Embedded Files
Essay Structure
Within every well written, formal piece of academic writing, there lies a considerable amount of time that should be allocated to essay structure and the outlines that supported the argument being presented. Essay structure, which many assume to be the simple introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, involves the organization of the author's thoughts, ideas, and arguments into a cohesive piece. The main goal of any essay is to modify the thinking of the reader regarding the significance of a topic and related examples and to promote change and growth; by incorporating efficient essay structure, this task can become not only efficient, but successful. Developing the essay structure within individual paragraphs is also crucial to the individual paragraph organization that when combined, constitutes the ultimate essay structure. By segmenting the essay into smaller pieces, from paragraphs to sentences, the author can further convey a message that connects back to an overarching topic or argument. Deborah Holdstein and Danielle Aquiline further emphasize the importance of piecing together evidence and ideas when they explain, "Part of the organization process also involves differentiating between ideas that you will glean from your many resources and ideas that you have been able to craft and to synthesize" (105). Students often get lost in the research that they conduct for an essay. This struggle can express itself in the form of finding quotes within pages of evidence or finding reliable, supportive evidence in the first place. By utilizing a descriptive essay outline, students can reduce this confusion and begin to organize and distinguish between ideas found in research and evidence. Although essay structure often seems straightforward, students must realize that although the order of paragraphs is simplistic in nature, structure within those paragraphs is built upon the introduction, presentation, and analysis of evidence that supports the thesis. Overall, essay structure contains an introduction paragraph that provides background of the topic along with the presentation of sub-topics that will be discussed and ending with the thesis. The body paragraphs contain the sub-topics that were presented in the introduction, the evidence backing the topic, and the analysis of that evidence. The conclusion paragraph revisits the main and sub-topics that were presented in the body paragraphs along with a restatement of the thesis to leave the reader with a developed understanding of the essay and the argument.
Importance of an Outline
Before starting an essay, the writer should create an outline of the essay to organize the main elements of the essay. An outline is significant to the development of an essay structure because the writer can establish the thesis of the essay and research to collect the necessary evidence to support their main arguments. By strategically organizing the arguments in the essay, the writer can provide a more coherent argument that supports the thesis and facilitates a smoother integration of sentences within the paragraphs. The separation of the paragraphs into the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion causes the writer to conceptualize the specific points for each individual paragraph and develop a concrete purpose for every paragraph that contributes towards the thesis. The outline is crucial for planning the purpose of the essay and upon completing the outline, the writer has a firm foundation of supported arguments to establish the structure of their essay.
Introduction:
Essay Topic Sentence: With the drug epidemic affecting every corner of the world, safe injection sites provide a sterile, medical environment that could pose a solution to the number of deaths from overdose, while also creating opportunities to receive addiction treatment.
Specific Point 1: The War on Drugs generated a stereotypical view of those suffering from substance abuse disorder that further hinders the implementation of safe injection sites.
Specific Point 2: The presence of medical professionals within a sterile safe injection site allows for the prevention of overdoses, drug-related deaths, and the spread of infectious diseases.
Specific Point 3: Safe injection sites provide a calming environment to receive potential drug intervention and gateways to addiction treatment.
Concrete examples to be examined: The concrete examples being examined are the historical context to the War on Drugs, specific safe injection sites in other countries, and kinds of treatments that such sites can provide.
Thesis Statement: This essay will present the argument that the War on Drugs perpetuated a harmful stereotype regarding those who suffer from substance abuse disorder, resulting in a higher level of difficulty to implement safe injection sites that provide necessary, life-saving services that reduce the number of overdoses and HIV/AIDS.
Stakeholders:
Government officials: Government officials have historically opposed the opening of safe injection sites, in particular, “The Department of Justice has not yet taken a formal position on safe injection sites, but in a New York Times editorial, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened that ‘cities and states should expect the Department of Justice to meet the opening of any injection site with swift and aggressive action’” (414). Despite strong empirical support for safe injection facilities, U.S. policymakers have traditionally been resistant to them. Like many other public health-oriented drug strategies-from needle exchange to heroin-assisted treatment 9 -safe injection sites were long considered to be off-limits in the United States simply because they were incompatible with the war on drugs.' Through the lens of the drug war, these sort of harm reduction measures were seen as a "form[] of surrender"" and rejected out of hand” (416).
