WRITING AN ESSAY. Every essay question can be broken down into three parts. These are the topic, focus and the ways of thinking or action word.

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1 WRITING AN ESSAY Writing an essay can be broken down into a ten-step process: 1. Analyse the title/question 2. Plan your time 3. Research 4. Assemble ideas 5. Plan essay 6. Draft essay 7. Revise 8. Re-draft 9. Proof-read and edit 10. Finalise The first step is to analyse the question. You do this: To ensure your research is relevant. To identify key word(s). To ensure your essay is focused and that you are answering the question. Many students get lower grades than they expect because their assignment wanders off the point, and does not answer the set question. Step 1 Analyse the title/question Every essay question can be broken down into three parts. These are the topic, focus and the ways of thinking or action word. The first step is for you to identify the topic of the question. What is this question about? For example: Discuss immunisation as a means of disease control. The topic here is immunisation. Analyse the changes in U.S. Policy towards China during the 1970s. The topic here is U.S. Policy towards China. Then find the focus of this topic: Discuss immunisation as a means of disease control. The focus of this question is disease control. Analyse the changes in U.S. Policy towards China during the 1970s. The focus of this question is the changes during the 1970s. Page 1 of 9

2 Finally, you need to consider the ways of thinking or actions needed. For example: Discuss immunisation as a means of disease control. The action word here is Discuss Analyse the changes in U.S. Policy towards China during the 1970s. The action word here is Analyse A variety of different action words may be used. It is important that you understand the meaning of them, as this is the way you will think about the material. For example, discuss can mean to investigate or examine by argument, to have a point of view, to weigh up points for and against. To critically analyse is to break down an idea or claim, to identify the key issues and possibly examine their significance, or strengths and weaknesses. Whereas to evaluate means to make a reasoned judgement about the material/evidence/findings of an argument using distinct standards/criteria in order to reach a conclusion. For a fuller explanation see Table 1 on the following page. Page 2 of 9

3 Table 1 Commonly used action words Analyse Compare Contrast Criticise Define Delineate Describe Differentiate Discuss Distinguish between Enumerate Evaluate Examine Explain Explore Illustrate Interpret Justify List Outline Relate Review State Summarise Trace Break up into parts, investigate Look for similarities and differences between; perhaps reach a conclusion about which is preferable Bring out differences between See evaluate Set down the meaning of a word or phrase See outline Give a detailed account of See distinguish between Investigate or examine by argument; sift and debate; give reasons for and against; also examine the implications Indicate the differences between See outline Give your judgement about the merit of theories or opinions; back your judgement by a discussion of evidence or reasoning involved Look closely into Make plain; interpret and account for; give reasons for Examine thoroughly; consider from a variety of viewpoints See interpret Make clear and explicit; show the meaning of Show adequate grounds for decisions or conclusions; answer the main objections likely to be made to them See outline Give the main features or general principles of a subject, omitting minor details and emphasising structure and arrangement a - Narrate more usual in examinations b - Show how things are connected to each other, and to what extent they are alike or affect each other See summarise Present in a brief, clear form Give a concise account of the chief points of a matter, omitting details and examples Follow the development or history of a topic from some point of origin Page 3 of 9

4 Step 2 Plan your time Planning your time removes panic from the assignment process and allows you enough time for each task. Keeping a diary for the year can help track what you have to do by when. Also, looking at your activities on a weekly basis can be helpful in identifying when you will have time for working on your assignment (you may want to use your calendar on your mobile to do this). Step 3 Research Before you start your research, spend some time thinking about what information you want. Start by asking yourself a series of questions about the topic, including what you already know about the topic? And what specifically do I need to find out? How do you research? The first place to start is your reading list in your module guide. It will give you a good basis for searching for relevant information. Use keywords in the library catalogue to search for further books. Use journal databases to find research articles and, if necessary, top-up with a web search from only acceptable and reputable web sites e.g. Metalib, Medline and Sciencedirect. Get to know the name of your Academic Librarian, as they can help you throughout your course. Make a note of all your references as you go along. (Check which referencing system you need to use). When reading, remember to think critically about the source material. Ask yourself some of the following questions: Is the book/journal up to date? How reliable is the information? Is it from a respected source? Does it give only one side of an argument? (What is the opposite view?) Does the author present evidence to back up their claims? Make judgements about the context e.g. historical, political, beliefs and attitudes. Always remember to state where this information comes from. As a general rule, keep quotations to a minimum and only quote if the words are really worth quoting. A quotation can just show that you can find the material and cut and paste it into your assignment. It does not show that you understand it. If you are unsure when to reference, go to UNPAC-University of Northampton Plagiarism Course (from NILE) and take the driving test. Also on this site is turnitin, but check with your tutor before using this. Page 4 of 9

