Essay Shape and Organization

When you first began writing academic essays, you followed a very straightforward structure. This writing style may seem very direct, but it is expected for basic essays. That structure becomes more flexible with longer essays and more complex topics. The organization of most essays will involve the use of introduction paragraphs, body paragraphs, and conclusion paragraphs. Each basic type of paragraph functions similarly. Furthermore, when writing academic papers using sources, you will need to include a section listing the sources used. In APA style this is called a reference page.  You can review each type of paragraph and section briefly in this unit.