ES1103 Tutorial 8
ES1103 Tutorial 8
ES1103 Tutorial 8
English for
Academic Purposes
TUTORIAL 8
Module Coordinator:
Dr Abdel Halim Sykes
The Essay Writing Process (2)
Introduction
As you saw in Tutorial 7, the writing process does not begin with
sitting at a keyboard and thinking about what to write. You saw
how important it is to analyse and understand the prompt that
guides the essay or other kinds of academic paper. Also, you were
shown how essential it is for a piece of writing to be anchored
around a well-constructed thesis.
In this tutorial, we will build upon and proceed from these steps in
the essay writing process by focusing on how to gather and
organise information from different sources, and by planning the
most appropriate structure before putting words onto a page.
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Steps in Writing an Essay
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Step 3: Searching for Sources and Constructing a Sources Grid
After determining what is required of the prompt and formulating a
working thesis, the next step is to do some research and make
sense of the information you collect from your reading.
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Google Scholar is more reliable and will provide better support for
your essay than a Google search.
Compare these sample pages for an online search on the term
‘commodification’. What differences do you notice between the
Google and Google Scholar pages?
A Google search on
‘commodification’
makes these
suggestions.
A Google Scholar
search on
‘commodification’
makes these
suggestions.
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A Google search on
‘commodification of
culture’ makes
these suggestions.
A Google Scholar
search on
‘commodification of
culture’ makes
these suggestions.
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Task 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds
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Now that you have a useful set of criteria to help in your choice of
sources, try to apply it to a range of sources of information.
Task 2
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It is essential that you read sources critically. One key skill in the
selection of sources is to identify and determine whether a
potential source is presenting facts or offering opinions. Always
consider how much evidence a source provides to support the
statements that are made.
Task 3
1. ASEAN has ten member states and Timor Leste is likely to become the
eleventh.
2. Paris, the most romantic city in the world, is the capital of France.
3. China’s population is larger than India’s.
4. Cancer can take many forms and affects people of all ages.
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Grouping Information
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Synthesis Grid
https://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m3/m3u1/m3u1s3/m3u1s3_2_popa.htm
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Mind Map
https://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m3/m3u1/m3u1s3/m3u1s3_2_popb.htm
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Concept Map
https://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/m3/m3u1/m3u1s3/m3u1s3_2_popc.htm
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Task 4
You will see from the three techniques for organising information
from sources that they provide you with a structure around which
you can build your essay. Having a lot of information is not
sufficient to ensure the writing is of an acceptable academic
standard. You must show your understanding of the source
material by grouping it in such a way that it is clear, logical and
purposeful in meeting the requirements of the essay prompt.
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Step 4: Planning the Structure in Detail
Using your disciplinary content (or any other theme you choose),
describe ONE specific problem connected with an issue of
interest to you, explaining what, in your view, the problem is.
Your problem should focus on a particular community or country.
Where possible, evaluate one or more existing approaches which
address your chosen problem and suggest one or more new or
improved measures which may further mitigate it.
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Allow the words in the prompt to suggest how the essay might be
organised.
Using your disciplinary content (or any other theme you choose),
describe ONE specific problem connected with an issue of
interest to you, explaining what, in your view, the problem is.
Your problem should focus on a particular community or
country. Where possible, evaluate one or more existing
approaches which address your chosen problem and suggest
one or more new or improved measures which may further
mitigate it.
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Step 5: Drafting the Essay
Once you have completed Steps 1-4, you are ready to work on your
introduction. After that is written and your thesis and scope are
finalised, you will be ready to proceed with the rest of your first
draft. At any point beyond this step, it is possible and advisable to
revise the structure and the content if you notice gaps in the logical
development or the quality of the points or arguments in your
writing.
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Step 6: Revising the Drafts
While you must become skilled in reviewing and revising your own
written work, it is also important for you to adopt the habit of
sharing your drafts with trusted peers, who can provide valuable
and meaningful feedback. Listening to and accepting feedback on
your work is an integral part of good academic writing.
For these reasons, throughout this module, you will have your
drafts reviewed and you will review your peers’ draft essays. Also,
you will receive detailed review and feedback from your tutor,
who will provide advice based on experience and good knowledge
of the requirements of good academic writing.
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In this tutorial, we have considered the key steps in the process of
writing a good academic essay. By following these steps for all of
your academic writing, you will be able to develop the skills you
need to produce written work that is focused, informative, clearly
directed, well-structured and accurate.
All still images in these notes are used under the Creative Commons License.
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