Writing About Research & Structuring the Research Essay

When a writer begins to plan a research essay it can feel overwhelming – there is so much research gathered and information to choose from, but where to start. For an inquiry-based research essay, which follows a question and considers the significance of researched information on an audience, it makes sense to structure the essay around that significance.

The writer can start to structure the essay simply, by asking: what should I tell readers I want to discuss (Introduction); what is the main idea I want to get across to readers (Thesis); what are the key ideas around that main idea that I want to convey (Paragraphs); and what is the most significant point I want readers to take away from reading this essay – what is the one thing I want them to understand (Conclusion). With that basic structure identified, the writer can build from there by developing paragraphs based on evidence in the sources found, and by expanding on ideas or refining them so they are clear and concise.

Just like building a house, a solid foundation is important – ideas are like the framing and concrete foundation on which you add evidence (basic floors, walls, wiring, plumbing) that there is a house, you expand on that evidence with detail to convey the significance of this particular house (tile or wood flooring, kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures), and you connect all the parts so that house is one cohesive unit (maybe open concept with a modern theme). If that metaphor doesn’t work, think of building the perfect sandwich or burger or taco with the foundation, the toppings, and the bread/bun/tortilla holding it all together as one cohesive unit.

As the writer writes and revises through several drafts of the essay, expanding on ideas in greater detail, providing evidence in support of those ideas, and providing analysis about the evidence and how it supports, contradicts, or otherwise frames an idea, continues until the essay is a much more robust and fully-formed version of its initial structure.

A writer might prefer to start by creating a diagram or cluster map of ideas – something visual to represent ideas and how they relate to one another. Whether a simple diagram on a post-it note, an elaborate mapping scheme, a traditional outline, or a written reflection of statements, writers generally have some sort of structure to guide them as they begin a research essay and to provide structure as they continue to build on that foundation. The CARS model (Links to an external site.) is also helpful.

Writing About Research

Writers often find a simple self-reflection to be the best place to start thinking about how to organize thoughts. In a five-minute free write, describe as much as you can to answer the following questions about your topic – this will help develop a structure for your essay:

1. What is interesting to know about this topic?
2. What has already been said about it – what did you find in the research?
3. What is important/interesting about what has been said – what matters most?
4. What do I know now about this topic that I didn’t understand before researching?
5. What do I think is important to say about what I now understand?
6. What one thing is most important to say – what one thing do I want readers to take away from reading my essay about this topic?

This should give you some basic ideas about what to write about from your research. But it’s not enough to just report on what your research sources provide. You have to organize all the information into your own ideas about the topic. This resource on organizing (Links to an external site.) might be helpful. Use the following to further develop a potential structure for your research essay:

Developing a Potential Structure

1. Introduce the research problem or question and the rationale for exploring it.

• • Explain the issue or the problem
  • Describe the surrounding context if relevant
  • What would make someone curious about it? What would make someone want to read more about the topic?

1. Establish the significance of the problem or question and why readers should care about it.

• • How many people are affected?
  • What aspects of our society are affected?
  • What difference will it make in people’s lives?
  • Why is this particular question significant?

1. Describe and analyze what has already been written or said by others about the topic.

• • Who has made a significant contribution to the conversation (existing research) about this?
  • Who are the strongest, most credible voices in the conversation?
  • What have they said and how does that relate to your research question?
  • What important questions do these other voices raise for you?

1. Explain what you find to be the most significant or key answer to the research question?

• • In the end, which voices were most convincing? Why?
  • What aspects of the conversation turned out to be most important? Why?
  • What might you add to the conversation?
  • What do you want to say?

1. Describe what you’ve come to understand about the topic that you didn’t fully appreciate when you began the project. What is left to explore? What would others still want to know?

• • What difference will the discoveries you made about your topic make in your life? In your readers’ lives? In the lives of any specific audience to which your essay might be targeted?
  • What do you remain curious about?
  • What questions remain unanswered or what issue is unresolved?
  • What directions might you take if you were to continue the inquiry?

Now go back and identify anything you can’t answer, any areas you might need more sources to support, or any questions that come up. Even if you can’t answer all the prompts above, do you have enough to develop a structure for your essay that will guide your writing. Can you imagine using this structure to build on – can you imagine adding evidence from various sources to each of your points? Can you envision how you might provide analysis of all that evidence? Can you determine a clear thesis that represents your essay and to which all your other points will connect? Can you see ahead to a possible conclusion that gives readers a sense of what’s most important to know about your topic?

After you try developing a structure for your essay, take five minutes and reflect in writing:

• From your structure so far, can you imagine the finished essay, even if you don’t yet know all the details you’ll include?
• Which part of your structure feels strongest and why?
• Which part is not as strong? What would help strengthen it?
• Have you identified any potential issues in structuring your essay that you need help with? Have you asked peers for input? Have you asked your instructor? What will you do to address those issues so the essay can proceed?

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