The Importance of Organisation of an Essay
Counterarguments may be located at various points within a paper. It is important, however, that the writer offer a convincing response to the claims of the opposition.Use this new outline to cut and paste the sentences into a revised version of your essay, consolidating points that appear in several parts of your essay while eliminating repetition and creating smooth transitions where necessary. For example, book reviews typically begin with a summary of the book youre reviewing. They then often move on to a critical discussion of the books strengths and weaknesses. They may conclude with an overall assessment of the value of the book. These typical features of a book review lead you to consider dividing your outline into three parts: (1) summary; (2) discussion of strengths and weaknesses; (3) overall evaluation. The second and most substantial part will likely break down into two sub-parts. It is up to you to decide the order of the two subpartswhether to analyze strengths or weaknesses first. And of course it will be up to you to come up with actual strengths and weaknesses.
- Essay Outline
- How to Organise an Essay?
- Organisational Templates for Essays
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 is just what it sounds like: You define the problem, characterize a method or theory that may solve it, and finally analyze the problem, using this method or theory to arrive at a solution. If the problem is theoretical, the solution might be the analysis you present in the essay itself; otherwise, you might just present a proposed solution. Below are some suggestions for creating a title that builds upon the topics discussed within a paper. A brief, provocative image can invite the reader to find out more about the topic. Picking up on significant words or phrases offered throughout the paper can contribute to a sense of unity within the argument. Asking a question can also provoke a response from the reader; however, students should be aware that such questions should be answered within the course of the argument. Unanswered questions can indicate a weakness in the argument of the topic.
By condemning women for actions they did not commit, Hamlet is doing just what he accuses Guildenstern of doing to him: he is plucking out the heart of their mystery (). It is self-evident that a well-planned paper is going to be better organized than a paper that was not planned out. Thinking carefully about how you are going to argue your paper and preparing an outline can only add to the quality of your final product. Nevertheless, some people find it more helpful than others to plan. Those who are good at coming up with ideas but find writing difficult often benefit from planning. By contrast, those who have trouble generating ideas but find writing easy may benefit from starting to write early. Putting pen to paper (or typing away at the keyboard) may be just what is needed to get the ideas to flow. The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas. The earlier you begin planning, the better. It is usually a mistake to do all of your research and note-taking before beginning to draw up an outline. Of course, you will have to do some reading and weighing of evidence before you start to plan. But as a potential argument begins to take shape in your mind, you may start to formalize your thoughts in the form of a tentative plan.
How do you start an academic essay?
Multiple style and methods are utilized 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. This way of organization tends to discuss the events in the specific order they occurred. The chronological organisation method is especially important fornarrativeandreflective 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 last. A good tactic in making your essay organized is to start your essay by providing simple arguments. It doesnt mean that only simple arguments should be part of the essay. Relatively complex or difficult arguments should also be placed later inthe main body of the essay. Each citation style has its unique format for the reference list and in-text citation. These styles guide you on how to organize the information and properly format your essay. All these citation styles are also applicable to research papers. Explore the tabs below to see a general template and a specific example outline from an essay on the invention of the printing press. (b) One of Hamlets most serious moral shortcomings is his unfair treatment of women.
You know youre planning too much if you always find yourself writing your paper a day before its due after spending weeks doing research and devising elaborate plans. Be aware of the implications of planning too little or too much. Planning provides the following advantages : This lessonis designed to introduce students to the elements of an organized essay, including the introduction, the thesis, body paragraphs, topic sentences, counterarguments, and the conclusion. The lessonpresented here isdesigned to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation about constructing a well-organized argument. This presentation is ideal for the introduction of argument to a composition course, the beginning of a research unit, or the assignment of a written argument. When you have completed your first draft, and you think your paper can be better organized, consider using a reverse outline. Reverse outlines are simple to create. Just read through your essay, and every time you make a new point, summarize it in the margin. If the essay is reasonably well-organized, you should have one point in the margin for each paragraph, and your points read out in order should form a coherent argument. You might, however, discover that some of your points are repeated at various places in your essay.
