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How to Write an Essay

Editor — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:32:32 +0000

Writing an essay can be irksome because most of us do not know the simple rules of essay writing. So, let us make it easier for you by starting with the very basics, which are commonly known as well. Now, every essay has the following three parts:

Introduction
Body
Conclusion

A sound balance and consistent flow should be maintained in these three essential components of an essay. But, what we really need to know is how to write an essay that leaves an impression on the reader and also what steps are to be taken to make it easier for us to write an essay. Below are a few points that can be followed in sequence to get the desired results.

Introduction, Body & Conclusion: Getting Them Right!

Essay Introduction: The introduction should grab your reader’s attention. It should be very interesting or intriguing. You might write an interesting fact, a surprising piece of information, an exciting quotation or a provocative question. After gaining the desired attention, jump to the main issue. Introduction should lead toward the thesis statement.

Essay Body: Each paragraph should have a particular focus to it. Start a paragraph with a topic sentence. Develop ideas to further support the topic sentence. Give examples, state causes and effects, comparisons and contrasts etc. One paragraph should have one topic, rather than three or four.

Essay Conclusion: Keep your conclusion short. Summarize your ideas in a fresh way and make an elegant exit. Do not restate your thesis; rather write something that makes the reader think about your essay for a while. To leave an impression, try giving a thought provoking question, stating what action needs to be done, ending on an interesting twist of thought etc.

Basic Tips for Essay Writing

Research: It is not possible to write intelligently about a topic, one doesn’t know much about. Spend considerable amount of time in reading and gathering information about the topic assigned. Use variety of sources i.e. internet, academic database and libraries. Keep taking notes and don’t forget to write down the correct references.

Brainstorming: Now that you have enough research, task is to look for something original to say about the topic. To do that you should try to define the problem, write down questions challenging your main idea, look for evidences and try to reason with yourself, look out for any biases that you might have, identify assumptions and lose them. Remember a simple tip that any argument is incomplete without either one of the following:

Claim
Reasons for that claim

Thesis Statement: After researching and brainstorming copiously, its time to produce a polished thesis statement that will shape your essay. It should be ‘specific’ and ‘arguable’. For instance if you cannot say anything against your thesis, it’s a fact not a thesis.

Outline: Write down a brief outline for yourself before starting the essay. It’s like a blueprint for a building. Mention all the points you would like to write in your essay e.g. what would you write in the paragraphs and in what order, how would you like to end it etc.

Proof reading: Read your essay again and again and look for clarity of concepts. Avoid personal references e.g. ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’ etc. Check your write up for any grammatical errors. Maintain a level of formality and avoid emotionalism. Make sure the essay has been proofread couple of times before you submit it.

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Outline of a Thesis Statement

Editor — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:43:18 +0000

Explaining Outline of a Thesis Statement

The outline of a thesis statement is the basic idea regarding the viewpoint of a researcher. A thesis statement is a declaration that a researcher officially makes before conducting research. Hence the outline helps him to only lay down those assertions which he is confident of fulfilling.

A researcher can experiment with his/her outline of a thesis statement before putting it finally on the paper. He can also try at different ways through which he would prove his point. Most of the times, the outline of a thesis statement is crafted lastly after deciding on the pattern or course of research. This is done so there is no inconsistency in the write of the research report.

Thesis Statement Outline Tips

The outline of the thesis statement should lay down the direction which the thesis would follow to prove, for or against. If a research thesis affirms to be in negative to the thesis statement then a null thesis statement would hold true for such a research. For a good thesis statement, planning and revising the outline of the thesis statement is the best thing.

To get an idea how to draft a complete thesis statement from the outline of the thesis statement please check out thesis statement examples.

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How to Write a Thesis Statement

Editor — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:40:56 +0000

Writing a thesis statement is similar to setting up a benchmark for a research thesis. For best results, you should write a thesis statement at the end. Prior to that, you should plan the whole mechanism of your research. Outline of a thesis statement should be drafted, last thing.

Your thesis statement should concisely describe your standpoint for the topic that you are dealing with. For example your topic is: “Genetic Engineering: Virtue or Sin.” Let’s suppose you decide to build your thesis on the argument that genetic engineering is a virtue with associated benefits that surpass its evils. So you will have a thesis statement: “Beneficial aspects of genetic engineering surpass the notorious evils associated with it, provided a vigilant scrutinization is administered by government.”

