [22] X Research source

You can try returning to your original idea or theme and adding another layer of sophistication to it. Your conclusion can show how necessary your essay is to understanding something about the topic that readers would not have been prepared to understand before.
For some types of essays, a call to action or appeal to emotions can be quite helpful in a conclusion. Persuasive essays often use this technique.
Avoid hackneyed phrases like “In sum” or “In conclusion.” They come across as stiff and cliched on paper.

Revising the Plan

You can reverse-outline on the computer or on a printed draft, whichever you find easier.
As you read through your essay, summarize the main idea (or ideas) of each paragraph in a few key words. You can write these on a separate sheet, on your printed draft, or as a comment in a word processing document.
Look at your key words. Do the ideas progress in a logical fashion? Or does your argument jump around?
If you're having trouble summarizing the main idea of each paragraph, it's a good sign that your paragraphs have too much going on. Try splitting your paragraphs up.

You may also find with this technique that your topic sentences and transitions aren't as strong as they could be. Ideally, your paragraphs should have only one way they could be organized for maximum effectiveness. If you can put your paragraphs in any order and the essay still kind of makes sense, you may not be building your argument effectively.

For example, you might find that placing your least important argument at the beginning drains your essay of vitality. Experiment with the order of the sentences and paragraphs for heightened effect.

Expert Q&A

↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
↑ http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/planning-and-organizing/organizing
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/understanding-assignments/
↑ https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/6-1-purpose-audience-tone-and-content/
↑ https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/writing-your-essay
↑ https://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/persuasive-essays
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/
↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/2/53/
↑ https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/scholarlywriting/chapter/revising-a-thesis-statement/
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/reorganizing-drafts/
↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/essay-outline/
↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/paragraphs-and-topic-sentences.html
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/transitions/
↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Transitions.html
↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/conclusions/
↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-aloud/

About This Article

To organize an essay, start by writing a thesis statement that makes a unique observation about your topic. Then, write down each of the points you want to make that support your thesis statement. Once you have all of your main points, expand them into paragraphs using the information you found during your research. Finally, close your essay with a conclusion that reiterates your thesis statement and offers additional insight into why it’s important. For tips from our English reviewer on how to use transitional sentences to help your essay flow better, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Organizing Your Writing

Writing for Success

Learning Objectives

Understand how and why organizational techniques help writers and readers stay focused.
Assess how and when to use chronological order to organize an essay.
Recognize how and when to use order of importance to organize an essay.
Determine how and when to use spatial order to organize an essay.

This section covers three ways to organize body paragraphs:

Chronological order
Order of importance
Spatial order

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

Chronological arrangement (also called “time order,”) has the following purposes:

To explain the history of an event or a topic
To tell a story or relate an experience
To explain how to do or to make something
To explain the steps in a process

Chronological order is mostly used in expository writing, which is a form of writing that narrates, describes, informs, or explains a process. When using chronological order, arrange the events in the order that they actually happened, or will happen if you are giving instructions. This method requires you to use words such as first, second, then, after that, later, and finally. These transition words guide you and your reader through the paper as you expand your thesis.

WRITING AT WORK

Keep in mind that chronological order is most appropriate for the following purposes:

Writing essays containing heavy research
Writing essays with the aim of listing, explaining, or narrating
Writing essays that analyze literary works such as poems, plays, or books

ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

Order of importance is best used for the following purposes:

Persuading and convincing
Ranking items by their importance, benefit, or significance
Illustrating a situation, problem, or solution

Some key transitional words you should use with this method of organization are most importantly, almost as importantly, just as importantly, and finally.

SPATIAL ORDER

Spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
Writing a descriptive essay

Pay attention to the following student’s description of her bedroom and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives you have learned in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

Just to the left or just to the right
On the left or on the right
Across from
A little further down
To the south, to the east, and so on
A few yards away
Turning left or turning right

Key Takeaways

The way you organize your body paragraphs ensures you and your readers stay focused on and draw connections to, your thesis statement.
A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts.
Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research.
Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing. It is useful for explaining the history of your subject, for telling a story, or for explaining a process.
Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasion paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance.
Spatial order describes things as they are arranged in space and is best for helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it; it creates a dominant impression.

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This chapter is about the importance of organizing a draft with a clear outline. This step is sometimes combined with the previous step in the writing process—developing a thesis statement. Some writers find it helpful to first jot down their main ideas in outline form, and then use that visual to help develop an overarching thesis statement. Ultimately, moving from thesis statement to outline is dynamic: writers often develop an initial hunch, work out the kinds through an outline, and then revise the thesis each point becomes more obviously structured. This chapter, “Organize,” will stress the importance of planning and structure in the writing process.

The Importance of Organization

Your prewriting activities and readings have helped you gather information for your assignment. The more you sort through the pieces of information you found, the more you will begin to see the connections between them. Patterns and gaps may begin to stand out. But only when you start to organize your ideas will you be able to translate your raw insights into a form that will communicate meaning to your audience.

When you write, you need to organize your ideas in an order that makes sense. The writing you complete in all your courses exposes how analytically and critically your mind works. In some courses, the only direct contact you may have with your instructor is through the assignments you write for the course. You can make a good impression by spending time ordering your ideas.