In Act 3, Scene 1, he denies to Ophelia ever having expressed his love for her, using his feigned madness as cover for his cruelty. Though his rantings may be an act, they cannot hide his obsessive anger at one particular woman: his mother. He counsels Ophelia to marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them (139-41), thus blaming her in advance for the sin of adultery. The logic is plain: if Hamlets mother made a cuckold out of Hamlets father, then all women are capable of doing the same and therefore share the blame. The fact that Gertrudes hasty remarriage does not actually constitute adultery only underscores Hamlets tendency to find in women faults that do not exist. In Act 3, Scene 4, he goes as far as to suggest that Gertrude shared responsibility in the murder of Hamlets father (29-30).
It is self-evident that a well-planned paper is going to be better organized than a paper that was not planned out. Thinking carefully about how you are going to argue your paper and preparing an outline can only add to the quality of your final product. Nevertheless, some people find it more helpful than others to plan. Those who are good at coming up with ideas but find writing difficult often benefit from planning. By contrast, those who have trouble generating ideas but find writing easy may benefit from starting to write early. Putting pen to paper (or typing away at the keyboard) may be just what is needed to get the ideas to flow. You have to find out for yourself what works best for you, though it is fair to say that at least some planning is always a good idea. Think about whether your current practices are serving you well. You know youre planning too little if the first draft of your essays is always a disorganized mess, and you have to spend a disproportionate amount of time creating reverse outlines and cutting and pasting material.
Other points may be out of place, and still other key points may not appear at all. Think of all these points as the ingredients of an improved outline which you now must create. Use this new outline to cut and paste the sentences into a revised version of your essay, consolidating points that appear in several parts of your essay while eliminating repetition and creating smooth transitions where necessary. You can improve even the most carefully planned essay by creating a reverse outline after completing your first draft. The process of revision should be as much about organization as it is about style. (b) One of Hamlets most serious moral shortcomings is his unfair treatment of women. In Act 3, Scene 1, he denies to Ophelia ever having expressed his love for her, using his feigned madness as cover for his cruelty. Though his rantings may be an act, they cannot hide his obsessive anger at one particular woman: his mother. He counsels Ophelia to marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them (139-41), thus blaming her in advance for the sin of adultery. The logic is plain: if Hamlets mother made a cuckold out of Hamlets father, then all women are capable of doing the same and therefore share the blame. The fact that Gertrudes hasty remarriage does not actually constitute adultery only underscores Hamlets tendency to find in women faults that do not exist.
When you want to express a contradictory opinion or perspective, write it in a new and separate paragraph. Do not discuss opposing ideas in the same paragraph; it will only minimize your essays effectiveness. When you have completed your first draft, and you think your paper can be better organized, consider using a reverse outline. Reverse outlines are simple to create. Just read through your essay, and every time you make a new point, summarize it in the margin. If the essay is reasonably well-organized, you should have one point in the margin for each paragraph, and your points read out in order should form a coherent argument. You might, however, discover that some of your points are repeated at various places in your essay. Other points may be out of place, and still other key points may not appear at all. Think of all these points as the ingredients of an improved outline which you now must create.
You will be much more efficient in your reading and your research if you have some idea of where your argument is headed. You can then search for evidence for the points in your tentative plan while you are reading and researching. As you gather evidence, those points that still lack evidence should guide you in your research. Remember, though, that your plan may need to be modified as you critically evaluate your evidence. When you organize your argument, use the pyramid method to plan the topics covered, as well as the ordering of the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion within an argument. For writing an organized and structured essay, you need to follow the steps in proper order. Here are the ten easy steps to write a good academic essay. Though there are no easy formulas for generating an outline, you can avoid one of the most common pitfalls in student papers by remembering this simple principle: the structure of an essay should not be determined by the structure of its source material. For example, an essay on an historical period should not necessarily follow the chronology of events from that period.
Hamlet does not want to take revenge without grounds for acting. III. Hamlet becomes morally compromised while delaying. A. The turning point in Hamlets moral decline is his killing of Polonius. B. Hamlets moral decline continues when he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their death. C. Hamlet already began his moral decline before the turning point in the play, the killing of Polonius. 1. Hamlet treats women badly. 2. Hamlet criticizes others in the play for acting falsely to get ahead, but in adopting the disguise of madness he, too, is presenting a false face to the world. IV. Though Hamlet becomes more compromised the longer he delays, killing the king would have been a morally questionable act. V. Conclusion: The play Hamlet questions the adequacy of a system of ethics based on honour and revenge. You might wonder why you need to put the increased effort into the organization of an essay.