Here, you not only state explicitly your point of view but give the extensive argument on the basis of which you are going to argue your case. While writing a thesis statement, you should keep in mind that the actual research should strictly prove the point that is mentioned in it. You can check out thesis statement examples to get a much better idea on how to write a thesis statement, effectively.

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Thesis Statement Examples

Editor — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:32:04 +0000

The thesis statement examples compiled below will give you an idea on how to draft a thesis statement for your research paper or essay.

Enjoy!

Thesis Statement Example 1

In this example of thesis statement, the emphasis of the study is to find a correlation, either positive or negative, between Mozart’s music and short term memory. This is an example of a research paper with data observation and analysis. The observations were recorded by running ANOVA and Post Hoc tests to compute values for the variables.

The goal was to find a positive correlation between the two variables. For that a hypothesis was tested that was proven to be negative. Alternatively, this proved the scientific validation of the null hypothesis i.e. “positive correlation exists between short term memory and listening to Mozart’s music.” The actual thesis statement is both precise and straight to the point yet some explanation has been given to elaborate the details of the study.

Thesis Subject: The Effect of Mozart’s Music on Short Term Memory

Sample Thesis Statement: The thesis statement is created from the essential question i.e. “is there any presence of a positive cause and effect relationship on the memory status of the students who listen to Mozart’s music, as it is propagated in the theory of Mozart’s effect”. The hypothesis tested for this study is, “Listening to Mozart’s music has no effect on human memory”.

Thesis Statement Example 2

This is an example of a research essay thesis statement. While writing a thesis statement for a research essay you have to strictly take a for or against approach and then justify your argument. For such type of thesis statements, it’s best to gather your material beforehand and then write your thesis statement, lastly.

In the first example, the thesis statement is vague and does not clearly illustrate the researcher’s point of view. It only gives a brief overview about the topic undertaken. On the other hand, the second thesis statement clearly presents the view of the researcher and indicates how the study follows up and what it is trying to prove. So the second Sample Thesis Statement B ranks higher than Sample Thesis Statement A.

Thesis Subject: Suppose you are given to debate on the ethics of Organ Trade in a research essay. The topic being broad calls for a

Sample Thesis Statement A: Ethical Implications of Organ Trade

Sample Thesis Statement B: Dire Consequences of Organ Trade to the Society

Thesis Statement Example 3

This is an example of a thesis statement for a science paper where you need to specifically screen out an exact hypothesis that would lead the finding of your research. Since the research heavily relies on statistical measure and data tabulations so it’s best to be specific with minimal leaning towards the theoretical bend in thesis statements.

Thesis Subject: The topic involved the exploitation and application of metacognition to see its impact on the problem solving abilities of students. The study was carried out for a model of metacognitive thinking strategies which are self-efficacy, definition, exploration, accommodation, strategy, execution and verification.

Sample Thesis Statement: Students with higher levels of success rates in solving calculus problems tend to be frequent exploiters of metacongnitive thinking strategies.

Thesis Statement Example 4

This is a thesis statement example for a research paper where you have to argue your point by providing evidence from reliable resources (journal articles, newspapers etc). The thesis statement is self explanatory and indicates the stand point of the author.

Thesis Subject: Affect of the fiscal and economic strategy, outlined in Budget Report of Chancellor (October 2007) on the economic and fiscal strategy policy.

Sample Thesis Statement: Impact of Budget Report of Chancellor (October 2007) in achieving Government’s macroeconomic objectives.

Thesis Statement Example 5

In this example of a thesis statement, the topic undertaken is broken down and assembled into parts to compose a thesis statement. Here it is more of an “essential question” than a brief hypothesis.

Thesis Subject: To explore the affect of contemporary movement on interior design development and performance.

Sample Thesis Statement: The discussion so far reveals that there is indeed the presence of a significant positive relationship between the contemporary movement in influencing the trends and practices of interior design. But here, the essential question that lies with us is that what are the channels and mediums through which this influence is generated and pulled off.

I hope these thesis statement examples would help you in shooting off your own thesis statement without any hassle. If you have any further questions, please feel free to drop a line.

Happy Thesis Statement-ing!

