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 Essay Writing
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Essay Writing
« Posted: October 12, 2006, 03:17:53 PM »


Study Skills
Writing Skills


Essay Writing

What is an academic essay?
What an academic essay is not
Why do we write essays?
Recommended procedure for essay writing
Academic writing practices
Essay checklist
Your responsibilities


What is an academic essay?

The English word 'essay' comes from the Old French word 'assaier', meaning 'to test' or 'to try'. We can compare it to the English word 'assay' - geologists and metallurgists perform assays on mineral ores. This means that they test the ores; they perform geological trials to find out how much valuable material is in them - how much gold, how much nickel, and so on. Writing an academic essay involves the same kind of process of evaluating, of weighing up a topic - you examine a statement, or a concept, or a situation to test its value, to find its strengths and weaknesses. When you have weighed up the facts you should come to some conclusion on what you've found. This conclusion is called a thesis.
What an academic essay is not.

An academic essay is not a regurgitation of facts. Of course, the facts have to be in the essay and they have to be correct, but the facts are only the first step in essay-writing.
If, in giving the facts, you want to quote from a textbook, use the quote only to support or to illustrate the point you're making. It should be a supplement to your words and ideas, not a substitute of them.
Why do we write essays?
They allow your lecturers and tutors to evaluate your learning. (This is why it's important to use your own words and ideas. If your essay is full of long quotes from textbooks, your reader cannot tell whether or not you have understood and retained what you have read.)
They give you a focus for exploring and consolidating what you are learning.
They allow you to practise skills that you will be using in a future career: e.g. collecting, analysing, and organising data; writing clearly, concisely, and logically; evaluating and explaining complex material to others.
Recommended procedure for essay writing

Many books have been written on the subject of essay writing. You should try to read some of these to improve your essay writing technique; however, here's an outline of how you might tackle an essay assignment.
Unpack the question:Read the essay question carefully, underlining key words, and considering carefully what the lecturer is really asking for in the essay. Pay special attention to words like 'describe', 'evaluate', 'critically analyse', and so on.
Gather data:Use the library and the internet judiciously to supplement your lecture and tutorial notes. Do not overload on data - large quantities of information can be difficult to organise.
Brainstorm:The data you have gathered needs to be processed in a way that identifies relationships and patterns. Use a brainstorming technique to do this and to generate new ideas. (Mindmapping is a particularly useful brainstorming technique.)
Find a focus:The most successful essays have a clear focus, expressed in a thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph. The thesis statement is the most important sentence in the whole essay; weak thesis statements lead to weak essays. In an argumentative essay, the thesis statement should express the position you're taking on an issue; in an analytical essay it should state your finding; in a descriptive essay it should group together the various aspects you describe. Effective essays are organised around the thesis; everything you write in the essay should directly or indirectly relate to the thesis statement. As you develop the middle paragraphs of your essay, you may need to modify the thesis statement to cover all the points you want to make.
Structure and organise:Once you're reasonably happy with your thesis statement, you need to structure your essay. The basic structural unit of an essay is the paragraph. A paragraph is a group of sentences which refer to the same basic point, which is developed within the paragraph; each paragraph deals with one point only.
Ideally, an essay has an introductory paragraph, which introduces the essay topic and whose last sentence states the essay's thesis; middle paragraphs, which explicate the thesis, one main point for each paragraph; and a concluding paragraph, which begins by restating the thesis, then closes the essay by summarising, evaluating, or contextualising the essay. (Never introduce a new point of explication in the concluding paragraph - first and last paragraphs frame the essay's explication or argument.)
Most student essay-writers find that once they have formulated their thesis statement, it is easiest to write the middle paragraphs first and the introduction and conclusion last.
Edit and proof-read:When you have finished drafting your essay, carefully check spelling, grammar, and expression (it saves time to draft your essay directly on to your computer and use its checking tools). Also check for typographical errors and any points which may confuse your reader (remember: s/he is not a mind-reader but has access only to what is written on your paper). Use the Essay Checklist and make necessary changes to your essay.
Academic writing practices

Non-discriminatory language
Curtin University is committed to eliminating discrimination and therefore insists on the use of non-discriminatory language. Non-discriminatory language regarding sex, race, ethnicity, disability and age is also the convention in academic writing. Sexist language can be avoided by using a reference to both sexes, or by using the plural form when possible e.g. they, their.

Tone
Tone is the "speaking voice" of a piece of writing. In academic writing it should be formal but "reader-friendly". Aim to produce a paper that could be understood immediately by a fellow student in your course, but also keeping in mind that your writing should not be colloquial or personal. Reading published journal articles in your discipline can help you to get a feel for what constitutes an appropriate tone. You could also try reading your writing out loud.

Referencing
A basic characteristic of any science is that it builds on existing knowledge. As you are expected to draw on other people's work, you are also expected to recognise and acknowledge their help by referencing your sources of information. The Referencing section of Study Skills provides further information on Reference systems.