Order refers to your choice of what to present first, second, third, and so on in your writing. The order you pick closely relates to your purpose for writing that particular assignment. For example, when telling a story, it may be important to first describe the background for the action. Or you may need to first describe a 3-D movie projector or a television studio to help readers visualize the setting and scene. You may want to group your support effectively to convince readers that your point of view on an issue is well reasoned and worthy of belief.

In longer pieces of writing, you may organize different parts in different ways so that your purpose stands out clearly and all parts of the paper work together to consistently develop your main point.

Methods of Organizing Writing

The three common methods of organizing writing are chronological order , spatial order , and order of importance . You need to keep these methods of organization in mind as you plan how to arrange the information you have gathered in an outline. An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the paragraphs you write. Later, when you draft paragraphs in the next stage of the writing process, you will add support to create “flesh” and “muscle” for your assignment.

When you write, your goal is not only to complete an assignment but also to write for a specific purpose—perhaps to inform, to explain, to persuade, or for a combination of these purposes. Your purpose for writing should always be in the back of your mind, because it will help you decide which pieces of information belong together and how you will order them. In other words, choose the order that will most effectively fit your purpose and support your main point.

Table “Order versus Purpose” shows the connection between order and purpose.

For an essay question on a test or a brief oral presentation in class, all you may need to prepare is a short, informal outline in which you jot down key ideas in the order you will present them. This kind of outline reminds you to stay focused in a stressful situation and to include all the good ideas that help you explain or prove your point.

For a longer assignment, like an essay or a research paper, many college instructors require students to submit a formal outline before writing a major paper as a way to be sure you are on the right track and are working in an organized manner. A formal outline is a detailed guide that shows how all your supporting ideas relate to each other. It helps you distinguish between ideas that are of equal importance and ones that are of lesser importance. You build your paper based on the framework created by the outline.

Instructors may also require you to submit an outline with your final draft to check the direction of the assignment and the logic of your final draft. If you are required to submit an outline with the final draft of a paper, remember to revise the outline to reflect any changes you made while writing the paper.

Topic and sentence outlines

There are two types of formal outlines: the topic outline and the sentence outline. You format both types of formal outlines in the same way.

Place your introduction and thesis statement at the beginning, under roman numeral I.
Use roman numerals (II, III, IV, V, etc.) to identify main points that develop the thesis statement.
Use capital letters (A, B, C, D, etc.) to divide your main points into parts.
Use arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) if you need to subdivide any As, Bs, or Cs into smaller parts.
End with the final roman numeral expressing your idea for your conclusion.

Here is what the skeleton of a traditional formal outline looks like. The indention helps clarify how the ideas are related.

Introduction

Thesis statement

Main point 1 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 1

Main point 2 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 2

Main point 3 → becomes the topic sentence of body paragraph 3

In an outline, any supporting detail can be developed with subpoints. For simplicity, the model shows them only under the first main point.

Formal outlines are often quite rigid in their organization. As many instructors will specify, you cannot subdivide one point if it is only one part. For example, for every roman numeral I, there must be a For every A, there must be a B. For every arabic numeral 1, there must be a 2. See for yourself on the sample outlines that follow.

Topic outlines

A topic outline is the same as a sentence outline except you use words or phrases instead of complete sentences. Words and phrases keep the outline short and easier to comprehend. All the headings, however, must be written in parallel structure.

Here is the topic outline that Mariah constructed for the essay she is developing. Her purpose is to inform, and her audience is a general audience of her fellow college students. Notice how Mariah begins with her thesis statement. She then arranges her main points and supporting details in outline form using short phrases in parallel grammatical structure.

Writing an Effective Topic Outline

This checklist can help you write an effective topic outline for your assignment. It will also help you discover where you may need to do additional reading or prewriting.

Do I have a controlling idea that guides the development of the entire piece of writing?
Do I have three or more main points that I want to make in this piece of writing? Does each main point connect to my controlling idea?
Is my outline in the best order—chronological order, spatial order, or order of importance—for me to present my main points? Will this order help me get my main point across?
Do I have supporting details that will help me inform, explain, or prove my main points?
Do I need to add more support? If so, where?
Do I need to make any adjustments in my working thesis statement before I consider it the final version?

Writing at Work

Word processing programs generally have an automatic numbering feature that can be used to prepare outlines. This feature automatically sets indents and lets you use the tab key to arrange information just as you would in an outline. Although in business this style might be acceptable, in college your instructor might have different requirements. Teach yourself how to customize the levels of outline numbering in your word-processing program to fit your instructor’s preferences.

Exercise 4.1

Using the working thesis statement you wrote in the previous chapter, “Thesis Statements,” and the results of your brainstorming from “Generating Ideas,” construct a topic outline for your essay. Be sure to observe correct outline form, including correct indentions and the use of Roman and arabic numerals and capital letters.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your outline. Point out areas of interest from their outline and what you would like to learn more about.

Sentence Outlines

A sentence outline is the same as a topic outline except you use complete sentences instead of words or phrases. Complete sentences create clarity and can advance you one step closer to a draft in the writing process.

Here is the sentence outline that Mariah constructed for the essay she is developing.

The information compiled under each roman numeral will become a paragraph in your final paper. In the previous example, the outline follows the standard five-paragraph essay arrangement, but longer essays will require more paragraphs and thus more roman numerals. If you think that a paragraph might become too long or stringy, add an additional paragraph to your outline, renumbering the main points appropriately.

