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An essay is simply a written composition on a certain topic in response to an essay question. The essay follows a certain structure (i.e., introduction, body and conclusion) and is written in a certain academic style. The essay begins with an introduction that includes a statement of your point of view (i.e., thesis statement). The main body contains the response to the essay question, called your argument and must be supported by good quality evidence (i.e., citations). An essay is written formally, should be unbiased, well researched, and a truthful and accurate representation of your ideas on the topic. The essay concludes with a summary of the argument that shows how you have responded to the thesis statement (i.e., the conclusion).
Writing a quality essay is a process that requires preparation and planning. This resource will provide information on the essay writing process, that will assist you in that planning and preparation.
When you first begin thinking about an essay question you will form ideas based on what you already know. However, and most importantly, the ideas you present in the final version of your essay should have been substantially influenced, and supported by, research and include information from appropriate sources (i.e., peer-reviewed, discussed further below).
The following steps are suggested to start the essay writing process:
Figure 1. Example of words and structure to analyse a two-part essay question.
Analyse the question
Analyse the question
Underline task words (e.g., discuss, explain), there is more information on these words and their meaning here.
Circle key content words and phrases (e.g., words or phrases that contextualise the question). Content words tell you what the focus of the essay is and what you need to write about. Having this focus allows you to concentrate your research to the appropriate area.
Identify limiting words (words that provide specific context).
Be clear about what the task is: put the question in your own words. This shows you understand the question.
Look for hints on structure, i.e., how many parts are there to the question?
Brainstorm the question
Brainstorm the question
Bring all your ideas together on one page to:
Take stock of what you already know
Identify any gaps in your knowledge
Mind maps are useful at this stage.
Start your research
Start your research
Begin with general reading, you should start with any recommended readings from your lecturer. It is essential to use reliable and academic sources, and they should be peer-reviewed (articles that have been subjected to a formal review process) as the type of resources you use to develop your arguments will impact on the quality of the essay. At the university level, we encourage students to use sources that are reliable and academic.
This video by our CSU library team (1:41 mins) provides a short explanation of what peer-review is and how to find these articles easily.
Be a critical thinker!
Be a critical thinker!
Critically evaluating the literature is an important part of essay writing. So while you are doing some reading take note on the quality of the paper and ask yourself the following questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
According to Burton (2010), critical thinking is not “magic”…it’s a 5- step procedure:
Identify the source: Who, when & where?
Analyse the arguments: both sides of arguments? Validity?
Examine research methodology: representative sample?
Evaluate the results: appropriate analyses? Reliable?
Analyse the conclusions and implications: are the conclusions appropriate?
The team from Wasabi Learning (2018) have put together a very useful Critical thinking cheat sheet that will remind you to be a critical reader and thinker- print it and keep it next you when doing your research for your assessments: Critical thinking cheat sheet.pdf
The following short video developed by our Academic skills team explains.
Plan the essay
Plan the essay
Organise the information:
Use headings and make connections (again, mind maps are useful)
Decide on a logical order for your points. Your argument should logically flow.
Your plan should include:
The main points and their relationship to the question
The secondary points and their relationship to the main points
References
A draft of your introduction
Essay plan template.docxContinue your research
Continue your research
Focus your research, expanding on the main points and arguments. Ask yourself, do I need extra evidence to support this claim or do I still have gaps in my knowledge?
Use search terms from your earlier research to locate precise information/evidence e.g., on databases.
Start writing
Start writing
Write using your detailed plan using well-formed paragraphs.
By using your plan (i.e., outline) it helps you stay focussed and structured to the essay question.
Some writers write the body first, then the conclusion, then the introduction.
Expect to write several drafts. Try to avoid getting stuck looking for the ‘right’ word. If you do get stuck, put in a word that sounds ‘right’ and revisit later.
Remember to include your references as you go.
Editing, proofreading, and presenting your essay
Editing, proofreading, and presenting your essay
Well-structured, clear, easy to read work is the key to a well-presented essay. Carefully editing and proofreading will ensure that you have:
organised your essay to present a well-structured argument that is supported by evidence from appropriate sources,
used the APA (7th ed.) referencing for in-text citations and the reference list,
presented your essay in an acceptable format,
used correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar throughout,
Editing is a continual process of carefully and critically read your work and revising. Other things to consider are:
Are my points connected? A good way to check this is to read only the topic sentences. You should still be able to see a logical argument.
Are my assertions supported by evidence (the information has come from somewhere you need to show where). Make sure your reference list includes all work cited (but not everything you researched – that’s a bibliography).
Is my work polished? Proofread for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Reading aloud can be useful to check for clarity
Check the layout, margins, page numbers, line spacing and the title page to the presentation guidelines.
Always backup your work during the process. Keep additional copies in different locations, e.g. your USB, laptop or on cloud storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive or iCloud.
Download the CSU guide (developed by the Academic Skills team) on editing and proofreading: Editing, proofing and presenting.PDF
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