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408

Using Informational Structures

The way you organize information impacts how your audience receives it. The six informational structures on the next few pages will help you organize your information in a clear, easy-to-follow manner. Choose the pattern that best fits your project’s purpose.

Order of Importance Model

Importance

Use order of importance to rank details from least to most important, or from most to least important.

Most to Least Important: Detail 1, Detail 2, Detail 3 Least to Most Important: Detail 3, Detail 2, Detail 1

Note: Transitional words and phrases signal shifts in thought and are used to guide your audience through blocks of information.

Order-of-importance transitions: more important, most important, a more effective, most effective, good, better, best

 
Chronological Sample

Chronological

Use chronological order (time order) to arrange details in a story or process in the order in which they happened.

Chronological Order: Start, Detail 1, Detail 2, Detail 3, Finish

Chronological-order transitions: first, next, then, before, after, later, second, finally, last

 
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Problem-Solution Sample

Problem-Solution

Use problem-solution order to explain a problem, outline a solution, or argue for or against a solution.

Solution-Focused: Introduce the problem, Offer a solution, Support the solution Problem-Focused: Introduce the problem, Explain the severity of the problem, Offer a solution

Problem-solution terms: at risk, a major problem, one symptom, should be saved, must not happen, to fix this, the best solution, please support

 
Cause-Effect Sample

Cause-Effect

Use cause-effect organization to show the relationship between events or conditions. You may focus on one cause and its many effects, many causes and their one effect, or many causes and many effects.

Cuase-Centered: Cause, Cause, Cause, Effect Effect-Centered: Cause, Effect, Effect, Effect

Cause-effect transitions: as a result, because, consequently, since, therefore, due to the fact that

 
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Comparison-Contrast Sample

Comparison-Contrast

Use comparison-contrast organization to show the similarities and differences between two things.

Subject by Subject: Subject 1, Subject 2 Point by Point: Point 1 (Subject 1, Subject 2), Point 2 (Subject 1, Subject 2) Similarities and Differences: How Subjects 1&2 Are Similar, How Subjects 1&2 Are Different

Comparison-contrast terms: also, both, but, by contrast, even though, like, likewise, however, similarly

 
Classification Sample, Types of Bones

Classification

Use classification to break a subject into subgroups or categories. Then discuss the unique properties of each category.

Classification Structure: Subgroup 1 (Point 1, Point 2), Subgroup 2 (Point 1, Point 2), Subgroup 3 (Point 1, Point 2)

Classification terms: another kind of, the first subgroup, a second category, a third variety, a final type, the most popular, a less popular, a common type, a rare kind of

 

Your Turn Search a class text to find examples of the structures on pages 408–410.

 
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