Paper Structure and Types of Papers

What is an Essay?
An essay is a piece of academic writing that covers a certain topic
with the help of three main components: different arguments,
evidence, and a writer’s perspective. It consists of several
paragraphs and develops a topic in depth.

Remember that the purpose of writing an academic essay is to

1. provide written evidence of your ability to research a topic,

2. organize and express your thoughts in a logical, coherent, and critical manner,
3. and reach conclusions.
 Structure
The structure of the paper is an important aspect of any academic writing piece. To write a good essay,
you need to come up with coherent ideas and use them to create a striking argument. A typical essay in
academic writing consists of 3 parts: an introduction, body paragraph(s), and conclusion.
 Introduction
The introductory paragraph should only be 3-5 sentences, not more. Make sure you start it
with an interesting hook (general statement) and continue making more specific statements
until you end up with a thesis statement, which should be specific and finish your introduction.
Please, make sure that the introduction is not mixed with the first paragraph.
 Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what
to expect from the rest of the paper.

Thesis statement
tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under
discussion;
directly answers the question asked of you;
makes a claim that others might dispute;
is usually a single sentence (most commonly, at the end of the first paragraph) that
presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay,
gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your
interpretation.
 Body Paragraphs
The body of your essay consists of paragraphs. Each is a building block in the construction of your
argument. Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure:

Start by writing one of your main ideas (topic

sentence).

Show your knowledge and grasp of material you

have read, using relevant examples and quotes. Try
to offer exposition and evidence to develop your
argument.

Include a summary sentence for each paragraph.

 Topic Sentence
A topic sentence has several important functions:
* It substantiates or supports an essay's thesis statement.
* It unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the
sentence.
* It advises the reader of the subject to be discussed and how the
paragraph will discuss it.

Concluding Sentence
A concluding sentence indicates that you are bringing closure to a paragraph.
* It reviews the main points mentioned in a paragraph;
* It reinstates the topic sentence;
* It is found at the end of a paragraph;
* It does not introduce new ideas or topics.
 Conclusion
A conclusion is the end of an essay, where you summarize
your ideas presented. Your conclusion usually brings together
the major points of your essay, showing how they relate

It should:
* restate your answer to the question;
* re-summarise the main points;
* include a final and broad statement about possible implications
and future directions for research etc.

Please remember that conclusion should not contain in-text citations: as the conclusion
summarizes the information provided in the paper, it should not give new information.
 TYPES OF PAPERS

Research paper Comparison, contrast, cause & effect essay

Argumentative or persuasive essay Personal or reflection essay
Admission essay Analysis essay
Narrative essay Summary
Speech/ PowerPoint presentation
Response essay
Q&A
Book/movie review
 ARGUMENTATIVE OR PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Gathers evidence and presents a well-reasoned argument on a debatable
issue.

Intro
Reviews the topic, explains its importance
Body
Discusses the points of view, present differing opinions, and explain why they are
right or wrong
Conclusion
Synthesizes the information presented in the paper, reviews and summarizes
main
points
 SUMMARY
Gives a gist of an argument or a story in writer’s own words. Brings out the author’s major
points and some supporting detail without any commentary or additional opinions.

Intro
Presents the context and background, explains the main idea of the source
Body
The main idea and contribution of the source
Conclusion
Evaluation, pros/cons, limitations and suggestions for the future
 NARRATIVE ESSAY
Tells a story (usually about something that happened to the writer) in such a way that
the audience learns a lesson or gains insight.

Intro
Sets the scene with information needed for the reader to understand the paper
Body
Describes what happened and presents supporting evidence
Conclusion
States the moral of the story and includes some reflection or analysis of what happened
 ANALYSIS ESSAY
Examines and evaluates a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature and also
requires the writer to break the subject down into its component parts to understand the
work better.

Intro
Brings intermediate focus to the subject, states the title of the source, and the name of the
author and describes what the source is about in short
Body
Develops the central idea, explains ideas and evidence from the text
Conclusion
Gives a sense of completeness and summarizes the points made
 RESEARCH PAPER
Analyzes a perspective or argues a point. It also presents writer’s own thinking backed up
by others' ideas and information.
Intro
States the problem and why it is important, sets the scene or lays the foundation or background for the paper
Body
Methods
Describes how the study was done, its context, setting, main variables, data collection instruments, and so
on
Results
Describes what was found, reports data collection, key and secondary findings
Discussion
Interprets and discusses the results, policies and practices, and strengths and limitations
Conclusion
Summary of the work, perspectives for future works
 BOOK/MOVIE REVIEW

Intro
Name of the author, book/movie title, reveals details about the author,
presents the context of the book/movie
Body
Summary of the content, analysis of the book/movie
Conclusion
Makes the final judgment about the book/movie, balances the strengths and
weaknesses to unify the evaluation
 SPEECH/POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

Intro
Grabs the attention of the audience, introduces the subject of the speech
Body
Presents the point of the speech and its arguments
Conclusion
Summarizes the main points, provides some further food for thought, leaves the audience
with positive memories, ends with a final thought/emotion

In a PowerPoint presentation order, 1 page equals 1 slides.

If, for example, the client orders a 10-slide presentation, they must pay for
10 pages.
Q&A - QUESTION-ANSWER

Customer’s question is stated in the heading

Next is the paragraph(s) with the answer
No intro or conclusion are needed
 Useful Links
Introductory paragraphs- https://aso-resources.une.edu.au/academic-writing-
course/paragraphs/introduction-paragraphs/
Thesis statement- https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
How to write a strong thesis statement - https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/process/thesis/
Body paragraphs- https://www.thoughtco.com/body-paragraphs-composition-1689032
How to organize your paragraphs -
https://www.csuchico.edu/slc/_assets/documents/writing-center-handouts/how-to-organize-
a-paragraph.pdf
Topic sentence - https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-
write- a-topic-sentence
Concluding sentence-
https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/concluding
Conclusion- https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions