Study Skills Scheme

About the Scheme

Advisers

Handbook (online Version)

Seminars

Rights and Responsibilities

Chapter 7

Planning and Writing Your Essay

Introduction

The preparation and presentation of written work is vital not only to your progress through the course, but will give you analytical, communication and presentation skills which you will take to the workplace. Written assignments, including essays, case study reports and literature reviews, are assessment tools which give you the opportunity to expand your knowledge and explore your understanding by drawing on the ideas of experts in the field. Although there are different types of essay, there are certain characteristics that they have in common. As for all types of formal writing, essay writing is a process involving a number of stages. The writing process must be managed within two constraints: time and word length. This chapter provides you with guidelines on how to approach planning and writing an essay.

Understanding the task

Orientation

Make sure you understand the task given. Find out the objectives of the assignment and how it might fit in with the unit aims. Ensure you really know what is being asked of you, how the assignment should be presented (for example, format requirements and the number of words), what the assessment criteria are, and what you should be getting out of this educational experience.

Analyse the essay question

A procedure for analysing the essay question is demonstrated below using a first year Social Work topic as an example.

Identify:

• key content words in the essay question: These indicate the concepts/theories covered in course work you are required to address in the essay.
  
  Do people get into financial trouble through their own poor management or due to broader social reasons? Discuss these contrasting views of the financial problems and compare the implications that each view has for a social worker working with people who have financial difficulties.
• direction words: These indicate what you are asked to do, e.g. analyse, evaluate, compare and contrast. Note that the word ‘discuss’ encompasses a number of other direction words, including those just metioned.
  
  Do people get into financial trouble through their own poor management or due to broader social reasons? Discuss these contrasting views of the financial problems and compare the implications that each view has for a social worker working with people who have financial difficulties.
• parts of the question: These indicate the sub-questions/aspects to the problem you are expected to address. They may also indicate the general structure of the essay.
  
  Do people get into financial trouble through their own poor management or due to broader social reasons? Discuss these contrasting views of the financial problems and compare the implications that each view has for a social worker working with people who have financial difficulties.

Brainstorm the topic

Make rough notes/a mind map about what you already know (concepts, theories, research evidence) about the topic from lectures/tutorials. This will guide your literature search and will also be useful in the essay plan.

Example of a mind map

One way of brainstorming the essay topic on page 34 is demonstrated below.

Example of a mind map

The literature search

If references or a reading list is not provided for the assignment, a useful starting point is often the suggested readings for lectures or tutorials on the topic. These may help guide your thinking, rather than supply definitive answers. As noted in Chapter 2, you should make use of the resources of the library and the skills of the librarians to get the material required for the assignment.

A poorly researched essay will result in a poorly written essay. To be well prepared for the writing of the essay, you should follow the following general principles:

• For an academic essay it is expected that you will draw on quality sources, that is, mainly from academic books, refereed journal articles (print and electronic), and review articles.
• Use skimming and scanning reading techniques to find material that is directly relevant to your essay topic and that you will need to read in depth.
• Read most/all of the sources you will use before starting the essay.

Chapter 4 provides advice on how to read for assignments and take notes from the sources your read.

Stages in writing the essay

The essay plan

• Make a simple one-page plan of the body of the essay based on notes from your reading and, if useful, the initial mind map.
• The essay plan shows the line of argument you are taking. On the other hand, the ideas presented in the mind map have no particular order or structure.
• Include sub-headings and bullet points under main headings showing the main aspects/sections of your discussion.
• Check that headings and points address the essay question and that they are logically ordered.
• Include references in your plan, as the ideas from sources are part of the argument you are developing. This will also help avoid problems with inaccurate referencing in the essay.

Two examples of student essay plans are provided on the following pages: Essay plan 1 is a Social Work topic and Essay plan 2 a Mental Health Nursing topic.

Note the following:

• The number and types of references used will depend on the requirements of the essay. Essay 1 is more theoretical and, so, can use fewer sources. In addition, they do not all need to be recent. Essay 2 draws on recent research evidence related to the mental illness in question. The writer needs to use a more comprehensive range of references, and they need to be recent.
• In all essay topics, there is more than one way of structuring an essay to ensure that all parts of the question have been addressed.
• In the essay plan stage, you should not be concerned about the Introduction and Conclusion. In both plans, the writers have noted where the definition/statistic included in the introduction is sourced from.
• The number of sections in the plan does not necessarily correspond to the number of paragraphs in the essay. Some of the sections may need two to three paragraphs.

Essay plan 1: Social Work

Essay plan 2: Mental Health Nursing

Writing the first draft

• Start the first draft based on your plan. At this stage, focus on the level of analysis and the logical presentation of the content.
• Incorporate material from notes you took from your reading into the main stages of your discussion/argument.
• Make sure that you are summarising and paraphrasing material from your sources (See Chapter 9).

