essay about organizing

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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.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Organization and Structure

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

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.

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Knowledge Base
How to write an essay outline | Guidelines & examples

How to Write an Essay Outline | Guidelines & Examples

Published on August 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay outline is a way of planning the structure of your essay before you start writing. It involves writing quick summary sentences or phrases for every point you will cover in each paragraph , giving you a picture of how your argument will unfold.

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Organizing your material, presentation of the outline, examples of essay outlines, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about essay outlines.

At the stage where you’re writing an essay outline, your ideas are probably still not fully formed. You should know your topic and have already done some preliminary research to find relevant sources , but now you need to shape your ideas into a structured argument.

Creating categories

Look over any information, quotes and ideas you’ve noted down from your research and consider the central point you want to make in the essay—this will be the basis of your thesis statement . Once you have an idea of your overall argument, you can begin to organize your material in a way that serves that argument.

Try to arrange your material into categories related to different aspects of your argument. If you’re writing about a literary text, you might group your ideas into themes; in a history essay, it might be several key trends or turning points from the period you’re discussing.

Three main themes or subjects is a common structure for essays. Depending on the length of the essay, you could split the themes into three body paragraphs, or three longer sections with several paragraphs covering each theme.

As you create the outline, look critically at your categories and points: Are any of them irrelevant or redundant? Make sure every topic you cover is clearly related to your thesis statement.

Order of information

When you have your material organized into several categories, consider what order they should appear in.

Your essay will always begin and end with an introduction and conclusion , but the organization of the body is up to you.

Consider these questions to order your material:

Is there an obvious starting point for your argument?
Is there one subject that provides an easy transition into another?
Do some points need to be set up by discussing other points first?

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Within each paragraph, you’ll discuss a single idea related to your overall topic or argument, using several points of evidence or analysis to do so.

In your outline, you present these points as a few short numbered sentences or phrases.They can be split into sub-points when more detail is needed.

The template below shows how you might structure an outline for a five-paragraph essay.

Thesis statement
First piece of evidence
Second piece of evidence
Summary/synthesis
Importance of topic
Strong closing statement

You can choose whether to write your outline in full sentences or short phrases. Be consistent in your choice; don’t randomly write some points as full sentences and others as short phrases.

Examples of outlines for different types of essays are presented below: an argumentative, expository, and literary analysis essay.

Argumentative essay outline

This outline is for a short argumentative essay evaluating the internet’s impact on education. It uses short phrases to summarize each point.

Its body is split into three paragraphs, each presenting arguments about a different aspect of the internet’s effects on education.

Importance of the internet
Concerns about internet use
Thesis statement: Internet use a net positive
Data exploring this effect
Analysis indicating it is overstated
Students’ reading levels over time
Why this data is questionable
Video media
Interactive media
Speed and simplicity of online research
Questions about reliability (transitioning into next topic)
Evidence indicating its ubiquity
Claims that it discourages engagement with academic writing
Evidence that Wikipedia warns students not to cite it
Argument that it introduces students to citation
Summary of key points
Value of digital education for students
Need for optimism to embrace advantages of the internet

Expository essay outline

This is the outline for an expository essay describing how the invention of the printing press affected life and politics in Europe.

The paragraphs are still summarized in short phrases here, but individual points are described with full sentences.

Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages.
Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press.
Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
Discuss the very high levels of illiteracy in medieval Europe.
Describe how literacy and thus knowledge and education were mainly the domain of religious and political elites.
Indicate how this discouraged political and religious change.
Describe the invention of the printing press in 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg.
Show the implications of the new technology for book production.
Describe the rapid spread of the technology and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
Link to the Reformation.
Discuss the trend for translating the Bible into vernacular languages during the years following the printing press’s invention.
Describe Luther’s own translation of the Bible during the Reformation.
Sketch out the large-scale effects the Reformation would have on religion and politics.
Summarize the history described.
Stress the significance of the printing press to the events of this period.

Literary analysis essay outline

The literary analysis essay outlined below discusses the role of theater in Jane Austen’s novel Mansfield Park .

The body of the essay is divided into three different themes, each of which is explored through examples from the book.

Describe the theatricality of Austen’s works
Outline the role theater plays in Mansfield Park
Introduce the research question : How does Austen use theater to express the characters’ morality in Mansfield Park ?
Discuss Austen’s depiction of the performance at the end of the first volume
Discuss how Sir Bertram reacts to the acting scheme
Introduce Austen’s use of stage direction–like details during dialogue
Explore how these are deployed to show the characters’ self-absorption
Discuss Austen’s description of Maria and Julia’s relationship as polite but affectionless
Compare Mrs. Norris’s self-conceit as charitable despite her idleness
Summarize the three themes: The acting scheme, stage directions, and the performance of morals
Answer the research question
Indicate areas for further study

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!

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You will sometimes be asked to hand in an essay outline before you start writing your essay . Your supervisor wants to see that you have a clear idea of your structure so that writing will go smoothly.

Even when you do not have to hand it in, writing an essay outline is an important part of the writing process . It’s a good idea to write one (as informally as you like) to clarify your structure for yourself whenever you are working on an essay.

If you have to hand in your essay outline , you may be given specific guidelines stating whether you have to use full sentences. If you’re not sure, ask your supervisor.

When writing an essay outline for yourself, the choice is yours. Some students find it helpful to write out their ideas in full sentences, while others prefer to summarize them in short phrases.

You should try to follow your outline as you write your essay . However, if your ideas change or it becomes clear that your structure could be better, it’s okay to depart from your essay outline . Just make sure you know why you’re doing so.

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4.3 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.

This section covers three ways to organize body paragraphs:

Chronological order
Order of importance
Spatial order

Chronological Order

In Chapter 3: The Writing Process: Where 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 the present day. You would follow the chain of events using words such as first , then , next , and so on.

Connecting the Pieces: 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

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 chronological keywords, such as first, second, then, and finally.

Order of Importance

Recall from Chapter 3: The Writing Process: Where 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

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 .

Spatial Order

As stated in Chapter 3: The Writing Process: Where 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 explaining or describing objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example, in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your readers, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you.

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

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.

Putting the Pieces Together Copyright © 2020 by Andrew M. Stracuzzi and André Cormier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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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 286,237 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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Writing a Paper: Organizing Your Thoughts

Stacks of notes, books, and course materials in front of a blank computer screen may cause a moment of writer's block as you go to organize your paper, but there is no need to panic. Instead, organizing your paper will give you a sense of control and allow you to better integrate your ideas as you start to write.

Organizing your paper can be a daunting task if you begin too late, so organizing a paper should take place during the reading and note-taking process . As you read and take notes, make sure to group your data into self-contained categories . These categories will help you to build the structure of your paper.

Take, for example, a paper about children's education and the quantity of television children watch. Some categories may be the following:

Amount of television children watch (by population, age, gender, etc.)
Behaviors or issues linked to television watching (obesity, ADHD, etc.)
Outcomes linked to television watching (performance in school, expected income, etc.)
Factors influencing school performance (parent involvement, study time, etc.)

The list above holds some clear themes that may emerge you as read through the literature. It is sometimes a challenge to know what information to group together into a category. Sources that share similar data, support one another, or bring about similar concerns may be a good place to start looking for such categories.

For example, let's say you had three sources that had the following information:

The average American youth spends 900 hours in school over the course of a school year; the average American youth watches 1500 hours of television a year (Herr, 2001).
"According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day - even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming" (Folder, Crisp, & Watson, 2005, p. 2).
"According to AAP (2007) guidelines, children under age 2 should have no screen time (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps young children develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally" (Folder, Crisp, & Watson, 2005, p. 9).

With these three ideas, you might group them under this category: Amount of television children watch.

Each of these source quotations or paraphrases supports that category. For each group of information, repeat this process to group similar categories together. Then you can move on to order the information you gather.

Once you have read your sources, taken notes, and grouped your information by category, the next step is to read critically , evaluate your sources , determine your thesis statement , and decide the best order in which to present your research. Note that as you begin to narrow your topic or focus, you will find some sources are not relevant. That is fine! Do not try to squeeze every source mentioning "children" and "television" into your paper.

Let's say you have come up with the following categories from the sources you have read:

Children watch more than the recommended amount of television.
The more television children watch, the less likely they are to study.
Certain groups of children watch more television than others.
Students whose grades are poor in high school are 56% less likely to graduate from college.
Poor performance in middle school correlates to poor high school performance.

You will want the order of your material to advance and prove your thesis. Every thesis needs to be capable of advancement. Let's assume that your thesis is Children who watch more than the recommended amount of television are less likely to receive a college education. In this case, it seems that you will want to start off by showing that there is a problem, and then giving examples of that problem and its consequences.

The best order for these categories would be the following:

Poor performance in middle school correlates to poor high school performance

The way a paper is organized is largely the result of the logical and causal relationships between the categories or topics apparent in the research. In other words, each category's placement is specifically chosen so that it is the result of the previous theme and able to contribute to the next, as the previous example shows. It is often a good practice to save your strongest argument or evidence until the end of the paper and build up to it. Using careful organization to advance your thesis will help guide your reader to your conclusion!

Mindmapping Video

Note that this video was created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

Prewriting Demonstrations: Mindmapping (video transcript)

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Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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Organizing Your Essay: A Better Way to Outline

Perhaps the most important feature of any piece of writing is its organization. No matter how well you research your topic or how beautifully you write your sentences, all that work will mean little if your essay isn’t well organized. The reader needs to be able to follow you where you’re taking them. And in order to lead well, you should probably know where you’re going, which means charting your course in advance.

I often tell writers that writer’s block doesn’t have a chance if you have good research and a solid plan for writing. this lesson is about turning all your research into a useful plan for completing a well-ordered essay., we’ve all come across a bad storyteller—the kind of person who goes on endlessly, and you never get the sense that the story is going anywhere. or they jump between ideas, failing to connect the ideas in any meaningful way. this is bad, disorganized storytelling, and it’s among the commonest problems with writing, not just in college, but in the professional world as well., good writing moves in a logical fashion, flowing from one idea to the next in a manner that makes sense to the reader or audience. in a good story, the reader always knows what’s going on, is invested in the plot, and has a sense of where the story is headed. a good essay has a similar feel, starting with a topic of interest or importance, adding supporting ideas that inform the reader on the main topic, and it leads the reader to a conclusion that makes sense, even if it doesn’t always generate agreement on the reader’s part. accomplishing all this is one of the most challenging aspects of writing. and failing to accomplish at least most of these things will lead to essays that fail to convince, inform, and in most cases, get high marks., once you’ve thoroughly researched your topic, you’re going to have a ton of information. the challenge now is presenting that information in a sensible order. well organized writing is a question of order., because people can only process one word at a time, in a literal sense, your essay will always follow the same order—a straight line—left to right, from the top of the page to the bottom of the page. one way or another, you need to get all the information you’ve gathered into a straight line. the big question is how to turn a collection of seemingly disconnected ideas into a useful plan that, when completed, will be something your audience can recognize and appreciate., you might be familiar with two common techniques that teachers often show their students to help with this process—the mind map and the outline..

