General Structure of an Academic Essay

Thesis Statement

A clearly stated thesis statement serves as an anchor for your essay and helps you build momentum. The goal of your thesis statement should be to convince readers that you have deeply explored the topic and have come up with an assertion that is worth substantiating in the body of your paper.

Formulating a Thesis Statement

Introduction

Introductions usually start off a bit broad and narrow down to the thesis, which is usually located at the end of the first paragraph. But remember that every sentence in the first paragraph leading up to the thesis is crucial because it provides substance to your assertion.

A catchy first line is a great way to start your introduction. But there are a few opening phrases that Amy Guptill (2016, p. 179) lists in Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence that you may want to be wary of such as:

If you are looking for the authoritative voice of an effective definition, consider looking at disciplinary-specific sources, such as a medical journal or a sociology textbook. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are considered credible sources, however, at the university level, they are not usually considered substantive or scholarly.

Body paragraphs

Each body paragraph contains one key argument that will support your thesis statement. Within each paragraph there will be numerous supporting points that make up the key argument. If you find that your evidence or topic sentences diverge from the thesis statement, revise your thesis to broaden or narrow it.

 The structure of a body paragraph is as follows:

1. Topic sentence - summarize the argument in one sentence. Readers should be able to understand the main idea of the paragraph from this sentence alone. For example, in an essay about how the media shapes perceptions of Islam, one topic sentence could be: “Western nations benefit from portraying Islam inaccurately in the media, as it allows them to capitalize on political gain and work towards their own interests”.
2. Explain the first supporting point in detail. Make sure to explicitly link the supporting point to your thesis statement.
3. Provide evidence (quotes, statistics, case studies etc.).
4. Repeat with all other supporting points.
5. Concluding sentence - restate the overall argument of the paragraph, then transition to the following paragraph.

In your thesis statement, you made an assertion or a claim. Most body paragraphs will provide key arguments supporting your thesis statement. However, in one body paragraph, you may need to provide a counter argument, which is where you consider a reason that your thesis is not true. In other words, you are looking at the opposite side of the argument and proving yourself wrong. Often you will then counter the counterargument, thus reinforcing your thesis. This is the essence of academic argument.

conclusion

The conclusion starts by revisiting the thesis and reinforcing the overall assertion you made in your introduction (but don’t just restate your thesis!). Aim to provide a sense of resolution or closure with your final paragraph. A properly crafted conclusion should also expand the scope of your argument and explain its wider implications. Your conclusion should not introduce completely new ideas, but you should strive to include additional information without steering away from the flow of your analysis or exposition.

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