Formal Research Essay Structure

Writing a formal essay is a skill you may not have acquired in high school, but need to learn in college. When presenting a formal research essay, you need to properly introduce the concepts, present your findings and form a solid conclusion to sum up the purpose of the paper. Individual professors may require minor structural changes, but the basic format for each paper should follow general guidelines.
  1. Introduction

    • The introduction of your paper is what the reader sees first. It should provide a strong overview of the content and purpose of the paper. You should introduce the problem or topic you're researching, tell why you're conducting the research and give the arguments or position you're supporting in the body of the paper. Include background information on the topic to signify its importance. The last sentence of the introduction should be a lead to the rest of your paper and briefly summarize the main points presented. You will probably revise your introduction several times while writing your paper and, if experiencing difficulty, may want to write your introduction after completing other sections.

    Methods

    • The methods section is the first part of the content in your paper and describes the special materials or methods you used to conduct the research. These may include materials for an experiment, questionnaires, surveys or interviews. If you're not sure how to define the methodology, consult with your professor for suggestions or guidelines.

    Results

    • Present your findings in the results section of your paper using charts, tables and graphs along with text. List numbers, facts and figures for the quantitative data that you can measure, and use words to accurately describe and interpret qualitative information such as briefs, summaries and explanations. Include only information relevant to the study. Number each graphic and refer to it in-text by number when you mention it.

    Discussion

    • Make conclusions from your findings in the discussion section. Refer back to the points made in your introduction and identify whether or not the research supports your thesis. Keep the discussion on topic and do not introduce new information or irrelevant information that does not link directly to your thesis.

    Conclusions and Recommendations

    • You may end your paper at the discussion section or continue on to present a conclusion and recommendation section at the end of the paper. The conclusion should specifically link the research and identify where the reader should go from there. At the end, you can put your opinion, recommend what should be done about the problem to remedy it or suggest that additional research be conducted before making a final conclusion.

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