Papers types and their structure

There are dozens of different essays, and other Academic paper works types. However, the
main rule that you need to remember is that almost every paper should have three basic
elements: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. This is a gold standard. Nevertheless, let’s
observe other essay types and their peculiarities. **

<aside> 💡 The guide for generalized essay writing you can find below

</aside>

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Remember that essay structure may vary; thus, in the majority of cases, you need to
rely on the customers’ instructions and their particular requirements.

🚨🚨🚨

Regarding font type, size, and color

In case there are no specifications in the instructions, keep it simple and standard. Regarding
font type, things like Times New Roman or Georgia (what this is written in) won’t fail you.
Just avoid things like Comic Sans or other informal/casual fonts.

Size? 11- or 12-point is fine.

Color? Black.

Use double-spaced lines.

What about a title page? 🤔

Depending on the paper formatting style, you need to start your work with a title page,
mentioning the name of the paper, a “running head,” authors, and the institutional affiliation
of the authors.

So what are the main essay types and their

structure? 🤔
Research proposal
A research proposal provides a detailed plan of a research project before you undertake the
research.
Abstract

Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do
not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions,
participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible
implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your
abstract should be a single paragraph, double-spaced. Your abstract should typically be no
more than 250 words.

You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract.

Introduction

Remember the functional role of correct structuring. Your introduction should present the
issue and background and contain a correctly formatted thesis statement. Besides, an
introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire text.

Background and Significance

This section is aimed at explaining the context and placing your topic in the overall context.
State the rationale of your research proposal. Present the core problems or issues that will be
addressed. Underscore how your research can build upon existing assumptions. Provide
definitions of key terms or concepts, if necessary.

Review of Literature

This section offers a more deliberate review and synthesis of existing studies pertinent to
your proposed research problem. In this section, you need to cite the ideas properly, discuss
them, critique, contrast, connect, and analyze the ideas in the context of your study.

Research Questions and Aims

Here you need to think about: What do you plan to achieve? Why do you want to conduct the
research? How are you going to conduct the research?

Design and Methods

This section should include the following:

 the aim, design, and setting of the study;

 the characteristics of participants or description of materials;
 a clear description of all processes, interventions, and comparisons;
 the type of statistical analysis used, including a power calculation if appropriate.

Ethical Principles

Here you should discuss principles of voluntary participation, informed consent, anonymity,
confidentiality, potential for harm, and results communication.
Budget (optional)

This section should discuss the following:

 The actual cost – present how much money you need to complete the entire study;
 Justification – discuss why such a budget item is necessary to complete the research;
 Source – explain how the amount was calculated.

Timetable (optional)

A research timetable is an essential tool for guiding and monitoring the progress of research
projects. It serves as a framework for allocating tasks, allocating time, setting deadlines, and
ensuring the project's successful completion. It may be adjusted in the progress of the study.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings. In some cases, this section may include recommendations or/and ideas for
future studies too.

Research paper
Research papers require students and academics to locate information about a topic (that is,
to conduct research), take a stand on that topic, and provide support (or evidence) for that
position in an organized report.

Abstract

Beginning with the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do
not indent.) Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions,
participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. You may also include possible
implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your
abstract should be a single paragraph, double-spaced. Your abstract should typically be no
more than 250 words.

You may also want to list keywords from your paper in your abstract.

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Review of Literature
This section offers a more deliberate review and synthesis of existing studies pertinent to
your proposed research problem. In this section, you need to cite the ideas properly, discuss
them, critique, contrast, connect, and analyze the ideas in the context of your study.

Design and Methods

This section should include the following:

 the aim, design, and setting of the study;

 the characteristics of participants or description of materials;
 a clear description of all processes, interventions, and comparisons;
 the type of statistical analysis used, including a power calculation if appropriate.

Results

Here you need to report ****the findings of their study in connection to their research
question(s). The results section should not attempt to interpret or analyze the findings, only
state the facts.

