Writing an Academic Essay

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Writing an Academic Essay

• The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

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Some Parameters

• We will not exhaust every aspect of academic
  writing
• We will focus on the overall process of writing
  an academic paper
• We will not focus on rules
• We will instead focus on strategies

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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?

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Other Purposes

• Discover knowledge
• Make a point
• Persuade the reader
• Share information
• Synthesis Information
• Analyze a topic
• Document your observations
• All of the above

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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

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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

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Reading a Text

• Compare these two images about Japanese
  Concentration camps during World War II. The
  first is by American photographer Ansel Adams.
  The second is a cartoon by Theodor Dr. Seuss
  Geisel.

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Contrasting the Two Texts

• Dr. Seuss
• Uses cartoon
• Stirs animosity
• Used for propaganda
• Exaggerated
• Politically motivated
• Uses stereotypes
• Makes characters look happy
• Emphasizes danger
• Focused on the larger view

• Ansel Adams
• Uses photograph
• Creates sympathy
• Documents history
• Subtle
• Politically motivated
• Captures humanity
• Shows us the suffering
• Emphasizes helplessness
• Focused on the individual

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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

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Cluster Example
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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

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Thesis Examples

• Dr. Seuss propaganda cartoons during World War
  II reduced Japanese Americans to stereotypes,
  played on the fears of the American public during
  a time of war, and focused on a the broad,
  generalized issues of the situation rather than
  the individual circumstances of the people
  involved.

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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

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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

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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

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Introductions

• The purpose of the introduction paragraph is to
• Bait the reader
• Contextualize your argument or topic
• Provide necessary background information about
  the topic

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Strategies to Bait the Reader

• Ask a question
• Tell a story
• Use a quote
• Provide interesting statistics
• Share an anecdote
• Make a provocative statement

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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

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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)

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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

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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.

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Example

• Topic Sentence Dr. Seuss emphasized the danger
  posed by Japanese Americans during World War II.
• Main Point His pictures show a parade of smiling
  Japanese marching down the West Coast collecting
  explosives.
• Detail Each box of TNT these cartoon characters
  carry plays on the often irrational fears
  Americans felt toward Japanese Americans after
  the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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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

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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.

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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

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Academic Conventions Things to Avoid

• Avoid use personal pronouns like I, We, and
  You.
• Avoid not use contractions like isnt,
  theyre, wasnt, etc.
• Avoid slang
• Avoid a personal tone
• Avoid vague ideas
• Avoid plagiarism

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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

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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