A Mind Map is a diagram that organizes concepts, around a central idea. Mind maps can be very helpful in discovering connections between related concepts from your research and grouping similar ideas together. They’re also helpful in revealing the importance of subtopics—if ideas keep popping up on your mind map, it can be a strong indication that the idea is of major importance and should take up significant space in your essay.

Outlines are a more traditional approach to organizing ideas that seem to be going out of style. We often talk to instructors who ask students for an outline of their essay only to be met with confusion and blank stares from their students. Outlines are writing plans that most often come in the form of a bulleted list with major subtopics as headers and items to be discussed listed as bulleted items beneath these subtopics. When the outline is complete, major ideas will be listed in the order they’ll appear in the essay. What outlines do really well is proscribe an exact order or plan for how the essay will be written, following a clear linear path from left to right, top to bottom, just like the essay will read.

Each of these tactics has its benefits, but both miss a crucial point. order in an essay can be an entirely arbitrary thing. grouping ideas in a mind map doesn’t really help you to tackle what order they should be presented in the essay, and ordering subtopics in an outline doesn’t ensure that you’ve ordered those subtopics in a way that will be clear, obvious, and easy to follow for your reader., what a good essay needs, is a narrative structure—a story that it tells about the interesting ideas you’ve gathered. this is the hidden part of the essay that will keep your reader engaged and following along rather than drifting off and wishing they were doing something else. the goal when structuring an essay is that at any point in the essay, your reader should understand why you’re discussing the point at hand and how that point relates to the main topic of the essay. you’ve got a clear path and both you and the reader should be aware of it while you’re walking it., to help you with this aspect of your writing, we’ve designed a few narrative structures for essays that should help you to accomplish this goal—to connect your ideas, not just into any order, but into an order that tells a thoughtful story about your topic., narrative structures.

Certainly there are far more narrative structures than the four we’ll discuss here, but these four should work for quite a few purposes, and for example’s sake, we’re going to use a hypothetical research situation and describe how the same research might inform four different essays, depending on the type of narrative structure the writer adopts.

The hypothetical situation involves the question of whether a county government should adopt a plan to use a federal grant subsidy program to build a wind farm to supply power to their area. we’ve actually already shown you a mind map and a possible outline. the question of whether calaveras county should adopt the proposed wind farm will vary depending on who is telling the story, why, and what information that writer chooses to highlight, so each of these essays will turn out quite different, even if the research being discussed is largely the same., ** disclaimer: to our friends out in calaveras county, the hypothetical situation used in this article for instructional purposes is entirely fictional. we have no stance on how you fine folks choose to generate your power but wish you all the luck in the world on that front : -).

The Funnel: The funnel structure works for essays where there’s a clear destination or conclusion. After offering the reader a lay of the land in the introduction, it starts broad, presenting the reader a representation of the issue from a distance, zeroing in on the issue more closely with each successive section. The final layer should lead the reader to see the solution, conclusion, or perspective the writer proposes.

In the question of our hypothetical situation in calaveras county, the writer could choose to present the benefits of green energy on a broad scale—the need for a reduction of fossil fuel usage worldwide and how the county doing its part by switching from coal to wind would yield far less pollution over the coming decades. next, the writer could discuss the federal grant and how calaveras county would fit into the nation’s plan to reduce emissions—issues like how the grant structure works, the feasibility and potential pitfalls of the financial structure at the state and county levels and ways the county might overcome those pitfalls. next, the writer could look to discuss the local impacts, how the wind farm making the coal plant obsolete would make for cleaner air, water, and soil countywide, making for a less polluted local environment. the conclusion here, as you should be able to tell from the trend in the narrative, is that adopting the wind farm would be a benefit for the citizens of calaveras county and their environment..

Coin Flip: This structure might work for an essay where the conclusion isn’t clear or already decided. The idea here is to show both sides of an issue, weighing the pros and cons of the topic thoroughly. The coin flip structure sets up a clear dichotomy for your reader or audience—Side A of the topic against Side B of the topic. In addition to laying out vital background information, the introduction in this type of narrative needs to clearly inform the reader that two opposing sides will be covered, so that they can expect to build an understanding of opposing viewpoints.

In the hypothetical case of the calaveras county wind farm, the introduction might explain the situation and then hedge, stating that there are many reasons in favor of the plan’s adoption but that the reasons to not adopt the proposal are sound as well. then it’s simply a matter of presenting those reasons in an orderly manner. the environmental benefits to the air of discontinuing their coal plant in the first part of the essay will be balanced against the hundreds of local birds that will be struck and killed by the turbines each year. the affordability of building the plant will be countered by the considerable long-term costs of its maintenance once the grant runs out. the conclusion should either take a position that is supported by one side of the evidence—either heads or tails and why; or it should recap the most relevant points and emphasize the difficulty of the choice—the contrast between viewpoints. remember, that if you’ve used this narrative structure and done the job well, your reader will have good reasons to adopt either position, so if you as the writer do take a position, it’s a good idea to emphasize that the conclusion isn’t obvious., additionally, you could adapt this structure for a proposal using one side of the coin to express the concerns of stakeholders, while proposing solutions to those concerns on the opposite side..

Puzzle: A puzzle structure for an essay is a good choice when there are several subtopics that don’t necessarily seem to fit together easily or are better understood in isolation. The introduction in a puzzle should discuss the background of the main topic in a way that makes it clear that the “pieces” of the puzzle are all related to the same main point in a key way. It should also prepare the reader to consider several aspects of the topic separately; otherwise, the jumps between subtopics may seem confusing. Another useful tool that will help keep the reader oriented here is the use of strong, clear section headings that introduce each subtopic. This will help the reader to re-focus and consider each point in isolation.

This narrative structure would be a good way for concerned residents of calaveras county to make a case against the proposed wind farm. they could discuss the major financial flaws of the proposal, the noise pollution and bird strikes, the negative impacts of land appropriation on farmers, and the problem of energy shortages during low wind periods. these topics don’t naturally fit together in isolation, but they tell a story of several issues that when pieced together offer a clear picture of how the wind farm is simply a bad choice for calaveras county residents..

Equation: For the mathematically inclined writer, the equation structure should be one that’s approachable and easy to follow for your reader. It also has the benefit of being very flexible and simple. This information, plus this information, plus this information, equals this state of being or conclusion; that’s a storyline that most any reader should be able to follow easily. Additionally, the story can change to suit the writer’s needs. If/then conditionals can be helpful in exploring hypothetical scenarios or future circumstances. And other verbal cues can help offer a simple narrative framework that tells your reader a clear and coherent story.

In the case of the proposed wind farm, a writer might choose this structure to approach the problem of windless days, discussing what is known about how communities with wind farms around the world adapt on calm days. then the story could progress to show what a good contingency plan in calaveras county might look like. next the writer could explore future technologies for energy storage that would mitigate the problem of windless days, concluding with a proposal for a course of action based on all of the information presented., if you like any of these narrative structures for your essay writing purposes, follow the links on this page to download each template., each of these four narrative structures is designed to help you as a writer to approach the difficult step of organizing your essay. as we’ve seen, organizing isn’t merely about deciding on an order to present the information you’ve gathered to your reader. it’s about determining which order tells which story about the information you think is important to highlight. the narrative structures we’ve covered are only four examples of ways you can think about shaping your research into a story your readers can follow. feel free to adapt the elements of any of these narrative structures to fit the length or purpose of the essay you’re writing., instead of merely outlining an order or jumping from place to place on a mind map, adopt a narrative structure that works for your research and take your reader down a path that’s easy to follow to a place that’s well worth going. your reader will be grateful for it..

How it works

How to Organise an Essay – A Comprehensive Guide & Examples

Published by Grace Graffin at August 17th, 2021 , Revised On October 11, 2023

The quality of a well-written essay largely depends on the quality of the content and the author’s writing style. Students with little to no essay writing experience almost always struggle to figure out how to organise an essay.

Even if you have great essay writing skills but are unable to keep the sequence of information right in your essay, you may not impress the readers.

A narrator cannot craft an engaging story until he learns to organise his vivid thoughts. The best way to organise an essay is to create a map of the essay beforehand to ensure that your essay’s structure allows for a smooth flow of information.

Here is all you need to learn in order to organise an essay.

The Importance of Organisation of an Essay

Readers are always looking for an essay that is easy in its approach, i.e. an essay that is reader-friendly and follows an easy-to-understand structure, etc.

Your essay should be organised to convey a clear message to the reader without using any vague statements. As an essayist, it will be your responsibility to make sure that there are no spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation errors in the essay paper.

You might wonder why you need to put increased effort into the organisation of an essay. If you had the opportunity to work with a professional essayist or any other individual working in English literature, you would get to know that each of these professionals pays a lot of attention to organising an essay because a poorly structured essay can really turn away your readers.

Basic Essay Organisation

The first things to organise are what you are going to say and in what order you are going to say those things. After this, it is a case of refining those things. You can start by separating all your text into three sections: introduction , main body , and conclusion . Can it really be so simple? Yes, and of course, no. There are several ways to organise an essay depending on different factors.

Different Patterns for the Organisation of an Essay

There is no specific way of organising an essay. Multiple styles and methods are utilised by writers based on the academic subject, academic level, and expectations of the audience. Below we have discussed some of the most common ways to organise an essay.

Chronological Organisation

Organising an essay chronologically – sometimes called the cause-and-effect approach – is one of the simpler ways to organise your essay. This way of organisation tends to discuss the events in the specific order they occurred. The chronological organisation method is especially important for narrative and reflective essays .

The writer will be expected to recognise the sequence of events and structure the essay accordingly, i.e. what happens in the beginning, middle, and at end. Use this approach if it allows for the clearest and most logical presentation of your information.

Where is Chronological Organisation Used?

Scientific processes – Where a process has many steps, it is likely that the order of these steps is vital.
Historical events – Things are clearer for the reader when events in the past are relayed in the order in which they happened. This can also apply to political progress.
Biographies – Events that occurred in someone’s lifetime or examining events covering just a short time in one person’s life, such as a JFK’s final day.

Specific Language Needed

Essays that describe a succession of events following each other will require good use of prepositions of time. These are words, often pairs, such as next, after this/that, following on from that, later… Be careful not to overuse the same word, as this can become repetitive and tedious for the reader.

Spatial Organisation

The spatial organisation refers to describing items based on their physical locations or relation to other items. It often involves describing things as and when they appear. It makes it easier for the writer to give a vivid picture through the essay. This method tends to discuss comparisons, narrations, and descriptions .

When using this technique, make sure to organise the information pertaining to comparisons, narrations, and descriptions from either top to bottom or left to right. Note that while location and position are very important with this method, time is largely ignored.

Where is Spatial Organisation Used?

Descriptive essays – It is excellent for describing objects, people, and places. It is also useful for showing social or physical phenomena – the arrangement of a rainforest.
Narrating events – You can take the reader through a visual processor to describe events that occurred, showing them everything on the way.
Medical – Those who need to describe the workings of bodies, medicines, operations on bodies, and anatomy might choose this approach.
Technical construction – You can describe how a physical mechanism or building works or is constructed.

