Study Skills for Business Marinko Markek

The process of writing a university-level essay - A presentation and discussion of the stages

Anastasiya Semenova Student no 120053

Newbold College, Binfield 2013

Introduction

University assignments can either be seen as frightful, impossible tasks or a chance for further academic development. In order for the last mentioned to happen, a myriad of books, web-pages and guides have been published to help students accomplish this obligatory task of any education. Even so, it seems as if the required , investigative type of writing has, for many, become an obstacle and subject for confusion. In particular, it is, most commonly, not understood how to tackle the project and, eventually, reach the purpose of the exercise - critical thinking, appropriate formulation and development of a personal voice. For this reason, it is meaningful for an unfamiliar student to get acquainted with the course of action before putting it into practice. This way, understanding comes before proceeding, which avoids further difficulties. In this assignment I intend to untangle the stages of accomplishing a well-written university essay by both describing and discussing the process of each stage. A number of published writing guides from various British universities will be used as sources, as well as articles, books and brochures.

According to several essay writing guides, an essay is a written presentation, discussion and/or analysis of certain topic in a comprehensible, holistic and logical way (Studyhood Ltd, 2007), (CSU, 2013). Most often, it has a clear thesis - written by the student or given already - which is compared and analyzed (Silber, 1995). It is also an assessment of understanding of the topic given, and how well the student can communicate ideas of other writers and his own to the reader, leading to a coherent conclusion. An adequately written essay is evidence of good understanding and communication skills (CSU, 2013). It also communicated the students unique thoughts concerning the subject (Queens University, n.d.).

The purpose of the essay process is to accomplish organization of thoughts and information obtained through research in a logical manner in order for the reader to understand the various arguments existing on the topic (Studyhood Ltd, 2007). It is also a practice of critical thinking and formation of a unique approach to a subject, showing independent thinking (Queens University, n.d.) and focusing on a narrow thought throughout the process (Connelly, n.d.). Hurton-Eddison suggests that this is, as a whole, a crucial skill to develop before getting an undergraduate degree.

According to various sources, the essay-writing process is quite similar. The step-by-step guide by Tom Johnson (Johnson, 2004) suggests eight main stages of producing an essay, which are: research, analysis, brainstorming, thesis, outline, introduction, writing of paragraphs and conclusion. It is essential to embrace each one of them, with no reluctance to reviewing and, many times, re-writing.

The research stage is, essentially, the development of the students awareness and knowledge, where a variety of sources are searched and picked out for relevant information. Knowledge of what to look for, and where, is fundamental for efficiency (Greetham, 2008). A similar claim is found in the CSU guide (2013) through presenting analysis of question as a stage in itself, suggesting a great emphasis on the importance od a well-angled search. On the other hand, a great amount of time should be invested in order to obtain a holistic comprehension of the subject (Kennard, 2006). Topic awareness should be the starting point in every case, which is easily done by a quick Google-search (Procter, n.d.). When the topic is understood, books need to be skimmed through and relevant chapters found for further, deeper reading (Greetham, 2008). Academic databases are also very useful, providing up-to-date information. Other online sources are not to be neglected, but credibility needs to be investigated (Johnson, 2004) - e.g. newspaper articles are excellent sources while Wikipedia is advised to avoid (Standler, 2004). Thorough collection and organisation of useful sources results in time for the deeper reading. While so doing, note-taking is advised of interesting quotations, facts or significant thoughts, ideas and even arisen questions. Another recommendation is to take a little from a lot - collection of small pieces of information from a large amount of sources to acquire an integrated view (Johnson, 2004). Lastly, Silber (1995), among others, encourages to start the research early, in case of side-tracks or obstacles along the way.

