An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as a thesis, dissertation or research paper). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.
Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.
One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:
Published on
February 13, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
June 1, 2023.
When you apply for graduate programs or scholarships, the admissions committee is looking for more than just a list of grades. The statement of purpose (also known as a statement of intent or motivation letter) is your chance to stand out from the crowd and showcase your motivation, skills and potential. It should:
Outline your academic or professional interests and goals
Discuss relevant skills, experience and achievements
Demonstrate why you’d be a good fit for the program
Published on
January 24, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 23, 2023.
The conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay. A strong conclusion aims to:
Tie together the essay’s main points
Show why your argument matters
Leave the reader with a strong impression
Your conclusion should give a sense of closure and completion to your argument, but also show what new questions or possibilities it has opened up.
This conclusion is taken from our annotated essay example, which discusses the history of the Braille system. Hover over each part to see why it’s effective.
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. It usually comes near the end of your introduction.
Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.
Example: Thesis statementDespite Oscar Wilde’s Aestheticist claims that art needs no justification or purpose, his work advocates Irish nationalism, women’s suffrage, and socialism.
You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:
This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction, focused paragraphs, clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion.
Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence, and each point is directly related to the thesis statement.
As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.
An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.
There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative—they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.
The essay writing process consists of three main stages:
Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
Revision: Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.
