excellent essays

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Name of presentation Month 2009

Excellent Essays

Presented by: Hayley WoodLearning Hub Advisor

Student [email protected]

Workshop developed by Learning Advisors at StudentServices

Want this Powerpoint? Send me an emailwith the words Excellent Essays in the

subject field!


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Why write an essay?

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Essays give you the opportunity to:Explore a topic in-depth

Develop your research skillsDevelop your written communication skillsTest your understanding by trying to determinesolutions to real world problems

Articulate workers wanted

Employers value good communication and people skills

above academic qualifications and work experience, asurvey of businesses in Australia and New Zealand hasfound.

The Australian, 1 Nov 2006, p. 26.


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General Expectations of YourEssay

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The goal of all academic writing is toconvincethereader of something

Consequently, academic writing includes argumentsFor an essay, you are trying to convincethe reader

that you have a well researched and consideredanswer to a question (your thesis) based on acritical review of relevant research literature

Members of the jury, I intend toshow that the balance of

evidence points to Mr X asbeing the perpetrator of the

crime!


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Biggest Problems withStudent Essays

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Started too late to do a good jobPoorly organised, poorly thought through,

simplistic

Didnt answer the questionsMisunderstood the questionDidnt allow enough time to assimilate the

sources so as to be able to answer thequestion

Too much description, not enough analysisDidnt apply the theories developed into the

course


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The Essay Writing Process

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Steps

1. Analysethe topic

2. Brainstormusing a mind map

3. Plana jotted or working outline of your essay

4. Researchusing the library catalogue, databases and internetfor relevant sources

5. Read, assimilate and integrate these sources. Return to step2 or 3 to make changes or additions?

6. Establisha thesis and line of argument

7. Writea draft

8. Review andrevise your draft (after a few days). Return tostep 4 for further information?


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Step 1: Topic Analysis

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Analysing the topic helps you to fullyunderstand what you have been asked to

do

Helps guide your research Provides an organising framework forthe fruits of your research and writingyour assignmentAnalyse your topicbefore starting yourresearch, as well as during your research,as you will come across new informationthat may change your perspective orunderstanding of the topic


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Key questions to ask yourself:

What am I actually asked to do?Why has this topic been set?

Why is the question of importance orinterest to the discipline or relevantstakeholders?

What are the complexities of the topic?What needs to be defined?

What do I need to find out in order toanswer the question?What relevant theories have been covered

in lectures or in the text book?


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Excellent Essays

Highlight:

Topic words nouns?(What do I need to talk issues?

about?) subjects?

Task words verbs?(What do I have to do?) actions?

Limiting words period?(Are there any words population?that limit my focus?) place?


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Step 1: Topic AnalysisWhat are the Topic Words?

It has been suggested thatAustralia and New Zealand should

adopt a common currency. Whatare the arguments for and againstthis proposal? Refer to specificsectors of Australian businessand/or society which might benefit

or suffer from such a developmentand express an overall opinion onthe proposal.


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What are the Topic

Words?

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It has been suggested that Australia andNew Zealand should adopt acommoncurrency. What are the arguments for

and against this proposal? Refer tospecific sectors of Australian businessand / or society which might benefit orsuffer from such a development andexpress an overall opinion on theproposal.


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What are the Task Words?

It has been suggested that Australia andNew Zealand should adopt a common

currency. What are the arguments forand againstthis proposal? Refer tospecific sectors of Australian businessand / or society which might benefit or

suffer from such a development andexpress an overall opinion on the

proposal.

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Example Task Words

Referencing Correctly

ANALYSE Show the nature of a thing by identifying the essential elements and showing how they are related. Weaknesses or disadvantages may come to light in thisprocess.

ARGUE Present the case for and/or against a particular proposition.

COMPARE Identify characteristics or qualities that resemble each other. Emphasise similarities and also mention differences where appropriate.

CONTRAST Stress the dissimilarities and differences between things, events, problems, or qualities.

CRITICISEExpress your judgement about the merit or truth of the factors or views mentioned. Draw conclusions, discussing both the limi tations and the good points.

DEFINE Provide concise, clear, and authoritative meanings. Give the limits of the definition, but omit detailed explanations. Show how the item defined differs fromitems in other classes.

DESCRIBE Recount, characterise, outline, and relate in sequence.

DISCUSSExamine, analyse carefully, and give reasons for and against. Be complete and give details, usually with a view to assessing how satisfactorysomething is.

EVALUATECarefully appraise in relation to some standard, referring to advantages, limitations, and costs and benefits as appropriate; attempt to come to a judgement.

EXAMINE Investigate critically, appraise a subject in detail.

ILLUSTRATE Use a concrete example, diagram, or figure to explain or clarify a problem.

INDICATE Identify, then focus attention so as to clarify.

JUSTIFY Prove or give reasons for conclusions or decisions.

OUTLINEPresent the essential features, showing main points and subordinate points. Omit minor details. Stress the arrangement or classification of things.

STATE Present the main points in a brief and clear sequence, usually omitting details or examples.

SUMMARISE Give the main points or facts in condensed form.


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What are the Limitations?

