Long

Essay Writing Guide

Argument:

• Make sure you have one!
• If the question has an agree/disagree or yes/no format, make sure that you take a side and make it clear from the very beginning.
• Make sure that your argument specifically addresses the question. Don’t just write about the topic in general.
• Write the question at the start of the essay and continually ask yourself ‘how does this paragraph help to answer the question?’. Then tell the reader your answer. Sometimes it will feel like you have to ‘spell it out’ for the reader.
• You may need to give the question some thinking time before you feel that you have a clear perspective or argument. Don’t leave this to the last minute.
• Avoid ‘I’ sentences. Remember that “I believe chocolate ice-cream is better than strawberry” is entirely different from saying “Chocolate ice-cream is better than strawberry”. The first is a sentence about the author, the second is about the topic. You should be doing the latter in a research essay.
• Avoid words like ‘Author A believes that’, instead be firm and confident about what you are saying. Try ‘argues’, ‘states’ or ‘insists’.
• Avoid words like ‘Proves’. Your findings might challenge, discredit, indicate or affirm. Saying proves suggests that your findings are going to end all other debates on the topic.

Structure:

Intro:

• Should be the last thing that you write, not the first.
• It needs to establish the argument in the first few sentences. “This essay will argue that…”.
• Avoid “The Oxford dictionary defines (blank) as (blank)” as an opener. Academic terms differ from general
• nes and the dictionary is not representative of the literature you have been asked to read.
• Do not open with a quote unless you plan to address it in detail. (This applies to all quotes. Quotes should never do the work for you. You need to unpack them and engage with them)

Body:

• Should be made up of 3-4 sections.
• Each sections contains and intro sentence and a concluding sentence (like a mini essay)
• Each section needs to cover a key claim that help to answer your question.
• Use linking sentences
• Every section needs to include a sentence that clearly links the point you are making back to the question. Ask yourself, does this help answer the question? How? If it doesn’t, then delete it.

Conclusion:

• Should have a similar format to the Intro.
• Avoid introducing new ideas, the point is to summarise what you have done.
• You can highlight the limitations of your essay, but avoid being too speculative or using open questions that you can’t possible answer within the scope of the essay.
• Be clear, concise and confident. “I have shown that”, “This essay has demonstrated that”. Not “This essay hopes to…” or “aims to…”

Referencing:

• Author-date Harvard in text referencing please. (Chicago is acceptable)
• Absolutely no footnote referencing
• Consistency is key
• When in doubt, too much information is better than not enough.
• Reference list should be in alphabetical order and on a separate page to the rest of the essay.

Sources:

• The quality of your sources will have a direct consequence on the quality of your argument, evidence and writing. Poor sources will result in a poor grade, no matter how good your writing/ideas are. You must have quality evidence.
• Journal articles, books and book chapters should be prioritised above all else.
• Media articles, blogs and websites can be used as examples, but not as sources. I.e. you could refer to a blog as an example of a discourse about the material. But you should not cite the blog for stats, facts or evidence.
• Do not cite the lecture slides. This is lazy and the person marking your work will notice this immediately. If there is something useful in the lecture notes, then try to find it in a published source.

General advice:

• Proof read your work. Get a friend to do it for you. Or, read your paper aloud to find errors.
• Talk about the argument with other students or friends and see if it makes sense.
• Write a plan and allocate a set number of words to each section. It is easier to write if you already know where the line of argument is going.
• When proof reading, read the intro and the conclusion back to back. Do they align? Do they sound like the same essay? Do you deliver all that you promised in the Intro? And, most importantly, have you answered the prescribed essay question? The answer should be YES to all of these questions.
• Don’t worry about what other people are doing. I am after your informed and well researched position, not someone else’s.