Structuring the Essay

It is a common fact that essays have to present ideas in such order that is understandable to a reader. That is why structuring of the essay is the most important part of the whole writing process. Of course, there are many guidelines how to structure particular types of papers, but, in fact, there are no set solutions to it.

Parts of the Typical Essay

Usually introduction and conclusion have fixed places, but other parts have not. Often background material like the definition or the key term may appear at the beginning of the paper or at the beginning of the paragraph that includes this term. Effective way to structure essay is to answer the probable questions of the reader:

  • The first question is What? Here you have to demonstrate the evidence that shows that your statement is true.
  • How? question requires another set of evidence how your statement can conquer the counterargument.
  • Why? question shows your reader why this topic is important not just for you, but for your audience also. And the answer of this question will look more appropriate at the end of the essay, though some people may want to put it somewhere in the introduction.

Map Your Essay

When you write the essay, it should cover all aspects your reader needs to know. The best way to meet these requirements is to create a map of the essay that will show the way how to take into consideration all reader’s questions in better understanding of your idea. It is a kind of prediction, where you are trying to foresee where the reader will need analysis of the source or a background information. In order to create the map, try to do the following:

  • Write a sentence of thesis statement, add another sentence to support the importance of it. Show what the reader will learn from the paper.
  • The nest sentence will cover the first info what reader needs to know, supported with evidence.
  • The following sentences will concern how and why questions.

Do not make summaries of the sources you use for the research of the issue. Do not start paragraphs with time or listing words.