Writing an Academic Essay

The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

What Is The Purpose of the Academic
Essay?

The word “essay” is derived from the Latin verb

“exigere”, which means to:

 Examine
 Test
 Drive out

 What could the purpose of an essay be given

this definition?
Other Purposes
 Discover knowledge
 Make a point
 Persuade the reader
 Share information
 Synthesis Information
 Analyze a topic
 Document your observations
 All of the above
Think of Writing as a Step by Step Process
 Read and Research
 Brainstorm Ideas
 Develop Working Thesis and Outline
 Write Rough Draft
 Review for Content
 Revise Rough Draft
 Review for Grammar and Mechanics
 Revise Second Draft
 Continue Reviewing and Revising as Needed
Where Do I Get Ideas To Write About?
 Read texts related to your topic
 Use brainstorming techniques like:
 Listing ideas
 Clustering or mind mapping
 Free writing
 Discuss the issue with others
 Research the topic
Clustering
 Write your main point in the center of the
page and circle it
 As ideas come to you, branch off from the
main point
 Think of the cluster as a tree, each idea
branching off a previous idea
 Do not censor or edit yourself
Cluster Example
Develop a Working Thesis
 A thesis comes at the end of the introduction
section of your paper
 It lets the reader know exactly what overall point
you are trying to make
 It should be specific, not general
 It can be used by the reader and the writer as a
road map for the rest of the paper
 It is not fixed; it can and should evolve as your
ideas evolve
 What you present in the paper should not deviate
from what you promise in the thesis
 Establishes expectations
Developing an Outline
 Once you establish a thesis, use it to help you
develop an outline of the paper
 An outline will:
 Help you organize your ideas
 Keep you focused
 Save time
 Keep in mind there are several ways to
approach writing an outline
Outline Example
 Thesis
 Main Point
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Main Point
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Main Point
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Supporting Point
 Detail
 Detail
 Conclusion
Writing the Rough Draft
 Now that you have a thesis and outline, you
may begin writing your rough draft.
 As you write this rough draft, keep the
following strategies in mind:
 Organize information in your body paragraphs
 Hook the reader in the introduction
 Keep your paper coherent with transition words
and sentences
 Wrap up your paper with a strong closing
 Utilize academic writing conventions
 Follow the writing process
Introductions
 The purpose of the introduction paragraph is
to:
 Bait the reader
 Contextualize your argument or topic
 Provide necessary background information about
the topic
Strategies to Bait the Reader
 Ask a question
 Tell a story
 Use a quote
 Provide interesting statistics
 Share an anecdote
 Make a provocative statement
Give Context in the Introduction
 What does the reader need to know to
understand this paper?
 Historical background
 Issues relating to the topic
 Important authors and texts you will be referring
to
 Cultural issues
 Why this topic is important or relevant
Start Your Body Paragraphs with Clear
Topic Sentences
A topic sentence:

 Comes at the beginning of a paragraph

 Presents the most important point you want to
make in that paragraph
 Is specific (or not so broad it would require a
full essay to explore)
Use Compelling Supporting Points to
Support Your Topic Sentence
 Supporting points are examples or pieces of
evidence that support the claim you have
made in your topic sentence.
 They can be:
 Facts
 Examples
 Anecdotes (Stories)
 Expert Testimony
 Quotes
 Observations
 Statistics
Make Sure to Elaborate with Concrete
Details
 Once you have listed your supporting points,
you can now elaborate on them by adding
details or explaining what you mean further.
An Alternative: Using the PIE Formula
 Another useful strategy to organize
information is to use the PIE formula
 PIE
 P = Point = The main point you want to make
 I = Illustration = A quote or paraphrase from the
text
 E = Explanation = Your explanation about what
the quote or paraphrase means
Use Transitions to Create Coherence
 Use transition words or sentences to bridge
ideas so the reader does not get confused
 First
 Second
 In addition
 Nevertheless
 In contrast
 Furthermore
 Therefore
 Etc.
Strategies for a Conclusion
 Re-state your thesis statement in a different
way
 Make a strong closing comment
 Use any of the strategies for the introduction
 Wrap up the paper with a neat bow tie
Academic Conventions: Things to Avoid
 Avoid use personal pronouns like “I”, “We”,
and “You”.
 Avoid not use contractions like “isn’t”,
“they’re”, “wasn’t”, etc.
 Avoid slang
 Avoid a personal tone
 Avoid vague ideas
 Avoid plagiarism
Academic Conventions: Things to Do
 Do address both sides of an argument
 Do cite your sources
 Do use a formal tone
 Do take a stand
 Do use concrete details
 Do give yourself time to develop your paper
Remember, Writing is a Process
 Every writing assignment is practice for the
next one
 Writing takes time
 Go through every step of the process
 Focus on your ideas first
 Focus on grammar and spelling last
 Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or tutor