The so-called structural scheme refers to the steps of constructing an article, or the basic composition mode of the article itself. Most practical articles have a relatively fixed structure, and academic papers are no exception. From the perspective of stylistic types, academic papers are a kind of argumentative papers. In argumentative writing, the author's ideas are usually developed in the order of asking questions, analyzing problems and solving problems. This idea is externalized into the structure of the article, forming three parts: preface, theory and conclusion. This structural form of argumentative writing is usually called "syllogism". "Syllogism" is a generalization of the general composition or structural characteristics of all argumentative writing styles, so it is also applicable to academic papers.

(1) Preface Theory

Preface is also called preface, introduction, introduction and conclusion. This is the beginning of a paper. This section usually includes:

Ask questions. This is the content that should be included in the preface of almost all academic papers, and the expression of other contents in the preface is often around the problem. It provides a theoretical basis.

Point out the background, reason, significance and research purpose of the topic.

Clear your point of view and summarize your basic views on the problem.

Explain the basic concepts. The basic concept of the article refers to the core concept that constitutes the research theme and the basic viewpoint of the paper. In order to ensure the certainty and consistency of topics and arguments, the meaning of basic concepts can be explained in the preface.

Indicate the research method or demonstration method. What noteworthy research methods have been adopted in the research of the subject, or what unique argumentation methods will be adopted in the paper, can be explained in the preface.

Strictly limit the scope of the subject. Some problems are studied at close range, and the preface of the paper should also explain this point, at least to explain to readers what aspects the paper will focus on or not.

In addition, the preface of the paper can also be written as other contents. For example, if it is a rebuttal paper, it is necessary to simply comment on the other party's main points in the preface, which can also be regarded as a way to ask questions in this kind of paper; If the paper is long, you can make a brief introduction to this part in the preface, or prompt the demonstration results.

Generally, the contents listed above will not all involve the preface of a paper. The author of the paper can write one or more of them selectively and emphatically according to his own needs.

(2) this theory

This theory is the main part of the paper, the part of analyzing problems and proving viewpoints, and the part of expressing research results in a comprehensive, detailed and centralized way.

This part is long in length and large in capacity, and generally does not consist of only one level or one paragraph. There is a close structural relationship between different levels or paragraphs. According to the different structural relations between levels or paragraphs, the structural forms of this part can be divided into three types: parallel, progressive and mixed.

Parallel structure, also known as horizontal structure, means that all small arguments are in the same breath, and all levels are arranged in parallel, discussing problems from different angles and different sides, so that the content of the article presents a pattern of going hand in hand.

Progressive structure, also known as vertical structure or linear structure, refers to the structural way of expressing content step by step from shallow to deep. There is a logical relationship between levels, which is promoted step by step. The content of the latter level is the development of the content of the previous level, and the latter argument is the deepening of the previous argument.

The so-called mixed structure is the structural form of parallel and progressive mixing. Adapting to the complexity of content, the structural form of academic papers is rarely single. In some articles, there is a parallel relationship between the main levels, but there is a progressive relationship between the paragraphs in the main levels, or there are parallel paragraphs in the main levels, and there is a progressive relationship between them. In some articles, the structural relationship between the major levels is not single, and there are parallel and progressive relationships between the different levels of the article.

In order to make this part more organized, people often add some external signs before each level of this part. These external signs used to distinguish grades are mainly sequence codes, subheadings, combinations of sequence codes and subheadings and blank lines.

(3) Conclusion

The conclusion is the last part of the paper. This part generally includes the following contents:

Show the results of the argument. In this part, the author can summarize the problems and contents of the article, and put forward general views and conclusive opinions on the problems.

The direction of further research is pointed out. In the conclusion part of the paper, sometimes the author should not only summarize the demonstration results, but also point out the shortcomings in the research of this topic, and put forward what problems are worthy of further discussion, so as to provide clues for the follow-up research of this topic.

Presenting the results of argumentation and pointing out the direction of further research are two common contents in the conclusion of academic papers, of which the first content, presenting the results of argumentation, is usually the basic content in the conclusion.

In addition, according to the actual situation, other contents can be written in the conclusion of the paper. For example, if the research results reflected in the paper have high practical value, the author should also state the prospect of popularization and application of the research results, or put forward specific suggestions. If the research results are breakthrough, or its significance and influence are not easily understood by readers, it is necessary to make a realistic explanation and estimation of the significance and possible influence of the research results in the conclusion part.

Preface, thesis and conclusion are closely linked, which is a common structural procedure of academic papers. However, some papers directly enter the argument of the problem at the beginning, sum up the topics and reveal the theme, that is, there are only topics and conclusions, and there is no relatively independent preface; Some papers summarize the main points of the full text in the preface, show the demonstration results, or summarize it while discussing this part, instead of focusing on the full text in the form of conclusions. The article only has a preface and main theories, and there is no independent conclusion. The latter two structural schemes can be regarded as the evolution or variation of this structural scheme. In the writing of a thesis, what kind of structural scheme is adopted depends on the actual needs of writing.

2. Draft a writing outline

Before writing a paper formally, it is an important means to improve the quality of the article by reflecting the structure of the article in the form of a writing outline.

Writing an outline is the best way to visualize the logical relationship of an article, which helps the author to sort out his ideas and make them stereotyped. It is helpful to think and guide writing. People often compare the writing outline to the "design drawing" of an article. Gai Lou can't do without design drawings, and writing a thesis can't do without writing an outline. If the article to be written is short and the structure is simple, it may be inconvenient to arrange the structure only by memory. If you want to write a long and complicated academic paper, you can't solve the problem with a light backrest. It can be said that writing an outline is an essential preparation before drafting a paper.