How to Study

6. Problem/solution (a.k.a. cause/effect). Presents a series 
of problems and possible solutions, why something happened,
or predicts what might happen as a result of a particular 
cause. 
7. Effect/cause. Discusses a condition, problem, or effect and
works backward to what might have caused it. 
How to Study
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8. Compare/contrast. Discusses similarities and differences
between people, things, or events. May also be used when 
you want to discuss advantages and disadvantages of a
method, experiment, treatment, approach, etc. 
9. Order of importance. Discusses the most important aspects
of an issue first and continues through to the least important,
or vice versa. (A slight variation of this is organizing your
paper from the known to the unknown.)
10. Pro/con. Arguments for and against a position, question,
decision, approach, method, etc. 
The first four sequences are considered “natural,” in that the 
organization is virtually demanded by the subject. The other
sequences are “logical,” in that the order is chosen and imposed 
by you, the writer.
Note that in many cases the actual order you choose is also
reversible—you can move forward or backward in time, consider
cause and effect or effect and cause, etc. So you actually have a 
dozen and a half potential ways to organize your material!
Your subject and thesis may determine which organizational approach
will work best. If you have a choice of more than one, use the one
with which you’re most comfortable or that you feel will be easiest
for you to write. (Nobody says you have to choose the hardest 
way!) Keep in mind that you can use a blend of two approaches. 
For example, you might mention events in chronological order and
then discuss the cause/effect of each.
If necessary, revise your general outline according to the organiza-
tional decision you have made. Next, go through each group of cards
that share the same topic number or letter. Rearrange them so that
they, too, follow the organizational pattern you chose.
Chapter 7 
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How to Write Terrific Papers
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After you sort all the cards that have been assigned a specific topic
heading (I, II, III or A, B, C), review the cards that are marked with
an asterisk or your personal symbol. Try to figure out where they fit
in your stack of cards.
Don’t include a card if the information it contains just doesn’t seem
to fit anywhere. It’s possible that the data just isn’t relevant to your
revised thesis. Set it aside for now. You can try to include it again 
later.
And while you’re setting aside inappropriate notes, don’t forget to 
seek out “holes” in your paper—those areas that cry out for a more
up-to-date fact, a good example, or a stronger transition. No one 
likes to discover the need to do a little more research, but if you’ve
noticed a problem, I guarantee your teacher will, too. Don’t let 
a “black hole” turn a potentially great paper into one that’s merely
okay just because you don’t want to spend another hour online or 
in the library.
Now flip through your note cards from front to back. See that? 
You’ve created a detailed outline without even knowing it. The topic
numbers or letters on your note cards match the main topics of 
your outline. And those headlines on your note cards are the
subtopics for your outline.
Simply transfer your notecard headlines to paper. They appear 
on your outline in the same order as they appear in your stack 
of cards.