Drug users: The overall purpose of safe injection sites is to reduce the number of overdoses and drug-related deaths. By this theory, those suffering from substance abuse disorder should gain the most out of the use of such sites.
Completion of an Essay Outline
Introduction: The introduction section of the outline needs to include the main points that are going to be discussed in not only the body paragraphs, but the entirety of the essay. The concrete examples should be outlined, and the thesis statement will be the last section (as it should be the last sentence of the introduction paragraph). In regard to the example provided to the left, the stakeholders are also outlined. While this is not a specific requirement of this particular outline, it is important to keep in mind for the author as they go about writing their essay, as the stakeholders are the parties who are most affected by the topic.
(Figure 1)
Section 1:
Topic Sentence: The stigmatism and harmful stereotypes surrounding those who suffer from substance abuse disorder has made the implementation of safe injection sites difficult due to the historical ideas stemming from the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs was a worldwide, but more western, movement in the late 1980s that focused on heightening sentences and penalties for drug possession and use.
Specific points: Other countries have been implementing safe injection sites for years, yet the United States has been particularly oppositional to the idea. This is due to the War on Drugs mentality that views such government/city outreach programs as a way to give up on the drug epidemic/take the easy way out.
Evidence:
“Although SISs have been implemented and are operating in many municipalities in various countries around the world, public health officials in the United States remain largely unconvinced that an SIS could ever be implemented and evaluated in the U.S. This view is perhaps the result of the ‘War on Drugs’ mentality that pervades U.S. society and the public’s disinterest in doing anything that might be seen as ‘helping drug addicts.’ The literature has shown, however, that in the mid to late 1980s there was a similar disbelief about needle exchange programs – that they would never be accepted and implemented in the U. S.” (734).
“the anti-drug campaigns over the past 20 years have added to the isolation and marginalisation of the discarded working-class youth, many of whom began taking drugs in the 1980s. In addition to having to overcome their addiction, one of the biggest hurdles they must face is breaking through the barrier of social exclusion” (8).
Examples: The War on Drugs is not solely a western mentality, therefore, an example regarding the UK is relevant. The creation of an image to represent a typical drug user is often used in regards to the War on Drugs.
Analysis:
By reducing a person, with family, friends, and an entire life, to simply a “drug user,” government officials can take away the humanity that is deeply connected with drug abuse. In turning drug users into scapegoats, other policies that focus on rehabilitation over criminalization can be displayed as ineffective or useless. Safe injection sites, like the once-opposed needle exchanges, work to serve not only drug users, but community members and the cities they live in; in time, they could become just as accepted as other public health programs.
Through the continued degradation of the public perception of a drug user, governments have simultaneously made getting help more difficult for users to come forward for assistance: fearing retaliation and criminal prosecution. By continuously viewing and labeling users as outcasts, the government is inherently worsening the issue of drug abuse through stigmatization.
Paragraph argument: The War on Drugs has created a harmful mentality regarding how many individuals view those that suffer from addiction.
Completion of an Essay Outline
Section 1-3: The format for section 1 is identical to sections 2 and 3, where the outline requires a topic sentence, specific points, evidence, analysis, and paragraph argument. The topic sentence serves as an introduction to the paragraph's argument and establishes a connection between the argument and the thesis; however, the contents within the sentence should not be too specific or general. The following category after the topic sentence is the inclusion of a specific point, where further details from the topic sentence can be included to give the reader context on the topic. A specific point should correlate with the specific points from the introduction section of the outline. To support the argument, evidence is required to establish the credibility of the argument. Evidence can be listed in the outline, providing the writer with a systematic compilation of evidence to analyze and strengthen the argument discussed within the paragraph. The analysis should not be repeating the information from the evidence, but rather identify the significance of the causes from the evidence. The ending category in the outline of section 1 is the paragraph argument, which should be a level 5 sentence that embodies the argument of the paragraph and relates the problem to the thesis.
