This guide discusses basic university essay structure. 

A basic essay structure consists of these main elements:

• Introduction
• Main Body
• Conclusion
• Reference List

Your essay is usually written in the third person, meaning you will use formal language such as:
"it was suggested..." rather than "I suggested..."

It is important that your essay is clear to understand so that you can identify where you have met specific criteria. By producing a clear, well planned essay you are more likely to maintain focus and ensure that you are meeting the specific criteria asked for by your tutor. 

Essays do not have subheadings but are a continuous piece of text. The only subheading expected is to indicate the beginning of your reference list. Your reference list is not included in your word count but citations included in your text are included. 

Below is a link to a document to support you with structuring university essays and a video to support with overall essay structure. 

If you have any questions after reading this Library Guide you can ask questions at the Study Skills drop in, every weekday on the library website or in person on Thursdays in the Murray Health drop in space between 3:30pm-4:30pm. 

You can book a one to one appointment of up to one hour with a Study Skills Adviser to discuss sections of your work either on Microsoft Teams or at the St Peters Library or the Library in the Murray Health building. You are entitled to two appointments per assignment.

We run Masterclasses, open to all students on a rolling programme on topics such as Academic Writing and Assignment Planning. 

Book an appointment, look at the wider library website and explore our upcoming masterclasses below:

Check the University of Sunderland Generic Assessment Criteria below to gain a further insight into expectations for university study. 

Remember that not all assignments will be structured in the same format as an essay. If asked to produce a report there is an emphasis on producing a formal piece with the intention of communicating findings and or results. 

When writing a report consider why you are writing it and who you are writing it for?, Is it for your academic tutor, the general public or are you being asked to write it for an industry professional or client?

Reports are usually assessed on their coherence, layout, language, content and referencing.

It is important that you are concise when writing a report, you may write using headings and subheadings and may have numbers or bullet points in addition to structured sentences. 

It is important to adhere to academic writing conventions when writing a report. 

An example report structure is listed below, please see your assignment brief for further, more specific information:

• Title- descriptive and specific about the report.
• Abstract or Executive Summary- a brief summary of the report. You may write this last as it can include some findings and conclusions.
• Contents- titles for each section, making it easier to find relevant sections. 
• Introduction- Background to the research and include clear aims and objectives. 
• Methodology- State about research undertaken if relevant. Description of methods used such as observations, interviews and questionnaires and a rationale behind those decisions. 
• Results or Findings-  Summary of research findings in an objective manner with graphs, statistics and or tables. 
• Discussion- Critical evaluation of your findings. What your findings may mean within the wider context. 
• Conclusions/ Recommendations- Summarise the report and give any recommendations for further research or implications in the area of study.
• Reference List- The reference list for any sources used in the report in the correct style for your programme. Look at Cite Them Right Online for formatting details for the referencing style used. 
• Appendices-  They can be used to refer to points in the report. A single appendices is an appendix. They can be used to provide back up information. It must be directly relevant to the content of the report. They should be numbered in the order mentioned in your report. For example, 'see appendix 1'. 

Hull Uni Library (2022) Essay writing: Structuring your essay. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOvIywTublg (Accessed: 13 February 2024).