[sciguy125]

I don't recall when or how strictly, but I was taught to use the 5 paragraph format at some point. I rarely use it rigidly any more. I usually start out with the format, but end up making up my own format as the paper develops. This is mostly dependent on the subject, of course. For one thing, engineering reports have a fairly defined format. Also, my philosophy class called for essays with a more sophistocated format.