PowerPoint presentations, used both in schools and in the workplace, are organized in a way very similar to formal outlines. PowerPoint presentations often contain information in the form of talking points that the presenter develops with more details and examples than are contained on the PowerPoint slide.

Exercise 4.2

Expand the topic outline you prepared in the previous execise to make it a sentence outline. In this outline, be sure to include multiple supporting points for your main topic even if your topic outline does not contain them. Be sure to observe correct outline form, including correct indentations and the use of Roman and arabic numerals and capital letters.

Key Takeaways

Writers must put their ideas in order so the assignment makes sense. The most common orders are chronological order, spatial order, and order of importance.
After gathering and evaluating the information you found for your essay, the next step is to write a working, or preliminary, thesis statement.
The working thesis statement expresses the main idea that you want to develop in the entire piece of writing. It can be modified as you continue the writing process.
Effective writers prepare a formal outline to organize their main ideas and supporting details in the order they will be presented.
A topic outline uses words and phrases to express the ideas.
A sentence outline uses complete sentences to express the ideas.
The writer’s thesis statement begins the outline, and the outline ends with suggestions for the concluding paragraph.

Write What Matters Copyright © 2020 by Liza Long; Amy Minervini; and Joel Gladd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Writing Process Basics: Essay Structure and Organization

Introduction, learning objectives.

identify appropriate rhetorical pattern for the topic and the task
identify components of an effective thesis statement
identify components of an effective logical argument
identify components of an effective paragraph
identify components of an effective essay body
identify components of an effective introduction
identify components of an effective conclusion

Graphic titled Organize. Bullet list: Thesis, development, body, introduction, conclusion. All is in a green circle bordered by gray arrows.

Structure refers to the function a particular piece of your essay serves in the essay. Elements like introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions are structural components of an essay. It’s similar to the structure of a house: certain spaces are designated as a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and so forth.

As we know, houses appear in many different shapes and sizes, even though they contain all of these similar features. You might say that the structure of a house can be organized in many different ways. In writing, organization is where your unique approach as an author comes into play. In what particular order are body paragraphs placed? Why?

modern house exterior, with white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows

In short, structure is the what , and organization is the why .

As a writer, you’ll identify what pieces are necessary for your essay to include. Then you’ll determine what order those pieces will appear in, and how they connect together.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

Whether you are writing a short essay or a doctoral dissertation, your thesis statement will arguably be the most difficult sentence to formulate. An effective thesis statement states the purpose of the paper and, therefore, functions to control, assert and structure your entire argument . Without a sound thesis, your argument may sound weak, lacking in direction, and uninteresting to the reader.

Start with a question — then make the answer your thesis

Regardless of how complicated the subject is, almost any thesis can be constructed by answering a question.

A question mark drawn in yellow chalk on black pavement

Thesis: “Computers allow fourth graders an early advantage in technological and scientific education.”
Thesis: “The river comes to symbolize both division and progress, as it separates our characters and country while still providing the best chance for Huck and Jim to get to know one another.”
Thesis: “Through careful sociological study, we’ve found that people naturally assume that “morally righteous” people look down on them as “inferior,” causing anger and conflict where there generally is none.”

Tailor your thesis to the type of paper you’re writing

N ot all essays persuade, and not all essays teach. The goals of your paper will help you find the best thesis.

Ex. “This dynamic between different generations sparks much of the play’s tension, as age becomes a motive for the violence and unrest that rocks King Lear.”
Ex. “The explosion of 1800’s philosophies like Positivism, Marxism, and Darwinism undermined and refuted Christianity to instead focus on the real, tangible world.”
Ex. “Without the steady hand and specific decisions of Barack Obama, America would never have recovered from the hole it entered in the early 2000’s.”

Ensure your thesis is provable

Blurry image of sunflowers. A hand holds a camera lens in the middle, through which the flowers are in sharp focus.

Good Theses Examples:

“By owning up to the impossible contradictions, embracing them and questioning them, Blake forges his own faith, and is stronger for it. Ultimately, the only way for his poems to have faith is to temporarily lose it.”
“According to its well-documented beliefs and philosophies, an existential society with no notion of either past or future cannot help but become stagnant.”
“By reading “Ode to a Nightingale” through a modern deconstructionist lens, we can see how Keats viewed poetry as shifting and subjective, not some rigid form.”

Bad Theses Examples:

“The wrong people won the American Revolution.” While striking and unique, who is “right” and who is “wrong” is exceptionally hard to prove, and very subjective.
“The theory of genetic inheritance is the binding theory of every human interaction.” Too complicated and overzealous. The scope of “every human interaction” is just too big
“Paul Harding’s novel Tinkers is ultimately a cry for help from a clearly depressed author.” Unless you interviewed Harding extensively, or had a lot of real-life sources, you have no way of proving what is fact and what is fiction.”

Get the sound right

Example thesis statements with good statement language include:

“Because of William the Conqueror’s campaign into England, that nation developed the strength and culture it would need to eventually build the British Empire.”
“Hemingway significantly changed literature by normalizing simplistic writing and frank tone.”

Know where to place a thesis statement

Because of the role thesis statements play, they appear at the beginning of the paper, usually at the end of the first paragraph or somewhere in the introduction. Although most people look for the thesis at the end of the first paragraph, its location can depend on a number of factors such as how lengthy of an introduction you need before you can introduce your thesis or the length of your paper.

