Writing EE

Introduction- 800 words

Your introduction is the first thing your examiner will read. You need to show the examiner what your position is and how you are going to argue the case to get there so that the essay becomes your answer to the question rather than just an answer.

• Must include the RQ in bold – preferably in the first paragraph

• Context: What key aspects can you discuss to ensure you’ve provided some academic context underpinning your research question?

• For locally based investigations ensure you clearly identify and locate the local context

• Outline of argument: What features, aspects, factors, theories and so forth will your essay utilize in order to arrive at a conclusion?

• Give an overview of methodology and scope – how do you plan to answer the question? What authors, scientists, case studies, theories and so on have been consulted to answer your research question?

• What is the significance of your research? Why is this topic worthy of consideration?

Main Body-2400 words

The main body of your essay is where you deliver your argument. Its building blocks are well structured, academic paragraphs. Each paragraph is in itself a smaller argument and when put together they should form a clear narrative that leads the reader to the inevitability of your conclusion.

• Divide the essay body into four sections of approximately 600 words

• Each section focuses on one main point with supporting information

• Each section includes approximately three paragraphs

• In the essay plan clearly identify your intended supporting information/ideas/evidence in point form

• Ensure that you use the strongest points in the argument first and last with the weaker points in the middle

• Ensure that your argument is not descriptive – it must be analytical

The PEEL structure is a structure that can help you to demonstrate the skills needed to hit marking criteria including critical analysis, showing understanding and wider reading. Unlike structure for a whole assignment, the PEEL structure should be repeated for each paragraph.

What is the PEEL structure?

The topic sentence (Point)-This should appear early in the paragraph and is often, but not always, the first sentence. It should clearly state the main point that you are making in the paragraph. When you are planning essays, writing down a list of your topic sentences is an excellent way to check that your argument flows well from one point to the next.

Evidence- This is the evidence that backs up your topic sentence. Why do you believe what you have written in your topic sentence? The evidence is usually paraphrased or quoted material from your reading. Depending on the nature of the assignment, it could also include:

• Your own data (in a research project for example).

• Personal experiences from practice (especially for Social Care, Health Sciences and Education).

• Personal experiences from learning (in a reflective essay for example).

Any evidence from external sources should, of course, be referenced.

Explanation (analysis) -This is the part of your paragraph where you explain to your reader why the evidence supports the point and why that point is relevant to your overall argument. It is where you answer the question 'So what?'. Tell the reader how the information in the paragraph helps you answer the question and how it leads to your conclusion. Your analysis should attempt to persuade the reader that your conclusion is the correct one.

These are the parts of your paragraphs that will get you the higher marks in any marking scheme.

Link- Links are optional but it will help your argument flow if you include them. They are sentences that help the reader understand how the parts of your argument are connected. Most commonly they come at the end of the paragraph but they can be equally effective at the beginning of the next one. Sometimes a link is split between the end of one paragraph and the beginning of the next (see the example paragraph below).

The Academic Phrasebank : Excellent resource from the University of Manchester that says it provides you with the 'nuts and bolts' of academic phraseology.

Integrating Sources into Your Essay

Integrating a source means using another author’s writing to help build your credibility and argument. Just be sure to cite everything you use to give credit to the authors who inspired and informed your work.

There are three main ways of integrating sources into your essay

Summarizing:

A summary is an edited and condensed version of the original source.

When you summarize:

• Keep your summary clear and brief.

• Cling to just the key points.

• Make sure to write the summary in your own style.

Paraphrasing:

A paraphrase is a restatement of another person's ideas in your own style and words. 

When you paraphrase, you must:

• Change the sentence structure

• Exactly express the original author's ideas.

Quoting:

Quotes are a copy of what another author wrote.

When you quote:

• Make sure quotes are put between "quotation marks."

• Ensure that you do not over-rely on quotes.

• Use quotes from reliable sources.

Remember,  all three methods require a citation!  

Conclusion- 600 words

A conclusion is not merely a summary of the main topics covered or a re-statement of your research question, but a synthesis of key points and, if applicable, where you recommend new areas for future research. For most essays, one well-developed paragraph is sufficient for a conclusion, although in some cases, a two or three paragraph conclusion may be required. 

Annotated Bibliography

A bibliography (or reference list) comes after the conclusion (or appendices and final figures) and includes all the information about the sources you have mentioned in the essay. Use the examples in MLA Format Examples as a template to insure that each source is formatted correctly. List the sources in alphabetical order using the author's last name. If a source has more than one author, alphabetize using the first one. All entries should use hanging indents.