how to write an essay university
Essays are usually assessed on how deeply you have engaged with the topic, how clearly you have presented your ideas and argument, and how well you have drawn on relevant evidence to support your ideas.
A university essay can be thought of as an extended answer to a question. Most importantly, it presents your position on a topic, which is often referred to as your argument. The essay is your opportunity to demonstrate that you can think critically about complex issues, and can clearly communicate the conclusions you have reached as a result of your research.
- An academic essay should answer a question or task.
- It should have a thesis statement (answer to the question) and an argument.
- It should try to present or discuss something: develop a thesis via a set of closely related points by reasoning and evidence.
- An academic essay should include relevant examples, supporting evidence and information from academic texts or credible sources.
An academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence.
Essays are used to assess your understanding of specific ideas and your ability to explain these in your own words.
Essays take time to complete. You will need to set aside time for the following stages of writing:
Writing a Body Paragraph
Writing an Introduction
Much of the work you will be asked to do at University is written. Written work is not only a way of communicating your understanding of a topic, but can also be a learning process in itself, prompting you to think about how to organise your knowledge and find new connections.
Essays are one of the most common ways you will be asked to communicate your learning at university. University essays are discursive and analytical. They need to be written in appropriate language and carefully referenced. You marker will be looking out for errors, so make sure you have plenty of time to check your work meticulously.
There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
Last Updated: April 14, 2019 References Approved
- Make sure that you understand the question set. Look up any words/terms/ideas/concepts that you don’t understand.
- Look back at your lecture notes and read the relevant section – i.e. put the essay topic into course context.
- Find / search for information (books, journal articles, newspaper articles etc.) that will cover the essay topic. Use references given to you by lecturer and any additional information.
- Analyse the question.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY
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- Maths and Statistics
- Academic writing
- Dissertations, projects and assignments
- Study skills and preparing for exams
- Researching, finding and evaluating sources
- Referencing
References:
http://student.unsw.edu.au/essay-writing-basics
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/112/essay_writing
http://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/how-to-write-an-essay/essay-structure
http://libguides.reading.ac.uk/essays
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-an-Academic-Essay
http://ru.za.libguides.com/c.php?g=174186&p=6300354
http://le.ac.uk/library/academic-skills
http://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/14011/writing/112/essay_writing