Hayley Mathers

Structure of a Research Paper or Essay

All essays and research papers consist of three parts:  an introduction, body and conclusion.

The Introduction is the first paragraph.  In the introduction, it is a general statement about the topic, provides the main arguments of the paper and concludes with the thesis.  The thesis is the last sentence of the paragraph and is a strong statement that you can prove.

A thesis statement is the controlling idea of the research and is a map to the route the research will follow. The thesis is specific and expresses one major idea about the subject. (Additional Information on Formulating a Thesis)

The Body is where the evidence to prove the thesis is presented. The information supports or proves the thesis statement.  This supporting information can be analysis, argument, evaluation, persuasion and comparison/contrast.  The body of the paper is well organized with each paragraph consisting of a topic sentence, supporting and concluding sentences and a transition to the next paragraph

            All support for your thesis, whether quoted or paraphrased, must be cited.

Conclusion – This is the last paragraph of the paper and summarizes how your paper proved the thesis; no new information is given in this paragraph.