The web is awash with not-so-helpful essay writing advice, making it tricky for students to find the advice they require when writing essays. So our experts that are academic written the following tips so that you can utilise before and whilst crafting your essay, to make sure your writing hits the mark.
Comprehend the question
This might, during the face of it, sound like somewhat advice that is banal but fact of the matter is that neglecting to properly comprehend the question set is regarded as, or even the most common reason behind a disappointing grade when it comes to essay writing. Are you currently being asked to critically evaluate something? Compare and contrast? Analyse a circumstance that is particular? Evaluate the usefulness of a particular concept?
These are a few of the common phrases found in essay questions, and every indicates a different collection of expectations. You have to gain an understanding not only of said theory, but also other common approaches if you are asked to critically evaluate a particular theoretical approach, for instance. They must all be weighed against one another, highlighting the relative strengths and weaknesses of every theory and, importantly, you have to arrived at a well-justified and conclusion that is confident. Could be the theory good? Exactly what are its flaws? How can it be improved?
If you are asked to judge the usefulness of something, however, you don’t necessarily have to go into the maximum amount of critical depth. Yes, you ought to still acknowledge alternative approaches, and yes, you need to still note some strengths and weaknesses – but the bulk of the task must emphasise the concepts practical usefulness. Probably the approach that is best is to locate one, or a few, case studies in which the theory has been used – that which was the end result for this? Does the use of the theory reveal any shortcomings that are particular or strengths?
“Compare and that is contrast, meanwhile, are essentially a hybrid for the above – you need to take a critical approach and evaluate the literature, but your focus has got to remain solidly in the theories that you have been asked to compare and contrast. It is vital to show that you understand both (or all) core theories in great depth, both on a theoretical and applied level.
In essence, the wording of this essay question will let you know how the essay should always be written. It’s going to indicate in which the focus of your essay should lie while you research and write.
Plan and schedule
Understanding the question is the initial step, however it is incredibly important which you make efficient utilization of the available time. Students often underestimate the amount of work needed to write a good essay, which leads to a few things: (1) late nights in the library, and (2) a grade that is disappointing. If you want to achieve an excellent mark, you ought to start planning your essay the minute you obtain the essay question. The next table might be a aid that is useful
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Understand the question | (Insert date) |
| Map the essay chapters | (Insert date) |
| Collect articles | (Insert date) |
| Read and take notes | (Insert date) |
| Start writing | (Insert date) |
| Finish draft that is firstInsert date) | |
| Proofread | (Insert date) |
| Hand in | (Insert date) |
By setting deadlines that you won’t be left with too much work right before your hand-in date for yourself and committing to stick to them, you are ensuring. It is also essential that you leave time, ideally a few days, between finishing your draft that is first and.
Be critical
Perfect theories and academic approaches are rare – the majority that is clear of, arguments, and research reports have flaws. Being descriptive is fine if you should be trying to scrape a pass, however for an increased grade you ought to show that you are able to leverage critical reasoning in your coping with academic materials. Exactly what are the limitations associated with theories you will be drawing on? How have these been dealt with within the literature? How do they impact the quality of arguments presented, and to what extent do they limit our knowledge of what you’re studying? What alternate explanations might offer additional depth?
Critical thinking is exactly what will likely make your essay be noticeable. It shows the marker that you’re not simply repeating the arguments which have been fed for you during your studies, but actually engaging with theories in an academic manner. A way that is good practice this might be to pay for careful attention when reading literature reviews in published articles – you will find that authors don’t simply summarise previous studies, but offer a critique resulting in a gap with their own research.
Structure, flow and focus
The manner in which you present your argument ‘s almost as important since the argument itself, and that’s why it really is imperative that the essay follows a logical structure. free essay writing sites A vintage word of advice would be to “tell them what you are actually planning to let them know, then inform them, and inform them that which you told them” – this, in essence, summarises the core introduction, main body, and conclusion structure of the essay.
Having a definite and logical structure will help make sure that your essay stays focused, and does not stray through the question being answered. Each section, paragraph, and sentence should add value into the argument you might be presenting. When you are writing, it is good to take one step as well as ask yourself “what value does this sentence/section add? How can it link to my overarching argument?” If you find which you can’t answer that question, there is certainly a high risk which you have strayed from your own core argument, and you may would you like to reconsider the path you’re taking.
It’s also wise to ensure that all of the different elements of your essay fit together as a cohesive and whole that is logical and that the transition from 1 argument to a higher is fluid. Students often treat essays as lists of arguments, presenting one after the other with little to no consideration for how they fit together, which inevitably leads to a reduced grade. Be sure to inform your reader why you might be transitioning in one argument to another location, why they are in this particular order, and just how each argument helps shed light on a specific part of what you are actually discussing.
If you should be still not a hundred percent sure, it is usually smart to skip to the conclusion – this usually contains an in depth summary of this study, which will help see whether you need to read the article all together. You don’t want to waste time reading through and number that is endless of in order to discover that they aren’t actually relevant. Once you have identified a few solid articles, you should (a) proceed through their bibliographies and take note of who they are citing, since these articles will likely be of value for the own research; and (b) check up on Google Scholar to see who has cited them. To work on this, simply input the true name for the article within the search bar and hit enter. Within the total results, click “cited by” – this may return a summary of all the articles that have cited the publication you searched for.
It’s important that you don’t rely too heavily on one or a couple of texts, as this indicates into the marker that you haven’t engaged utilizing the wider literature. You need to be particularly careful in using course books (i.e. “introduction to management” and so on), since these are essentially summaries of other people’s work.
Quoting, paraphrasing and plagiarism
Academic writing requires a careful balance between novel argument, and drawing on arguments presented by others. Writing a completely ‘novel’ essay, without drawing on a single source, indicates which you haven’t made yourself knowledgeable about what was already published; citing someone for virtually any point made implies that you haven’t produced a novel argument. As a result, it’s important that you provide evidence (a credible citation) while you are making a statement of fact, or drawing on arguments, frameworks, and theories presented by other academics. These, in turn, should support the overarching novel argument that you yourself are making.