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How to Write a Conclusion

Editor — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:44:24 +0000

A conclusion is the “summing up” of your whole research. No matter how much of a killer your actual examination is, if you write a loose conclusion, you spoil the whole essence. Like a good investigator, you have to clearly delineate the important points during your research that aided in identifying the acquired results.

How to Write a Conclusion in General

A general conclusion for any kind of writing needs an analytical approach and the ability to dissect and screen out. You have to be specific and diagnostic in presenting a conclusive statement. It should explicitly state the analysis that you have reached by drawing on established facts or solid argument. Your closing should encompass the whole study in brief yet giving it a DIRECTIONAL ENDING & FINALE.

Any general conclusion can be simple explained as:

Conclusion = Results Inferred From Data + Results Inferred From Previous Studies + Your Own Analysis

How to Write a Good Conclusion

To write a winsome conclusion you have to be specific, precise and explicit. The more analytically you express your point the much you gather in making an impression. A good conclusion is one that is believable and clearly illustrates the points on which it is based. On the other hand, a random or vague explanation or mere repetition of things doesn’t count as a good conclusion.

How to Write a Conclusion for a Research Paper

Conclusion writing for a generic research paper in short summarizes the whole research by acutely focusing on the main points that lead to the actual result. A standard research paper would allow an elaborative conclusion that can spawn over the length of a few pages. So, you can briefly describe the background of your research topic. Include similar studies conducted in the same area along with their implications. This would also enable you to highlight the deficiencies and indicate further room for further research .

How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay

An essay is a thread of various paragraphs without any distinctive filing under separate headings. To write a conclusion for an essay you need to designate the last two or three paragraphs. Since, essays normally consist of an analytical summing up with a personal opinion over the matter under discussion, hence your conclusion should reflect your point of view.

You can add external evidence like a quote or anecdote but you should NEVER stray from the points discussed in your preceding paragraphs. Essentially, a conclusion for an essay would draw from points already explained or mentioned in the essay. But the only difference is the summing up and extraction of the analysis from them.

How to Write a Conclusion in 5 Easy Steps

Pull together the key points of your thesis and jot them in a rough draft
Note down the main points that back up your research hypothesis or thesis statement i.e. data statistics, analytical findings or review of literature
Summarize and merge them together
Write a rough draft that naturally leads to prove your main hypothesis
Sprinkle it with a relevant quotation or two to give it a literary flavor and in-depth

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Elements of a Good Thesis Statement

Editor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:55:45 +0000

Elements of a good thesis statement are as following:

A good thesis statement should clearly tell a reader the objective of the study being carried
It should be easily comprehensible even by a layman
A good thesis statement should concisely describe your standpoint for the topic that you are dealing in. Check with thesis statement examples
to get a better idea
The statement should be between the word-range of 15 to 30 words
It should be proved with the finding through the research and analysis part of your study

In short a good thesis statement should be short, simple, clear concise and very much to the point, with conveyance of your viewpoint in an understandable manner.

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Writing Conclusions

Editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:27:54 +0000

Writing conclusions for our essays and research papers is the part that comes last, hence the most delicate. While writing an academic paper, the requirement is to make a strong argument on the basis of facts and figures hence there is only statement of facts minus personal opinions. However, in a conclusion you can allow yourself to detail whatever you have concluded from the study.

Points to Remember While Writing Conclusions

While writing a conclusion, conjure up a brief analytical summary for the thesis statement that you followed
Present the analysis from your-point-of-view and support it with the facts and figures already illustrated into your study i.e. data and review of literature
Interpret your results by keeping in lieu with the thesis statement
Discuss the implication of the findings
Elaborate and pin-point the areas that could use more research in future

Whether you are writing an essay conclusion or it is a conclusion paragraph for some other writing genre, remember that it is the essence of any study and should best reflect the analytical abilities of the author.

Happy Writing Conclusions!

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What is a Thesis Statement?

Editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:53:10 +0000

A thesis statement is the grand opening of a research study or paper or like a cherry on the top of a pastry, it is an indicator for the study, that follows. More precisely it can be defined as “the land mark” for the whole work, since it defines the target that the study intends to arrive at. A thesis statement is the hypothesis that you are going to prove through your study.

