WHERE To Start? Help!

by Joe Essid

For first years and those continuing students transitioning back into college, academic writing can be difficult. We feel that this short guide will help make a quick impact on your essays.

The Basics for Any Project

• Who is the audience for this paper? Don't always assume that you're writing for your professor; s/he may want you to write for people unfamiliar with the topic. If you're in doubt, ask your professor. What are the most important things that this audience needs to know?

• What question(s) must you answer in order to fulfill the assignment?

• Which areas of my readings or sources are still unclear to you? How necessary are they for writing a first draft?

Decoding an Assignment

• Read the prompt carefully. In many cases, if you don't take the appropriate time to analyze an assignment effectively and fully, the essay itself might fail to answer the prompt. It's a common mistake to misinterpret the questions being asked.

• What "code words" does the assignment contain? Code words could be abstract terms such as "concepts of freedom" and "system of belief," or they could be terms that demand a certain task of you, such as "analyze," "compare," "explore reasons for."

• Don't be afraid to ask the professor clarifying questions!

Example: Words that specify a task to be done appear in red. Words that suggest or mandate a method appear in blue. Professorial and abstract "code words" appear in pink.

From an FYS 100 Class, "The Space Race." Students will be attending an exhibit off campus as a group.

What did  you see at the Museum exhibit that expands your understanding of what we have studied? Why did it expand your understanding? Be specific in supporting that with details from our films and reading. Minimum length: 600 words.  

Remember this: You are not alone in struggling with a tough assignment. Muriel Harris (a prominent scholar of writing-center work) writes: "Misunderstanding the assignment happens with such astonishing regularity that we ought more properly to view it as a part of the academic process-learning the language of academic communities, learning how to understand that language, and learning how to act on that understanding" (Talking, 39).

Developing Ideas

• When starting an essay, be sure to think broadly and then narrow to the specifics being asked.

• What are a few main points that you want to convey in this paper?

• Are any of these points contradictory or overly vague?
  
  For example, if you wrote "I want to show how factories in Japan and America are both similar and different," your goals are probably too broad; "Macbeth was both good and evil" could be easily read as a contradictory statement.

• For essays based on an argument, rather than writing such as progress reports, lab reports, or literature reviews, the introductory paragraph should culminate in one governing claim (aka thesis) which will be the basis of the rest of your paper. Generally speaking, a thesis will change with the writing of the paper. Forget what a high-school teacher may have told you about writing the final version of it first.

• How will you support your main ideas? Are they unsupported speculations and opinions? Generally, professors look for support from readings and other academic sources--when in doubt, ask.

When Getting Stuck

• If you're having trouble getting started, try freewriting, an informal brainstorming list, or formal outline.

Gathering Evidence

• When reading a source, take note of what you think may be important even if you don't have the prompt at that time. This may be helpful when you begin writing your paper.

• Make sure your evidence directly related to your thesis. This could include counterarguments to address. When using evidence, be sure to analyze it fully. Every quotation needs an introduction and a complete analysis.

• Don't ignore any piece of evidence that may contradict your thesis. Remember that your thesis can be adapted or changed throughout the writing process.

Citing Sources

• Be sure to distinguish which ideas are your own and which ideas come from a source. You don't always need to directly quote a source, paraphrasing can be just as helpful.

• Integrate quotations so that they flow seamlessly in your paper. Rather than building your paper from the quotes, use the quotes to supplement your ideas.

• Try to avoid using block quotations (quotes of four or more lines) unless completely necessary to provide necessary evidence for your claims. Students too often put them in to make word-count.

• Be sure to ask the professor what style of citation style she or he prefers.

Drawing Conclusions

• A concluding paragraph should begin specific and become more general, usually summarizing a few main points in order to leave the reader with a clear impression of what you wanted to impart. That said, depending on the field of study, conclusions that only summarize do poorly.

•  A "so what" (implications of the topic) may be required, depending upon the professor and field of study. Always ask. Read more here.

Revising The Paper

• Start early enough to make sure you have time to look over your paper multiple times with a fresh perspective.

• Get a Writing Consultant to help, but come with a list of areas where you feel stuck

• When you are not tired, read your paper out loud to catch sentence level errors.

Specific Advice for SPCS Students

• Make sure to manage your time. Start early so that you have time to revise. Try making a calender with deadlines to keep your responsibilities in order.

• Because you may have more personal and professional responsibilities than traditional students, make sure to work on your paper as frequently as possible so you don't lose track of your ideas.

• Be aware that you may have to relearn concepts you learned in the past, as concepts or techniques continuously change.

Works Cited

Harris, Muriel. "Talking in the Middle: Why Writers Need Tutors." College English. (2007): 39. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Available Online