Structure and outline of an essay
Any text, be it a thesis, abstract, article, story, or essay, should have a clear structure. Even a notebook entry, the most nuclear "sketchbook," has its own structure. Let alone an essay.
What distinguishes an essay from many other student papers is "pay me to do your homework reviewsâ€. Alas, we all know: the more freedom, the more responsibility. Getting this very freedom, you have to think over the structure of the future essay yourself. The structure largely depends on the goals, form, type, and scope of the work. A narrative essay will start with the introduction, an essay-illustration essay with one or several theses. An essay of the "causal analysis" type will have to line up in accordance with the laws of logic. And in no other way.
The structure can simply be thought through. But it's better to take a sheet of paper and sketch an approximate plan. The plan is the "skeleton" of the text, on which you will later build up the "flesh. Any text needs a plan, essays need it in the first place.
Making a plan
Any written work, any text has:
Introduction
By "introduction" and "conclusion" you can mean the first and last paragraphs. These elements of the text should not be treated formally. The first paragraph or the first part of the text introduces the reader, leads him to the problem to which the essay is devoted. There is no need for a long introduction - one or two paragraphs will be quite enough.
Main part
The main part requires the most attention. Especially when making a plan. It can have a different structure:
Thesis-Argumentation, Thesis-Argumentation, Thesis-Argumentation, etc. In this case, first we fix a thought, then we prove it;
Reverse structure (fact-conclusion). Describing a situation or giving facts, drawing a conclusion. And so - several times.
A thesis and some arguments (facts). In this case, one idea is supported by several illustrations. The thesis may be in the beginning, or after these illustrations.
By "thesis" we mean a short finished thought that the author wants to convey to the reader of the essay. By an argument, we mean some kind of proof of the thesis. It can be a situation from life, news, a scientist's opinion, a scientific theory, or a fact proven by science.
Ideally, one thesis should be supported by two arguments. One may seem unconvincing to the reader, and three will overload the text. However, you are free to give your thesis to any number of arguments - much depends on the idea itself, the logic of the story, the volume, the plan of the text. It is important to keep the logic, brevity and imagery of the text.
Conclusion
In the conclusion, as a rule, summarize everything that was said in the essay. The author together with the reader sums up the results. It is important that the conclusions are not far-fetched and do not arise "out of nowhere". In conclusion - only what the reader should come to after reading the main part of your work.
Related Resources:
Structure and outline of the essay
Essay structure or 7 simple tips on how to write a quality essay
When writing an essay, it is important to consider the following points:
How to write a social science essay?