Academic Essay Writing Process
Academic essay writing is a seminal requirement of most educational institutions. However, it is something that often perplexes many students when they are learning the process. Academic essay writing can be simplified if you follow certain patterns and steps. Over the last 10 years technology has enhanced and improved the educational landscape making it easier than ever before to obtain information. Therefore, academic essay writing if anything has become easier to master. In this articles we cover many tips and techniques to help you with your academic essay writing.
Understand the Question
Although this may sound basic. This is one of the most important elements of good essay writing. All essays at all academic institutions are first and foremost testing your ability to understand the question and provide a logical, relevant answer. Therefore, read and re-read the question making sure you understand exactly what it is asking you to do. If you are not sure, ask your friends or your tutors, as if you get this wrong, making irrelevant points will no doubt affect your marks.
Research your Subject Area
The next step after you understand what the essay question is asking you to do is to research the area. In recent years it has become easier than ever before to obtain relevant, high quality information. Many libraries now have online catalogues of their books, there are numerous websites which will be useful sources. However as a guide, although you should use websites and blogs for useful information and to help you understand the topics, after you have considered them, then move to the more rigorous materials, such as books and journals. You can use Wikipedia for basic information, however use it with caution as it will be available to everyone and you will want to make your work appear well researched, you can only do this by using a wide variety of sources.
Plan your Academic Essay
After researching your subject matter thoroughly, the next academic essay writing step is to plan. As you now have a good understanding of the topic, you can logically visualise where information would go and in what order in the essay. So you should start by planning headings, such as introduction, discussion, analysis etc. For each, briefly note what you will discuss as each point. This is important as it will help your essay to flow logically.
Paragraph Linking
One of the arts of good academic essay writing is the flow. Key to this is how one paragraph flows nicely onto the next. To master this, you first need to focus on covering one or two main points in each paragraphs. Once you have ended a point, you can then link this to the next paragraph by covering the converse point or argument. For example starting the next paragraph with ‘However, it could be argued that..’.
Short, Concise Conclusion
The final element of a good academic essay will be a short, sharp, concise conclusion. The conclusion is your chance to summarise your key points not to make any new points. You will need to summarise key points and add your own view to suggest where on the balance of probabilities your opinion now lies. For example saying something such as ‘It is the view of this author that on the balance of probabilities..’.
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Personal Statement Help and Tips
Writing a personal statement as part of your UK University application can be a daunting task. However, there is much advice and personal statement help out there. The first thing to remember is the purpose of the personal statement. The aim of this is to demonstrate why you should be offered a place over others. Therefore, it is important to make your personal statement as strong as possible. In this article we set out where you can get further personal statement help from, as well as our tips for writing a strong personal statement.
The Word Count
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) personal statement is limited to 4,000 characters, roughly 700 words. This may sound like a lot, however when you consider all the points that you will want to get across, it is not as much as you would think. Therefore it is important to plan and be well prepared even before you begin writing your personal statement.
What to Cover
In your personal statement you need to cover a number of important points, the following are some of the important questions that you should address to make a strong impression;
- Your reasons for wanting to study the course.
- Why you are the right candidate for the course.
- What extracurricular activities have you done.
- What skills do they demonstrate, how are they relevant to your course.
- How does this link to your chosen career path.
- Conclude with a positive summary of your strengths.
Plan and Structure
Before you begin writing you should plan what you want to say, for example for your reasons for wanting to study the course, make a list of them. Then narrow them down to the best and the ones most unique and personal to you. The most important thing when it comes to writing a personal statement is to make it unique and personal, so it stands out and shows what kind of a person you are. Once you have a plan and a structure, start writing. You can find more personal statement help directly on the UCAS website or by consulting their useful personal statement mind map.
Include Academic Interests
The personal statement is a key part of your application to study a particular course at University, it is therefore important to highlight and demonstrate your academic interests. Ideally, you should devote around 60-70% of your personal statement to your academic motivations. In order to address your academic motivations you should ask yourself some of the following questions when preparing:
- Is there a particular area of the subject that I can demonstrate an interest or insight in? Do I have experience writing an essay which is a core part of the course and shows my enthusiasm for the course?
