The
Difference Between Structure and Organization
· Structure simply means that each individual
paragraph does what it is supposed to do.
· As far as what is a paragraph supposed to do, it depends what type of paragraph it is.
· The types of paragraphs are as follows:
a)
The
introductory paragraph.
b)
The
body paragraphs.
c)
The
concluding paragraph.
Basically, it is important to make certain
that:
· The introductory
paragraph does its job.
· The body paragraphs
do their job.
· The concluding
paragraph does its job.
· For
a one page handout that explains exactly what each paragraph must do, see "The
5 Paragraph Essay Format."
Organization:
· Organization has to do with the order in
which body paragraphs appear.
· Everything located
between the first paragraph and last paragraph is a body paragraph.
· Essays are mostly made up of body
paragraphs.
· Organization is how
the information is ordered. In your essay you make a
number of claims and provide much information that supports those claims. How
you order claims and information is organization.
Example:
· You are writing a
paper on the current state of research on human cloning.
· You decide to
include two paragraphs of background information on the history of cloning
research.
· The two paragraphs
appear on page four of your five page paper.
Your
professor suggests that the organization requires revision because there is an
abrupt shift in the essay's narrative. In other words, after almost four full
pages about the current state
of cloning research, the paper shifts into two paragraphs on history.
The inclusion of history is fine, but perhaps it should be included at the
beginning of the paper, so that your narrative moves from the early days of
cloning research to the current state of cloning research.
It is the same information, but ordered differently, which is a matter of
organization.
Recap:
· Structure: each individual
paragraph does what it is supposed to do. Again, see "The 5 Paragraph
Essay Format," which is accessible from the “Handouts” sidebar.
· Organization: It is how you
order the information.