Essay

Essay is a brief, non-fiction composition that describes, clarifies, argues, or analyzes a subject
from a personal point of view.
Types of Essays

Common Essay Structure

 Introduction  Body which consists of several  Conclusion

 general statements paragraphs, each of which contains:  restatement of thesis
 THESIS STATEMENT at the  topic sentence  summarizing arguments
end of an introductory paragraph  supporting details
 concluding statement

Types of Essay

Descriptive ‘Painting a picture with words’

 describing object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc.
 conveying an idea about the topic by describing it in a ‘show, not tell’ manner
 vivid language

Narrative ‘Telling a story’

 narrating something to the readers
 expression of a particular point of view
 precise details
 vivid verbs and modifiers, dialogs
 ‘conflict and sequence’ structure

Imaginative ‘Unleashing your creative powers’

 writing about the things that never existed
 sharp, clear details
 descriptive language to help readers visualize events, people, objects or emotions

Comparison/ ‘Showing similarities/show differences’

Contrast  two subjects that are different enough to compare and analyze;
 structure:
a. introduction to controversy
b. summaries of both subjects
c. comparison of similarities between the two
d. comparison of differences
 Types of Essay

e. conclusion

Critical ‘Analyzing strengths and weaknesses’

 strong thesis that summarizes the student’s arguments about a story, a play, a poem, etc.
 critical assessment of the topic
 structure according to the writer’s arguments
 assumptions supported with evidence from the text

Expository ‘Observing and reporting’:

 explaining or informing the reader
 visual techniques and features, such as graphs and charts
 investigating an idea, evaluating evidence, expounding on the idea, and setting forth an argument
concerning it
 avoiding personal opinions

Cause and ‘Explaining with proof’

Effect  expression of causes and effects of a particular situation
 structure:
a. introduction
b. causes (cause 1, cause 2, cause 3)
c. transition
d. effects (effect 1, effect 2, effect 3)
e. conclusion

Persuasive/ ‘Constructing argument’

Argument  logic and reason to show that one idea is more reasonable than another
 persuading a reader to adopt a certain point of view or to take a particular action
 structure:
a. introduction (stating clearly a writer’s position, three supporting reasons stated)
b. body (stating reasons and facts, giving logical reasons, using examples)
c. conclusion (pointing out a solution or calling for action, summarizing the reasons)

Definition ‘Defining a meaning of something’

 explanation of what a particular term means
 structure:
a. introduction/thesis statement
b. body (examples to reveal the term from the necessary side)
c. conclusion (author’s final restatement)
 Types of Essay

Process ‘Explaining how to do something’

 instructions for readers to follow and successfully do what is being explained;
 structure:
a. introduction (presenting a problem, telling the readers how to solve it)
b. body (describing the steps and materials needed)
c. conclusion (restating a thesis statement and informing the reader once again about the solution foun

Admission/ ‘Advertising yourself’

Scholarship 1. stating the reasons for applying to the course, university or company, the ability to benefit from and
contribute to it
2. structure:
 Introduction (a few words about yourself, values)
 Body:
a. obstacle: how did it affect your education , how you overcame it
b. education career/goals
c. native community
 Conclusion (briefly stating why a scholarship/studying in a particular college/university will affect
your future life)
3. description of all positive features of character to the admissions committee.

Personal ‘Selling yourself’

statement  a brief personal summary given to prospective employers to stand apart from the competition
 not more than 150 words in length and attached to a CV
 answering the questions: who you are, what you can offer, and what you’re aiming for in your career
 Term Paper
Term paper  is a long essay or report written as a major assignment over the span of a semester.
In it a student identifies, analyzes, interprets, and draws conclusions from the facts and opinions
of other people.