If you do not have a picture to show, you need to describe it.

For instance, if you are writing an essay about a brand-new, impressively featured smartphone, you can begin to brief about the smartphone starting from the top camera down to the buttons located at the bottom .

From the example above, you can see that an essay using spatial organisation will require you to talk about where things are. This will mean quite extensive and careful use of a group of words called prepositions , such as next to, attached to, near, behind, under, alongside… If you are describing movement, then there are prepositions that indicate movement, such as through, into, out of, toward, away from, and past.

You need to be specific in your use of prepositions as the reader might be imagining events with no image to refer to other than what you have described.

Climactic Order

This method is also known as organising by importance or ascending order. Following this technique, the writer starts the essay with the least important information and gradually moves towards the most important – the climax. The idea is to save the best till the last.

The introduction and conclusion are unaffected by this organisational style. The main body of the essay is where the structure is used. This type of organisation is applicable where there is no need for logical ordering. For example, in a scientific process, each step logically follows the previous one. Steps will vary in how eventful they are; you cannot write about such a process by saving the most eventful for the end.

When to Use Climactic Order

This method is sometimes used as a way of keeping readers interested, even in suspense. If written in the opposite direction, anticlimactic, you might lose readers after they have learned about the most exciting part.

In narrating a story or sequence of events that culminate in something serious or important, this is a good style to use.

Interested in ordering an essay?

Topical Organisation

As the name itself suggests, this form of organisation explains different features and sides of the topic with no specific order. Unlike climactic order, this type of essay organisation treats different aspects of one topic with the same importance. The way to achieve this is to divide the whole topic up into its subtopics and then define each one.

Where is Topical Organisation Used?

Scientific essays – This could be an exploratory essay, especially where an organism or something consisting of multiple parts has to be described.
Compare-and-contrast essays – Where things have to be compared against each other for their similarities and differences. This could be when comparing two pieces of art or literature; the works’ various aspects could be examined separately.
Descriptive essays – If, for example, you have to write an essay about yourself, you can describe the different aspects of your body and personality in their own sections.
Expository essays – Where something is explained with facts, not opinions, the subject can be broken down and looked at piece by piece.

For example , describing how information technology has had serious consequences on mankind can start with how people overlooked technology in the beginning. It could then discuss the causes of social media addiction that have taken the world by storm in recent times.

Comparing and Contrasting: Alternating and Block Methods

It is worth noting that compare-and-contrast essays can be structured in two distinct ways. They are the alternating method, where each part is compared in turn, and the block method, where each thing is considered in its entirety.

Using the alternating method to compare two cars, you might compare the bodywork of both, then move on to their interiors, and then the engines. The other way is the block method; here, you would write a full block discussing all aspects of one car and then a block discussing the same aspects of the other car.

Also Read: How to Develop Essay Topic Ideas

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Key Tips for Organising your Essay

Planning and organising your essay not only benefit the reader, but the writer also gets great help from the whole process. Following organisational patterns helps the writer by saving time without having to go through the same content repeatedly.

If you plan to develop a great essay , you must ensure good planning for your essay. Using the correct format to present your material will complement the material itself. Let’s discuss some key tips on how to organise an essay:

Also Read: Organisational Templates for Essays

Start your Essay with Simple Arguments

A good tactic in producing an organised essay is to start your essay by providing simple arguments. It does not mean that only simple arguments should be part of the essay. Relatively complex or difficult arguments should also be placed later in the main body of the essay .

If your readers can understand the most basic arguments, they will be more likely to grasp the message resulting from more complicated arguments and statements.

This further relates to the point that if you start your essay with simple information that your readers can agree to without much hesitation, you will be more likely to convince them to agree to more controversial arguments.

Get the Readers on your Side

As an example, by presenting a simple, well-understood scientific argument early on, you start to get your readers on board. You then present another argument that can be seen as a logical progression from the first. When you raise a more complex and possibly contentious argument, it helps if you can apply principles from your initial example. If the readers agreed with the basic argument, logically they would agree with the more complex version.

This early presentation of a simpler argument ties in with giving your audience background information early in the essay. While you might assume your readers understand the subject you are writing about, you should not skip background information by assuming they will know it.

Know your Audience

In this era of technological advancement, people tend to make quick decisions as they have to look at multiple platforms to find content. Understandably, the essay needs to be well structured and well formalised, yet it should be organised in a way that is user-friendly. If the audience you are going to target is not going to be enticed by it, you need to reconsider your approach and tactics.

Define Technical Terms

While providing information in the essay, make sure that you define all the technical terms that the readers may not be aware of. This needs to be done as the first step before you alienate and confuse your reader and he decides to avert.

It would be best if you drafted your essay in such a manner that a layperson can understand it without making any extra effort. Jargon or technical terms must be defined within the content.

If used excessively, you can describe these terms in a different paragraph, making it more convenient for the readers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an essay structure.

The structure of an essay is the way in which you present your material. This mostly applies to the main body of your essay. You can consider the introduction and conclusion parts as bookends that hold the main block of information in place. There are several ways to organise the main body, and they mostly depend on what kind of material you are presenting. Certain types of essays benefit from certain ways of delivering the information within.

An appropriately structured essay gives your arguments and ideas their best chance. When the correct structure is supported by well-written paragraphs and good use of transitions , it will be an impressive essay to read.

Is referencing affected by the essay style I choose?

No, the approach you take in organising your essay does not affect how you reference your sources. What affects your referencing is the formatting style you are instructed to use, such as Harvard , APA, MLA, or Chicago.

Are there fixed rules on which method of organising to use for certain subjects?

No, there is no rule that says you have to use a certain style. However, practice shows that the aims of certain types of essays are best achieved when presented in particular styles.

Do I have to provide a glossary of technical terms?

How you define technical terms to your readers is your choice. It can depend on the amount of them. If there are not many, they can be introduced within the text. If the essay topic is of a highly technical nature, then a separate sheet with definitions might be the best way to explain them without extending the length of your essay .

6.2 Organizing Ideas

This section of Ch. 6 covers the following topics:

developing a thesis
using a critical question
constructing an outline
organizing options

Prewriting helps a writer explore possible topics and figure out what to say. But to communicate ideas to someone else, those ideas have to be organized. That is the goal of a thesis statement and an outline.

Step 2: Organizing

The first step in organizing is to articulate your purpose. What are you going to say about this topic?

Thesis Statement

A thesis is a clear statement of the essay’s main idea. It is the essay topic and the writer’s position or opinion on that topic. It’s sort of like the topic sentence of a paragraph, but it’s the topic sentence for the entire essay.

Here is an example thesis:

Urban trees are key to a healthy environment for humans. (The topic is “trees in the city” and your opinion is that they are crucial to human health.)

A thesis is not just the essay’s topic; it is what you have to say about that topic, your point. Look at the following table to see the difference.

Topic	Thesis Statement
The impact of music piracy on musicians	Financial success as a musician is still possible despite music piracy.
The future of journalism	Online newspapers will mean the end of print media.
Educational delivery systems	The benefits of face-to-face learning cannot be completely duplicated in online classes.

Each thesis states an opinion. It is not just a fact; it is the writer’s thoughts, feelings, or position about the topic.

The job of a thesis is to generate and govern the essay. To generate something is to cause it to be created. To govern something is to control it. A thesis statement creates and controls the essay.

Following are guidelines for a strong, clear thesis statement:

A thesis is one sentence. The subject of the thesis is the subject of your essay. Write it first. (For example: “Mail-in voting…”)
A thesis must include an opinion, the point you will make about your subject. Write it second. (For example: “…should be required in every state.”) If the thesis is simply a fact (“Americans over the age of 18 can vote.”), you have nowhere to go.
A good thesis will generate a critical question, either “How?” or “Why?” This is the question you will answer in the body of the essay. A good critical question for our example thesis is “Why?” The body paragraphs will explain why mail-in voting should be required.
A good thesis is clear and specific. Avoid vague language (“interesting,” “terrible,” “good”). In our example, “should be required” is much clearer than “would be a good idea.”
Keep the thesis short and simple: Don’t tackle two or three ideas. Our example thesis does not say mail-in voting should be “encouraged and monitored”–it picks one focus: “required.”
Express the thesis as a statement, not a question (don’t write “What should we do about…?”) or an announcement (don’t write “The subject of this paper is…”).
Be aware of your audience. Take a stand without insulting the reader. (“Only anarchists support mail-in voting” is unnecessarily offensive.) The goal of an essay is to inform and persuade, not be belligerent. If you can’t make a point without insulting people who disagree with you, you will never persuade anyone.

The thesis is usually presented in the essay’s introductory paragraph, often as the last sentence.

Using the topic you identified in Ch. 6.1, write a thesis statement for your essay. Follow the above guidelines carefully. Your goal is to explain your position on this topic clearly and succinctly.

Although you are only writing a single sentence, this will likely take you some time to do well. Creating a good, clear thesis is the first step in producing a good, clear essay.

Write your thesis in your notebook. Figure out whether you are going to answer “Why?” or “How?” in the essay, and write that word at the end of your thesis. Submit this to the instructor for approval before proceeding to the next step.

Without clear organization, your reader can become confused and lose interest. An outline is a written plan for the essay. We use the critical question generated by the thesis to create the outline. For example:

Thesis: Mail-in voting should be required in every state.

Critical question: Why?

Answer: Because it is cheaper, easier, and safer.

Those three answers become the three main points in the outline and, eventually, the topic sentences of the body paragraphs.

A short, informal “scratch” outline, where you list key ideas in the order you will present them, will help you visualize your argument and ensure the structure will be clear to a reader. Here is a basic structure for a five-paragraph essay:

Paragraph 1: introduction, thesis statement

Paragraph 2: first main point and supporting detail

Paragraph 3: next main point and supporting detail

Paragraph 4: last main point and supporting detail

Paragraph 5: conclusion

Here is an example of a scratch outline on the topic of mail-in voting:

Example of scratch outline on mail-in voting

It would be easy to turn this outline into an essay draft by simply adding explanations and details to each paragraph.

Ordering Information

Once you know what you want to say, you have to decide in what order to present the information.

There are three basic ways to organize the body of an essay: chronological order, emphatic order, and spatial order.

Chronological order is when events are arranged in the order they actually happen. Chronological order is used for 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

For example, an essay about the history of the airline industry would begin with its conception and progress through essential events up to present day. This method uses transition words such as “then,” “after that,” and “finally.”

Emphatic order is when your points start with the least important and build to the most important argument last. Emphatic order is best used for the following purposes:

persuading and convincing
ranking items by their benefit or significance
illustrating a situation, problem, or solution

For example, an essay about registering firearms could develop several answers to “Why?” Key transitions with this pattern might be “one reason is,” “just as importantly,” and “but the most important.”

The example outline above on mail-in voting is organized emphatically: it moves from a good reason, to a better one, to the best one. Emphatic order is common in persuasive essays because it allows the writer to increasingly strengthen her argument.

