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The Structure of a Paper
Academic Achievement Center
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The Mindset Many people struggle with writing essays, but if you approach it with the right
mindset, the process becomes very simplified.
Stop for a moment and think of your essay like you would a meal. Do you eat your
entire plate of food in one bite? Of course not ­ you can’t fit an entire meal into your
mouth at one time. Instead, you take ​one bite at a time​ and work through the
meal: a few bites of this, a few bites of that, a final few over there, and before long,
you’ve finished. Breaking your big meal into little parts made it ​digestible​.
Now, let’s apply that thought to the writing an essay. An essay also is something
that consists of many ​smaller parts​ ­ a basic paper has an introduction, a few body
paragraphs, and a conclusion. Just like your meal, a paper is something much
easier to ​conceptualize​ part by part than in one big bite. Before writing your paper,
try to have a specific idea about what you want to accomplish in each part. A good
way to organize these thoughts is with an ​outline​.
The Outline This is a step that many people ignore, but you shouldn’t. An outline only takes a
little bit to create, and it gives you guidance for your entire essay ­ ​writing an
outline will help you to write a better essay​. Now, you might be wondering why
­ so let’s think about it like traveling.
It’s summer break, and you decide to drive to Osaka with a few friends. Do you just
get in the car and go? Probably not ­ you think about how much it will cost, you get
directions, you pack food, and so forth. Getting lost costs ​time and money​. Before
you even get into the car to go, you already have a ​plan ​­ you pretty much know
what you want to do already.
Consider looking at your paper in the same way because a paper is a lot like
traveling: you take a reader from point A to point B to make a point. If you don’t
know where you’re going, ​neither does your reader​. It is wasted space, and also
causes you to lose grade points. Writing an ​outline​ allows you to be concise and
organized: Before you write the paper, you know exactly what you want to say, and
might even know how you want to say it.
The Introduction The introduction is fittingly labeled ­ it is called as such because it is literally an
introduction​. It is the ​first impression ​that you make with the reader, and first
impressions are very important: they can permanently affect what the person you
introduce yourself to thinks of you. The quality of your introduction can make or
break your paper.

2. When we meet someone new, we give a​ self­introduction ​­ who we are, where
we came from, maybe something interesting about us, and so forth. Out of all of the
information there is about us, we pick the most relevant bits and share them in a
concise, logical fashion. A paper’s introduction should be approached in the same
way: what is being written about, some background information, why the topic is
important, and so forth. Especially important is that we have a ​thesis statement ​­ a
sentence or two that explains what the goal of your paper is.
By the end of the introduction, the reader should understand what the paper is
about, why it is being written, and should also have a general idea about what you
are going to talk about.
The Body The body is what occupies most of your paper ­ it is where you justify or explain
what you proposed in the introduction. What goes into your the body of a paper can
vary a lot, but no matter what type of paper that you are writing, a few things will
hold out to be true:
+ Every paragraph in your body should serve a definite purpose, helping you
to accomplish the goal of your paper. There are only a few pages with
which to accomplish your goal, so make each part count.
+ Any ideas that are not your own should be cited appropriately. In the
academic world, if you state something without citing the source where you
got the information,​ it is​ ​theft.
+ Organize the body in a logical order ­ this might mean reorganizing after
you finish the paper. The order of each paragraph should not seem
random; if there is not a clear path, your reader could get lost.
The Conclusion Though papers vary greatly, conclusions do not ­ every conclusion has a similar job
to do, and a few goals to accomplish. No matter what sort of paper you are writing,
the conclusion should ­
+ Briefly summarize/restate the main points of the paper
+ Lead your reader to a few final thoughts, to signal that the paper is going to
end soon. This might be reflection, thoughts for the future, or so forth.
+ End in a memorable and thoughtful way ­ your goal is to make the reader
stop, consider, and reflect for a few minutes.
Finally, remember: The conclusion is your last chance to make an impression on
your reader. Do not ​waste ​that opportunity ­ a confident conclusion can help to
strengthen a weak paper because it is what your reader will most remember.