Limit a thesis statement to one or two sentences in length

Thesis statements are clear and to the point, which helps the reader identify the topic and direction of the paper, as well as your position towards the subject.

Text Structures

A text structure is the framework of a text’s beginning, middle, and end. Different narrative and expository genres have different purposes and different audiences, and so they require different text structures. Beginnings and endings help link the text into a coherent whole.

BEGINNINGS: HOOKING YOUR READER

WHAT’S IN THE MIDDLE?

The organization of the middle of a piece of writing depends on the genre. Researchers have identified five basic organizational structures: sequence , description , cause and effect , compare and contrast , and problem and solution .

Sequence uses time, numerical, or spatial order as the organizing structure. Some narrative genres that use a chronological sequence structure are personal narrative genres (memoir, autobiographical incident, autobiography), imaginative story genres (fairytales, folktales, fantasy, science fiction), and realistic fiction genres. Narrative story structures include an initiating event, complicating actions that build to a high point, and a resolution. Many narratives also include the protagonist’s goals and obstacles that must be overcome to achieve those goals.

Description is used to describe the characteristic features and events of a specific subject (”My Cat”) or a general category (”Cats”). Descriptive reports may be arranged according to categories of related attributes, moving from general categories of features to specific attributes.

Cause and Effect structure is used to show causal relationships between events. Essays demonstrate cause and effect by giving reasons to support relationships, using the word “because.” Signal words for cause and effect structures also include if/then statements, “as a result,” and “therefore.”

Comparison and Contrast structure is used to explain how two or more objects, events, or positions in an argument are similar or different. Graphic organizers such as venn diagrams, compare/contrast organizers, and tables can be used to compare features across different categories. Words used to signal comparison and contrast organizational structures include “same,” “alike,” “in contrast,” “similarities,” “differences,” and “on the other hand.”

Problem and Solution requires writers to state a problem and come up with a solution. Although problem/solution structures are typically found in informational writing, realistic fiction also often uses a problem/solution structure.

ENDINGS: BEYOND “HAPPILY EVER AFTER”

Anyone who has watched a great movie for ninety minutes only to have it limp to the finish with weak ending knows that strong endings are just as critical to effective writing as strong beginnings. And anyone who has watched the director’s cut of a movie with all the alternate endings knows that even great directors have trouble coming up with satisfying endings for their movies. Just like directors, writers have to decide how to wrap up the action in their stories, resolving the conflict and tying up loose ends in a way that will leave their audience satisfied.

Photo looking down on a pile of books, with a notebook labeled "The End" on top

Components of an Effective Paragraph

Every paragraph in the body of an essay consists of three main parts: a topic sentence, some supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Transition words and phrases provide links between individual paragraphs, and so are important to consider, as well.

Of these elements, the topic sentences are the most important to building a strong essay, and deserve the most attention.

Topic Sentences

A clear topic sentence in each paragraph will assist with essay organization. Consider writing topic sentences early in the process, while you’re working on an outline. You can return later to fill in the rest of the paragraph. Having these single sentences figured out early makes the rest of the essay much easier to write!

Devote each body paragraph of an essay to discussing only the point of its topic sentence. If something is interesting to you, but not directly related to the topic sentence, save it for elsewhere in the essay (or hang on to it for a future writing task!). This will help keep your essay focused and effective.

Ensure that your topic sentence is directly related to your main argument or thesis.

Make sure that your topic sentence offers a “preview” of your paragraph’s discussion. Many beginning writers forget to use the first sentence this way, and end up with sentences that don’t give a clear direction for the paragraph.

For example, compare these two first sentences:

Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743. Thomas Jefferson, who was born in 1743, became one of the most important people in America by the end of the 18th century.

The first sentence doesn’t give a good direction for the paragraph. It states a fact but leaves the reader clueless about the fact’s relevance. The second sentence contextualizes the fact and lets the reader know what the rest of the paragraph will discuss.

Supporting & Concluding Sentences

This video walks through all three components of an effective paragraph, giving good examples of what supporting statements and concluding sentences might look like.

Transitions

You spend so much time thinking about the ideas of an academic essay that the way these ideas connect makes perfect sense to you. Keep in mind, though, that readers of your essay aren’t nearly as familiar with the subject as you are, and will need your guidance.

Transitional phrases , usually found at the beginning of body paragraphs, will allow your reader to follow your train of thought. Phrases like “likewise” or “in contrast” are key indicators as to what relationship different paragraphs have to one another.

Transitions help underline your essay’s overall organizational logic. For example, beginning a paragraph with something like “Despite the many points in its favor, Mystic Pizza also has several elements that keep it from being the best pizza in town” allows your reader to understand how this paragraph connects to what has come before.
Transitions can also be used inside paragraphs. They can help connect the ideas within a paragraph smoothly so your reader can follow them.
If you’re having a lot of trouble connecting your paragraphs, your organization may be off. Experiment with different paragraph order, to see if that helps.

The Toulmin Model

The following video introduces the components of a particular type of persuasive writing, The Toulmin Model. It can be useful to think about claims and evidence in your writing, and what unstated assumptions ( warrants ) might be influencing you.

This image shows how conclusions are reached, using the Toulmin model of arguments.