Titles that are too general or lack character do not invite the reader to delve into the first paragraph and begin reading. If you plan to develop agreat essay, you must ensure good planning for your essay. Lets discuss some key tips onhow to organize an essay: The best time to think about how to organize your paper is during the pre-writing stage, not the writing or revising stage. A well-thought-out plan can save you from having to do a lot of reorganizing when the first draft is completed. Moreover, it allows you to pay more attention to sentence-level issues when you sit down to write your paper. The first step in organizing any essay is to create a thesis statement. You might have already developed one or have a good idea of the main argument in your essay. Begin writing your final draft by picking or creating one sentence that directly reflects the main point of your essay. A strong thesis helps you organize your essay, and it also helps your reader to understand your argument. There is no specific way of organising an essay.
Similarly, a well-constructed essay about a literary work does not usually progress in parallel with the plot. Your obligation is to advance your argument, not to reproduce the plot. When you are researching, write down every idea, fact, quotation, or paraphrase on a separate index card. Small (5 by 3) cards are easiest to work with. When youve collected all your cards, reshuffle them into the best possible order, and you have an outline, though you will undoubtedly want to reduce this outline to the essential points should you transcribe it to paper. The quality of a well-written essay largely depends on the quality of content and the authors writing style. Students with little to no essay writing experiencealmost always struggle to figure out how to organise an essay. The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach. The best time to think about how to organize your paper is during the pre-writing stage, not the writing or revising stage.
In Act 3, Scene 4, he goes as far as to suggest that Gertrude shared responsibility in the murder of Hamlets father (29-30). By condemning women for actions they did not commit, Hamlet is doing just what he accuses Guildenstern of doing to him: he is plucking out the heart of their mystery (). This method is also known as organising by importance. Following this technique, the writerstarts the essayby the least important information and gradually move towards the most important one. Have you put so much effort into your essay, but still, it doesnt seem like what it should be? Well, you need not worry because our professional writers can design and structure an essay exactly the way it is supposed to be. If you are looking for an organized and presentable essay, please take advantage of our professional essay writing service. Thesis: Despite Hamlets highly developed moral nature, he becomes morally compromised while delaying his revenge. I. Introduction: Hamlets father asks Hamlet not only to seek vengeance but also to keep his mind untainted. II. Hamlet has a highly developed moral nature. A. Hamlet is idealistic. B. Hamlet is aware of his own faults, whereas others are self-satisfied. C.
A well-thought-out plan can save you from having to do a lot of reorganizing when the first draft is completed. Moreover, it allows you to pay more attention to sentence-level issues when you sit down to write your paper. When you begin planning, ask the following questions: What type of essay am I going to be writing? Does it belong to a specific genre? In university, you may be asked to write, say, a book review, a lab report, a document study, or a compare-and-contrast essay. Knowing the patterns of reasoning associated with a genre can help you to structure your essay. For example, book reviews typically begin with a summary of the book youre reviewing. They then often move on to a critical discussion of the books strengths and weaknesses. They may conclude with an overall assessment of the value of the book. These typical features of a book review lead you to consider dividing your outline into three parts: (1) summary; (2) discussion of strengths and weaknesses; (3) overall evaluation. The second and most substantial part will likely break down into two sub-parts. It is up to you to decide the order of the two subpartswhether to analyze strengths or weaknesses first.
And of course it will be up to you to come up with actual strengths and weaknesses. Be aware that genres are not fixed. Different professors will define the features of a genre differently. Read the assignment question carefully for guidance. Understanding genre can take you only so far. Most university essays are argumentative, and there is no set pattern for the shape of an argumentative essay. The simple three-point essay taught in high school is far too restrictive for the complexities of most university assignments. You must be ready to come up with whatever essay structure helps you to convince your reader of the validity of your position. In other words, you must be flexible, and you must rely on your wits. Each essay presents a fresh problem. There are two main things to keep in mind when working on your essay structure: making sure to include the right information in each part, and deciding how youll organize the information within the body. A topic outline is built around your rough outline. It organizes the order and flow of each your essays body paragraphs.
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.