Essay Writing

What is an academic Essay

An essay is an extended piece of writing that presents and supports a thesis or proposition. The word
"essay" derives from the Latin word "exagium", meaning the presentation of a case. When you write an
essay you are making a case for the validity of a particular point of view, analysis, interpretation, or set
of facts or procedures.

What an academic essay is not.

An academic essay is not a regurgitation of facts. Of course, the facts have to be in the essay and they
have to be correct, but the facts are only the first step in essay-writing.
If, in giving the facts, you want to quote from a textbook, use the quote only to support or to illustrate
the point you're making. It should be a supplement to your words and ideas, not a substitute of them.

Why do we write essays?

 They allow your lecturers and tutors to evaluate your learning. (This is why it's important to
use your own words and ideas. If your essay is full of long quotes from textbooks, your reader
cannot tell whether or not you have understood and retained what you have read.)
 They give you a focus for exploring and consolidating what you are learning.
 They allow you to practise skills that you will be using in a future career: e.g. collecting,
analysing, and organising data; writing clearly, concisely, and logically; evaluating and
explaining complex material to others.

Recommended procedure for essay writing

The Little Blue Writing Book by J.Dawson (The Learning Centre Publishing, 2007) is a comprehensive
guide to writing effective essays. It is available at the Curtin Bookshop, The Learning Centre, and in
the reserve area of the Library.. This short extract from the introduction of the book suggests how you
might tackle an essay assignment.
In contrast to the reader’s experience of the essay as a journey, beginning with the first sentence and
finishing with the last, the writer experiences the essay as a construction. This construction is built
around a carefully thought out framework and involves many tasks - from analysing the brief (the essay
question) and gathering the materials (through reading and research) through to the final presentation
of a factually correct, logically coherent, well-organised, convincingly argued, and clearly expressed
essay.
A seven-step plan is suggested here. Following each of these steps, and giving enough attention to each
of them, will guarantee a well-constructed ‘reader-friendly’ essay.

SEVEN-STEP PLAN
1. Analyse the brief (essay question).
2. Formulate a provisional thesis statement.
3. Gather data (read, make notes).
4. Organise data and ideas and reformulate thesis statement.
5. Write middle paragraphs.
6. Write introduction and conclusion.
7. Edit and proof-read.
Academic writing practices
Non-discriminatory language
Curtin University is committed to eliminating discrimination and therefore insists on the use of non-
discriminatory language. Non-discriminatory language regarding sex, race, ethnicity, disability and age
is also the convention in academic writing. Sexist language can be avoided by using a reference to both
sexes, or by using the plural form when possible e.g. they, their.
Tone
Tone is the "speaking voice" of a piece of writing. In academic writing it should be formal but "reader-
friendly". Aim to produce a paper that could be understood immediately by a fellow student in your
course, but also keeping in mind that your writing should not be colloquial or personal. Reading
published journal articles in your discipline can help you to get a feel for what constitutes an
appropriate tone. You could also try reading your writing out loud.
Referencing
A basic characteristic of any science is that it builds on existing knowledge. As you are expected to
draw on other people's work, you are also expected to recognise and acknowledge their help by
referencing your sources of information.
How to Reference
In your referencing you should include enough information about each book or article to allow your
reader to find it and follow up any point. To assist this purpose, there are referencing systems that must
be followed. There are a few different systems that are commonly used, depending on the discipline.
Find out which one is required by the School that has set your written assignment. Information about
how to reference is often given in your course materials. Additionally, your lecturer may refer you to a
guidebook or a particular journal that uses the system they prefer.
Quoting
Direct quoting means copying down material from a source and reproducing it word for word in your
assignment. It is best to avoid overuse of direct quotations and instead paraphrase an idea in your own
words (remembering to reference the source!). However, there are times when it may be better to use
the exact words from a source. For example, if it expresses the idea more eloquently than your own
summary or when it is important for the reader to inspect the precise way the thought was expressed by
the author. If you are going to make a direct quote, it must be exactly the same as the original. If you
make any changes, or add explanatory material of your own, include it in square brackets [ ]. If you
decide to leave out any part of the original use an ellipsis (...). Short quotations should be included
within the text of your assignment and enclosed by quotation marks. Quotations that are four or more
lines should be included as a separate paragraph from the main text, indented and single spaced.
Plagiarism
If you do not carefully reference your work, you may leave yourself open to the charge of plagiarism -
passing off other people's ideas as your own. It's the academic equivalent of fraud and is treated very
seriously by the University. Offenders may lose marks on their work or in some cases be given a fail
grade for the unit.