In essays using the Toulmin model, warrants aren’t usually stated explicitly in writing. They are often shared beliefs between a reader and the writer, however.

Consider what assumptions you make about your chosen subject, that your reader likely also agrees with. What assumptions do you have that your readers may not share?

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A Writer's Handbook

Introduction
Purpose & Audience
Opening Sentences
Linking Sentences
Finished Introduction
Topic Sentences
Development
Conclusion Sentences
Conclusion Paragraphs for Essays

Essay Writing Organization

Annotating Readings
General Writing Idea Development
Rhetorical and Visual Analysis Idea Development
Character Analysis Idea Development
Theme Analysis Idea Development
Theory Analysis
Using the Library
Using Sources for Illustration or Support
Using Research for Essays
Writing About Research
MLA Handbook Summary for Citations
Final Thoughts on Essays
Literary Element Index
Appendix of Example Papers

Writing is a process that everyone does differently, but an outline will help you with development of ideas.

I. Choice of introduction and linking sentences

A. Catching opener

B. Linking Sentences

C. Thesis

II. Topic Sentence One with Transition, Link to Thesis, and Topic of paragraph mentioned

A. Transition, and mention of first subtopic

Example, quote, illustration of subtopic
Explanation of the example, quote, or illustration of subtopic
If there is only one subtopic, the paragraph will need an additional example(s), quote(s), or illustration(s) and additional explanation(s)

B. Transition, and other subtopic, if applicable

Example, quote, illustration of subtopic

III. Topic Sentence Two with Transition, Link to Thesis, and Topic of paragraph mentioned

A. Transition, and mention of first subtopic

IV. And so on for as many body paragraphs as needed

V. Conclusion

A. Restate idea

B. Sum up main points of all main ideas within

C. Clincher

Graphic Organizer For those who are more visual, this is a downloadable PDF of a graphic organizer for the essay outline.
<< Previous: Conclusion Paragraphs for Essays
Next: Annotating Readings >>
Last Updated: Jan 3, 2023 9:01 AM
URL: https://library.jeffersonstate.edu/AWH

Most Common Book or Essay Organization Patterns

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To improve your ability to understand a difficult book or passage, you might start by finding the organization pattern. This may sound more difficult than it is. There are a few ways that writers can choose to organize their work , and the organization depends very much on the topic.

If you were writing a description of your bedroom, for example, you would most likely use a spatial organization pattern. In other words, you would most likely start by describing one "space" and move on to another space, and keep going until you've covered the entire room.

Spatial organization would be a suitable type of pattern for real estate professionals to use when describing a property.

Then again, if you were required to describe the events that led up to a certain event in history, your most likely organization pattern would be chronological . Chronological refers to the order that things happen in time. You might describe the legislation that set the stage for a particular event, followed by the public response to that legislation, and followed again by social conditions that changed because of the previous events.

So, one of the first things you should do when trying to understand a difficult text is to figure out the particular organization pattern. This helps you frame the entire work in your brain or on paper, as when you're writing an outline.

Chronological Organization

A chronological organization is used by writers when they want to describe what happened or happens in a particular order. Your entire history book is most likely written in a chronological patter. Some of the types of work that might follow this patter include the following. You can see that this type of organization is best when describing things that happen over time.

History chapters
Biographies
Summer vacation essays
Legal case studies

Logical Organization

A logical organization might be used in many ways. Logical organization refers to works that express a point or position using evidence.

Argument essays
Comparison essays

Functional Organization

A functional organization system is used to explain how or why things work. The following types of writing might use this organization pattern most effectively.

How-to essays
Step-by-step essays
Instruction manuals

Spatial Organization

Spatial organization is used in essays that describe or give direction concerning a physical location.

Descriptions
Anatomy essay
Descriptions in fiction

The purpose of developing and understanding organization patters is to help our brains set the stage and know what to expect. These patterns help us to build a framework in our minds and place information in the correct "places" on that framework. Once you determine the overall organization of any text, you'll be better equipped to process information as you read.

When writing your essays and chapters, you should keep your intended organizational pattern in mind as you work, to provide your readers with a clear message that is easily processed.

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Definition and Examples of Evaluation Essays
The 12 Best Books on the French Revolution
Spatial Order in Composition
Topical Organization Essay
Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
The Essay: History and Definition
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What Is Expository Writing?
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12: Essay Organization

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Learning Outcomes

Write a thesis that summarizes the main point of an essay
Write a topic sentence that summarizes the main point of a paragraph
Introduce relevant specific evidence to support a topic sentence
Integrate quotations and paraphrases from other texts as support
Connect a new idea to a previous point or to the thesis
Introduce essays in ways that engage the reader in the specific topic
Conclude essays in ways that sum up as needed and point toward further questions or implications.
12.1: Developing a Thesis Statement A short, clear statement of the main idea of an essay will help readers stay focused and see the writer's purpose.
12.2: Topic Sentences Each paragraph needs to focus on one idea and include a sentence that summarizes that idea.
12.3: Showing How a New Idea Fits in (Transitions) As we move from one point to the next, we can signal to readers how the new point fits into the overall argument.
12.4: Referring Back to Make the Connection (Cohesion) We can help orient readers to a new idea in the course of an essay by referring back to an old idea and showing how it connects.
12.5: Developing Paragraphs In addition to a topic sentence, a paragraph needs supporting sentences to explain and give evidence for its main idea.
12.6: Quoting and Paraphrasing We can use quotations and paraphrases as support by introducing them and clarifying how they relate to the ideas in the paragraph.
12.7: Introductions Introductions serve to interest the reader in the topic and build up to the thesis.
12.8: Conclusions Conclusions can go beyond restating the main point to suggesting an area for further thought or action.