The next stage is, according to Johnson (2004), the analysis of obtained information with the eventual goal of critical choice of sources. Found main claims and supporting reasons need to be organized from every relevant piece of work. Furthermore, Johnson advises note-taking as an obvious process not to forget any ideas along the way. The analysis itself takes place when the claims and reasons are tested - the student needs to rationally weigh the strength and weakness of every argument, practicing critical thinking while choosing solid sources for the essay. Additionally, Kennard advises to form counter-arguments to each claim for further exercise (Kennard, 2006). Any biases need also to be recognized, through analysis of context and, if possible, the author (Knott,

n.d.). While a sufficient amount of sources are essential, too much attention and time seems to be paid to this stage, that is, too many notes from too many sources, leaving a heavier workload than necessary and confusion about what to include. Quantity does not, inevitably, prove quality (CSU, 2013).

One of the factors contributing to attaining quality stems from the use of, so called, brain storming or mind mapping to expand initial thought processes and form the core of the essay - the original thoughts. According to Greetham (2008), brainstorming needs to be done straight after the analysis in order to acquire the expression of the students personal opinion standing on the shoulders of the newly found knowledge. This method of development could primarily be used for the commencing process, where the most focus and order is needed. Although, it is also beneficiary when formulating and commencing new ideas to ensure as many branches of ideas are considered and to maintain a planned and articulate response. This avoids the essay becoming merely a paraphrase of other pieces (Greetham, 2008). Johnson (2004) suggests that it is during this stage that something original is supposed to be produced. He advises the usage of different techniques, such as writing down 10 questions with suggested answers and/or writing a journal with thoughts along the way. Similarly, the traditional strategy of mind-maps can be effective to exercise generation of ideas through association (See Figure 1) (Velliaris, 2009). Additionally, Kennard (2006) encourages

allowance of a generous time-span at this point. The aim is a new, creative view of the subject which reveals more than the obvious, which should take some time to develop.

Figure 1. Example of a mind map on the subject of climate change impacts .

The following step is, on the contrary, supposed to occupy the least amount of time but is what the essay is based on - the thesis statement (Horton Eddison, n.d.). Johnson (2004) describes it as an arguable assertion which gives the main, original idea created from the previous stages, that will be discussed. Shiach (2008) calls thesis the controlling idea, a claim that every paragraph of the text will be able to form after. The emphasis lies on answering the essay question by presenting a standpoint, not merely an observation (Writing Tutorial Services, 2008). Various guides and authors advise to keep the thesis as specific and summarizing as possible (Kennard, 2006), (Johnson, 2004), distilling the line of argument into not more than two sentences. An example of what has been described above is found in a guide by Tardiff and Brizee (2013) comparing two argumentative thesis's: 1. It should be required to pursue a 1-year period of community service for high school graduates because of its benefits. 2. High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness. Although thesis 1 provides a summary of the discussion, it is not as specific as thesis 2. It gives the exact supporting arguments, narrowing down the focus to benefits merely related to, in this case, personal development reasons, which is equally useful for the author as to the reader. -----

Once the thesis is made, it is time to create an outline, consisting of bullet points with brief descriptions of each paragraph organized in the desired order of presentation, e.g. by level of importance (CSU, 2013). This has the same role and importance as blueprints have to a builder apart from serving as a constant support throughout the writing process, it helps to organize arguments in a coherent way with very little chance to forget ideas, which is at risk when an outline is missing (Johnson, 2004). Greetham (2008) advises to take time for creation of outline, as time is, eventually, won by not leaving organization and formulation to be done simultaneously. Taking time is also beneficial to e.g. strengthen the most vague arguments through positioning. It is useful to keep in mind that a reader, most commonly, remembers merely the beginning and end. The weakest arguments or the strongest counterarguments should therefore be planned to be placed in the middle of the essay body (Johnson, 2004). The classical frame of an essay surrounds the body with an introduction and conclusion. An introduction is supposed to catch the readers attention and present the topic, which is suggested through presenting a thought-provoking fact, a captivating paradox or explaining a difficult term. While the overview needs to be comprehensive, including the thesis and a brief explanation how the author is intending to discuss it, too broad explanations are warned against (Freedham, and Plotnick n.d.). Reid et al. (n.d.) recommend a simple introduction outline to begin with, built on the questions: what? why? and how?, meaning what the investigation is about (providing context), why it is significant and how it will be addressed. Lastly, the length of an introduction is advised to be approximately 10% of the required word limit (University of Canberra, 2012). The length of the essay body, on the other hand, is approximately 80% of the word amount, since it contains the main discussion of the thesis, organized in paragraphs. The body contains of connected paragraphs, each one examining one claim and presenting its evidence. Each paragraph is to start with a topic sentence, which describes what is intended to be discussed in it, pointing the reader to the purpose. Greetham (2008) also suggests that development of the issue should follow, ending with evidence for the argument. He encourages, however, to follow a personal pattern if appropriate. Moreover, the recommended length of one paragraph is not more than one page, but preferably, not less than a half (Johnson, 2004). Finally, the unity of the whole body is not to be neglected. The paragraphs need to create one, coherent piece built around the thesis and the context (Greetham, 2008).