Discussion section

The discussion section is one of the final parts of a research paper, in which an author
describes, analyzes, and interprets their findings. They explain the significance of those
results and tie everything back to the research question(s)

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings. In some cases, this section may include recommendations or/and ideas for
future studies too.

Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography provides specific information about each source you have used.
As a researcher, you have become an expert on your topic: you have the ability to explain the
content of your sources, assess their usefulness, and share this information with others who
may be less familiar with them.

Introduction (optional)

Depending on the instructions, you may include this section in annotated bibliography as
well, but this is not obligatory in general. Your introduction should present the issue and
background and contain a correctly formatted thesis statement. Besides, an introductory
paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire text.
Citation

Just add correctly formatted full citations in the requested formatting style for an assignment.

For example (APA style):

Annotation

The instructions may require different elements of annotations. Some of them are:

 A brief summary of the source;

 The source’s strengths and weaknesses;
 Its conclusions;
 Why is the source relevant to your field of study;
 Its relationships to other studies in the field;
 An evaluation of the research methodology (if applicable);
 Information about the author’s background;
 Your personal conclusions about the source.

However, in the majority of cases, your annotations should be based on the next key
elements:

 an overview of the source's main discussion.

 a summary of its thesis or argument.
 a description of the usefulness of the source for your own research.

Argumentative Essay
The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic;
collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise
manner.

In general, the structure of argumentative essays is standard:

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence. Usually, it is better to provide at
least 3 body paragraphs.
HOWEVER! 🚨

The purpose of argument writing is to convince a reader that a point of view is valid or to
persuade the reader to take a specific action. Information is used, but it is organized based on
these major components of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counter-claim, and
rebuttal.

These should not be considered as separate structural elements, but exactly these points
distinguish argumentative essays from other paper types.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Case study
A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every
aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior.

There are several approaches to case study papers. However, in the majority of cases, you
need to start with an appropriate introduction.

Introduction (could also include short summary of the case)

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

The issue under investigation and its background

Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues

Evaluation (Discussion)

The main part of the paper, which should include adequate analysis.

Solutions/Changes needed

Provide your suggestions and support them with relevant data and outside research.

Recommendations

Provide a description of practical measures that could be implemented in the case to mitigate
the situation and prevent similar issues in the future.
Conclusion

The conclusion should reaffirm your answer to the question and briefly summarize key
arguments. The conclusion has three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited.
Summary: main points and highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance
and implications of the essay's findings.

Expository essay
The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea,
evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a
clear and concise manner.

<aside> 💡 The key difference between an argumentative and an expository essay is that an
argumentative essay has statistics, facts, and the writer's personal opinions, whereas an
expository essay has only information that explains a topic.

</aside>

In general, the structure of expository essays is standard:

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence. Usually, it is better to provide at
least 3 body paragraphs.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Persuasive
A persuasive essay is a type of essay that presents logical arguments with emotional appeal
in order to sway readers to a particular point of view.

In general, the structure of persuasive essays is standard:

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence.

HOWEVER! 🚨

The elements that you need to include in the body of your persuasive essay are:

 Ethos is an element of argument and persuasion through which a speaker establishes

their credibility and knowledge, as well as their good moral character. Readers are
more likely to trust someone with credible knowledge, personal experience, or
standing within a community. Including ethos—or ethics—in your persuasive writing
can help sell your point of view.

2. Pathos is an appeal made to an audience’s emotions in order to evoke
feelings. Triggering particular emotions in your audience can help them
connect with you as a narrator. This provides a layer of interest to your readers
as well, making your writing more compelling and stickier.


3. Logos is a rhetorical or persuasive appeal to the audience’s logic and

rationality. Good persuasive writing outlines a series of logical reasons why
the reader should believe the writer’s argument.

These should not be considered separate structural elements, but exactly these points
distinguish persuasive essays from other paper types.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Review
A review essay is a synthesis of primary sources (mainly research papers presented in
academic journals) on a given topic.