Conclusion:
Essay topic revisited: The topics revisited must all include the connection to the War on Drugs. Specifically, the idea of rehabilitation, HIV/AIDS, and overdose prevention must be viewed regarding the stereotype perpetuated by the War on Drugs.
Paragraph argument claims revisited: The War on Drugs has created a harmful mentality that is preventing the implementation of safe injection sites that could save lives while also providing treatment for addiction.
Final argument claim (hint: revised thesis): The War on Drugs has manifested into a dangerous mindset regarding those who have substance abuse disorder, resulting in the hinderance of the establishment of safe injection sites that contain the potential to the drug problem affecting every corner of the world.
Completion of an Essay Outline
Conclusion: Restating the point of the academic paper, and what is being argued- an overview. Specific points made throughout the essay are highlighted, yet no new claims are being made- allowing for a strong ending. Rewriting thesis statement allows for the academic writing to be organized; be sure the conclusion is concise.
(Figure 2)
Learn more about each below:
Structure of Body Paragraphs
Each body paragraph in an essay should have four main parts: the topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and evidence. A strong body paragraph follows the "Uneven U-Model". The Uneven U-Model consists of the format 4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5. These numbers refer to the analysis level of the sentence, with 1 being concrete evidence, and 5 being an abstract, or general claim that argues for a conclusion or change of some sort. The content of the paragraph should start with a topic sentence (level 4) to give the reader an idea of what the paragraph will argue. Then the writer should provide context on the topic and start to introduce the sources that will be provided (level 3-2 sentences). The evidence should originate from credible and non-biased sources. Careful attention should be placed on assuring that sources are not chosen solely for agreeing with the author, but for providing truthful and insightful information. Lacking sufficient evidence makes the essay sound weak. When choosing evidence, considering potential counterarguments for your point is crucial. A counterargument might be a flaw in the writer's argument, and keeping the flaws to a minimum is vital. The most important part of a body paragraph is the analysis. The analysis supports and defends the evidence that is provided. The analysis should also explain the evidence and make the reader understand why the evidence was included. Having strong analysis is essential for persuading a reader (level 3-4 sentence). Finally, the paragraph should end with a broad level 5 sentence that makes a broader claim based on the analysis and evidence provided in the body paragraph. Further detail can be found through the "More on Paragraph Structure" button above.
Structure of a Conclusion
The final section of the essay synthesizes all the vital components of the argument. This is the final chance for writers to solidify their argument and make points that leave the reader in agreement. To achieve this, the thesis is rewritten, and the most crucial points are restated. However, note that the conclusion should not restate the introduction paragraph, but rather strengthen the claims made throughout the essay. Further, there should be no new information being presented and argued at this point. Adding new information this late in the essay leads to confusion and an overall weak conclusion.
To enhance the conclusion, make claims specific and concise. This will ensure the reader can quickly follow and recall the main points. General or vague language can be confusing and leave the reader wondering what the writer's augment genuinely is. Restating the argument and emphasizing on why the argument has a purpose, will create a strong conclusion, Lastly, wording and length, the conclusion should be around five to eight sentences. Summarize the main points, explain the importance of the claims to create an organized essay, easy to follow. Avoiding these common mistakes creates a clear and concise academic paper, effectively summarizing main points and leaving the reader confident.
Works Cited
Holdstein, Deborah H., Aquiline, Danielle. "Who Says? The Writer's Research." Oxford UP, vol. 2, 2017.
Unknown "Plants Vs. Zombies Clipart" ClipartLook, 2020.
Linford, John. “Essay Planning: Outlining with a Purpose.” San Jose State University Writing Center. 2014. pp. 1-4. https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Essay%20Planning%20%20Outlining.pdf. Accessed 05 June 2023.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse