Academic How to Write a Good Essay
Nov 25, 2021
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Academic Skills, a guide to writing a good essay for university or college level essay questions.
The prospect of wiring an academic essay is a daunting one for many, especially if one is new to university life or essay writing. Of course, you can ask for essay writer help. However, with proper planning and a structured approach, writing a good quality academic essay can become a simple everyday task.
Preparation Is Key – Before You Write an Essay
To gain a good grade, the actual writing of a good essay is probably the smallest part of the process. Much more important to the writing of a good essay is the preliminary stages, here are some points to consider.
Research – The most important part of an essay is its content, before putting pen to paper research the subject thoroughly. Making a list of references and notes will help to maintain flow at the writing stage.
Inclusion – Whatever the length of an essay, the word count will ultimately be a limiting factor. As such, after conducting initial research the writer will need to decide what falls in the scope of the essay. Giving the essay too wide a scope will lead to a superficial analysis of the subject matter, it is better to focus on a small number of areas and to state why these areas have been included.
Structure – Many structures can be used in writing an essay, the adage, however, “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you have told them” provides as good a structure as any. In other words, a clear introduction, main body, and conclusion will provide an acceptable structure for most academic essays.
Writing an Academic Essay
Once the preliminary research has been conducted there are several considerations that need to be considered in the writing of an academic essay.
Language – Most institutions will require an academic essay to be written in the third person. This is to say that “I” and “You” should be expressly excluded from an essay. This can be tricky at first, but considering the use of words and phrases such as “one” and “the researcher” can be a helpful tool.
Argument – The objective of an essay will usually be to provide a logical argument on a subject. As such, after reading the essay one should come away with a clear view of what the writer’s argument was on a given subject.
Balance – In writing an academic essay, an essay writer will often be required to argue for or against a given opinion. In doing so the writer must acknowledge both sides of the argument, before putting forward a reason for why one side of the argument should be considered more powerful. If both sides of the argument are not analyzed, then the essay writer risks being accused of bias.
Flow – In general the main body of an essay should flow, with paragraphs having a clear link. Where “jumps” are required between different subject areas consider the use of a subheading to indicate to the reader that this is intentional.
Referencing – A key part of writing a good academic essay is to reference one’s sources. A reference should be given, wherever a reference is made to someone else’s ideas, not only will this help the reader to access materials of greater detail. Referencing will also protect a writer from any accusations of plagiarism or academic deceit. It is better to risk over-referencing than to miss a key reference and become involved in a dispute.