It has been suggested that Australia andNew Zealand should adopt a commoncurrency. What are the arguments for

and against this proposal? Refer tospecific sectors of Australian businessand / or societywhich might benefit orsuffer from such a development and

express an overall opinion on theproposal.

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Excellent Essays

Marking Criteria

At this stage, it is also a goodidea to check the markingcriteria!


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Step 2: Brainstorm the

TopicWrite down everything that comesto mind about your topiceverything!

What do you know about yourtopic?

What issues are of interest toyou?

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Step 2: Brainstorm the topic

Referencing Correctly


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Step 3: Plan Your Essay

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Planning your essay helps to: Produce a logical and orderly argument

that your readers can follow

Produce an economical paper by allowingyou to spot repetition

Produce a thorough paper by making iteasier for you to notice whether you have

left anything out Draft the paper easier by allowing you to

concentrate on writing issues such asgrammar, word choice and clarity


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Step 3: Plan Your EssayJotted Outline

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IntroductionThesis: Since cigarette smoking creates many problems for thegeneral public, it should be outlawed in all public places.

BodyI. Harms health

A. Lung diseaseB. Circulatory disease

II. Causes safety problems

A. Destroys propertyB. Causes fires

III. Sanitation problemsA. Soils the possessionsB. Causes unpleasant odours

Conclusion


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Browse Literature and

Refine Questions

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Refine:

Are some questions too broad?

Are there more questions to ask?Are your questions on topic?Do you need to add questions?Do you need to remove questions?

5-10 questions should be plenty!

Note!In general, a standard research

paper should have no more thanfour or five main points. This

means you shouldn't have more

than four or five Roman numeralsin your outline. If you have too

many ideas, your paper will eitherbe too long or more likely, vague

and overly general.


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Steps 4 & 5: Research and

Read

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These steps take time!

You may then want to return tosteps 2 and 3 to do more

brainstorming or to change/add to

your plan


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Step 6: Thesis/Line of

Argument

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A thesis statement:is not a factual statement, but a claimthat has to be proven throughout the paper

Answers the question What am I tryingto prove?Lets the reader know the main ideas ofyour paperIS THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE

OF YOUR ESSAY!!!


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Step 6: Thesis/Line of

Argument

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Parents, often too busy to watch television showswith their families, can monitor their childrens viewing

habits with the aid of the V-chip.

To help parents monitor their childrens viewing

habits, the V-chip should be a required feature fortelevision sets sold in Australia.

This paper will describe a V-chip and examine theuses of the V-chip in Australian-made television sets.

Which thesis statement is the most effective foran argument about the need for V-Chips in

television sets?


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Step 7: Write a Draft

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INTRODUCTION

An introduction introduces the main idea of youressay

A good opening paragraph captures the interest ofyour reader and shows why your topic is importantYou could include the following (but only if relevantor necessary):

Background information about your topicInteresting factsQuotationsDefinitions of important terms that you will use laterin your essay


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BODY

The body is made up of paragraphs thatsupport your thesis statement

These paragraphs develop your thesisstatement

Each paragraph covers only ONE

supporting point (see your outline/essayplan)

There should be clear transitions withinand between paragraphs

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PARAGRAPHS

These are like mini essays:

Topic sentence (introduction) introduces themain idea of the paragraphSupporting statements (body) give details todevelop and support the main idea of theparagraphClosing sentence (conclusion) restates themain idea of your paragraph and links to the nextone

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SUPPORTING SENTENCES EVIDENCCE

Every field has slightly different requirementsfor acceptable evidence, so familiarise

yourself with some arguments from within thatfield

Pay attention to your textbooks and yourinstructors lectures. What theories arediscussed in your course?

Find out what counts as proof that somethingis true in that field. Is it statistics,development of points, art work, text, culture,the way something works, or somecombination

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Excellent Essays

SUPPORTING SENTENCES - EVIDENCE

Advanced academic writing places a premium onsynthesisingrather than summarisingsource material

The goal is not simply to demonstrate that you have readthe material. Instead, academic writers need to show that theycan see connections between different sources, and that theycan combine the ideas of well-known scholars with their owncontributions in order to create an original or refinedperspective on an established area of disciplinary inquiry

Academic writers are expected to draw on their extensivereading to develop brief, but cohesive overviews of previous

research, with a focus on emphasising connections,contradictions, and potential for further inquiry


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TRANSITION SIGNALS

Use these within and between paragraphs:

These help to preserve the logical flow of your essay

They are like bridges between ideas an essay without goodtransition signals is like a series of isolated islands; the reader willstruggle to get from one point to the next

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Excellent Essays

CONCLUSION

The summary paragraph comes at the end of your

essay after you have finished developing your ideas(supporting paragraphs)It summarises or restates the main idea (thesisstatement) of the essay and provides your finalanalysis or makes suggestions for the future

It should leave the reader with a sense that youressay is complete

DO NOT USE ANY NEW INFORMATION!!!


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Step 8: Review and Revise

PROOFREADING

Aim to finish a complete draft (final draft) a

few days before the due date

Put your writing aside for a few days and thenread it again with fresh eyes

Is it still clear? Do you need to elaborate onanything? Do you need to rephrase somethingor change the sentence structure? Should youreturn to steps 4 and 5 to find more/newinformation?

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