Colored wooden building blocks arranged in a pyramid with gaps between blocks and no top level.

Top 9 Writing Organizational Patterns

If you are interested in learning about writing organizational patterns, here are some of the top patterns below that are perfect for your next writing project.

Regardless of whether you are an avid reader or an avid writer, there are numerous patterns of organization that you may spot in writing. Different organizational patterns are helpful in different types of writing, so the proper organizational structure in one piece of writing might not be the same as the correct organizational pattern and another essay.

What are some top writing organizational patterns you may want to incorporate in your work?

1. Sequential Patterns

2. chronological patterns, 3. pros and cons, 4. spatial patterns, 5. compare and contrast patterns, 6. cause-effect patterns, 7. a topical pattern, 8. a problem and solution pattern, 9. a classification pattern.

Sequential patterns are among the most basic of all organizational writing patterns. Essentially, the author takes some information and arranges it in a process. Each section of the writing represents the main step someone has to follow. It is broken up in this way to make it easier for the reader to follow along.

For example, the writer might create an essay describing to someone how to boil water. Then, the writer will break it up into multiple steps. Some of the steps might be as follows:

Step 1: Get a pot that is large enough to hold water.
Step 2: Fill the pot with water from the sink.
Step 3: Place the pot on the stove.
Step 4: Turn the stove on by igniting it or turning on the electric burner.
Step 5: Wait until the water begins to bubble.

Keep in mind that the steps might be much longer than this if the topic is more involved. This is just a basic example of how a writer might use a sequential pattern to describe to someone else how to boil water, painting a mental picture.

One of the most popular patterns you may spot in writing is chronological order. This is relatively straightforward. It is an organization of important events or ideas scattered across time. In general, chronological patterns move forward in history, but there might also be situations where they move backward. Typically, the writer will devote a chapter, a section, or a paragraph to a particular moment in time. Then, the writer will move forward, using transitions from event to event, going down the time order.

For example, the author might want to create a timeline of all the wars in which the United States has been involved. The author may start with the American Revolutionary War, which started in the 1700s. Then, the writer may move forward, covering wars in the 19th century next. This might include the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the American Civil War, and the Spanish-American war. Finally, the writer may discuss wars of the 20th century, including World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. This is one of the most straightforward patterns to understand because the author moves forward in time with each event.

A list of advantages-disadvantages is a typical organizational pattern that a writer will use, mainly when discussing multiple topics that fall under the same category. The idea is that it makes it easy for readers to follow along as multiple topics are being laid out under the same category. In addition, by looking at each option’s benefits and drawbacks, it is easier for readers to figure out what is right for them.

For example, the writer might be talking about different investment vehicles. Each investment vehicle has its benefits and drawbacks. As an example of how this essay might be laid out, the writer might use the following:

Stocks: The writer will discuss the pros and cons of investing in individual stocks, using a list of pros and cons.
Mutual Funds: The writer will use a list to discuss the pros and cons of investing in mutual funds.
Bonds: The writer will talk about the pros and cons of investing in bonds, with another list of pros and cons.

This organizational pattern makes it easy for the reader to identify the essential points from each category.

Another typical pattern that a writer might use is called a spatial pattern. A spatial pattern is an essay or catalog of different events, people, or existing buildings and specific geographic patterns. Essentially, the writer will use this pattern to paint a mental image for the reader, making it easier for them to figure out how certain areas are laid out.

For example, if a writer uses a spatial pattern to describe Europe, they might dedicate a section of the essay to different regions. This might include Eastern Europe, which is on the edge of Russia; Central Europe, which might include areas such as Austria and Italy; and Western Europe, which could include France and Spain. The writer might also include Scandinavia, which includes Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

For example, a writer could also use a spatial pattern to divide New York City, making it easier for the reader to understand how the city has been laid out. The writer might break up the essay with a different section focusing on each borough. It might include:

Manhattan: A description of all of the important points of interest in Manhattan.
Brooklyn: A description of all the important points of interest in Brooklyn.
The Bronx: A description of all the important points of interest in The Bronx.
Harlem: A description of all the important points of interest in Harlem.
Staten Island: A description of all the important points of interest in Staten Island.

Within each section, the writer might talk about smaller areas, such as the West Side, the Lower East Side, Chinatown, and Little Italy.

The next popular pattern that a writer might use is called a compare and contrast pattern. As the name suggests, the author will compare and contrast two different topics in multiple ways. For example, if the writer is crafting an essay on sports, then the writer might talk about how the New York Mets and the New York Yankees are different, even though both of them play Major League Baseball. Or, the writer might take a broader view and talk about how the major leagues are different than the minor leagues.

As one specific example, the writer might want to talk about how educational programs are different between community colleges and four-year colleges. Some of the sections of this essay might include:

Tuition Expenses: The writer will discuss how the cost of traditional college and community college vary.
Housing: The writer might also discuss how housing situations vary between traditional colleges and community colleges.
Variety of Educational Programs: Next, the essay might explore how educational programs are different between traditional colleges and community colleges.
Job Prospects: Finally, the essay might also explore how job prospects are different for people who graduated from community college or a traditional undergraduate program.

