Writing an Academic Essay
OK! So you have read the title of your essay, you understand the terms used, and you know what you are being asked to do. So what next?
An important aspect in academic writing is structure. Your essay must have a clear introduction, which should include any operational definitions of the terms you are discussing, and also a brief outline of what you intend to discuss. Next comes the body of the essay, in which you expand on your introduction and discuss or debate the topic. Finally comes the conclusion, in which you gather all the information, summarise it and come to a conclusion.
It's simple really!
This is the basic structure in both essay and exam situations.
With any piece of academic work there is another important requirement! You must back up your discussion or argument with relevant references. In other words, you must prove that the points you are making are valid and can be backed up by research. The way to do this is to refer to the work of others, whether from your text books, library books or journal articles. While you are writing an academic essay you need to think like a lawyer, and you hold the burden of proof.
As you will be writing in reference to the work of others you must take care to properly attribute these references if you are to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you use other peoples work as your own, and is a serious breach of rules in any academic institution. For further information about referencing and avoiding plagerism see the page on Research for Essays and Reports, and also the page on the use of Endnote. They can be accessed from the links below.
An important aspect in academic writing is structure. Your essay must have a clear introduction, which should include any operational definitions of the terms you are discussing, and also a brief outline of what you intend to discuss. Next comes the body of the essay, in which you expand on your introduction and discuss or debate the topic. Finally comes the conclusion, in which you gather all the information, summarise it and come to a conclusion.
It's simple really!
- Tell them what you are going to write about.
- Write about it in more detail.
- Tell them what you just told them in a summary.
This is the basic structure in both essay and exam situations.
With any piece of academic work there is another important requirement! You must back up your discussion or argument with relevant references. In other words, you must prove that the points you are making are valid and can be backed up by research. The way to do this is to refer to the work of others, whether from your text books, library books or journal articles. While you are writing an academic essay you need to think like a lawyer, and you hold the burden of proof.
As you will be writing in reference to the work of others you must take care to properly attribute these references if you are to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you use other peoples work as your own, and is a serious breach of rules in any academic institution. For further information about referencing and avoiding plagerism see the page on Research for Essays and Reports, and also the page on the use of Endnote. They can be accessed from the links below.