Essay Research

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Essay Research Writing

• CHST 540
• May 24, 2005

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Choosing a topic

• What interests you?
• What has lots of source material available?
• (If youre really thinking strategically) What
  will be useful for the exam?

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Finding Sources

• Start with the bibliography provided in the
  course outline
• If there isnt a lot of material on your topic,
  or you arent sure which of the sources mentioned
  are most relevant, speak with me
• Search library catalogues Ryerson, Toronto
  Public (www.tpl.toronto.on.ca) and the University
  of Toronto (www.library.utoronto.ca)

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Finding Sources (contd)

• Search Intelligence and National Security and
  International Journal of Intelligence and
  CounterIntelligence
• Online access to Intelligence and National
  Security only dates back to 2000 for issues
  published 1985-99 go to John W. Graham Library
  (Trinity College, U of T)
• Check footnotes/bibliographies for other sources

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Researching

• Compile a list of relevant materials
• First consult the most targeted material (usually
  journal articles/essays)
• Then broaden your research - to specific books,
  more general books articles, etc.
• Read intros and conclusions before reading the
  body of a work
• Mine intros and conclusions for all theyre worth

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How much research?

• Enough to sustain your argument
• You shouldnt be left with too many unanswered
  questions
• Minimum 5 sources
• Using more sources can enrich your paper

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Determining your argument

• If you havent done so already, phrase your topic
  as a question
• Consider the evidence
• Draw conclusions and frame these into an answer
  (your thesis) to your original question

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Planning your essay

• Structure will depend partly on the type of essay
  youre writing
• Compare and contrast - identify the main
  areas you will be comparing/contrasting assess
  each in turn

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Planning your essay (contd)

• Evaluate - identify and address relevant
  criteria before making a judgment
• Discuss - consider arguments for or against
  the statement being examined

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Writing the introduction

• Broad narrow
• Start with a general statement about your topic
• With each following sentence, focus more on your
  argument, ending with your thesis
• Keep it succinct too much can be confusing

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Organizing paragraphs

• Use a topic sentence at the start of each
  paragraph
• i.e. Occasionally, signals intelligence was so
  clear as to suggest immediately a course of
  action.
• i.e. In addition to measuring successes, signals
  intelligence could point to failures within the
  Allied organization.

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Organizing paragraphs (contd)

• Make transitions between paragraphs as smooth as
  possible - one should flow into the next
• i.e. The psychological effect of Yamamotos
  death upon the Japanese populace as a whole, not
  to mention that of those in the armed forces,
  must have been great.
• Signals intelligence was not always employed
  to such spectacular effect..

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Organizing paragraphs (contd)

• Chronology may partly determine your paragraph
  order but remember these are analytical papers,
  so theme may take precedence over chronology
• Save your strongest points for last - build up to
  something

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Integrating quotations

• Dont just quote facts include opinions and
  analysis
• Choose quotations that are well written
• You can paraphrase and footnote if it sounds
  better
• ALWAYS FOOTNOTE/REFERENCE WORDS AND IDEAS THAT
  ARENT YOUR OWN
• Strive for seamlessness

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Seamlessness

• Useful verbs argues, believes, considers,
  contends, demonstrates, illustrates, maintains,
  observes, notes, etc.
• i.e. Even historians of today have not abandoned
  such melodramatic judgments, contending that
  Midway caused the Rising Sun to set.

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Seamlessness (contd)

• Phrases according to, in Xs view, etc.
• i.e. In Laytons view, Yamamotos death was a
  trauma for most Japanese.

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Seamlessness

• Work from the quotation itself to find something
  that flows into it.
• i.e. The consequences of this were so simple and
  yet so shattering that it can be summed up in a
  sentence American strike-forces, primarily
  submarines, ultimately destroyed the Japanese
  merchant fleet.

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Polishing your language

• Go over your transitions between paragraphs
• Ensure your quotations are well integrated
• Watch out for repeated words (get a friend to
  check for them) replace them with synonyms
• Eliminate colloquial language
• i.e. replace says with observes, states,
  etc.

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Common mistakes

• Verb and subject dont agree (usually in long
  sentences)
• Wrong The tension between Japanese and Americans
  were rising.
• Right The tension between Japanese and Americans
  was rising.

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Common mistakes

• Run-on sentences
• i.e. Churchill found the intelligence services in
  a fragmented state when he took his place as
  Prime Minister, for instance Sigint, espionage
  and counter espionage lacked any adequate means
  of co-ordination, each suffering from internal
  confusion, indeed the rivalries in counter
  espionage between Kells MI5 and the special
  branch at Scotland Yard were proving to be highly
  counter productive.

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Common mistakes (contd)

• Its versus its
• Its (possessive) means belonging to it.
• i.e. The dog wagged its tail.
• Its (conjunction) means it is.
• i.e. Its time to go.
• Than (NOT then) is used in comparisons
• i.e. His book is more interesting than hers.

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Common mistakes (contd)

• Between ten and fifteen (and, NOT to)
• Affect versus effect
• It greatly affected intelligence procedures.
  verb
• It had many effects on intelligence. noun
• It effected great changes in intelligence
  procedures. verb, meaning to prompt, to bring
  about, to catalyze

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Common mistakes (contd)

• Use commas around however
• i.e. Kahn argues, however, that German spies.
• i.e. However, Kahn argues that German.

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Writing the conclusion

• Narrow broad
• Restate your thesis (try to vary your wording
  somewhat from the thesis statement in your intro
  paragraph)
• Discuss the wider implications of your
  argument/topic

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Bibliography

• Include all sources you have consulted for your
  paper, even those you havent directly quoted
  from
• Be consistent
• Sample
• Richelson, Jeffrey. A Century of Spies
  Intelligence in the Twentieth Century (Oxford
  Oxford University Press, 1997)

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Tips

• Start early
• Read lots and take detailed notes
• Spend time planning before you write
• Ensure your argument is clear
• Choose a logical structure

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More tips

• Spend most of your words discussing, arguing and
  analyzing, not merely describing what happened
• Leave lots of time to edit
• Have someone else proofread your work - theyll
  likely catch more mistakes than you will since
  theyre less familiar with it

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For further help

• Look online - for example http//www.sou.edu/histo
  ry/carney/writing.htm or http//www.lancs.ac.uk/de
  pts/history/course-sites/hist213/writing.htm or
  http//webster.commnet.edu/grammar/
• Consult the Ryerson Writing Centre
• (Mon-Thurs, 330 to 630,
• RD Besse Commons, 2nd floor, Library)
• Speak with/email me (the earlier, the better!) -
  aluce_at_ryerson.ca