How to Write an Organized Essay

Steps for Writing a Well-organized Paper

Aug 21, 2009

By following certain steps, students can produce papers and essays that are well organized, clear, and concise.

When it comes to writing an essay or a paper, some students make the mistake of sitting down at the computer and beginning to type without rhyme or reason. This is not the best approach, though, if students wish to write an essay or paper that is well organized, clear, and concise. The best approach is to follow certain steps that will, if not guarantee, at least help students achieve that goal.

Generate Ideas About the Topic

Generate ideas by brainstorming, clustering, or merely jotting down thoughts. Also decide upon the goal of the essay or paper: Is it to persuade, to inform, to instruct, to entertain, or perhaps to relate a story? What major and minor points are to be made? What sources, if any, will be needed? What kinds of facts, data, and/or statistics must be incorporated? What details or examples will make the essay or paper more interesting? If it’s a narrative, what descriptions will make it more colorful?

Gather the Necessary Information

Many essays and papers require facts, data, and/or statistics to support a student's arguments and conclusions; moreover, by incorporating research findings, a student increases his or her own authority in the eyes of the readers. This information, though, should not be gathered at the last minute. Ideally, it should be compiled before the essay or paper is actually written, although some information might be eliminated and new findings incorporated as the project progresses.

Note: When conducting research, make sure the information is relevant and timely as well as from credible sources.

Analyze the Information

Look carefully at the gathered information. Which ideas are most relevant to the topic? Which details are most interesting? Which items are closely related to one another? Which facts, data, or statistics will be most useful? How might all these things be arranged to be most effective? In what order will they be presented?

Identify the Main Point

Decide upon the main point to be made and write the thesis statement. This is one complete sentence that summarizes the main point. However, it should do so without announcing the purpose of the essay or paper; for example, “In this essay I will discuss why I think English teachers are the bane of every student’s existence.” Such announcements are called “statements of intention” and, at best, considered “heavy-handed” thesis statements.

Develop a Plan

When developing a plan, keep in mind that it does not need to be rigid. In fact, it should be flexible and allow for changes as the essay or paper develops, but it should also lay the foundation for the essay or paper. One approach is to create an outline, for example:

Thesis Statement: Science fiction presents a chilling picture of the future that awaits humankind.

Point Two: There are different forms of government control, some more covert than others.

Point Three: Increased government control will lead to the loss of many things humans take for granted.

Write the First Draft

Keeping the main point and sub-points constantly in mind, write the first draft. Do not, however, waste time fretting over typos, mechanics, spelling, etc. Just get down on paper as many ideas and as much information as possible. Also incorporate research findings when needed (cite the sources). Remember, this is a “rough” draft, not the finished product, which means it’s like a lump of coal that, with enough pressure, will eventually become a diamond.

Write the Second Draft

Evaluate the first draft and determine what needs to be done to make it better. Have enough details, examples, and/or facts been provided to support the main point and the minor points? Are research findings smoothly incorporated? Would information in one part of the essay or paper perhaps be more effective in another part? Does the essay or paper have an effective introduction? Does it have a conclusion, or does it instead come to an abrupt and jarring stop?

Edit the Final Copy

Now is the time to look for errors. Yes, word-processing programs such as Spell Check are useful, but do not rely solely upon them, for although helpful tools, such programs are not infallible. Instead, read each sentence aloud (It's possible to hear the errors) and ask such questions as these:

When students follow these steps, although there is no guarantee of success, chances are high they will produce an essay or paper that is well organized, clear, concise, and, ultimately, readable.

The copyright of the article How to Write an Organized Essay in Essay Writing is owned by Carol Rzadkiewicz. Permission to republish How to Write an Organized Essay in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.