5 Step 4 Assemble ideas Brainstorm/mind map your first thoughts on the topic. Examine the notes from your research. This should give you some key themes to construct a plan. Using mind-maps This is a technique that can be used for note-taking, planning and structuring essays. Start with a central word, problem or question. Put the word in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Let your associations flow freely don t try to make a structure or censor the words. Add legs to your central word until you have a feeling that there are enough. Look to see if some of the words/ideas could be grouped together under subheadings. At this stage, try to use one or two words only for the sub-headings. Redraw with only the sub-heading in place. Step 5 Plan essay There are a variety of ways to structure these themes. In a sequence this may be by starting with the history to present day Examining the issue in depth - (problem > solution > evaluation > recommendation). Step 6 Draft essay A brief overview of essay structure: Introduction It may be useful to think of the introduction as a signpost to what is coming up next in the essay; with this in mind, it is often written last. In general, it may set the scene, provide a background, consider the size of a problem and introduce the topic. It is usually about 100 words long for a 2000 word essay (5% of the word count). Do avoid rewriting the question! It wastes words and does not say anything new to the lecturer. After all, it was they who set up the question. Conclusion The conclusion summarises the findings that have been presented without introducing new material. It is about the same size as the introduction, or shorter. Page 5 of 9

6 There are four steps to be considered: The issues restated. What has been discovered? What do you know now that you did not know before? Is there an answer to the question? You may wish to highlight problem areas or to suggest that further research is needed if that is the case. Main body of your essay The structure of your essay is built through your paragraphs. Each paragraph contains one idea/point. This idea or claim should then be supported with the evidence you have found. Evidence may come from work by experts who have been published and gained recognition from their peers, nationally and internationally. It may refer to statistics that are the results of primary research, such as interviews and questionnaires. Remember this evidence must be referenced. Each idea/point in the paragraph needs to be logically sequenced. There should also be a conclusion to your paragraph, which needs to link to the next paragraph. When writing, think of a linking sentence which will lead the reader into the next theme. Linking words and phrases Some of the following may be suitable: however, in addition, as a consequence, from a different perspective/viewpoint, on the other hand, following on from, another example is, as a result of, having considered the strengths, the weaknesses might be, all this suggests, from the opposite point of view, etc. When writing the paragraph, make sure you are not just describing the events. You need to think critically about each idea. In other words, to discuss the advantages or disadvantages of a particular model, method, theory or assessment tool. Page 6 of 9

7 Critical analytical writing vs. descriptive writing Descriptive writing states what happened states what something is like gives the story so far states the order in which things happened says how to do something explains what a theory says explains how something works notes the method used says when something occurred states the different components states the options list details list in any order states links between items gives information Critical analytical writing identifies the significance evaluates strengths and weaknesses weighs one piece of information against another makes reasoned judgments argues a case according to the evidence shows why something is relevant or suitable indicates why something will work (best) identifies whether something is appropriate or suitable identifies why the timing is of importance weighs up the importance of component parts gives reasons for selecting each option evaluates the relative significance of details structures information in order of performance shows the relevance of links between pieces of information draws conclusions Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook, (2003), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p.232 Page 7 of 9

8 Finally, when you have written a paragraph, ask yourself if it has answered a question. Is it written in an appropriate style? A note on academic style An essay uses formal language and avoids writing as people speak; for example, I can t get my head round this should be written as This is a difficult idea to understand. Usually, it is written in the third person; for example, I think becomes it is thought and avoids using personal pronouns which are not acceptable in academic writing (such as I/me/my, you/your, we/us/our). You should try not to make claims which cannot be substantiated or proved such as everyone knows or no one knows. It is important that you see the finished essay as a first draft. It is now time for you to edit your essay. Step 7 Revising the essay Revising means amending a draft to make it better. It is recommended that you read your essay out loud. This way you will be more able to pick up on grammatical errors. Remember that if you run out of breath when reading, it may be because your sentence is too long. Whilst the spell check is a very useful tool, it may not pick up homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings, for example: their/there, route/ root). It may also use American spelling which is not appropriate in British English. Answer the following questions: Is the opening paragraph direct and clear? Do the paragraphs advance the case being made? Do your paragraphs link together? Do your paragraphs arrive somewhere? Does your concluding paragraph point out what the essay has uncovered? Step 8 Re-draft By answering these questions you will be able tell if your structure is correct, and that you have made a convincing argument. If you find that your essay does not flow, you may need better linking sentences between paragraphs. It may be necessary to move some of your paragraphs around to give a more logical sequence. This final checklist may help: Can you say the same thing in fewer words? Can you use specific or technical words or better examples? Have you got the best order for the sentences in each paragraph? Are the links between your sentences/paragraphs clear? Page 8 of 9

9 Is everything in the essay relevant to the title (if not take it out)? Have you checked the assessment criteria for your work? Last but most importantly have you answered the question? Step 9 Proof-read and edit Proof-reading is checking for accuracy. It helps to: Leave it for a few days then look at it again; Print it out; Ask a family member or a friend to help you (but make sure the final version is still your own work). Step 10 Finalise Check your presentation, font size, type, margins, page numbers, line spacing and that you have included the front sheet with your student number. REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR REFERENCES! Page 9 of 9