- What steps have I taken to demonstrate an awareness and insight into what studying the course involves? Have I studied relevant subjects to the course before? If so, what have I learned about the subject and what is involved in pursuing the subject further? Have I attended lectures, field trips or events dedicated to the subject matter of the course I am applying to?
- Why do I want to study this subject? What transferrable skills have I obtained from my current subjects that will help me on this course?
Link to Extra-curricular Interests
In addition to your academic interests, it is also important to emphasise your extra-curricular interests, as this demonstrates that you are a well-rounded person with a wide variety of skills. Whilst talking about your extra-curricular interests you can also link this to your motivations for applying to your chosen subject, for example playing a particular sport may demonstrate an attention to detail that is required on your chosen course. There are a number of things that you can refer to:
- Any part-time work you have undertaken will demonstrate practical, real life skills, even if it is not in your chosen career it will still highlight skills that are relevant and important.
- Volunteering is also good to highlight, whether it was as part of your Duke of Edinburgh, or simply volunteering at a charity shop it will demonstrate empathy and commitment.
- Achievements are also important as they will help distinguish you from other applicants, not everyone will have the same achievements and awards therefore it is essential that you emphasise these.
- Hobbies and interests, such as your interests in sports, or reading or any other hobbies will also help to personalise your personal statement making it unique and demonstrating a well-rounded character.
Referring to Career Interests
In addition to detailing your academic and extra-curricular interests you should also refer to your career interests. However, the extent to which you cover this will depend upon your chosen course, if for example you are applying to a vocational course such as teaching or medicine, then this will be important. For such vocational courses it will add an extra element highlighting your career ambitions and will show that you have researched the area well.
Even if you are not applying for a vocational course but you know what career you would like to pursue, referring to this will show that you have thoroughly thought through your chosen course. However, it is not essential to discuss your career interests, mentioning that you are keeping an open minded will be just as acceptable.
Writing the Personal Statement
You may think that this is the hardest part, however the hardest part would have been the planning. Once you have a plan it is just about getting those ideas down and elaborating on some of the points. Your aim initially is to make a first draft, this by no means needs to be perfect. However it gives you something to work with and to improve upon.
Personal Statement Proofreading
After you have edited and revised your personal statement a number of times, it is time to proofread your personal statement, this is the final stage, your aim by this point is to make it flawless. Get as many people as possible to check your personal statement, your friends, your family, your teachers. This will give you the peace of mind to submit your personal statement with confidence knowing you have done your best!
Personal Statement Review Service
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What is proofreading?
Proofreading vs Copy Editing
If you are at the stage of considering hiring an editor to review your work it is important that you both set clear expectations. Setting clear expectations in what you expect, or simply clarifying the services offered by the editor. In the proofreading and editing field there are a number of terms and labels that are used to refer to similar tasks, knowing the difference is essential for transparency.
What is proofreading?
Many people often ask ‘what is proofreading?’ as they confuse the different editorial terms. Proofreading is the process of examining the final draft of a document or text — after it has been edited — this is to ensure that there are absolutely no errors. A proofreader will review your writing for spelling errors, punctuation errors, typos or incorrect use of regional English (i.e. ensuring that you are using American English or British English when necessary).
A professional proofreading service will typically proofread your work using track changes in Microsoft Word, this is to ensure transparency so you know exactly what has been changed and can approve the change.
Although in the majority of cases proofreading is now done electronically, proofreading can also be done on a printed version (also referred to as a “hard copy”) or PDF. In such situations you may need to familiarise yourself with the proofreaders shorthands and symbols they use to indicate changes.
What is Editing?
When you are looking to hire the services of a professional editor, your objective is to hire someone to review and change your text with the intent to improve the flow and overall quality of your writing. Unlike a proofreader an editor has the freedom to remove entire sentences or rewrite entire paragraphs. A good editor will correct any obvious errors they come across as they edit your writing. Essentially their main goal is to use their expertise and intuition to ensure that the document makes sense, flows well and to cut down on wordiness, and clarify any ambiguity in your writing.
What is Copyediting?
Copyediting a document in essence is similar to proofreading it. Although with the added expectation of ensuring style consistency. Copyediting is also known as “sub-editing” in places such as the UK, Australia and elsewhere.
When you are looking for a copyeditor, it is important to ensure that they have the talented eye of a proofreader, as well as additional expertise in matters of different styles of writing. Some measures of consistency include making sure names, locations and dates are always treated the same way throughout the text. A copyeditor will also have expert knowledge of different style guides and may also perform fact-checking or have specialised knowledge in a particular field.
To Summarise:
An editor
- Rewrites sentences and paragraphs to improve flow
- Makes the text clearer and more understandable for the reader
- Uses their expertise and knowledge to clarify and improve text
A proofreader
- Goes beyond the “spellcheck” to catch errors a computer may miss
- Ensures that there are zero grammatical errors, often after it has already been edited
A copyeditor
- Proofreads, with an added expertise in order to ensure style consistency appropriate to the publication
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How To Make Your Writing More Analytical?
Analytical writing in literary writing
Analytical writing is crucial in academic literary writing as it signals a greater insight and understanding of the subject matter. Taking notes is a crucial step in writing an analytical essay because it will help you discover important points in the writing that you are analysing and help you see how ideas fit together.
Begin by carefully reading through the writing that you will analyse and take notes as you read. At this point you should write down or make a mental note of anything that seems significant to you. For example, does a particular character’s actions seem odd or out of place? When you read what one character said to another, did you think it told you something more about the character’s relationship to the story? If so, write it down.
Jot down your thoughts as you read. You need to look beyond the surface of the piece of literature in order to understand the true meaning. Don’t accept anything at face value.
Try to examine deeper and at each level
A flower in a poem may be more than a flower, it might be a symbol of love. The red hat a character wears might be more than a hat. It might be a symbol of a characters independence. Do not merely summarise what happens in the literature, you need to write a commentary.
You should ultimately be writing your thoughts about the writing and what you are reading, asking questions and asking why certain events occurred, why the characters acted the way that they did. Also why the author would have wrote in that particular way. You should also be then drawing connections and using the space to help you develop meaning and to analyse the piece of writing.
Focus
Review your notes and look for the gems you’ve uncovered in your analysis. Decide which ideas you will use as the focus for your paper.
Spend some time examining and organising your ideas, as you may need to narrow your focus into an appropriate topic for your paper. For instance, you might look for recurring symbols in a poem, or you might look at character development in a short story, or you might look at the theme of a novel.
Develop a thesis
The thesis will be one statement (generally at the end of you introductory paragraph) that tells readers what your paper is about. It lets readers know the point of your analytical essay.
In other words, now that you have examined each part of the writing, you would tell your readers what it all means. For instance, if the speaker in a poem refers to black objects, your thesis might explain the use of black objects as a symbol for death.
Develop the body
The body of your paper needs to contain evidence to support your thesis. You need to convince your readers of your point. You can do this by finding examples from the piece of writing that you are analysing.
Use your notes again, to find places in the writing that support your ideas and points. You might use a short piece of dialogue to explain a character’s mood and how it contributes to his character. You might include a summary or paraphrase of an event that contributes to the overall development of the story’s theme.
Develop the conclusion
Your conclusion will let readers know that they have reached the end of your paper and will provide some type of restatement of your key arguments.
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How To Write A Conclusion For An Essay
Your conclusion paragraph should begin with a smooth transition from the body of your essay. The first sentence of your paragraph should include clear transition words to signal to your reader that you are beginning to wrap up your essay. Different transition words can have different effects, so be sure to choose a transition word or phrase that clearly communicates that you are closing your essay. Some common examples of conclusion transition words and phrases include:
- In conclusion,
- To conclude,
- Finally,
- To sum up,
- As previously stated.
Once you have signalled that you are drawing your essay to a close, you can then restate the primary points of your essay. Depending on the length of your essay, this may be done in a single sentence, or it may require a few sentences. Be concise and clear; you should be able to summarise each main point in a simple phrase that avoids restating each detail and piece of evidence related to the point. Also, simply list off the point as a reminder to your audience about what they’ve just read.
Restate your main points
Finally, if you are writing an argumentative essay, you’ll want to clearly restate your main argument in order to leave readers with one final appeal. If you have provided enough evidence along the way, this restatement should make readers feel as if you’ve persuaded them fully.
Call to action
For some expository and argumentative essays, it’s appropriate to end with a call to action as your last sentence. For example, if you’re writing an informative essay about the sea creatures that live in the very deepest parts of the ocean, you may close with a sentence like this: “It’s clear that today’s scientists should continue to observe and document these mysterious creatures, so we may learn more about the life at the bottom of the ocean.” A call to action like this can make your reader feel inspired and informed after reading your essay.
What to avoid
When writing a strong conclusion paragraph, you want to keep it simple. Use a clear transition word or phrase, restate your main points and arguments, and possibly finish with a call to action. Be sure to avoid the following common mistakes:
- New information. Your conclusion is not the place to introduce anything new. Simply restate and summarise the main points clearly.
- Personal opinion. Unless you are writing an opinion piece that includes several “I” statements throughout, avoid ending your essay with a sudden “I think…” or “I feel…” If you haven’t been including your personal opinion throughout the essay, then you shouldn’t insert your opinion into the conclusion.
- Lots of detail. When you restate your main points, don’t worry about restating all the small details that make up your description or evidence. The place for details is in your body paragraphs. The conclusion is simply for summary and a possible call for action or next steps.
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Developing Critical Thinking Skills
A Guide To Developing Critical Thinking Skills
One of the best ways to develop critical thinking skills is by studying and reading a lot. Finishing college, or a degree is not enough. As much as practically possible, be sure to make everyday a learning experience. By exercising your mind through reading and studying new concepts and ideas, you can develop critical thinking. There are a number of materials that you can choose from, such as pursuing other fields of interest aside from your own profession.
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Practice solving puzzles and quizzes.
Exercise your mind by solving problems. According to studies there is a tendency for the brain to deteriorate when it is not used regularly in deep thinking or analysis. Therefore, when you solve puzzles and logical or abstract reasoning quizzes, the mind is put to action. In doing so, you become active mentally and also able to learn more ideas as you become an active thinker. Some studies also show that people who often use their minds for mental activities are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
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Analyse, and think critically about new ideas.
Now that ideas are easily accessed and are widespread through the internet and mass media, so much can be learned and acquired in so short a time. However, it is not wise to just accept anything that you hear or see; you have to examine them to see if they are valid, legal and true. Learn and analyse which things to accept and which are to be ignored. Remember, too much information can be overwhelming and confusing. There is therefore a need for your mind to screen and sift all information that you encounter every day. In this way, you become wiser and more productive mentally as well as emotionally and physically.
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Think, and practice mediation.
The most active form of developing critical thinking is through meditation. Meditation makes you exercise control of mind over matter. Your mind becomes an active place for several activities such as: cleansing of mind from information which may lead to wrong actions and decisions; accepting healthy thoughts into the cleansed mind; and letting the good ideas come to work and change the way you think. A clear and healthy mind is only achieved through frequent meditation. Make it a regular part of your daily or weekly regime and you will surely be surprised at the results.
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Persuasive Writing Guide
Writing persuasively
A persuasive essay is a form of academic writing that is built around a central argument. Such essays are sometimes called argumentative essays because of this. In this category of composition, the writer aims to persuade the reader to accept his or her point of view. There are numerous steps to follow when constructing persuasive arguments which we will cover in this article.
Steps for writing a persuasive essay:
First decide on the issue you will be discussing. It needs to be a topic you have a solid opinion on, and also a topic people disagree about.
Research the issue to be aware of how to best prove your point. Consider what your possible opponents can object to on each point you make.
Make an outline, listing your strongest arguments that will help you prove your point. Look for statistics, factual data and quotes of famous people to support your arguments.
Write an introduction, stating how debated the issue is and why it is important to reach consensus on the matter. Finish the introduction with a thesis statement, indicating your personal position on the discussed subject.
Argue your point, introducing a new reason or fact in every paragraph. There should be no less than three strong arguments to support your point of view.
Make a conclusion. Here you may express your understanding as to why the matter is so difficult to agree upon, but conclude that the position you support is the best possible (or most likely to be true) variant based on the evidence you provided earlier in the essay.
Thoroughly proofread your essay.
Key points to consider
There are various persuasive techniques that have been proven to be the most effective in an argumentative essay. Three basic persuasive techniques are: appeal to emotions, appeal to facts and evidence, and appeal to logic. Try to combine and mix them to make a stronger point.
Build your argument based on your audiences and its qualities. Think of who you are appealing to, envision your audience’s main characteristics and build your arguments based on what your audience most values.
An approach to persuasion is when a writer is aware of the point of view of an opposing side, and then argues about its weaknesses. Use parenthetical clauses such as, however nevertheless, despite the fact that, on the other hand, and so on to link the two opposing points together.
Combine the main points with minor points that also contribute to the general idea. Start each paragraph with its major point, then go on to explain it, and introduce a minor point closer to the end of the paragraph to support your initial major point. Using rhetorical questions and appealing to common truths is a sound way to make a point.
Do’s and Don’ts
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Do
- Do prove your points with factual data. Stating something without factual basis is considered a weak point, so a successful essay should have statistics and quotes that serve as supporting evidence.
- Do be certain about your position.
- Do appeal to the emotions of your readers. This can have more of an effect than raw facts.
- Do make sure to review the points of both sides of the argument before you start making the outline.
- Do remain tolerant of the other people’s opinions, even if you strongly disagree with them.
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Don’t
- Don’t be too flat and determined in trying to prove your point, ignoring counter arguments. Recognising the fact that a lot of people might not agree does not mean that you expose your arguments weak side.
- Don’t choose a topic that you are hesitant about which side to take. You should be solid and steady in what you are trying to prove, otherwise it will be almost impossible to persuade your reader.
- Don’t try to introduce another argument in the conclusion. The conclusion should be about summarising and reiterating why your main message is important.
- Don’t appeal to subjective personal or religious beliefs. Try to remain objective and focus on facts.
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How To Write A Medical Personal Statement
The medicine personal statement is not the time to recount all your activities and honours in list like fashion. Therefore avoid the rehashed CV and make it personal. This is your opportunity to personalise your application. Show the admissions committee why you have decided to go into medicine. Was it an experience you had at school? Was there a particular extracurricular activity that changed your way of thinking? Did you find a summer job so exhilarating that it reconfirmed your love for the sciences? Use anecdotes to weave a story and make the essay a pleasure to read.
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Avoid controversial topics
If you do include discussion of a “hot topic” definitely avoid being dogmatic or preachy. You do not want to take the risk of alienating the reader who may not share your views about politics.
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Don’t get too creative
Now is not the time to write poetry. Remember, the medical establishment is largely a scientific community (although individual physicians may be passionate artists, poets, writers, musicians, historians, etc). On the other hand, don’t be trite and don’t be boring.
Avoid writing “I want to be a doctor because…”
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No apologies
For instance, if you received a C in physics, you may feel compelled to justify it somehow. Unless you believe that the circumstances do truly merit some sort of mention, don’t make excuses. You don’t need to provide them with a road map to your weaknesses. If you had a bad year or term because of illness, family problems, etc.. ask your advisor to explain the details in his or her cover letter.
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Write multiple drafts
Have your advisor and perhaps an English teacher read and edit it. Proofread, proofread and proofread some more. Also, try reading it out loud. This is always a good test of clarity and flow.
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Think ahead to interviews
Medicine interviewers often use your Medicine personal statement as fodder for questions. Of course, if you’ve included experiences and ideas that are dear to you, and that you feel strongly about, you will have no problem speaking with passion and confidence. Nothing is more appealing to admissions than a vibrant, intelligent and articulate candidate. If you write about research you concluded five years ago, you’d better brush up before your interviews. Don’t engage in hyperbole: You risk running up against an interviewer who will see through your exaggerations.
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Have a look at examples
It will also be helpful to have a look at examples of successful medical school personal statements. A medicine personal statement has to be unique, however at the same time there are ways to convey your achievements in the most effective way. Here is an example of a successful medicine personal statement to help provide you with some inspiration.
Medical personal statement review service
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