Organizing Your Argument

Once you have established a working thesis, it’s time to think about how you’ll organize your argument. While it’s important to note that you should continue in your quest for resources and support throughout this process, even as you locate source material, you can begin to think about how you plan to bring your ideas and your sources together into a clear, organized manner.

As is the case with all types of writing, there is no one right way to organize or structure an argument. However, there are some basic structures and formats that can help you get an idea of how you want to organize your work and, at the very least, provide you with a baseline structure for your argument.

In the pages that follow, you’ll explore different types and structures of arguments and will consider the pros and cons of each one. The important thing to remember is that you want to choose an argument structure that works well for your situation, meeting the needs of your audience as well as your goals as a writer. It’s also good to remember that even the structures you see here are not “set in stone,” and there is room for flexibility within these structures.