Having a clear, logical paragraph structure can make all of the difference in the overall clarity and cohesion of your paper. Disorganized or disjoined paragraphs are difficult for readers to follow and can cloud the overall argument you are developing in a paper. In essence, paragraphs are the building blocks to your paper. And, contrary to popular belief, paragraphs are not defined by a particular length or number of sentences.
Rather, a paragraph is considered complete when there is "unity and coherence of ideas" (Duke University, n.d.) among sentences supporting a single main idea. And when you’re ready to move on to a new idea, you begin a new paragraph. Duke University’s Writing Studio recommends that, much like paragraphs serve as the building block of the paper, certain components serve as building blocks within each paragraph.
Think of these paragraph building blocks like a funnel of information: they begin wide and then narrow down to specifics. Having a paragraph structure such as this is especially important within research writing. According to Duke University, the main paragraph building blocks are as follows:
The main Idea is also known as the “topic sentence,” is often the first sentence of the paragraph, and usually focuses on a single idea.
Evidence is the information that supports the assertion made in the topic sentence. It is the part of the paragraph where writers will incorporate content from the sources they have read.
After presenting evidence from the literature, writers then need to analyze that evidence in the context of the topic. In other words, you need to tell the reader what the evidence means and why it’s important. This can be hard to separate from the evidence, and some paragraphs might require weaving together multiple pieces of evidence and analysis.
Finally, writers need to link back to the papers main idea/and or link to the next paragraph. Don’t just jump from one idea to the next; rather, help your reader transition with linking text.