Structure Peculiarities

 Introduction  Length depends on the professor’s guidelines and

 general introduction to the topic topic
 thesis statement  Writer may be provided with a textbook since the
 review of the paper content and sources (stating what paper should relate to what a student learned during
parts a term paper will consist of and what references will the whole term; the book must be included in the
be used to complete it) reference list and cited in the text
*Abstract is optional depending on the professor’s  The paper must be based on scholarly sources (i.e.,
instructions. special subject indexes, encyclopedias and
 Body (evidence and examples supported by citations dictionaries, reference books, scholarly journals,
and quotes) books, and newspapers)
 first subtopic
 second subtopic
 third subtopic
 Conclusion
 restatement of the thesis
 summary of the content of the paper
 definition of learning outcomes
 Research Paper
Research paper is the culmination and final product of an involved process of research, critical
thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition based on scholarly sources.

Structure Peculiarities

 Introduction  Research paper flows from the general to the specific and back to
the general in its organization.
 presentation of the problem or the
research inquiry  There are 2 types:
 purpose and focus of the current  Argumentative (presenting arguments supported by examples to
paper convey a certain idea or research outcome).
 summary or overview of the  Analytical (making critical interpretation of primary and
writer’s position or arguments secondary sources throughout the paper and analyzing the
research topic).
 thesis statement
 The goal of a research paper is not to inform the reader of what
 Literature Review others have to say about a topic, but to draw attention to what
 evaluation and presentation of scientists have to say about a topic and engage their works in
references used to write a paper order to thoughtfully offer a unique perspective on the issue at
hand.
 Methods
 Clear thesis and focus are essential.
 methodology and special
materials used to perform the  All sections should be written in the present tense, ‘Results’
research (questionnaires or section – in the past.
interview questions, lab reports,
data-gathering instruments, etc.)
 Results
 data presented in tables, charts,
and graphs
 Discussion
 learning outcomes
 consequences or meaning of the
results
 referral to the introductory
statements
 Conclusions and
Recommendations
 research results and discussion
and their significance to the thesis
 outcomes of the research
 recommendation of a course of
action, solution to a problem,
judgment, or implications and
consequences of ideas
 Coursework
Coursework is a final paper of a course that can be written in a form of narrative essay, research
paper, book report or any other academic writing.

Structure Peculiarities

 Introduction  May adopt an essay or report structure but

usually is more substantial in size, and
 general introduction to the topic requires a greater depth of research and
 thesis statement analysis

 remarks concerning the structure of the  There is no standard format of coursework

work
 Body
 subtopics with examples and arguments
 Conclusion
 restatement of the thesis
 final remarks and recommendations
*The structure is defined by the type of
assignment given to the student, but mainly it
conforms to the above presented common essay
outline.
writing, it depends on university
requirements, course, and professor’s
instructions
 The most common types:
 Business plan (a formal statement of
business goals, reasons why they are
attainable, and plans for reaching them)
 Case study (up-close, in-depth, and detailed
examination of a subject (the case), as well
as its related contextual conditions)

 Research summary
Research summary is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference
proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help
the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. 

Structure Peculiarities

 Title of the paper  Often should be written as an abstract to

the paper
 Introduction  Summarizes the significance of the work,
 statement of the problem the hypothesis and major objectives of the
project, the procedures to be followed to
 research question accomplish the objectives, and the potential
impact of the work
 Methodology  Summary should be edited last, as a
concise overview of the proposal.
 ways to answer a research question
 Length depends on professor’s guidelines
 a brief summary of the topic (from ½ to 2 pages).

 Delineation of the specific problem
areas
 allusions to the theoretical or
ethnographic contextualization, and
some of the specific areas to answer the
research question
 Conclusion
 further elaboration of the problem
 wider implications of the research
 Case study
Case  study is an in-depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey.
It is a method used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily researchable
topic.

Structure Peculiarities

 Introduction  Types of case studies are:

 background to the case  business start-up
 Presentation and investigation of the  company report
case
 organization analysis
 multiple aspects and methods of analysis
 patient case notes
of the discipline
 Methodology  Library research, interviews,
questionnaires, and observation are among
 Results the methods of writing a case study
 Conclusion and recommendation(s) for  A person, a group or an organization can be
future action. subjects of the study

 Power Point Presentation
Power Point Presentation is a presentation of research project in images, graphs, charts, etc. It is
created in slides and is used to present the student’s work on a particular subject.

