How to write an online article

Write online articles using the inverted pyramid style: put the conclusion at the beginning followed by the most important supporting information and then close with the background.

Benefits of the inverted pyramid writing style

1. readers can stop at any time and they would still get the most out of the article;
2. authors can link to previously written article without the need of summarizing again the needed information.

The traditional pyramid style of writing

In an article for the print media the components are traditionally organised in the opposite way. For instance a research paper would follow this outline:
1. problem statement;
2. review of prior art;
3. discussion of the different options considered and the methods that are used;
4. results;
5. conclusions.

A sample online article outline

1. conclusion
– principles
– lessons learned
2. supporting information
3. background
– references

Related topics

Macro:
> Hypertext
Micro:
> How to write a node of a hypertext
> How to write an online article

Examples of well-written online articles

Inverted Pyramids in Cyberspace
by Jakob Nielsen

References

Books
Hypertext 2.0: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology
George P.Landow

Italian version
L’Ipertesto: Tecnologie Digitali e Critica Letteraria
George P.Landow (a cura di Paolo Ferri)