Now that we've covered tone and voice, let's talk about organizing your ideas into a clear, readable paper. A well-structured paper helps your reader follow your argument, understand your evidence, and stay engaged from beginning to end.
The body: introduction, main points, conclusion
Think of your paper as a funnel: start broad, narrow in, then wrap things up.
Introduction
The introduction sets the stage. It introduces your topic, gives any background the reader needs, and clearly states your thesis, the main point or argument of your paper. It should also give your reader a sense of what's coming.
Main points, or body paragraphs
This is where you develop your ideas. Each paragraph or section focuses on a single point that supports your thesis. A topic sentence near the start makes the point clearly. Then come the explanation, the evidence (with its notes), and your analysis.
If your paper is long or has several sections, use subheadings to divide it. In a typical class paper, one or two levels are plenty. The headings lesson has the formats.
Conclusion
The conclusion brings everything together. It sums up your main points and reinforces your thesis, but it shouldn't be a copy of your introduction. Leave your reader with something meaningful to think about, or a sense of why your topic matters.
How an outline can help
Before you start writing, an outline can make the whole process easier and more focused. It helps you organize your thoughts, spot gaps in your argument, and set a logical order for your ideas. Instead of staring at a blank page, you'll have a roadmap from your introduction to your conclusion.
Start with a list of your main points, then add sub-points or supporting evidence under each one. Note which source supports which point as you go; in a Turabian paper, that's exactly where each footnote will land.
An outline, then the paper
Here's a short outline for the sample Bigfoot paper used in these lessons.
Bigfoot: The Truth Revealed
I. Introduction
Thesis: the physical evidence for Bigfoot points to animals we already know.
II. Background: why the hair samples matter
A. Hair credited to Bigfoot matched known animals (Sykes et al.)
B. Many sightings may be black bears (Lozier, Aniello, and Hickerson, 1626)
III. Conclusion: what the findings mean for the legend
- The introduction holds the thesisOne sentence the rest of the paper sets out to support.
- Each main point gets its evidenceThe sources go under the point they support, with the page you'll cite, so each footnote is ready before you write.
- The conclusion has a job tooNote what it will add, so it says more than the introduction did.
One last tip: transitions matter
Use clear transitions between ideas and paragraphs. They make your writing feel like a smooth path instead of a list of disconnected points.
Instead of:
This next point is about…
Try:
In addition to this finding, recent studies show…
If transitions are hard for you, write the paper without them first. Then go back and join the points together. Just be sure to add them before you turn the paper in.
Quick checklist
- A thesis stated in the introduction
- One main point per paragraph or section, each with its evidence
- Subheadings only where they help, one or two levels in a class paper
- A conclusion that adds something
- Transitions between points
Outlining in PERRLA
In PERRLA Online, each paper has an Outline tab where you can build your outline before you write. When you start writing, open the Outline panel to keep it beside the page, or insert the outline into the paper and write over it. The headings you set from Text & Heading Style take care of the formatting as your sections take shape.