Essay Writing

Essay Writing Before you proceed with the body of the essay, write an outline that summarizes your main supporting points. Check to make sure you are answering all parts of the question. Coherent organization is one of the most important characteristics of a good essay. There is a difference between reading to understand the topic, and reading that you plan to reference. It is totally fine to use Wikipedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, lecture notes etc to familiarise yourself with the key arguments and concepts. Have a think, put the argument and essay together. Find relevant books and articles from the reading list and/or Google Scholar searches. Addressingcounterargumentsis also an important part of developing a strong argument. It shows you have done extensive research and you have a good understanding of the topic in question. You should acknowledge existing and possible objections to your arguments and respond to them, discrediting them or showing why they don’t hold true in your case. Brainstorm your ideas on the essay topic to get started. Essays that go off the point with lots of extra detail will get poor marks. You may decide to write a summary of each theory you have been discussing, or a short description of the historical or contemporary events you've been studying. Focus on clarity, conciseness, and understanding the differences between the theories. Aim for five to seven paragraphs, depending on the essay and level of course you are following. State the main points you will discuss in order to support your answer to the question set in the title of the essay. So a 1 page introduction to a 5 page essay is too much. Paraphrase your thesis and demonstrate how you have proven it with your arguments. If relevant and important, you should also address counterargument you cannot refute and concede to them. Depending on the length of your paper you can also briefly summarize the organization of your paper. This is like providing a tour for the reader of your arguments to come. As well, be aware of biases in sources, both academic and news media. You should categorize or code your research according to your different arguments and supporting evidence. Re-formatting your research like this, for example all information from all sources relevant to your first argument are put together , makes it much easier to write. The new version of Adobe Reader lets you highlight and insert text bubbles in PDF files, so you can avoid printing them out or typing out your notes. Our editorial team will make sure your paper is topic-relevant and mistake-free. The length of sections should be proportionate to the size of your essay. Thesis Statementis the most fundamental component to include in your introduction. It is your basic argument, demonstrating what you are trying to prove. It should be concise and clear and it should be a statement that someone can disagree with a.k.a. an argument. Build a set of concepts and questions, compare different views and arguments and their relevance and importance to your research. Instead of just listing and summarizing items, assess them, discussing their strengths and weaknesses.