Thesis Statement = Main Idea + Body

Scholarly works need a predefined theory with few presumptions in order to proceed. You cannot prove a theory out of thin air. So, a thesis statement provides justifiable grounds to your presumption so that it can be carried for further research, to evaluate for the proposed prospects.

Once you have decided on the outline of your thesis statement, you would proceed with the next steps: introduction, background; review of literature; general design of study, description of variables, research & discussion and conclusion. The main idea of the thesis statement should be made beforehand you delve into active research but, you should write the actual thesis statement only when you have drafted the whole research paper so not to miss being in lieu with the main idea.

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ACADEMIC WRITING

Editor — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:28:33 +0000

APA Style Writing

MLA Style Writing

Essay Writing

Paragraph Writing

Research Writing

Report Writing

Writing Introductions

How to Write a Summary

How to Write Conclusions

Writing Conclusions

Thesis Statement

Literature Review

Comparative Analysis

How to Write a Term Paper

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Mental Makeover 1 : Thinking Like Cats and Writing Like Dogs

Editor — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:21:53 +0000

Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing

Critical thinking and analytical writing are two sides of the same coin. When you are asked to write down an analysis or logical explanation for something, you are actually being told to think critically. But, what is it about critical thinking that scares the hell out of students during their college years?

One plausible answer: “they do not know how to think critically.”

But this is not believable since every day in our lives we are “checking out”, “making decisions”, “taking action”, and “thinking over things”.

‘Do these not account for critical thinking?’

‘Of course they do.’

‘Then where does the Catch 22 lie?’

Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing: Problems Associated

The catch lies in those snobbish grey cells that refuse to budge when ASKED to think critically and then take action (i.e. churning out an analytical piece of writing in this case). We never want to be instructed or dictated when it comes to THINKING.

Whether you are an ideal optimist, a freaky pessimist, or a stuck up snob, you would never want to switch lanes, especially when it particularly refers to one’s mental alignment. But, when it is about attending to a project with your grades dangling at the other end, one has to go for a bit of mental makeover.

Everyone knows how to think, but it is the focused approach to get out PARTICULAR RESULTS, that is often a little amiss. And this is what we will be discussing here.

Critical Thinking: The Cat Approach

Ever wondered how would have cats scored in writing prompts, had been given the chance?

Though I never happened to interview one, but if you have been living with cats for about two decades, then one tends to make a few observations.

In my opinion, they would have grabbed straight A’s in critical thinking and analytical writing.

The reason is very simple.

Cats tend to observe but more than observation they CALCULATE. They test waters, makes decisions and takes actions, not on gut instincts, but on the principle of scrutiny. The scrutinization of a cat rests on consideration, evaluation and assessment. It screens out the situation, evaluates the pros and cons and then figures out a verdict.

Analytical Writing: The Dog Approach

What about the dogs. How would have they scored?

They would have definitely screwed up badly on their score sheets for critical analysis or defining angles. But a just appraisal would have credited them some solid marks for showing a bold approach and BARKING OUT the relevant bits and pieces.

Dogs do not think, they act on the spur. And that is exactly why; they need to be taken seriously whilst defining writing approaches.

Write ups have to be strategic so they do not lose the concentration of readers. But they also need to have personal passion showing through the lines to hook up a reader’s interest. Passion and creativity can never be planned or set up so you just have to bark it out.

The “dog approach” tends to be ferocious and rightly outward in its expressions. This gives a personal mark up and assertion to a draft that brings in notice and natural curiosity.

What We Learn About Critical Thinking and Analytical Writing

The best writing pieces are a combination of both tendencies: cat-thinking and dog-writing. A well-to-do piece of work necessarily includes a natural flow that never misses on important things. On the same end, the attention to detail is crafted in the write-up so naturally that a reader gets an embedded feel of immaculate brilliance.

There is always a faint hint of timidity when you are assembling data or material and are in the due process of evaluation. One is cautious and alert, not to miss on anything and to include all the necessary details. This is set off when you began shooting it down like a dog. You are not thinking anymore since that has been done and the materials reaped. Now you are passion-painting on a board with your pack of strategic colors.

So for a good write-up we take on our creative cells, set them to work, keep an eye on where-it-is-going and add and subtract necessities and extras respectively. You write like a dog but behind the scenes the scripting is done by the savvy cat and THIS is the secret to bring out the best in critical thinking and analytical writing projects.

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