Structure Peculiarities

The PPT should be structured in a similar
manner to the structure of the paper that it
represents. The main sections are:
Title page (done according to the required
formatting style)
Outline of the PPT (done accordingly with the
paper structure)
Main points of the research (approximately 1
slide per point)
Conclusion
Reference slide (if required)
Speaker’s notes.
 Must include both visual elements (graphs,
pictures, charts, etc.) and text (short
paragraphs, bullet points, tables).
 Background must be creative and
correspond to the subject of PPT.
 Pictures must be of good quality.
 Format must correspond to the standards of
chosen formatting style (APA, MLA, etc.),
which concerns title and reference pages,
in-text citations/footnotes, subheadings,
etc.
 May include also musical elements and
videos
 Article critique
Article critique is an objective analysis of a literary or scientific article with an emphasis on
whether the author supported his/her main points with reasonable and applicable arguments
based on facts.

Structure Peculiarities

 Introduction  Not a summary, but an evaluation and

commentary regarding its content
 title of the article  Key sentences: ‘This article shows…’,
 author ‘According to the author’s position…’, ‘As
demonstrated in the research…’, etc.
 thesis statement  Summarizing and paraphrasing are the
main techniques to complete an article
 Summary critique.
 ‘References’ section should always include
 brief summary of the content
the article itself and outside sources if there
 Critique are any.

 most important conclusions about the

text
 strengths and weaknesses of certain
points
 recommendations for improvements
 Conclusion
 restatement of author’s opinion
 brief recommendations
 explanation of judgement
 References
 Annotated bibliography
Annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is
followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. Its purpose is to inform
the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

Structure Peculiarities

 Title should be ‘Annotated  There are 3 types of annotated

Bibliography’ formatted according to bibliography:
the requirements
 Informative (brief summary of the source,
 Reference thesis of the work, arguments or
hypothesis, proofs and a brief conclusion)
 Annotation
 Evaluative (assessment of the source's
 Reference list strengths and weaknesses in terms of
usefulness and quality)
 Combination (summary of the topic and
evaluation of the source's usefulness)
 Sources should be formatted in accordance
with the required formatting style (i.e.,
APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) and be listed
alphabetically.
 No in-text citations are acceptable.
 Annotations usually are not more than 150
words in length.

 Reaction paper
Reaction paper is a type of assignment that asks a student to provide a response and evaluation
of the book read, film watched, etc. A student needs to provide personal attitude regarding a
particular work and think of the ways in which it could be improved.

Structure Peculiarities

 Brief summary of the material  Length is not more than 5 pages.

 Real-life examples are acceptable for
 Thesis statement: supporting arguments presented in the
 the main idea argued for/against paper.
 Bibliography page should include a
 emphasis reference to the book/film/video the paper
is written about.
 point of view
 Arguments:
 comparison of work with similar ones
 ways in which it could be improved
 suggestions for expanding the work
 arguments for/against
 strengths/weaknesses
 Conclusion
 Rewriting, Editing & Proofreading
Structure Rewriting Editing Proof Reading

Definition Complete rewriting of the Editing the paper, which Correcting all grammar and
content of the paper in different means to make it punctuation mistakes.
words. grammatically correct,
formatted according to the
requirements, revised
according to the comments.

Difference  Basically, it is retelling  Structure of the  Only grammar and

s the same text but in
different words.
 Structure of the
rewritten paper must
not differ from the
original version unless
the instructions say to  Formatting and
shorten/expand the text.
 Formatting and
proofreading are
required.
original paper can be punctuation must be
slightly changed corrected.
(some paragraphs  No formatting is
might be shifted or required.
copied and pasted in a
different section).
proofreading are
required.

Similarities  Content of the final paper must not be different from the original one.
 No new information must be added.
 There might some specific requirements, but they do not imply adding any new
details.