This organizational pattern makes it easy for people to spot the differences between both programs.

Writing Organizational Patterns: Cause-effect patterns

The writer might also elect to go with a cause-and-effect pattern. This is particularly helpful if the writer is taking a look at a historical event or if the writer is trying to push for a specific action that can be used to solve the problem.

Essentially, the writer can decide to divide the essay into two major sections. The first talks about the causes of that issue, and the second talks about the effects of that event. As an example:

Causes of the Civil War

Cause 2

Effects of the Civil War

If the writer is trying to construct a persuasive essay on the causes and effects of the Civil War, this is a very easy way to lay it out.

The other way to lay out this type of essay is to devote one section to each cause and then list the effects under that cause. An example of an essay talking about global warming might be laid out as follows:

Cause of Global Warming 1

Cause of Global Warming 2

Cause of Global Warming 3

The writer is able to see the effect relationship of the essay as it moves forward.

A topical pattern is one of the most commonly used patterns in all writing. Essentially, this is a great organizational pattern to use if you are having difficulty finding another pattern that will work well. One topic is often broken up into multiple subtopics, making it easier for the reader to follow along.

For example, you might look at an essay about American sports. There are a lot of leagues and teams to discuss, so you might want to lay it out by topic. One suggested organizational pattern could be as follows:

Teams in the AFC
Teams in the NFC
Teams in the Eastern Conference
Teams in the Western Conference
Teams in the American League
Teams in the National League

There are multiple divisions in each conference as well. Therefore, you could break it down further if you would like. For example, if you are talking about teams in the NFC in the NFL, you could discuss the NFC North, the NFC South, the NFC East, and the NFC West in each individual section.

You may also want to divide your essay into problem-solution patterns. This essay is relatively straightforward. It has two main sections. The first section will discuss a problem. Then, it will talk about all of the reasons why it is such a big problem. Then, in the second section, you will talk about different solutions to that problem, trying to convince the reader to take a specific action.

For example, you might want to write an essay on why diet and exercise are great solutions for overweight people might break up your essay into multiple sections, including:

Problem: Obesity

Obesity causes self-esteem issues.
Obesity causes long-term joint pain
Obesity increases your risk of developing heart attacks and strokes.

Solution: Diet and Exercise

Everyone can eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, so it is not that expensive.
It is a sustainable solution that does not require taking prescription medications.
It has a much lower risk of leading to complications and side effects.

Having a formal structure in place can make it easier for your reader to follow along as the effect of various conditions is explained.

You might also be interested in classifying different items into different categories based on specific defining characteristics. If you have a broader topic that you need to cover, you may want to include specific topics in certain areas based on shared characteristics.

One example of this type of pattern in action is hurricanes. Suppose you have been tasked to divide some of the most important hurricanes in the history of the United States into different categories. In that case, you may decide to do so by classifying them based on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This is the scale that divides hurricanes based on wind speed. The essay would be categorized as follows:

Category 1 Hurricanes: List of the most important category 1 hurricanes.
Category 2 Hurricanes: List of the most important category 2 hurricanes.
Category 3 Hurricanes: List of the most important category 3 hurricanes.
Category 4 Hurricanes: List of the most important category 4 hurricanes.
Category 5 Hurricanes: List of the most important category 5 hurricanes.

You may have more hurricanes in the lower categories because hurricanes that are major hurricanes tend to do more damage.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

Meet Rachael, the editor at Become a Writer Today. With years of experience in the field, she is passionate about language and dedicated to producing high-quality content that engages and informs readers. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her exploring the great outdoors, finding inspiration for her next project.