Spatial order means explaining or describing objects as they are arranged in space. Spatial order is less common in college writing and 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, sound)

For example, an essay that describes a microscope or the parts of a guitar would use spatial order. You create a picture for the reader. The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals (“to the left is…,” “above that…,” “on the back is…”)

These three options can be used alone or, in a long paper, they can be combined. The key for writers is to choose an organizational pattern consciously, one that will best help them achieve their purpose.

Now it’s time to create an outline for your essay. Your outline should end up looking like the scratch outline above, but it will take several steps to get there.

In your notebook, do the following:

Start with the word “Introduction” followed by your thesis. (Don’t write the actual introduction, just the word. Do write your thesis and the critical question.)
Look at the three options for an organizational pattern listed above: chronological, emphatic, or spatial. Which pattern would best help you explain your point? Pick one. The emphatic pattern is the most common for college writing, but which one you choose is driven by what your topic is. For example, if you decided to write about why the gym facilities at MHCC are great, you might explain how you learned to love the gym over time (chronological), or identify your three favorite pieces of equipment (emphatic), or describe the gym layout so the reader can see it (spatial).
If you chose a chronological pattern, identify three moments in time.
If you chose an emphatic pattern, list three examples and order them from least important to most.
If you chose a spatial pattern, list three parts of your topic following a logical progression.
If the pattern you chose isn’t working, now is the time to change it.
Add some details to each of the three points. As in the example above, don’t write full paragraphs or even full sentences, just words or phrases. This is just a plan, not the actual essay.
Write the word “Conclusion” at the end. (Don’t write the conclusion, just the word.)

This process will take you a couple of hours to do well. Your final product should look like the example scratch outline above.

This is the point when you figure out if the essay is going to work. Is your topic panning out? Is your thesis clear enough? Do you have sufficient details? If not, go back to Ch. 6.1 and do some more prewriting. Do not proceed to Ch. 6.3 until your thesis and outline have been approved by the instructor.

To review how to structure an essay, this exercise asks you to find the structure in an existing essay.

Read the student essay called “The Best Place to Study” by Pablo Medina, linked in Ch. 7.

Create a “reverse outline” for his essay. Dig into the essay to discover the structure: find his thesis, his main points, and his supporting points.

First, find the thesis statement and write it in your notebook. (Hint: It is where it should be: in the introductory paragraph.)
Briefly describe which technique Pablo uses in his introduction (check Ch. 5.3 for a list of options).
Read the first body paragraph, identify the topic sentence, and write it in your notebook. Briefly list the examples Pablo uses in that paragraph.
Do the same for paragraphs three and four.
Identify which organizing structure Pablo used (chronological, emphatic, or spatial) for the essay.
Look at the concluding paragraph. What is he doing there?

You should end up with Pablo’s outline for his essay. Notice how smoothly his essay reads and yet we can easily deconstruct it. That is because he did the work you just created before he drafted his essay. The essay is carefully and clearly built.

A thesis statement is a topic and the writer’s opinion on that topic.
An outline is a plan, a structure for the essay.
Chronological order is common in expository writing.
Emphatic order is most appropriate in a persuasive paper.
Spatial order is best for helping readers visualize something.

a brief statement of the essay's main point

express an idea fluently and coherently

according to time

based on importance

as arranged in space

a type of writing that investigates, evaluates, and explains an idea or topic

Module 6: The Writing Process

Essay organization, learning objectives.

Examine the basic organization of traditional essays

What are some ways that you can organize your essays in college. One standard structure for expository essays is to offer the main idea or assertion early in the essay, and then offer categories of support.

One way to think about this standard structure is to compare it to a courtroom argument in a television drama. The lawyer asserts, “My client is not guilty.” Then the lawyer provides different reasons for lack of guilt: no physical evidence placing the client at the crime scene, client had no motive for the crime, and more.

In writing terms, the assertion is the thesis sentence , and the different reasons are the topic sentences . Consider this following example:

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 communication skills.

As you can see, the supporting ideas in an essay develop out of the main assertion or argument in the thesis sentence.

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.

Introduction

The introduction provides the reader with context about your topic. You may be familiar with the cliché about how first impressions are important. This is true in writing as well, and you can think of your introduction as that first impression. The goal is to engage the readers, so they want to read on. Sometimes this involves giving an example, telling a story or narrative, asking a question, or building up the situation. The introduction should almost always include the thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay is separated into paragraphs. Each paragraph usually covers a single claim or argues a single point, expanding on what was introduced in the thesis statement. For example, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, the two main causes of schizophrenia are genetic and environmental. Thus, if you were writing about the causes of schizophrenia, then you would have a body paragraph on genetic causes of schizophrenia and a body paragraph on the environmental causes.

A body paragraph usually includes the following:

Topic sentence that identifies the topic for the paragraph
Several sentences that describe and support the topic sentence

Figure 1 . College instructors require more than just “the end” at the close of a paper. Take the time to revisit your thesis statement, bringing all of your claims and evidences together in your conclusion.

Remember that information from outside sources should be placed in the middle of the paragraph and not at the beginning or the end of the paragraph so that you have time to introduce and explain the outside content
Quotation marks placed around any information taken verbatim (word for word) from the source
Summary sentence(s) that draws conclusions from the evidence
Transitions or bridge sentences between paragraphs.

If you began with a story, draw final conclusions from that story in your conclusion. If you began with a question, refer back to the question and be sure to provide the answer.

A concluding paragraph:

summarizes final conclusions from the key points
provides a brief comment on the evidence provided in the paper
ties in the introduction
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University of Lynchburg

Organizing Your Paper

If you have already written a paper and need help getting it organized, click on the Organizing After Drafting tab.

Organizing Before Drafting

Organizing before drafting occurs when brainstorming is structured and focused into an organized essay.

The first step in organizing any essay is to create a thesis statement. You may already know what the main argument of your essay is going to be, but a strong thesis helps to organize it. A strong thesis also helps your reader to understand your argument clearly.

In developing your thesis, begin by writing down one sentence that expresses the thrust of your essay. To make this process easier, place your thesis statement after the phrase “I believe that.” For example, you might want to write an essay about how golden retrievers make great pets, so you’d write:

Now your essay has a thesis. The phrase, “I believe that,” will eventually be removed in the final version of your essay, but for now this starter phrase will help you to organize the rest of your paper.

The next step in organizing an essay is creating body paragraphs to support your thesis. After developing your thesis, you might be tempted to start writing the rest of your essay immediately. However, by outlining the body of your paper, you can ensure that rest of your essay directly reflects and supports your thesis.

An outline consists of points that connect the body of the essay to the thesis. On a separate piece of paper, write out the major points that you feel logically support your thesis. To make this process easier, begin each point with the word “because.” For example, following the thesis, “I believe that golden retrievers make good pets,” you’d write:

Once you’ve come up with enough statements to support your thesis, remove the lead phrases, “I believe that” and “because.” What’s left is a rough outline for your final essay.

Golden retrievers are extremely well tempered.
Golden retrievers train very easily.
Pure golden retrievers are relatively cheap and easy to locate.

Once you’ve completed a rough outline, you might once again be tempted to start your essay. Don’t! First, you need to tackle the final step in the essay preparation process: a topic outline.

A topic outline is built around your rough outline. It organizes the order and flow of each your essay’s body paragraphs.

Start by relisting the supporting points of your thesis and label each point with a roman numeral. Once you’ve labeled each point with a Roman numeral, develop at least two sub-points, labeled A, B and C, etc, under each major point.

Sub-points are specific statements that directly reflect and support each main point.

For example, the topic outline for your essay on golden retrievers would look like this:

I. Golden retrievers are extremely well tempered

A. They’ve never been used historically as attack dogs. B. Golden retriever attacks are some of the rarest, statistically.

II. Golden retrievers train very easily.

A. Golden retrievers are successful show dogs. B. Golden retrievers are intelligent dogs.

III. Pure golden retrievers are relatively cheap and easy to locate.

A. Statistically, golden retrievers are some of the most common purebred dogs in America. B. Female golden retrievers have larger litters than most purebreds.

Organization: Parts of the Whole

Organization is one of the most important aspects to consider when crafting your paper. The grouping of similar ideas is key to ensuring that a paper is both easily understood and professional. Good organization serves as the foundation for any academic writing.

Most papers follow a similar structural pattern that includes an introduction, supporting body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Introduction

This is the first section of a paper. Its purpose is to provide background about the topic that is to be discussed. The topic should be clearly identified and explained so that the reader is equipped with enough knowledge to follow the paper. The introduction also provides an opportunity to grasp the reader’s attention; this can be done by explaining the importance of the topic or its implications.

The thesis statement, which is arguably one of the most important components of the paper, is typically found at the end of the introduction. The thesis statement presents the main point of the paper and is usually a positional stance, a claim, or an answer to a question. It is important that the thesis statement be clear and defendable because the paper is structured around this statement.

Example of an effective thesis statement:

Aerobic exercise is beneficial for the human body because it promotes heart health, reduces hypertension, and reduces risk of diabetes.

This thesis is effective because the main idea is stated clearly (aerobic exercise is beneficial) while providing evidence for this reasoning (promotes heart health, reduces hypertension, reduces risk of diabetes). A useful organization tip is to separate these individual points of reasoning into separate body paragraphs later in the paper.

Body Paragraphs

These paragraphs make up the bulk of the paper and provide evidence to support an idea or claim (the most important one being the thesis). Evidence can be derived from a cited source or from critical reasoning. Evidence provided in the body paragraphs should be adequately analyzed, discussed, interpreted, etc. As a reminder, all evidence should also be cited with parenthetical citations and there should be corresponding entries in the paper’s works cited.

Further explanation from a source and connection to the thesis is expected. Topic sentences are placed at the beginning of the body paragraphs and state the main idea or concern to be addressed in the paragraph.

Example of an effective topic sentence:

Aerobic exercise, such as running, can reduce risk of diabetes by decreasing insulin resistance.

This topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph (how aerobic exercise reduces risk of diabetes) which is related to the thesis statement. The reader can expect to read subsequent evidence for this claim as well as analysis of the provided evidence.

The conclusion summarizes the main points that were discussed in the body paragraphs and ties them to the thesis statement. Questions or ideas for further exploration of the paper’s subject can also be included in this section.

Here are some tips and strategies that can be used to help organize a paper.

The creation of an outline can be helpful in planning or organizing a paper. Outlines divide the paper into different paragraphs, with each paragraph labeled or described. Here is a very basic example:

Introduction: Explain the importance of regular exercise and introduce aerobic exercise as an option. State thesis – aerobic exercise is beneficial because…
Body Paragraph 1: How aerobic exercise benefits the heart.
Body Paragraph 2: How aerobic exercise reduces hypertension.
Body Paragraph 3: how aerobic exercise can reduce risk of diabetes.
Conclusion: Summarize findings from body paragraphs, tie them to the thesis.

Outlines can be created before the first draft is completed in order to plan the overall structure. An outline can also be made based on a draft of the paper, as a means of ensuring that the paper is adequately organized. This particular type of outline is often referred to as a reverse outline.

Sectioning refers to the division and organization of different parts of a paper. This can be done by labeling each paragraph or section of a paper according to its main topic.

