Purpose, Structure, Content

 Each section of an academic essay has a specific purpose, and, therefore, a specific structure is required for the content. 



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If you have written an essay and the instructor states that the academic writing standards are not being met, then this means that you are struggling with the basics of academic writing.  Therefore, you will want to spend extra time learning about the purpose, structure, and content of different areas of an academic essay. 

·         If you visit the Rhetoric and Composition site, you will learn the purpose of some main writing assignments: proposal argument, ethical argument, and cause/effect argument essays.

·       If you visit the STRUCTURE site, you will learn how to organize your ideas to make the strongest writing possible.  After all, if your audience is confused about where you are going in the writing, you will lose them quickly. 

·       If you visit the CONTENT site, you will learn the basics for what goes where in an academic essay.

PURPOSE, STRUCTURE, and CONTENT
There are basic standards that most students come into a college class knowing such as: 
  1. the purpose of all areas of academic writing, 
  2. how to structure a body paragraph, 
  3. what content to put into a topic sentence,
  4. and so on.  

If students do not know these standards, they can learn about them through the online helper sites listed above. 

Below is a general overview of how this process works as one moves from Purposeà     Structureà     Content in a Topic Sentence.



EXAMPLE: UNDERSTANDING TOPIC SENTENCES
Purposeà     Structureà     Content


PURPOSE leads to a specific STRUCTURE,
and based on that STRUCTURE,
you will have certain CONTENT


[Purpose]
The purpose of a topic sentence is to assert part of the argument from the thesis statement (which is contained in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph). 

[Structure]
A body paragraph must begin with a topic sentence. 

The topic sentence must be structured in the paragraph as the first sentence of the body paragraph (to alert the reader to the focus for that given paragraph). 

Therefore, the structure of a body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that asserts the focus of the body paragraph [content] that stems from the thesis statement. 

[Content]
The content of the topic sentence of the body paragraph must be in your own words (and not sources) since it is part of your argument, and your argument must be in your own words as you begin the point to be proven in that given body paragraph.

It will not contain informal language and will assert one argument that is linked to the thesis statement. 

There will be no questions in body paragraph topic sentences.


After reviewing the content above about purpose, structure, and content, you should be able to tell if you have a handle on the construction for TOPIC SENTENCES in academic writing or if you are in need of a refresher. 

You will also want to pay close attention to the STRUCTURE and the CONTENT help sites so that you know 'what' goes 'where' in an academic essay.





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If you have questions about these items, please let your instructor know so that more clarity and direction can be provided on the purpose, structure, and content for various areas of academic writing.












Created by Jeanette Dick
© 2019

For Educational Purposes Only



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