Introduction
Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Summary of the source

Summarizing, or writing a summary, means giving a concise overview of a text's main points
in your own words. A summary is always much shorter than the original text.

Critical discussion

So, in short, a critical discussion requires you to weigh up the strengths and weaknesses of a
theory, concept (or work of some sort), and write about this in detail – taking into account
various relevant issues and viewpoints.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Reflective Journal
A reflective journal is a personal record of a student's learning experiences.

In general, the structure of reflective journal essays is standard:

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence.

HOWEVER! 🚨

Critical reflection is a culmination of your studying process. It results in intensive thinking

that presents your abilities to observe, question, evaluate, and apply personal experiences to
the interpretation of the subject.

 Describe an experience – provide some details on an object or an event.

 Examine the experience – integrate personal and academic contexts.
  Provide an in-depth analysis of those experiences.
 Tell readers what you learned after analysis.
 Clarify how the analyzed subject will be useful in the future.
 You may also suppose how everyone else reading should feel about it.

These should not be considered separate structural elements, but exactly these points
distinguish reflective journals from other paper types.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Admission Essay
An admissions or application essay, sometimes also called a personal statement or a
statement of purpose, is an essay or other written statement written by an applicant, often a
prospective student applying to some college, university, or graduate school. Every
application essay you write should include details about yourself and past experiences.
Leverage your experiences. Tell a riveting story that fulfills the prompt.

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay. College admissions

essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure.

Thus, the main elements are:

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.
Academic Blog Post
An academic blog post is a place for you to share your own unique take on a topic you have
spent some time researching. Academic blog posts use evidence and analysis like an essay,
but they're written in more conversational, informal language.

There is no set academic blog structure. The more informal nature of blogs allows you to
choose a more creative approach than you typically can when writing an academic article.
But you still must make sure your ideas flow and the blog structure makes sense.

Some ideas for your blog post structure are:

 An attention-grabbing headline. A good blog post is about one topic, one story, and
one idea.
 A captivating lead paragraph.
 Interesting supporting points. This is the body of the article.
 A compelling call to action.

Narrative Essay
A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you
had. This type of essay, along with the descriptive essay, allows you to get personal and
creative, unlike most academic writing.

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence.

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

HOWEVER! 🚨

Narratives have five elements could be: plot, setting, character, conflict, and theme.
These should not be considered as separate structural elements, but exactly these points
distinguish narrative essays from other paper types.

Compare and Contrast Essay

A compare and contrast paper discusses the similarities and differences between two or more
topics.

Introduction

Your introduction should present the issue and background and contain a correctly formatted
thesis statement. Besides, an introductory paragraph should cover about 10% of the entire
text.

Body Paragraphs

Each paragraph should have the next order: topic sentence, your argument supported with
relevant evidence, and concluding or transition sentence.

<aside> 💡 The hardest part of structuring a compare-and-contrast essay (in terms of the body
of the essay composition) is knowing when to talk about which subject. The options are:

 similarities and differences: You discuss all the similarities between your subjects
and then all the differences, or vice versa (differences first and then similarities).
 alternating method (point by point): You discuss one subject’s take on a certain
aspect and then another subject’s take immediately afterward, followed by a new
aspect.
 block method (subject by subject): You discuss one subject in full and then move
on to the next subject. </aside>

Conclusion

The last section of an academic essay is the conclusion. The conclusion should reaffirm your
answer to the question and briefly summarize key arguments. The conclusion of an essay has
three major parts: Answer: the thesis statement, revisited. Summary: main points and
highlights from the body paragraphs. Significance: the relevance and implications of the
essay's findings.

Thesis/dissertation
These are the most complected types of papers. A thesis is a compilation of research that
proves you are knowledgeable about the information learned throughout your graduate
program. A dissertation is your opportunity during a doctorate program to contribute new
knowledge, theories, or practices to your field.