Study Skills: How to Write an Essay

1. Finding information

 Start by analysing the question to make sure you know exactly what is
required

o What is the essay about?

o What are the key words in the questions?
o Are there any sub-questions?
o How long should the essay be?

 Write down what you know about the question. If the topic is new to you, look
for information that will give you a general introduction to the topic.

 Then, look for more detailed information, always keeping the essay
question in mind.

o Are there any key authors on the topic?

o Is the information up-to-date?

 Remember to write down where you found the information, so you can reference
it later in your essay.

2. Organising information

 Review the information you found and decide what is relevant to the question
and what is not.

 Look at your notes and group them by theme (3 or 4 big sections).

o What are the main arguments in the sources?

o Do they agree/disagree?

 Decide what your thesis will be (your main argument).

 Organise the different themes in a logical order to support your thesis. (It might
be a good idea to roughly allocate a number of words for each section to make
your essay as balanced as possible.)

3. Writing up

 An essay is an academic piece of work and should therefore be written in an

academic style (a style similar to what you read in scholarly articles):

o Formal, impersonal (avoid using I...) and objective;

o Contractions (e.g. isn’t, it’ll, they’ve...) are not recommended. Instead
write is not, it will, they have...);
o Reference other writers’ works.

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August 2014
  Your essay will normally have 3 major parts: an introduction, the main body and
a conclusion.

 The introduction should set the context of your essay:

o Explain how you understand the question and present your thesis;
o Identify the issues you will explore and your essay’s limitations;
o Give a brief outline of how your essay will be structured.

The introduction is a key section of your essay because it is what the reader
reads first. Therefore, attract their attention and make them interested in what
you have to say.

 The main body develops your argument in 3 or 4 big sections. Each paragraph
should be working toward answering the essay question.

o The first sentence of each paragraph should link to the previous

paragraphs and then introduce the main idea of the new paragraph. The
other sentences develop the topic of the paragraph with relevant
examples, references, quotations.

o As you write, do not forget to ask yourself does this answer the
question? What is my point? Does it flow? Are my ideas linked in a logical
way?

 The conclusion summarises your argument and the main themes.

o Emphasise how these conclusions are significant.

o Link your conclusion back to the essay question.
o Remember not to include any new material in the conclusion.

4. Referencing

 All direct quotations, paraphrase and allusions to other writers’ ideas should be
accurately referenced in footnotes. To remember where you quoted the
information from, it might be easier to create footnotes as you write rather than
adding them all at the end.

 The bibliography is a list (in alphabetical order by author’s surname) of all the
books, articles and other sources you have cited in your essay.

 To help you with the SBL style, see the Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style: for
Biblical Studies and related Disciplines (Atlanta, GA.: SBL Press, 2014) available at the Library
desk.

 If you would like to create your footnotes and bibliographies in one click, try
Zotero.

5. Proofreading

 Make sure you take time to read carefully through your essay a few times to
check the spelling, grammar and the ways your ideas are linked together.

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August 2014
6. Helpful study skills books in the library

Buzan, Tony, The Buzan Study Skills Handbook (Harlow: BBC Active, 2007).
Chambers, Ellie and Andrew Northedge, The Arts Good Study Guide, 2nd edition
(Milton Keynes: Open University, 2008).
Cottrell, Stella, The Study Skills Handbook, 4th edition (Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2013).
Hargreaves, Sandra, Study Skills for Students with Dyslexia (London: SAGE,
2012).
Payne, Elaine and Lesley Whittaker, Developing Essential Study Skills 2nd edition
(Harlow: Pearson, 2006).
Price, Geraldine and Pat Maier, Effective Study Skills (Harlow: Pearson, 2007).

Roy Graham Library

August 2014