Redrafting the essay

The purpose of redrafting is to refine the content of the essay and to improve the readability. You will need to make several drafts of the essay. The amount of redrafting will vary across the essay, depending on complexity of content, difficulty with structure of essay, written expression, and so on. The following tips will help you.

• Keep in mind that you are not writing for yourself, but for an audience (the reader/readers). With each successive draft, you should be focussing more on how well you are communicating your points.
• Include accurate references in every draft.
• When you are sure of the content of the body, write the introduction and conclusion.
• If you are over the word limit, check your plan to see what material can be left out or how to re-write sections more concisely. If you leave out material, you may need to make adjustments in other parts of the essay to make sure it flows. Check that the modified essay answers the essay question.
• If you are under the word limit, check the essay question, your plan and notes from sources to see what important points you may have omitted. If you add material, you may need to make adjustments in other parts of the essay to make sure it flows. Check that the modified essay answers the essay question.

Completing the essay

• When the essay is completed, write the references list. All references cited in the essay should be listed in the references, and vice versa. Make sure you are clear about the referencing system you are required to use and the details of referencing conventions for that system (See Chapter 10).
• Check that your essay meets the requirements for the assignment. Use the assessment criteria as a checklist to guide you in evaluating your writing. Assessment criteria usually focus on three broad areas:
  • Content: critical analysis of topic, identifying key issues/concepts/theories, use of the literature.
  • Organisation: content presented in a logical order, flow of argument, paragraph structure, effectiveness of Introduction and Conclusion.
  • Presentation: referencing conventions, writing style, English expression, grammar, spelling, layout.
• Allow enough time (e.g. at least the day before the essay is due, if possible) to edit and proofread your writing. Check the essay structure for writing style, accuracy of expression, grammar and spelling. Reading your essay out aloud helps you identify problems with structure and expression.

Essay Structure

The structure of an essay

There is more than one way of organising the material in an essay. This will partly be determined by the nature of the essay question, and partly by how you decide to respond to the question. However, all academic essays have the same broad structure, as described below.

Introduction

• The Introduction begins by indicating the significance of the general area related to the topic and provides some background information. It then states the specific topic that will be addressed and defines the scope of the essay by indicating the main issues to be discussed.
• General background information (i.e. that informs the reader why the topic is important) should be in the introduction. Background material that is more technical or detailed that the reader needs in order to understand the main discussion of the essay, or is part of the discussion, should follow the Introduction.
• A definition that relates to a key word in the essay topic should/can be included in the introduction. More specific definitions or definitions of key concepts or theories related to different stages of the discussion should appear in later sections.
• An Introduction may need to have more than one part to address the essay question. However, for most undergraduate essays, one paragraph (approximately 6-12 sentences) is usually adequate.
• Note: An Introduction should not contain any conclusions, as this pre-empts your discussion.

The body

• The body of the essay is where you develop the main points of your argument sequentially and with appropriate evidence from your sources. It presents the main issues related to the essay question in a logical step-by-step fashion.
• The issues should be linked both conceptually and linguistically. That is, each point you make should be complete in itself, but logically build on the previous point and lead to the next. Similarly, each paragraph should be self-contained, but should be linked to other paragraphs through the language you use, for example, connectives and transitional statements.

Conclusion

• The Conclusion briefly summarises the main points of the essay with reference to the essay question and then states the conclusions reached.
• It may also state implications for professional practice, or make recommendations for future directions in research, professional practice and/or policy development.
• The Conclusion should not introduce new material.

Example of an Introduction and a Conclusion

Essay Topic: ‘Anorexia Nervosa’

Introduction

Nurses across all sectors of the health care industry come in contact with patients with a range of physical and mental illnesses. The dieting disorder anorexia nervosa is a serious condition that affects the lives of 0.5% of the female population. While its prevalence is only half of that of schizophrenia, it has the highest death rate of any mental illness (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), 2003). It is therefore important nurses possess adequate skills and knowledge to enable diagnosis and treatment of this illness. This essay will provide a definition of anorexia nervosa, and identify diagnostic features of the illness and the components of the mental status examination. Various treatment strategies will be outlined, and a basic nursing care plan with interventions and rationale will be suggested for the treatment of anorexia nervosa.

Conclusion

This paper has highlighted the complexity of identifying and treating patients suffering from the dieting disorder anorexia nervosa. Each case is as unique as patients suffering from this mental illness. It is therefore imperative that health professionals develop care plans and strategies which address not only the physical well-being of the patient, but also address the psychological and social issues which impact upon the patient’s mental health. Health professionals must develop a positive rapport with their patients to promote open communication and trust. Communication, participation and co-operation between patients, their families and health professionals will enhance the effectiveness of the chosen treatments and recovery rates.

From a second year Mental Health Nursing assignment, La Trobe University, 2004

Organisation of a paragraph

Each paragraph in an essay contains a main idea which is linked to all the other main points made in the essay. The main or controlling idea in a paragraph is generally contained in a topic sentence, often at the beginning of a paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph support the main idea in various ways. These include:

• defining terms connected with the topic
• providing detailed discussion/analysis of a concept
• including examples, research evidence or other detailed material that support the claim made in the topic sentence
• paraphrasing or summarising similar/contrasting views in the literature

Note: You should avoid one-sentence and one-page paragraphs.

Below are two examples of well-structured paragraphs from student essays. The topic sentence is underlined.

Example 1

When assessing social problems, Hulley and Clarke (1994) identify two fundamental explanations used to define the cause of the problem. First there is the ‘blaming the victim’ perspective; this approach attributes problems that arise to deficiencies of particular individuals. When considering the above statements made by the Australian Immigration Minister and the term ‘queue jumpers’, it is apparent that these phrases underpin the blaming the victim pathology. The second approach, social construction theory, rationalises that social problems occur as the result of flaws in social organisation and structure. Unlike the ‘blaming the victim’ approach, this viewpoint moves away from working with individuals and seeks to remedy social problems on a larger scale by reassessing and addressing inadequacies within social structures. These two approaches differ significantly and the actions pursued by those working within a social welfare setting will depend on the theoretical model the professional has adopted.

Example 2

A large number of studies support the existence of a strong correlation between a child’s phonological awareness (PA) and his or her progress in learning to read (Bradley & Bryant, 1983; Torgesen, Wagner & Rashotte, 1994). A study by Blackman (2002) found that children who were more successful at performing PA tasks learnt to read words with greater ease than those who were unsuccessful. Earlier studies such as Torgesen, Wagner and Rashotte (1994) demonstrated similar findings to Blackman (2002). Torgesen et al. (1994) tested phonological awareness, as well as pre-reading and general verbal skills, in 288 five-year-old kindergarten children. Performance on tests of phonological awareness in kindergarten (identifying sound within presented words) was found to be strongly related to reading development in both first and second grade, even when controlling for verbal and pre-reading abilities measured at kindergarten.

Using headings

For some units, headings are not used in essays, while in others, headings are required. However, in some cases, there are no specific requirements, so the student can choose whether or not to use them. Check your unit guide or speak to your lecturer if you are uncertain. Headings are frequently misused in student writing. The following tips are provided to help you use headings more effectively.

• Headings are a signpost for the reader indicating what a section will be about.
• Headings do not structure an essay that is poorly written.
• A heading should be an accurate overview of the content of the section which follows.
• An effective heading is brief and informative, e.g. ‘Background’ is not informative.
• A heading for a section should be followed by a topic sentence in the next paragraph related to that heading.

Presentation

It is usual that your lecturer or school will issue explicit guidelines on how written material is to be presented. Follow this carefully, as this may significantly contribute to your mark. In general, the following guidelines will be of use:

• The cover page should state the subject code and subject title, assignment title, lecturer’s name, your name and student ID, and the date of submission.
• For large works, a numbered contents page can be a valuable asset.
• Ensure your pages are numbered, and check for missing pages.
• Presentations are usually typewritten (computer printed), on one side of the page only, with generous margins, and either double spaced or space-and-a half.
• Make sure the pages of the assignment are firmly fastened together. Generally, it is preferred that you submit your work without a folder or plastic envelope.
• Keep a copy of the submitted assignment, and keep your rough notes and drafts until the assignment has been assessed and returned.

Note: Your School/Department may issue a receipt on submission of your assignment.

Avoiding plagiarism

The assignment you hand in must be your own work. The penalties for submitting work that is not your own can be very severe. Plagiarism occurs when you:

• use part or all of an assignment you have already submitted for another subject. Even though this is your own writing, submitting it for another subject constitutes plagiarism.
• copy another student’s assignment and submit it as your own. Your lecturers are very easily able to identify all or part of an assignment that have been copied from another student.
• fail to properly acknowledge (reference) material you have used from other sources. This includes print and electronic sources, visual images, CD ROMs, and so on. This aspect of plagiarism is dealt with in detail in Chapters 9 and 10. Other advice on how to avoid plagiarism is provided in Chapter 4.

Further reading

Giltrow, J. (2002). Academic writing: Writing and reading in the disciplines. (3rd ed.). Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.

Hay, I. (2002). Making the grade: A guide to successful communication and study. (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

Indiana University. Writing tutorial services. http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml

La Trobe University learning website at http://www.latrobe.edu.au/learning Student Learning

Marshall, L., & Rowland, F. (2006). A guide to learning independently. (4th ed.). Sydney: Pearson Education.

Siyln-Roberts, H. (2002). Writing for Science. (2nd ed.). New Zealand: Pearson Education New Zealand Limited.

Wallace, M.J. (2002). Study skills in English. (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Zilm, G, & Entwistle, C. (2002). The smart way: An introduction to writing for nurses. (2nd ed.). Sydney: W.B. Saunders.