What is the most effective way to demonstrate your college professor that you have learned the core material in your discipline? Of course, it’s to write an essay, research paper, or some other type of academic paper, where you can showcase your ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills. Some students note that it’s researching that takes up the lion’s share of the effort and energy they usually put in the writing process, while others spend hours trying to craft an effective thesis for their paper. There are also those learners who find structuring their essays the most difficult part and often call on professional writing services, which can handle almost your “do my assignment for me” request even on short notice. But even though you know that there is somebody you can always rely on for a high-quality academic paper, you should know how to properly structure your essays and other types of college assignments. If you haven’t learned this skill yet, it’s high time you did it. And we’re willing to help you with that.

Use the Concept Map or Outline

It’s much easier to create your essay when you have a map or outline to guide you throughout the process. If you’re new to college writing, don’t aim for sophisticated plans with multiple sub-points. Most freshman students can get by with a simple outline for the majority of their essays. Of course, as you progress, you’ll need to learn how to create complex outlines for more serious projects. For a successful outline, you need to identify the topic and summarize the main points of your assignment in one sentence. Then, hone in on your introductory paragraph, which needs to reflect all of the main points you intend to cover in the essay. Once you’re done outlining your intro, you can proceed to create categories and subcategories of your outline.

Some students find it more convenient to use concept maps when writing their papers. Such maps may come in handy when you need to visually organize the material you’re going to use in your paper. You may include concepts, ideas, or some individual words that are important for your research. Indicate the relationships between your concepts using arrows and add a short explanation if needed.

You can incorporate new ideas into your writing as you go along. It’s not a bid deal if your new ideas may deviate slightly from what was initially planned. But it’s important that you don’t forget to consult your outline and check back to your concept map to make sure your new thoughts fit organically into your paper.

Structuring Paragraphs

As you commence writing your essay paragraphs, think about the main idea you want to convey in this paragraph. By convention, each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that sums up the ideas communicated. In your paragraph, you can list several ideas, outline the problem you’re aiming to explore, compare and contrast several opinions on this problem, offer workable solutions, or describe the cause and effects of the phenomenon you’re researching.

Furthermore, you shouldn’t forget to use linking words in your text. Not only do they help you connect ideas, but also make smooth transitions between these ideas and paragraphs. In your list paragraphs, you can use such words as finally, first of all, moreover, furthermore, next, additionally, for instance, firstly, secondly, thirdly, and many others. If you crafting a cause and effect paragraph, opt for thus, whereas, consequently, hence, ergo, accordingly, that being the case, wherefore, and so on. Compare and contrast paragraphs can benefit from such words as on the contrary, conversely, on the one hand, otherwise, alternatively, that being said, admittedly, etc.

Essay Parts

As you know, your written academic assignment should consist of and introduction, body, and concluding paragraph. Still, some individual assignments may have specific requirements that may make you deviate from the classic structure. Take care to check the type of paper you’re expected to produce and structure your paper accordingly. Remember that your professor’s requirements take precedence over general or standard requirements.