Sectioning can be an effective way to check for unnecessary or out of place information. If you label a paragraph of a draft by its main theme, for example “Effects of Aerobic Exercise on the Heart,” then your reader can expect this paragraph to focus on this area. If there is information in the paragraph unrelated to this label, it is moved to the appropriate section.

Reading a paper aloud is a strategy that can be used to detect problems with organization, flow, and grammar. Hearing the words spoken aloud can help some people detect issues that are otherwise easily overlooked. Reading the paper aloud to another person can be especially helpful.

Works Cited

“Reorganizing Drafts.” University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2021.

Prepared by Peter Gillespie

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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 that is often overlooked. An organized essay is clear, focused, logical and effective.

Organization makes it easier to understand the thesis. To illustrate, imagine putting together a bike. Having all of the necessary tools, parts, and directions will make the job easier to complete than if the parts are spread across the room and the tools are located all over the house. The same logic applies to writing an essay. When all the parts of an essay are in some sort of order, it is both easier for the writer to put the essay together and for the reader to understand the main ideas presented in the essay.

Photo of a white kitchen lit with windows. Rows of glass jars line shelves over the countertop, and a hanging rack of pans and pots appears beneath that.

Strategy 1. Reverse Outlining

If your paper is about Huckleberry Finn, a working thesis might be: “In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.” However, you might feel uncertain if your paper really follows through on the thesis as promised.

This paper may benefit from reverse outlining. Your aim is to create an outline of what you’ve already written, as opposed to the kind of outline that you make before you begin to write. The reverse outline will help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of both your organization and your argument.

Read the draft and take notes Read your draft over, and as you do so, make very brief notes in the margin about what each paragraph is trying to accomplish.

Outline the Draft After you’ve read through the entire draft, transfer the brief notes to a fresh sheet of paper, listing them in the order in which they appear. The outline might look like this:

Paragraph 1: Intro
Paragraph 2: Background on Huck Finn
Paragraph 3: River for Huck and Jim
Paragraph 4: Shore and laws for Huck and Jim
Paragraph 5: Shore and family, school
Paragraph 6: River and freedom, democracy
Paragraph 7: River and shore similarities
Paragraph 8: Conclusion

Examine the Outline Look for repetition and other organizational problems. In the reverse outline above, there’s a problem somewhere in Paragraphs 3-7, where the potential for repetition is high because you keep moving back and forth between river and shore.

Re-examine the Thesis, the Outline, and the Draft Together Look closely at the outline and see how well it supports the argument in your thesis statement. You should be able to see which paragraphs need rewriting, reordering or rejecting. You may find some paragraphs are tangential or irrelevant or that some paragraphs have more than one idea and need to be separated.

Strategy 2. Talk It Out

Drawing of two men sitting at a cafe table talking. They are wearing period dress (bowlers, suits, bow ties).

Find a Friend, your T.A., your Professor, a relative, a Writing Center tutor, or any sympathetic and intelligent listener. People are more accustomed to talking than writing, so it might be beneficial to explain your thinking out loud to someone before organizing the essay. Talking to someone about your ideas may also relieve pressure and anxiety about your topic.

Explain What Your Paper Is About Pay attention to how you explain your argument verbally. It is likely that the order in which you present your ideas and evidence to your listener is a logical way to arrange them in your paper. Let’s say that you begin (as you did above) with the working thesis. As you continue to explain, you realize that even though your draft doesn’t mention “private enterprise” until the last two paragraphs, you begin to talk about it right away. This fact should tell you that you probably need to discuss private enterprise near the beginning.

Take Notes You and your listener should keep track of the way you explain your paper. If you don’t, you probably won’t remember what you’ve talked about. Compare the structure of the argument in the notes to the structure of the draft you’ve written.

Get Your Listener to Ask Questions As the writer, it is in your interest to receive constructive criticism so that your draft will become stronger. You want your listener to say things like, “Would you mind explaining that point about being both conservative and liberal again? I wasn’t sure I followed” or “What kind of economic principle is government relief? Do you consider it a good or bad thing?” Questions you can’t answer may signal an unnecessary tangent or an area needing further development in the draft. Questions you need to think about will probably make you realize that you need to explain more your paper. In short, you want to know if your listener fully understands you; if not, chances are your readers won’t, either. [2]

Strategy 3. Paragraphs

Readers need paragraph breaks in order to organize their reading. Writers need paragraph breaks to organize their writing. A paragraph break indicates a change in focus, topic, specificity, point of view, or rhetorical strategy. The paragraph should have one main idea; the topic sentence expresses this idea. The paragraph should be organized either spatially, chronologically, or logically. The movement may be from general to specific, specific to general, or general to specific to general. All paragraphs must contain developed ideas: comparisons, examples, explanations, definitions, causes, effects, processes, or descriptions. There are several concluding strategies which may be combined or used singly, depending on the assignment’s length and purpose:

a summary of the main points
a hook and return to the introductory “attention-getter” to frame the essay
a web conclusion which relates the topic to a larger context of a greater significance
a proposal calling for action or further examination of the topic
a question which provokes the reader
a vivid image or compelling narrative [3]

Put Paragraphs into Sections You should be able to group your paragraphs so that they make a particular point or argument that supports your thesis. If any paragraph, besides the introduction or conclusion, cannot fit into any section, you may have to ask yourself whether it belongs in the essay.

Re-examine each Section Assuming you have more than one paragraph under each section, try to distinguish between them. Perhaps you have two arguments in favor of that can be distinguished from each other by author, logic, ethical principles invoked, etc. Write down the distinctions — they will help you formulate clear topic sentences.

Re-examine the Entire Argument Which section do you want to appear first? Why? Which Second? Why? In what order should the paragraphs appear in each section? Look for an order that makes the strongest possible argument. [4]

Organizing an Essay ↵
Reorganizing Your Draft ↵
Parts of an Essay ↵
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Table of Contents

Instructor Resources (Access Requires Login)

Overview of Instructor Resources

An Overview of the Writing Process

Introduction to the Writing Process
Introduction to Writing
Your Role as a Learner
What is an Essay?
Reading to Write
Defining the Writing Process
Videos: Prewriting Techniques
Thesis Statements
Creating Paragraphs
Conclusions
Editing and Proofreading
Matters of Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
Peer Review Checklist
Comparative Chart of Writing Strategies

Using Sources

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
Formatting the Works Cited Page (MLA)
Citing Paraphrases and Summaries (APA)
APA Citation Style, 6th edition: General Style Guidelines

Definition Essay

Definitional Argument Essay
How to Write a Definition Essay
Critical Thinking
Video: Thesis Explained
Effective Thesis Statements
Student Sample: Definition Essay

Narrative Essay

Introduction to Narrative Essay
Student Sample: Narrative Essay
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
"Sixty-nine Cents" by Gary Shteyngart
Video: The Danger of a Single Story
How to Write an Annotation
How to Write a Summary
Writing for Success: Narration

Illustration/Example Essay

Introduction to Illustration/Example Essay
"She's Your Basic L.O.L. in N.A.D" by Perri Klass
"April & Paris" by David Sedaris
Writing for Success: Illustration/Example
Student Sample: Illustration/Example Essay

Compare/Contrast Essay

Introduction to Compare/Contrast Essay
"Disability" by Nancy Mairs
"Friending, Ancient or Otherwise" by Alex Wright
"A South African Storm" by Allison Howard
Writing for Success: Compare/Contrast
Student Sample: Compare/Contrast Essay

Cause-and-Effect Essay

Introduction to Cause-and-Effect Essay
"Cultural Baggage" by Barbara Ehrenreich
"Women in Science" by K.C. Cole
Writing for Success: Cause and Effect
Student Sample: Cause-and-Effect Essay

Argument Essay

Introduction to Argument Essay
Rogerian Argument
"The Case Against Torture," by Alisa Soloman
"The Case for Torture" by Michael Levin
How to Write a Summary by Paraphrasing Source Material
Writing for Success: Argument
Student Sample: Argument Essay
Grammar/Mechanics Mini-lessons
Mini-lesson: Subjects and Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Subject Verb Agreement
Mini-lesson: Sentence Types
Mini-lesson: Fragments I
Mini-lesson: Run-ons and Comma Splices I
Mini-lesson: Comma Usage
Mini-lesson: Parallelism
Mini-lesson: The Apostrophe
Mini-lesson: Capital Letters
Grammar Practice - Interactive Quizzes
De Copia - Demonstration of the Variety of Language
Style Exercise: Voice

Topic Sentence and Paragraph Organization

Paragraph organization refers to the way sentences are structured and ordered to create a unified and cohesive body of text.

The principal features to consider in paragraph organization are the topic sentence and controlling idea, supporting details, organizational patterns, and signal words. Together, these features develop a topic and connect ideas from one point to the next, logically and fluidly. This resource explains these features and provides numerous examples of paragraph organization.

The Topic Sentence and Controlling Idea

Similar to a thesis statement, which establishes the central focus or point of a whole piece of writing, a topic sentence works at the paragraph level to express the focus and general point of an individual paragraph. A topic sentence has two parts: 1) the topic that is being discussed throughout the paragraph and 2) a controlling idea that limits the focus on the topic to one point or idea. Each additional sentence in the paragraph then develops or expounds on that point with supporting details. The example topic sentence below is from a body paragraph in an informative essay.

Example Topic Sentence and Controlling Idea

The economy also plays a role in an increase in prescription pain reliever addiction.

The example topic sentence suggests the paragraph topic is “the economy,” and the controlling idea about the economy is how it “plays a role in an increase” in opioid addition. The signal word “also” connects this topic as an additional example or contributing factor to the opioid epidemic, the focus of the paper. The example below shows the topic sentence in the context of the complete paragraph.

The economy also plays a role in an increase in prescription pain reliever addiction. According to Jungeun Olivia Lee, a social work professor at University of Southern California, “The relationship between joblessness and substance abuse is strongest among people from low socioeconomic brackets, who might not be able to afford healthier ways to relieve their stress” (2017, as cited in Khazan, 2017, para. 8). Additionally, every point the unemployment rate rises, opioid-related death rates rise by almost 4 percent (Khazan, 2017). Unemployment makes it not only difficult for those suffering from pain to afford medication or healthy alternatives, but it can also contribute to depression and varying degrees of self-medication and addiction.

Supporting Details

In a paragraph, the topic and controlling idea are developed with supporting details. Listed here are some types of supporting details found in paragraphs along with an example of each in a sentence.

Facts: statistics or evidence from research that can be verified

The office sold seven million dollars of real estate during the boom years.

Opinions: statements, quotes, or paraphrases from subject matter experts

According to expert tea maker, Millie Stoff, there are three easy steps to making tea.

Definitions: explanations of what a term or concept means

A crossover is a family vehicle with the features of a sedan, a mini-van, and an SUV.

Examples: parts, pieces, instances, traits, or specimens that illustrate the essence or character of a greater whole.

Mario is a shy, introverted young man. For example, he has few friends and mostly keeps to himself.

Anecdotes: narrative accounts of one time or recurring events

When I visited the Washington Monument, I enjoyed the 180-degree view the most.