Essay Checklist
1. Have I fulfilled the requirements of the assignment? (Check assignment brief for key words
like 'outline', 'compare', 'evaluate'. Make sure you have addressed all aspects of the assignment
question.)
2. Are all facts correct, current, and unambiguous? (Make sure you have understood your
research material and that you have transcribed details correctly.)
3. Have I correctly acknowledged all formal and informal sources correctly? (Introduce
quotations gracefully, use appropriate referencing, and provide a full bibliography. Familiarise
yourself with your School's referencing requirements and the policy on plagiarism.)
4. Is my thesis statement clear, concise, and arguable? (The thesis statement is the 'handle' upon
which you hang your essay; make sure it functions effectively.)
5. Are my paragraphs internally integrated? (Each paragraph should be integrated around one
point, expressed in the topic sentence.)
6. Are my paragraphs logically linked? (Establish key concepts, words, and phrases in the
introduction, and carry these through your essay. Use 'transition markers', such as 'moreover',
'nevertheless', 'on the other hand', to guide the reader through your essay.)
7. Is my explication clear, easy to follow, and logically developed? (Avoid logical fallacies and
ambiguous expression. Make your essay 'reader friendly'.)
 8. Does my introduction adequately introduce my thesis? (The first paragraph should lead up to
the thesis statement by gently easing the reader into the topic. First paragraphs should not
make points of explication.)
9. Does my conclusion effectively round off my essay? (Final paragraphs should restate the
thesis and sum up and/or contextualises the essay. Never introduce a new topic in the last
paragraph.)
10. Have I punctuated correctly? (Check in particular for comma splices, run-ons, separation of
subject from verb. Check apostrophes. Use semi-colons to join control clauses; use colons to
introduce quotations, definitions, and complicated lists.)
11. Is my grammar correct? (Check in particular that subjects and verbs, pronouns and antecedent
nouns agree and that modifiers are correctly related.)
12. Is my writing clear and unambiguous? (Check sentence structure, choice of words, and word
order.)
13. Is my writing concise? (Cut out all unnecessary words and phrases. Avoid cliches, vogue
words, and jargon.)
14. Is the tone of my essay rational, authoritative, formal yet 'reader-friendly' and fluent? (Read
your essay out loud. This helps you to recognise any awkwardness of language or lapse in
tone.)
15. Have I proof-read and run a spelling check over my essay? (Make sure the essay you hand in
is as correct and professionally presented as you can make it.)

Your Responsibilities
1. Make sure that you keep a copy of the completed assignment when you hand it in to the
marker. This provides a "back-up" just in case your assignment is misplaced before it is
marked. It would be terrible to have to repeat the assignment from scratch or alternatively
getting a fail grade when you have completed the required work.
2. Most Schools require cover pages to be attached to the front of your assignment. These may
be photocopied from your course materials, available at the School Office or you may need to
make your own. On the cover page you will be required to give at least your name, student ID
number, the date of submission, the title of the assignment and the name of your
tutor/demonstrator.
3. Assignments are generally handed in to the marker or at the School Office. Cover sheets may
have tear off sections for the recipient to sign as evidence that you have handed in your
assignment. Keep this just in case your assignment does get misplaced. Alternatively, some
Schools stamp the assignment cover page to identify when it was handed in.
4. Ideally you should ensure that your assignment is submitted on time and reaches the person
responsible for receiving it. Each School has their own rules regarding late assignments. If it
appears you will not be able to hand in your assignment on the due date, discuss this with the
marker before the day it is due. You may be able to arrange an alternative submission date
without loss of marks.
5. Read any feedback you are given carefully; this will assist you to improve your writing. If you
would like more feedback than the marker has provided, or you don't understand their
comments or why they have given you the mark they did, go and see them about it. This will
let the marker know that you are keen to get feedback and improve your writing, as well as
assist you to understand what they expect for your next assignment.