How to Reference
In your referencing you should include enough information about each book or article to allow your reader to find it and follow up any point. To assist this purpose, there are referencing systems that must be followed. There are a few different systems that are commonly used, depending on the discipline. Find out which one is required by the School that has set your written assignment. Information about how to reference is often given in your course materials. Additionally, your lecturer may refer you to a guidebook or a particular journal that uses the system they prefer.

Quoting
Direct quoting means copying down material from a source and reproducing it word for word in your assignment. It is best to avoid overuse of direct quotations and instead paraphrase an idea in your own words (remembering to reference the source!). However, there are times when it may be better to use the exact words from a source. For example, if it expresses the idea more eloquently than your own summary or when it is important for the reader to inspect the precise way the thought was expressed by the author. If you are going to make a direct quote, it must be exactly the same as the original. If you make any changes, or add explanatory material of your own, include it in square brackets [ ]. If you decide to leave out any part of the original use an ellipsis (...). Short quotations should be included within the text of your assignment and enclosed by quotation marks. Quotations that are four or more lines should be included as a separate paragraph from the main text, indented and single spaced.

Plagiarism
If you do not carefully reference your work, you may leave yourself open to the charge of plagiarism - passing off other people's ideas as your own. It's the academic equivalent of fraud and is treated very seriously by the University. Offenders may lose marks on their work or in some cases be given a fail grade for the unit.

Essay Checklist
Have I fulfilled the requirements of the assignment? (Check assignment brief for key words like 'outline', 'compare', 'evaluate'. Make sure you have addressed all aspects of the assignment question.)
Are all facts correct, current, and unambiguous? (Make sure you have understood your research material and that you have transcribed details correctly.)
Have I correctly acknowledged all formal and informal sources correctly? (Introduce quotations gracefully, use appropriate referencing, and provide a full bibliography. Familiarise yourself with your School's referencing requirements and the policy on plagiarism.)
Is my thesis statement clear, concise, and arguable? (The thesis statement is the 'handle' upon which you hang your essay; make sure it functions effectively.)
Are my paragraphs internally integrated? (Each paragraph should be integrated around one point, expressed in the topic sentence.)
Are my paragraphs logically linked? (Establish key concepts, words, and phrases in the introduction, and carry these through your essay. Use 'transition markers', such as 'moreover', 'nevertheless', 'on the other hand', to guide the reader through your essay.)
Is my explication clear, easy to follow, and logically developed? (Avoid logical fallacies and ambiguous expression. Make your essay 'reader friendly'.)
Does my introduction adequately introduce my thesis? (The first paragraph should lead up to the thesis statement by gently easing the reader into the topic. First paragraphs should not make points of explication.)
Does my conclusion effectively round off my essay? (Final paragraphs should restate the thesis and sum up and/or contextualises the essay. Never introduce a new topic in the last paragraph.)
Have I punctuated correctly? (Check in particular for comma splices, run-ons, separation of subject from verb. Check apostrophes. Use semi-colons to join control clauses; use colons to introduce quotations, definitions, and complicated lists.)
Is my grammar correct? (Check in particular that subjects and verbs, pronouns and antecedent nouns agree and that modifiers are correctly related.)
Is my writing clear and unambiguous? (Check sentence structure, choice of words, and word order.)
Is my writing concise? (Cut out all unnecessary words and phrases. Avoid cliches, vogue words, and jargon.)
Is the tone of my essay rational, authoritative, formal yet 'reader-friendly' and fluent? (Read your essay out loud. This helps you to recognise any awkwardness of language or lapse in tone.)
Have I proof-read and run a spelling check over my essay? (Make sure the essay you hand in is as correct and professionally presented as you can make it.)


Your Responsibilities
Make sure that you keep a copy of the completed assignment when you hand it in to the marker. This provides a "back-up" just in case your assignment is misplaced before it is marked. It would be terrible to have to repeat the assignment from scratch or alternatively getting a fail grade when you have completed the required work.
Most Schools require cover pages to be attached to the front of your assignment. These may be photocopied from your course materials, available at the School Office or you may need to make your own. On the cover page you will be required to give at least your name, student ID number, the date of submission, the title of the assignment and the name of your tutor/demonstrator.
Assignments are generally handed in to the marker or at the School Office. Cover sheets may have tear off sections for the recipient to sign as evidence that you have handed in your assignment. Keep this just in case your assignment does get misplaced. Alternatively, some Schools stamp the assignment cover page to identify when it was handed in.
Ideally you should ensure that your assignment is submitted on time and reaches the person responsible for receiving it. Each School has their own rules regarding late assignments. If it appears you will not be able to hand in your assignment on the due date, discuss this with the marker before the day it is due. You may be able to arrange an alternative submission date without loss of marks.
Read any feedback you are given carefully; this will assist you to improve your writing. If you would like more feedback than the marker has provided, or you don't understand their comments or why they have given you the mark they did, go and see them about it. This will let the marker know that you are keen to get feedback and improve your writing, as well as assist you to understand what they expect for your next assignment.

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