Descriptions: a visual or sensory depiction of a person, place, event, activity, or idea

Frostbit leaves crunched beneath our winter boots on the path through the snow-frosted trees.

Example Paragraph and Analysis of the Supporting Details

Hiking can be exhilarating during snowy winter months. When my friend and I visited North Carolina last January, we hiked in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the highest peak, Mount Mitchell, which is6,684 feet above sea level. We first crossed a foot bridge over a rapidly moving, ice-cold river and then followed a wooded trail up to a waterfall. Frostbit leaves crunched beneath our winter boots on the path through the snow-frosted trees. We saw deer and rabbits as we trekked up the path. I assure you that nothing feels better than inhaling crisp mountain air, but the neatest part of hiking in winter, besides the beauty of the mountain, is exhaling and seeing my breath turn to frost when it hits the cold air!

The topic sentence in the example paragraph indicates that the paragraph is on “hiking,” and the focus is that hiking is “exhilarating” during winter. The sentences in the paragraph support and develop this idea with an anecdote of the writer’s experience hiking up a mountain during winter. An anecdote is a narrative account that helps a reader understand an event or situation. Had the writer said hiking was “dangerous” instead of “exhilarating,” the anecdote in addition to the visual and sensory details, facts, and opinions about the experience would have been different. Additionally, while the sample paragraph is a personal account, writers in many professions use anecdotal evidence to report events from an objective point-of-view, where the writer is not a participant but rather a witness or observer.

Paragraph Organization

Along with having topic sentences and supporting details, paragraphs are also organized to achieve a certain purpose. However, just as a paragraph can contain different types of supporting details, a paragraph may also include more than one organizational pattern. Listed here are some common patterns for organizing a paragraph:

Cause and Effect for showing how one thing leads to another
Chronological Order for narrating events that occurred over time
Classification for grouping things together according to their features
Comparison and Contrast for showing how things are similar or different
Definition and Example for defining a term or idea and then expanding it with examples
Description for listing details
Episode for presenting details or information about a specific event or anecdote
General/Specific Order for presenting a general idea followed by specific examples
Generalization/Principle for making a general statement or applying a broad principle to explain the supporting details
Listing for presenting ideas from least to most important
Order of Importance for building up to or leading away from the most important point.
Problem and Solution for presenting an issue and a way to address it
Process/Cause for explaining what or how something happens and then why
Spatial Order for ordering details directionally

Signal Words

Signal words are signposts or clues to a paragraph’s organization. If the word “type” is used in a sentence, for example, it signals that the ideas involve types or classification, which is an organizational pattern. Signal words are context clues that hint at what the paragraph is about and how it is organized.

Listed here are signal words associated with different types of paragraph organization.

Cause and Effect : because, consequently, for this reason, hence, and on account of
Chronological Order : after, at last, at (time), as long as, at the same time, as soon as, before, during, eventually, finally, in (month or year), later, meanwhile, next, on (day or date), since, second, subsequently, then, until, and whenever
Classification : categories, classes, classifications, elements, features, groups, kinds, methods, types, varieties, and ways
Comparison and Contrast : another, both, however, likewise, one difference, on the other hand, on the contrary, similarity, similarly, unlike, and while
Definition and Example : concept, defined as, described as, e.g., for example, for instance, i.e., illustrates, is, is called, is stated, known as, means, refers to, specifically, such as, term, and that is to say
Description : above, across, along, appears to be, as in, behind, below, beside, between, down, in back of, in front of, looks like, near, onto, on top of, outside, over, such as, to the right/left, and under
Episode : a few days/weeks later, around the same time, as a result of, as it is often called, because of, began when, consequently, for this reason, just, lasted for, led to, shortly thereafter, since then, subsequently, this led to, and when
General/Specific Order : for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, in other words, like, namely, such as, and that is
Generalization/Principle : additionally, always, because of, clearly, conclusively, first, for instance, for example, furthermore, generally, however, if…then, in fact, it could be argued that, moreover, most convincing, never, not only…but also, often, second, therefore, third, truly, and typically
Listing : additionally, also, and, as well as, besides, furthermore, in addition, in fact, moreover, or, plus, and too
Order of Importance : central, chief, ending with, finishing with, key, lastly, least, main, major, finally, primary, principal, and significant
Problem and Solution : answer, challenge, difficulty, dilemma, enigma, indicate, improve, issue, need, plan, problem, propose, resolve, respond, solve, and suggest
Process/Cause : accordingly, as a result of, because, begins with, consequently, effects of, finally, first, for this reason, how to, how, if…then, in order to, is caused by, leads/led to, may be due to, next, so that, steps involved, therefore, thus, and when…then
Spatial Order : above, below, behind, beside, down, east, feels, highest, looks, lowest, next to, north, smells, sounds, south, tastes, under, and west

Sample Paragraphs and Analyses of the Organization

The sample paragraphs in this section illustrate topic sentences, supporting details, organizational patterns, and signal words in context. Read each paragraph to identify the type of paragraph organization on your own, and then proceed to the analysis to check your comprehension.

Sample Paragraph 1

In 1995, Lawrence started his real estate business, and it has since become a huge success. When Lawrence Real Estate opened its door in Oviedo, Florida, it sold seven million dollars of real estate during the first few boom years. By 2000, Lawrence decided to open two branch offices: one in Tampa in 2003 and one in Miami in 2004. By 2007, the home office and both the branch offices had survived the economic slowdown, so Lawrence and his associates expanded their business to the Carolinas and opened a branch office in Charlotte in 2020. It can be safely said that Lawrence Real Estate has become a model for success despite economic struggles and real estate devaluation.

Analysis of Paragraph 1: According to the topic sentence, which contains two coordinating clauses and therefore two subjects and two topics, this paragraph is about Lawrence and his real estate business, and the controlling idea is that they have been successful.

To understand how the supporting details are organized to present information about this topic and idea, the reader can consider the supporting details. To do this, they look at the way the sentences begin and at any signal phrases that lead readers along a certain line of thinking. Here are some key signal words: “in 1995,” “By 2000,” “By 2007,” and “in 2020.” These dates make a pattern. They go back to 1995 and then in a chronological order, they move forward to when the success of the business happened.

This paragraph uses chronological order . The reader will notice too that the last sentence returns to the beginning idea of 15 years ago. In this sentence, a final comment about the time period overall is given with respect to the new information

Sample Paragraph 2

Making a great cup of tea is easy if you follow these three steps. First, heat a cup of water to the boiling point. Then put the tea bag in the hot water, and let it steep for at least three minutes. Finally, add creamer and sugar to taste. There is nothing tastier than a strong cup of tea early in the morning.

According to the topic sentence, which is the first sentence of the paragraph, making a cup of tea is the topic, and the controlling idea is that it’s easy to do if you follow three steps. Signal words open the following sentences: “first,” “then,” and “finally.” These indicate a sequence of steps, not times or dates as in a narrative story, but steps that happen in a specific order as in the process of doing something or informing others how to do something.

This paragraph uses process order (or process/cause). In the last sentence of this paragraph, the process is completed with a return to the original topic—a cup of tea—and a new comment about it—that a strong cup is tasty in the morning, making those three steps not only easy but also worthwhile.

Sample Paragraph 3

The Washington Monument is divided into three main areas. The lowest section of the building houses the entrance, a gift shop, and a restaurant. The middle section consists of elevators and stairways to the top. The top section of the monument includes an observation deck with a spectacular view of the Washington D.C. area. When I visited the Washington Monument, I toured every section but enjoyed the spectacular 180-degree view the most.

Based on the topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph, the topic is the Washington Monument, and the controlling idea is that it is divided into three main areas. The paragraph presents information about the lowest section first, the middle section second, and the top section third. The last sentence makes a remark about the most enjoyable of all the sections. This is an example of spatial organization . The information is given in the order you might see it if you were there.

Sample Paragraph 4

There are three types of family vehicles made in the United States. The first type is the minivan. All American car manufacturers make a version of the minivan. Some say that the comfort and amenities of the minivan compare to none. The second type of family vehicle is the SUV. Some SUVs offer four-wheel-drive to navigate tough terrains, and they also offer seating for a large crowd. A third type of family vehicles is called the crossover. These vehicles supposedly have the best features of the sedan, minivan, and SUV. They are easy to maneuver, look much like a regular sedan, and sit up to six people. All of these vehicles are family friendly; they offer safety, roomy comfort, and many extra features to accommodate the special needs of families.

This paragraph shows another way to organize the details of a topic. The topic sentence of this paragraph is structured differently than the previous ones. Typically, the topic of a sentence is also the grammatical subject, but the subject in this sentence is “there,” a pronoun, and the topic that tells what the paragraph is about, “family vehicles,” is in the predicate of the sentence. The controlling idea is that there are three types made in the U.S.

The paragraph is organized according to those three types: the first type, the second type, and the third type. To conclude, there is a comment about “all of these vehicles” or all of these types of vehicles. When information is organized by types or features, the information is classified. This type of organization is classification .

Sample Paragraph 5

Although the twin brothers share many physical characteristics, they handle themselves differently in social situations. Mario is a shy introverted young man. He has few friends and mostly keeps to himself. On the other hand, Gino is outgoing and the life of the party. Unlike Mario, Gino has many friends and feels totally at ease among big crowds. The best way to tell these identical twins apart is to invite both to a party and observe how differently they interact with the other guests.

When the topic sentence is complex (having more than one clause) as in this paragraph, there may be two subjects and therefore two topics; however, here, the subject of the first clause is “the twin brothers” and the subject for the second clause is “they,” so both subjects refer to the same topic—the twin brothers. The controlling idea is that the twin brothers share many physical characteristics but handle themselves differently socially.

The paragraph then progresses with descriptions of these similarities and differences. Contrast is created by signal phrases and words such as “although, “on the other hand,” and “unlike.” Words such as “apart” and “differently” also indicate that the organizational pattern of this paragraph is comparison and contrast .

Sample Paragraph 6

There are many reasons why I enjoy walking tours when visiting new cities. For starters, walking through a city allows the visitor to see the details of an area without having to hurry. This often results in meeting locals and experiencing their lives and traditions first hand. Furthermore, walking tours are flexible and inexpensive because there are no strict schedules or transportation expenses. Travelers taking walking tours are rewarded with firsthand experiences in the places they visit and the opportunity to personally interact with the people who live there.

Because the first sentence begins with “there are,” the reader must move beyond the subject and verb to find the topic. Additionally, this is a complex sentence with an independent and dependent clause connected by “why,” so there may be two topics. Looking at the objects of both clauses, the reader finds “many reasons” and “walking tours.” These two topics are linked together by the controlling idea: the writer enjoys walking tours while visiting new cities for many different reasons.

The signal words build on this idea of “why” with terms such as “results” and “because.” The last sentence then sums up the ultimate effect of walking tours: Travelers are rewarded. This is an example of cause and effect organization.