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Organization and Structure
Whole-Essay Structure IMRAD. While organization varies across and within disciplines, usually based on the genre, publication venue, and other rhetorical considerations of the writing, a great deal of academic writing can be described by the acronym IMRAD (or IMRaD): Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
9.3 Organizing Your Writing
A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts. Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research. Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing.
How to Structure an Essay
The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body. This article provides useful templates and tips to help you outline your essay, make decisions about your structure, and ...
Organizing an Essay
Organizing an Essay. Organizing ideas and information clearly and logically in an essay, so that readers will understand and be able to follow the writer's thinking, is an essential stage of the writing process, but one that often proves to be more difficult than it sounds. When people write, ideas tend to come out in whatever order they occur ...
Organizing an Essay
method 1: hierarchical outline. This method usually begins by taking notes. Start by collecting potential points, as well as useful quotations and paraphrases of quotations, consecutively. As you accumulate notes, identify key points and start to arrange those key points into an outline.
Organization
Organization includes everything—from an entire volume of writing down the a single sentence. You may want to consider working with the big picture. To save stress later on, do your organization in the early stages of the writing process, working with an outline or a bulleted list. But be willing to reorganize your thoughts and ideas later on.
Essay Organization
In writing terms, the assertion is the ... Essay Organization. The structural organization of an essay will vary, depending on the type of writing task you've been assigned, but they generally follow this basic structure: The thesis and the topic sentences are all concerned with workers and what they need for the workforce.
Organizational tips for academic essays
Four tips for Organization. In general, the purpose of the essay should dictate the organization of the essay—ask yourself what claims you need to establish in order for your reader to believe that your main claim is right. The claims that help establish your main claim are called "supporting claims.". In many cases, each supporting claim ...
3.1: Introduction to Essay Organization
3.1 Introdcution to Essay Organization. The French etymology of the word "essay" is "essai" meaning "trial, attempt essay" ( https://www.etymonline.com ). Given its French origin, the purpose of the essay attempts to express and develop a thought in a brief written piece. Building an essay begins with a unique process that involves ...
Organizing an Essay
Organizing an Essay. There are many elements that must come together to create a good essay. The topic should be clear and interesting. The author's voice should come through, but not be a distraction. There should be no errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or capitalization. Organization is one of the most important elements of an essay ...
Academic Guides: Writing a Paper: Revising for Effective Organization
Whole-Essay Organization: These strategies will help you identify paragraphs with information or ideas that need to be rearranged or adjusted. Read each paragraph. On note paper, write the central idea for each paragraph, forming an outline of your paper. Read your summaries of each central idea and ask yourself the following:
How to Organize an Essay (with Pictures)
3. Determine your writing task. How you organize your essay will also depend on what your writing task is. This is usually in the assignment or prompt. Look for keywords like "describe," "analyze," "discuss," or "compare.". These will tell you what your writing "job" is -- what the essay needs to accomplish. [5]
Organizing Your Writing
A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts. Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research. Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing.
Organize
Methods of Organizing Writing. The three common methods of organizing writing are chronological order , spatial order, and order of importance. You need to keep these methods of organization in mind as you plan how to arrange the information you have gathered in an outline. An outline is a written plan that serves as a skeleton for the ...
1.5: Methods of Organizing Your Writing
A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts. Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research. Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing.
6.14: Essay Organization
Topic Sentence (reason) #1: Workers need to learn how to deal with change. Topic Sentence (reason) #2: Because of dealing with such a rapidly changing work environment, 21st-century workers need to learn how to learn. Topic Sentence (reason) #3: Most of all, in order to negotiate rapid change and learning, workers in the 21st century need good ...
Organizing
The organization of the middle of a piece of writing depends on the genre. Researchers have identified five basic organizational structures: sequence, description, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem and solution. Sequence uses time, numerical, or spatial order as the organizing structure.
PDF THE WRITING PROCESS
The organization of material will vary somewhat depending on the type of essay—its subject, whether it's a research or personal essay, how long it will be, etc. However, there are certain features which appear consistently in most types of expository writing and which can be followed as general guides for organizing essays. PARTS OF AN ESSAY
Essay Writing Organization: The Outline
Essay Writing Organization Writing is a process that everyone does differently, but an outline will help you with development of ideas. I. Choice of introduction and linking sentences
Most Common Book or Essay Organization Patterns
Anatomy essay. Descriptions in fiction. The purpose of developing and understanding organization patters is to help our brains set the stage and know what to expect. These patterns help us to build a framework in our minds and place information in the correct "places" on that framework. Once you determine the overall organization of any text ...
12: Essay Organization
12.8: Conclusions. Conclusions can go beyond restating the main point to suggesting an area for further thought or action. "Building Blocks" is by Karl Abuid on Unsplash under the Unsplash License. Many common strategies such as thesis statements, paragraphs, transitions, and topic sentences can help us structure our essay and clarify how each ...
Top 9 Writing Organizational Patterns
Some of the steps might be as follows: Step 1: Get a pot that is large enough to hold water. Step 2: Fill the pot with water from the sink. Step 3: Place the pot on the stove. Step 4: Turn the stove on by igniting it or turning on the electric burner. Step 5: Wait until the water begins to bubble.

Organization and Structure

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Whole-Essay Structure

Outlining & Reverse Outlining

Questions for Writing Outlines

Questions for Writing Reverse Outlines

Organizing at the sentence and paragraph level

Questions for Identifying and Evaluating Signposts

9.3 Organizing Your Writing

Chronological Order

Writing at Work

Order of Importance

Spatial Order

Key Takeaways

Organizing an Essay

Some basic guidelines

Avoiding a common pitfall

What does an essay outline look like?

When should I begin putting together a plan?

How can I construct a usable plan?

method 1: hierarchical outline

method 2: the circle method

What is a reverse outline?

How much of my time should I put into planning?

Organization

How do I get started?

The General Principle

Literature Review

The Pattern of 5-paragraph Essays

The Body Paragraphs

The Conclusion

Have a language expert improve your writing

Organizational tips for academic essays

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Table of contents

Arguments usually proceed from the simplest claim to the most complex

Give the background early

Define terms as needed

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

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Writing a Paper: Revising for Effective Organization

Individual-Paragraph Organization:

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Walden Resources

Centers and Offices

Student Resources

How to Organize an Essay

Essay Template and Sample Essay

Laying the Groundwork

Getting the Basics Down

Organizing the Essay

Revising the Plan

Expert Q&A

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Organizing Your Writing

Learning Objectives

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

WRITING AT WORK

ORDER OF IMPORTANCE

SPATIAL ORDER

Key Takeaways

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The Importance of Organization

Methods of Organizing Writing

Topic and sentence outlines

Topic outlines

Writing at Work

Sentence Outlines

Key Takeaways

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Writing Process Basics: Essay Structure and Organization