Structure

Structuring the Research Paper
Formal Research Structure
For emphasis, the primary purposes for formal research are repeated here:
• find and understand raw data and information
• enter the discourse, or conversation, of other writers and scholars in your field
• learn how others in your field use primary and secondary resources
For the formal or primary academic research assignment, where you will take your place in the scholarly conversation, consider an organizational pattern typically used for primary academic research. This organization consists of these sections—introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions and recommendations.
The research paper flows from the general to the specific and back to the general in its organization. The introduction uses a general-to-specific movement in its organization, establishing the thesis and setting the context for the conversation. The methods and results sections are more detailed and specific, providing support for the generalizations made in the introduction. The discussion section moves toward an increasingly more general discussion of the subject leading to the conclusions and recommendations, which then generalize the conversation again.
The Introduction
Many students will find that writing a structured introduction gets them started and gives them the needed focus that significantly improves their entire paper. Usually, you will not actually begin writing here, but in a later section, wherever you think you have the most information. Because introductions are so highly structured, you may actually write your introduction last.
Introductions usually have three parts:
1. presentation of the problem or the research inquiry
2. purpose and focus of the current paper
3. summary or overview of the writer’s position or arguments
As you can see, a thoughtfully written introduction can provide a blueprint for the entire research paper.
In the first part of the introduction, the presentation of