Academic writing tips: paper structure is very important


The structure of your paper is arguably the most important aspect of your essay. Picture a builder trying to build a one hundred story sky-scraper from an architect’s drawing. Imagine the elements being all mixed up. The roof is on the floor, the foundation is in the middle and the windows are scattered all over the page. It just wouldn’t make sense! More importantly, the builder will never be able to do his job and build his sky-scraper with an incomplete and confusing drawing.

The reader is your ‘builder’

When you are writing a paper, see your reader as the builder. If you don’t write in a structured manner, the person will never understand what you are trying to say and you may fail at proving your point. Even if you know exactly what you want to say and are an absolute genius on the topic, there is no way someone can gather that from a confusing paper.

The reader controls the building blocks to achieving the message you want to convey. Prove to him or her that you know your subject and think in a logical manner by drawing them a picture they can understand.

The perfect picture - ‘structure’

So what is the correct structure of an academic paper? Naturally you build from a solid foundation where you cater for all elements of the entire job—up through the main body where details are so important, and finishing with a nice exotic roof that gives it that final touch.

  • In the same way a builder completes the roof last, so the writer also will do the top section (the introduction) after the rest of the paper is completed. Here you will introduce your concepts in preparation to expand on the details in the main body.
  • The main body of the essay is broken down into logical sections of important detail which should flow from one paragraph to the other, thereby providing the evidence to build your case.
  • You finish with a big swoop by summarizing your findings, proving your point and also proving yourself to be a successful architect of a plan that can be easily followed.

Essay structure summary

    To summarize the structure of a perfectly written essay:

    Step 1 – Introduction

    Step 2 – Body consisting of numerous paragraphs

    Step 3 – Summary

You are the architect of your academic paper. Construct something that will make your reader enjoy the imaginative building process.

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