Organizing Information

Organization is important to communication. Click the horn--think about it!

Organizing Information*

Organizing my essay: There are general considerations for organizing the information in an essay as well as organizational patterns for specific types of essays. Begin by selecting and organizing from the information below on assisted suicide for an essay responding to the prompt. (Of course in your own essays, you will write most of the text yourself and only use quoted or summarized information for supporting and developing your ideas and claims.)

One of the keys to a well-organized paper is that you consider your options in organization. To look at your options, first think of the parts of the paper as separate chunks of information that may be arranged in a variety of ways. Look at the several sections of information below concerning euthanasia In what ways can you drag and drop the information, arranging it into a text that flows well?

General Considerations: [To top]

Think about your audience(s): do they need background information, definitions, or "the point" of your essay early?
Is there information they might not like or become upset about; if so where is will that information be placed? How will you prepare them to receive that information?
How will the audience use the paper? Will they require information in a certain order to follow a process or understand an event?
Do your readers need an early forecast of the structure of the rest of the paper?
Will using talking heads help you to arrange your information.
What are the different parts of the paper; what possible ways can those parts be arranged?

Click here! Do the practice page before completing the form below.

Organizational Patterns [To top]

There are many types of standard arrangements for papers and parts of papers. View some of those listed below for ideas, then think about the best arrangement for your own paper. You may then wish to revise or add to the possible arrangements you've already listed in your email record. Remember that these are the "bare bones" forms of the essays, and that you may need to employ additional sections. Of course, there will be questions of organization within a section--the key is to consider your options.

Emphasis/De-emphasis Points of Emphasis	Papers Comparison & Contrast	Parts/Sections of Papers Chronological/Sequential
Inductive/deductive	"Full" Persuasive	Increasing/decreasing order of importance
Allocation of Space	Process or Instructions	Spatial
	Cause & Effect
	Problem/Solution (Proposal)
	Definition
	Classification

Points of Emphasis

Usually in English, the most emphatic points of a text are the beginning and the end. (The middle can be a place to "hide" or de-emphasize information.)

Emphatic!

Less emphatic

Emphatic

Deductive/Inductive

Usually in English, the text is arranged deductively: the general point or claim at the beginning followed by specific examples or explanation.

Inductive arrangement, where the general point or claim is delayed, if often used if the audience probably won't like the point you have to make.

Allocation of Space

Giving more space to a topic or point usually lends more emphasis.

Summary

Discussion

Conclusion

Comparison and Contrast finds similarities and differences of two or more subjects or objects. There are two basic arrangements: [To the list.]

I. Introduction

II. First subject/object

A. Point of comparison 1

B. Point of comparison2 . . . (and so on)

III. Second subject/object

A. Point 1 (same topic as II.A above)

B. Point 2 (same topic as II.B above)

IV. Conclusion

I. Introduction

II. Point of comparison 1

A. First subject/object

B. Second subject/object

III. Point of comparison 2

A. First subject/object (same as II.A above)

B. Second subject/object (same as II.B above)

IV. Conclusion

Persuasive usually has six basic elements; the major organizational question is the order of presenting your own argument and addressing the counter-arguments. Two possible arrangements are shown below. [To the list.]

I. Introduction

II. Statement of your position.

III. Support and development of your position.

IV. Statement of other position(s).

V. Response to other position(s).

VI. Conclusion.

I. Introduction

II. Statement of your position.

III. Statement of other position(s).

IV. Response to other position(s)

V. Support and development of your position.

VI. Conclusion.

Process or Instructions generally follow a linear or sequential movement. [To the list.]

I. Introduction

II. Materials.

III. Cautions (these may be embedded in specific steps.)

IV. Step 1

V. Step 2 . . . (and so on)

VI. Conclusion.

Cause & Effect usually either deal with a single cause that has many effects or with many causes that produce a single effect. [To the list.]

One cause/many effects

I. Introduction.

II. Statement/description of cause.

III. Effect 1

IV. Effect 2 . . . (and so on)

V. Conclusion.

Many causes/one effect

I. Introduction.

II. Statement/description of effect.

III. Cause 1

IV. Cause 2 . . . (and so on)

V. Conclusion.

Problem/Solution (Proposal) papers identify a problem, usually weigh alternative, and suggest a solution. They may also suggest ways to implement and evaluate the proposed plan. [To the list.]

I. Introduction.

II. Identification and definition of the problem.

III. Criteria/guidelines for a "good" solution (for example, based on cost, time, regulations, personnel, results).

IV. Alternative plans.

V. Evaulation of alternatives.

VI. Recommended plan.

VII. Implementation.

VIII. Criteria/guidelines for evaluation.

IX. Conclusion

Definitions usually deal at length with a term; ba definition of loyalty or courageous action might run for several pages. [To the list.]

I. Introduction

II. Formal (dictionary-like) definition of the term.

III. Criteria/guidelines

IV. Examples of the term.

V. Near-examples of the term (something that seems, for example, courageous but really is not).

VI. Conclusion.

Classification usually groups objects or people into related categories (the good student, the struggling student, the laid back student.. [To the list.]

I. Introduction.

II. Discussion of general group to be classified.

III. Explanation of the categories + criteria/guidelines for determining "fit" into the categories.

IV. Examples of member(s) of each categories.

V. Conclusion

Chronological/Sequential. To emphasize how events unfold over time, for example, the development of a court case or a description of a process. [To the list.]

Increasing/decreasing order of importance. Start off with your strongest point or example OR build an ever more convincing paper. [To the list.]

Spatial. To describe an object from top-to-bottom, inside out, front-to-back, right-to-left, etc. [To the list.]