Sample Paragraph 7

Hiking can be especially exhilarating during snowy winter months. When my friend and I visited North Carolina last January, we hiked in the Blue Ridge Mountains near the highest peak, Mount Mitchell, which is 6,684 feet above sea level. We first crossed a footbridge over a rapidly moving, ice-cold river and then followed a wooded trail up to a waterfall. Frostbit leaves crunched beneath our winter boots on the path through the snow-frosted trees. We saw deer and rabbits as we trekked up the path. I assure you that nothing feels better than inhaling crisp mountain air, but the neatest part of hiking in winter, besides the beauty of the mountain, is exhaling and seeing my breath turn to frost when it hits the cold air!

In the first sentence, the topic of the paragraph is “hiking,” and the comment or main idea is that it “can be especially exhilarating during snowy winter months.” Based on this, the reader can expect supporting details to illustrate this exhilaration, but they do not know how it is organized until they look at the signal words that help progress the topic from one idea to the next.

Taking inventory of the signal words, the reader will find several time markers: “When” and “last January” set the narrative in the past while “first” and “then” develop a chronological order of events. The final summarizing sentence about hiking “in winter” reminds the reader of the season.

Within this chronology , signal words are associated with spatial organization: “over,” “up,” “beneath,” “through,” “crunched” (sounded), “saw,” “feels,” and “seeing.” Narratives typically include descriptive elements about the setting. Additionally, the concluding thought contrasts “inhaling” to “exhaling.” The reader can thus conclude that this paragraph has multiple patterns of organization that are intricately connected.

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Essay Papers Writing Online

A comprehensive guide to essay writing.

Essay writing is a crucial skill that students need to master in order to succeed academically. Whether you’re a high school student working on a history paper or a college student tackling a critical analysis essay, having a solid understanding of the essay writing process is essential.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essential tips and tricks that will help you improve your essay writing skills. From generating ideas and organizing your thoughts to crafting a strong thesis statement and polishing your final draft, we’ve got you covered.

Not only that, but we’ll also provide you with useful templates that you can use as a framework for your essays. These templates will help you structure your writing, stay focused on your main argument, and ensure that your essay flows smoothly from one point to the next.

The Ultimate Essay Writing Guides

Essay writing can be a challenging task for many students, but with the right guidance and tips, you can improve your writing skills and produce high-quality essays. In this ultimate guide, we will provide you with valuable advice, tricks, and templates to help you excel in your essay writing endeavors.

1. Understand the Prompt: Before you start writing your essay, make sure you fully understand the prompt or question. Analyze the requirements and key points that need to be addressed in your essay.

2. Create an Outline: Organize your ideas and thoughts by creating a detailed outline for your essay. This will help you structure your arguments and ensure a logical flow of information.

3. Research Thoroughly: Conduct extensive research on your topic to gather relevant information and evidence to support your arguments. Use credible sources and cite them properly in your essay.

4. Write Clearly and Concisely: Avoid using jargon or complex language in your essay. Write in a clear and concise manner to convey your ideas effectively to the reader.

5. Proofread and Edit: Before submitting your essay, make sure to proofread and edit it carefully. Check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and ensure that your essay flows cohesively.

By following these ultimate essay writing guides, you can enhance your writing skills and produce outstanding essays that will impress your instructors and peers. Practice regularly and seek feedback to continuously improve your writing abilities.

Tips for Crafting an A+ Essay

1. Understand the Assignment: Before you start writing, make sure you fully understand the assignment guidelines and requirements. If you have any doubts, clarify them with your instructor.

2. Conduct Thorough Research: Gather relevant sources and information to support your arguments. Make sure to cite your sources properly and use credible sources.

3. Create a Strong Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement should clearly outline the main point of your essay and guide your readers on what to expect.

4. Organize Your Ideas: Create an outline to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas in your essay.

5. Write Clearly and Concisely: Use clear, concise language and avoid unnecessary jargon or complex sentences. Be direct and to the point.

6. Revise and Edit: Always proofread your essay for grammar and spelling errors. Revise your work to ensure coherence and clarity.

7. Seek Feedback: Ask a peer or instructor to review your essay and provide constructive feedback for improvement.

8. Use Proper Formatting: Follow the formatting guidelines provided by your instructor, such as font size, margins, and citation style.

9. Stay Focused: Keep your essay focused on the main topic and avoid going off on tangents. Stick to your thesis statement.

10. Practice, Practice, Practice: The more you practice writing essays, the better you will get at it. Keep practicing and refining your writing skills.

Tricks to Improve Your Writing Skills

Improving your writing skills can be a challenging but rewarding process. Here are some tricks to help you become a better writer:

1. Read widely: Reading a variety of genres and styles can help you develop your own voice and writing style.

2. Practice regularly: The more you write, the better you will become. Set aside time each day to practice writing.

3. Get feedback: Share your writing with others and ask for constructive criticism. Feedback can help you identify areas for improvement.

4. Study grammar and punctuation: Good writing requires a solid understanding of grammar and punctuation rules. Take the time to study and practice these essential skills.

5. Edit and revise: Writing is a process, and editing is an important part of that process. Take the time to edit and revise your work to improve clarity and coherence.

6. Experiment with different writing techniques: Try experimenting with different writing techniques, such as using metaphors, similes, or descriptive language, to enhance your writing.

7. Stay inspired: Find inspiration in the world around you. Whether it’s nature, art, or literature, draw inspiration from your surroundings to fuel your writing.

By following these tricks and practicing regularly, you can improve your writing skills and become a more confident and effective writer.

Step-by-Step Essay Writing Templates

When it comes to writing an essay, having a clear and structured template can be incredibly helpful. Here are some step-by-step essay writing templates that you can use to guide you through the process:

Introduction: Start your essay with a hook to grab the reader’s attention. Provide some background information on the topic and end with a thesis statement that outlines the main argument of your essay.
Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports your thesis. Start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph, provide evidence to support your point, and then analyze the evidence to show how it relates back to your thesis.
Conclusion: Summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis in a new way. Avoid introducing new information in the conclusion and instead focus on tying together all the points you have made throughout the essay.

Expert Advice for Writing Top-Notch Essays

When it comes to writing a top-notch essay, it’s essential to follow expert advice to ensure your work stands out. Here are some key tips to help you elevate your writing:

1. Start with a strong thesis statement that clearly outlines your main argument.

2. Conduct thorough research to support your points with credible sources.

3. Organize your thoughts logically and ensure your essay flows smoothly from one point to the next.

4. Use a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary to keep your writing engaging.

5. Proofread and edit your essay carefully to eliminate errors and refine your arguments.

By following these expert tips, you can take your essay writing skills to the next level and produce work that is both informative and compelling.

Resources to Enhance Your Essay Writing Process

When it comes to improving your essay writing skills, there are a variety of resources available to help you enhance your process. Here are some valuable resources that can aid you in becoming a more effective and efficient writer:

Writing Guides: There are countless writing guides and books that offer tips, tricks, and strategies for improving your writing skills. Whether you’re looking to enhance your grammar, structure, or argumentation, these guides can provide valuable insights.
Online Writing Communities: Joining online writing communities can be a great way to connect with other writers, receive feedback on your work, and engage in writing challenges and prompts. Websites like Writing.com and Wattpad are popular platforms for writers to share their work and receive critiques.
Writing Workshops and Courses: Participating in writing workshops and courses can help you hone your craft and develop your writing skills. Whether you prefer in-person workshops or online courses, there are many options available to suit your needs and schedule.
Writing Apps and Tools: Utilizing writing apps and tools can streamline your writing process and help you stay organized. Tools like Grammarly can assist with grammar and spelling checks, while apps like Scrivener can help you organize your research and ideas.
Libraries and Writing Centers: Visiting your local library or university writing center can provide access to valuable resources, such as writing guides, research materials, and writing tutors who can offer personalized feedback and support.

By taking advantage of these resources, you can enhance your essay writing process and become a more skilled and confident writer.

How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, unlock success with a comprehensive business research paper example guide, unlock your writing potential with writers college – transform your passion into profession, “unlocking the secrets of academic success – navigating the world of research papers in college”, master the art of sociological expression – elevate your writing skills in sociology.

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5 takeaways by a longtime NABJ member from Trump’s appearance before Black journalists

Eric Deggans

Former President Donald Trump walks offstage after speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

CHICAGO — At first, it felt like watching a slow-motion car crash.

I wasn’t actually in the room when Donald Trump brought his toxic rhetoric to the National Association of Black Journalists national convention Wednesday. But I was nearly there, sitting in a taxicab headed from the airport to the conference at the Hilton Chicago downtown, watching a livestream video as the former president insulted a roomful of Black journalists after ABC’s Rachel Scott opened with a tough question.

Scott asked about several instances where Trump said racist things, from falsely insisting Barack Obama wasn’t born in America to calling Black journalists losers and racist. Trump’s response was a torrent of barely connected ideas, including a complaint that NABJ brought him to Chicago under “false pretenses” because they didn’t work out details to get Vice President Kamala Harris to make a similar, in-person appearance at the convention.

“I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln,” Trump said, drawing scoffs from the crowd. “That is my answer.”

In a flash, it felt like all the predictions critics made of inviting Trump to address Black journalists came true. He was offering his usual torrent of accusations, assertions and insults — some outrageous, most inflated — creating word salad that moderators struggled to fact-check in the moment, raising fears that he owned the organization at its own conference.

As a 34-year member of NABJ, I had my own qualms. Not about inviting Trump — the group has invited the major party candidates for president to its national conferences for many years, to platform questions on issues involving people of color. But, among other things, I objected to seeing an anchor from the right-leaning cable channel Fox News among the three people questioning Trump. (Though I have volunteered for decades as chair of the NABJ’s Media Monitoring Committee, I had nothing to do with organizing Trump’s appearance.)

Former President Donald Trump holds a press conference on May 31 at Trump Tower in New York City following the verdict in his hush-money trial.

Trump's planned address to Black journalists convention sparks backlash

And I worried about the optics of a Black journalists group offering a prime panel spot to a politician who had attacked Black journalists, while the Black and Asian woman also running for president would not appear.

But, after some reflection and talking with other members at the conference, I think the actual impact of Trump’s appearance is more nuanced. Here’s my five takeaways from what happened.

Trump’s appearance pushed NABJ to face tension between its status as a journalism organization and an advocate for fair treatment of Black journalists and, by extension, Black people.

This is an idea I heard from a friend and fellow journalist/NABJ member, and it rings true. As journalists, we jump at the chance to ask direct questions of a former president who has often stoked racial fears, from birtherism attacks against Obama and Harris to false claims about undocumented immigrants.

But our website also notes that NABJ “advocates on behalf of Black journalists and media professionals,” honoring those who provide “balanced coverage of the Black community and society at large.” I’ve always felt that if the media industry can give Black journalists a fair shot, we can help provide more accurate, less prejudiced coverage of everything — particularly issues involving marginalized groups.

That’s why some NABJ members chafed at platforming Trump, with his long history of racist statements, at a conference aimed at reducing the prejudice Black journalists face every day. But I think part of reaching NABJ’s goals involves Black journalists learning how to confront racist ideas; trying to get Trump to explain himself in front of a group of Black media professionals seems pretty in line with that mission.

NABJ President Ken Lemon asserted during the conference’s opening ceremonies later that day that the group is, at its core, a journalism organization. On this day, at least, it’s obvious the journalism side took precedence.

Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with ABC's Rachel Scott, one of the journalists who moderated the event at NABJ in Chicago on Wednesday. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

If the goal was to get Trump to reveal his terrible takes on race to the world — mission accomplished.

Lots of media outlets focused on his awful comments on how Harris “suddenly” became Black in his eyes. Trump tried the classic maneuver of turning an opponent’s advantage against them, acting as if the embrace of Harris as a history-making Black and Asian woman in politics was the result of some cynical marketing spin.

“I did not know she was Black until a couple of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” he said. “And now she wants to be known as Black. Is she Indian, or is she Black?”

True enough, the questioners struggled to pin Trump down on exactly why he talks about race the way he does. Or how he can believe such ideas aren’t racist.

Republican presidential nominee and President Donald Trump speaks at a panel moderated by, from left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and Fox News' Harris Faulkner at the National Association of Black Journalists convention Wednesday in Chicago.

Trump attacks Kamala Harris’ racial identity at Black journalism convention

Still, what Trump did say mostly made him look old-fashioned and prejudiced. Will it appeal to his base? Perhaps, but the moment didn’t feel like a strong, confident leader puncturing racial hypocrisy.

It seemed more like the wandering statements of someone who just doesn’t understand America’s modern melting pot of ethnicities.

Sometimes, with Trump, there is value in having an interviewer on hand who he trusts.

Much as I disliked seeing an anchor from a news organization that has won the NABJ’s Thumbs Down Award twice on the panel, Fox News’ Harris Faulkner did get Trump to open up a bit with less-pointed but telling questions.

In particular, when Trump said he thought the vice presidential candidates had “virtually no impact” on election results, he seemed to put into perspective his relationship with JD Vance while belittling the guy he is supposed to spend months alongside in a tight campaign.

There are other journalists from less partisan news outlets who likely could have achieved the same moment. But there is value in having one journalist in the mix who doesn’t immediately raise Trump’s defenses and might provoke more telling responses.

Former President Donald Trump appears on a panel at NABJ on Wednesday in Chicago. From left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and FOX News' Harris Faulkner moderated the event. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

Trump is a chaos agent who divides people and divides NABJ

In the end, I was less concerned about how NABJ looked to the world in the wake of Trump’s visit than how it deals with itself.

As news of the panel spread, many journalists spoke out passionately against having him at the conference, reasoning that any appearance would likely benefit him more than the group, platforming his terrible rhetoric about racial issues. Well-known figures like Roland Martin and April Ryan — who Trump criticized when he was president — spoke out; Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah quit her post as convention co-chair amid the controversy.

There are also tough questions about why the group couldn’t work out an arrangement to have Harris appear at the convention virtually, given that she was flying to Houston for the funeral of friend and sorority sister Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Considering the intense emotions at hand over the coming election and widespread skepticism about coverage decisions by journalists, there’s lots of criticism and bruising assumptions about what happened here.

This is the kind of division that can hobble NABJ in the future as people cancel memberships, decline to volunteer, hold back donations and continue to criticize the group’s direction. I expect the group’s membership meeting, scheduled for Saturday morning, will draw lots of pointed feedback from those who still question the wisdom of welcoming the former president here.

As someone who can attribute almost every major job I’ve gotten to connections made at an NABJ convention, this heightened squabbling is what I fear most — a distraction at a time when job losses and cutbacks in media have made times even more challenging for journalists of color.

In a way, NABJ played Trump’s game — and may have had some success

Another friend noted that Trump — who commands loyalty from GOP voters — has always valued dominating the news cycle, regardless of whether the stories are complimentary. His NABJ appearance ensured everything from the network evening news programs to The Daily Show focused on his comments here rather than Harris’ increasingly energized campaign.

As I saw criticism build over Trump’s visit, I wondered if NABJ wasn’t like a scrappy dog who finally caught a passing car — after years of GOP candidates declining invitations, finally one of the most divisive Republicans in modern politics was accepted. And the consequences of hosting him — particularly when Harris would not appear at the convention — loomed large.

But in the end, NABJ also landed at the top of the news cycle at a time when — as announced by the group during its opening ceremony — the convention drew the largest number of attendees in its history, over 4,000.

Yes, many supporters felt, as I did initially, that the appearance was a train wreck. But NABJ also showed the world three Black female journalists questioning Trump on some of his most provocative statements on race, with telling answers.

In a world where any publicity can be good publicity, that just might be enough.

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Guest Essay

The Christian Case Against Trump

A cross necklace decorated with a U.S. flag pattern, against a maroon background.

By Eliza Griswold

Ms. Griswold is the author of “ Circle of Hope: A Reckoning With Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church .”

In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, a video with images of Jesus crowned with thorns, blood running down his face, followed by photos of the former president circulated on social media. Days later, at the Republican National Convention, the evangelist Franklin Graham endorsed Mr. Trump from the stage, saying that “God spared his life.”

But the idea of Mr. Trump as chosen by God has infuriated those evangelicals who believe that he stands in direct opposition to their faith. Their existence highlights an often-overlooked fact about the American religious landscape: Evangelicals are not a monolith.

The troubling ascendancy of white Christian nationalism has galvanized evangelicals for whom following Jesus demands speaking truth to power, as well as building the kingdom of heaven on earth in actionable ways. In 2024, this includes mobilizing voters against the former president.

Although this broader evangelical movement is often referred to as the evangelical left, it adheres to no party. “This isn’t about being a Democrat or a Republican,” Jim Wallis, an evangelical Christian pastor, author and justice activist, told me. Instead believers like him say they refuse worldly labels and division.

They also believe that they can sway enough of their fellow evangelicals, along with other people of faith, and low-income Americans, who historically have had much lower voting rates than other groups, to swing this presidential election against Mr. Trump.

“The so-called evangelicals who support Trump have a Jesus problem,” Bishop William Barber II told me. Jesus advocated tirelessly for the poor and warned that nations would be judged “by how we treat the hungry, the sick, the incarcerated and the immigrant,” Bishop Barber said.

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Deep Learning for Economists

Deep learning provides powerful methods to impute structured information from large-scale, unstructured text and image datasets. For example, economists might wish to detect the presence of economic activity in satellite images, or to measure the topics or entities mentioned in social media, the congressional record, or firm filings. This review introduces deep neural networks, covering methods such as classifiers, regression models, generative AI, and embedding models. Applications include classification, document digitization, record linkage, and methods for data exploration in massive scale text and image corpora. When suitable methods are used, deep learning models can be cheap to tune and can scale affordably to problems involving millions or billions of data points.. The review is accompanied by a companion website, EconDL, with user-friendly demo notebooks, software resources, and a knowledge base that provides technical details and additional applications.

I would like to thank four anonymous referees, the editor, and Jake Carlson for their helpful comments and suggestions. Yiyang Chen provided excellent research assistance. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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9.3 Organizing Your Writing
Exercise 3. 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.
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.
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.
Tips for Organizing Your Essay
Strategy #2: Use subheadings, even if you remove them later. Scientific papers generally include standard subheadings to delineate different sections of the paper, including "introduction," "methods," and "discussion.". Even when you are not required to use subheadings, it can be helpful to put them into an early draft to help you ...
How to Write an Essay Outline
Expository essay outline. Claim that the printing press marks the end of the Middle Ages. Provide background on the low levels of literacy before the printing press. Present the thesis statement: The invention of the printing press increased circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.
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 ...
4.3 Organizing Your Writing
Exercise 3. 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.
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]
Academic Guides: Writing a Paper: Organizing Your Thoughts
Categorize. Organizing your paper can be a daunting task if you begin too late, so organizing a paper should take place during the reading and note-taking process. As you read and take notes, make sure to group your data into self-contained categories. These categories will help you to build the structure of your paper.
Organizing Your Essay
Well organized writing is a question of order. Because people can only process one word at a time, in a literal sense, your essay will always follow the same order—a straight line—left to right, from the top of the page to the bottom of the page. One way or another, you need to get all the information you've gathered into a straight line.
How to Organise an Essay
Basic Essay Organisation. The first things to organise are what you are going to say and in what order you are going to say those things. After this, it is a case of refining those things. You can start by separating all your text into three sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion.
6.2 Organizing Ideas
Step 2: Organizing. The first step in organizing is to articulate your purpose. What are you going to say about this topic? Thesis Statement. A thesis is a clear statement of the essay's main idea. It is the essay topic and the writer's position or opinion on that topic. It's sort of like the topic sentence of a paragraph, but it's the ...
Essay Organization
What are some ways that you can organize your essays in college. One standard structure for expository essays is to offer the main idea or assertion early in the essay, and then offer categories of support. One way to think about this standard structure is to compare it to a courtroom argument in a television drama.
6.14: Essay Organization
Thesis Sentence (assertion): The 21st century workforce requires a unique set of skills. 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 ...
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The creation of an outline can be helpful in planning or organizing a paper. Outlines divide the paper into different paragraphs, with each paragraph labeled or described. Here is a very basic example: Explain the importance of regular exercise and introduce aerobic exercise as an option. State thesis - aerobic exercise is beneficial because….
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 ...
1.9: Organizing an 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 that is often overlooked. An organized essay is clear, focused, logical and effective.
1.5: Methods of Organizing Your Writing
The method of organization for essays and paragraphs is just as important as content. When you begin to draft an essay or paragraph, your ideas may seem to flow from your mind in a seemingly random manner; however, your readers, who bring to the table different backgrounds, viewpoints, and ideas, need you to clearly organize these ideas to help them draw connections between the body and the ...
Topic Sentence and Paragraph Organization
Paragraph organization refers to the way sentences are structured and ordered to create a unified and cohesive body of text. The principal features to consider in paragraph organization are the topic sentence and controlling idea, supporting details, organizational patterns, and signal words. Together, these features develop a topic and connect ideas from one point to…
The Ultimate Essay Writing Guides: Tips, Tricks, and Templates
4. Organize Your Ideas: Create an outline to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas in your essay. 5. Write Clearly and Concisely: Use clear, concise language and avoid unnecessary jargon or complex sentences. Be direct and to the point. 6. Revise and Edit: Always proofread your essay for grammar and spelling errors. Revise ...
Trump's appearance before Black journalists highlights an organization
Trump's appearance pushed NABJ to face tension between its status as a journalism organization and an advocate for fair treatment of Black journalists and, by extension, Black people.
PDF Tips for Organizing Your Essay
Tips for Organizing Your Essay If you are used to writing essays that are similar to the five-paragraph essay (one claim and then three points that support that claim), it can be daunting to think about how to ... For longer papers, you may decide to include subheadings to guide your reader through your argument. In those cases, you would need ...
Opinion
To organize Christian voters against Trumpism, Doug Pagitt, an evangelical pastor, founded the nonprofit Vote Common Good, which aims to engage Christian voters.He's driving across the country ...
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Essays in Industrial Organization of Spatially Differentiated Markets. On Tuesday 20 August 2024 Alina Ozhegova will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH. The thesis explores questions related to strategic interaction in imperfectly competitive industries. It utilizes game-theoretic models ...
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