The essence of the body is summarized in the conclusion. The main points are to be summed up and referred back to the assignment question, focusing on the information provided by the essay (Reid et. al. n.d.) with no new information included (CSU, 2013). However, Johnson (2004) affirms that a conclusion is more than merely a summary - it is supposed to be a graceful exit, leaving a meaningful impression on the reader. This can be accomplished through e.g discussing consequences, finishing with a challenging statement or an intriguing quote. Although the question is supposed to be answered by this point, it is, according to Bellanca (1998) important to close the discussion without closing it off, meaning that the conclusion must present an open-minded ground for alternative solutions, which is made by e.g. putting it into a larger context. Finally, various authors warn against apologizing in any form or oppressing ones approach because of insecurity. While doubts are natural to come up, they should not be shown in the text (Bellanca, 1998), (Greetham, 2008), ( Johnson, 2004).

The conclusion is also the only part that does not need referencing back to sources, while it is crucial in the introduction and the body, to avoid plagiarism. This term is most known as attempts by the student to misrepresent his/her own ability by drawing on other peoples work and presenting it as his/her own, in other words, not acknowledging the information gathered in by the research in the beginning as external (Royal Holloway, n.d.). When a useful piece of information is found, it should be re-written according to the context of the essay in the students own words and referenced back to. Remarkable quotations can be included and explained or analyzed, not left outside context or sentences. However, it is advised to use quotations in much moderation, in order not to lose the personal voice (Johnson, 2004). After all, the purpose of writing an essay is to develop critical thinking, a unique opinion and formulation skills, which will be hard to assess in case of plagiarism (Royal Holloway, n.d.). Lastly, there is great emphasis on the language used when writing. Johnson (2004) advises clear, formal language, which can be accomplished by re-reading the text out loud to analyse the ow of the sentences. Moreover, revision is essential in order to produce a high-quality essay. It can be useful to let the essay be proof-read, and/or read it after a couple of days for a clearer, more objective view (Greetham, 2008).

Conclusion A university-level essay is a written description, discussion and/or analysis of certain topic presented in a comprehensible, holistic and logical way. The purpose of one is to develop the students investigative- communication- and presentation skills as well as critical thinking and a maturity of personal opinion. The process can be summarized in eight stages: research, analysis, brainstorming, thesis, outline, introduction, writing of paragraphs and conclusion. While researching the subject using both internet and books, the student needs to be critical to the sources found. When relevant information is collected, it should be analyzed through finding main claims and reasons for those in every text. This way, solid sources are found. In the brainstorming stage, the purpose it to find a unique idea to say about the subject, which, eventually will form a thesis the main, personal statement to be argued for. Further, an outline is to be written to be a guiding map throughout the writing process. Most commonly, the student should plan the main points of each paragraph and set them in the preferred order. Next, the introduction should be written to present the subject and why the students thesis is relevant. The following body itself contains of the main claims being discussed upon. Lastly, the points should be summarized in the conclusion with an impression of a yet open discussion concerning the matter.

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