Outline

1. Guidelines for an excellent essay

a) Unpacking the question
b) Using sources to build the argument
c) Accurate referencing
d) Planning and structuring the essay
An excellent essay….
• Question: Excellent direct focus on the question
• Argument: Reflects superior…. analytical and reasoning; makes a
clear and convincing argument of the student’s own
• Sources: Accurately discusses the most relevant literature…Makes
excellent use of appropriate, fully referenced and detailed examples
or case studies
• Referencing: Contains very few referencing errors
• Structure: Excellent structure and organisation of material

Source: MAGLOB15 COURSE HANDBOOK 2022 – 2023, p. 17

In more detail
1. Unpack and address the question: Show you understand key concepts. Focus narrowly
on the question and address all parts. Explore assumptions.
• What role should today’s businesses play in making economic development more equitable?
2. Use and accurately cite sources
• Build an argument from concepts or theories and/or past experience (else it is just opinion).
• Do NOT just summarise what sources have said
• Select relevant evidence, know why you are using it, and interpret and analyse it.
3. Use standard referencing style: Avoid risk of “academic misconduct” (plagiarism).
4. Make your argument crystal clear:
• 1 key point per paragraph; each paragraph contributes to the section
• Main points may go in different headings, with use of section headings to guide reader
• Summarise your answer in 1-2 clear sentences in conclusion
• Not “business can do many things”. Instead “Business can do X, Y, Z”.
In more detail
5. Plan the paper before starting to write: Develop a structure to guide the reader to your
conclusions

• General structure for Masters assignments or dissertation

• Introduction: what is your topic and why is it important
• Literature review: who has explored it before and what did they find out
• Findings (and methodology where relevant): how did you explore the topic, and what you
find out
• Discussion: what did your discoveries tell you about your topic
• Conclusion: what did that lead you to conclude
Reflect on 3 key areas of academic writing
1. Was this easy or difficult for you?
2. What doubts did/do you have?
3. What strategies or tips did you learn to address it better?

Three areas are:

1. Understanding/defining and unpacking the question
2. Identifying, using and citing sources
3. Planning and structuring your paper
When you receive the essay question
1. Connect …
Identify the session/topic the question is asking about. What are key debates?
Which concepts or theories from the lecture are relevant to the question?
(Also, which ones you understand best or are most interested in).
2. Break down…
Decipher each element of the question. Identify key words (commands,
concepts, context).
3. Plan your essay…
Write down your basic answer, or at least the problem to be resolved.
Develop your reading list (see module document for ideas)
Write an essay outline
Always start with concepts or references from the modules
What role should today’s businesses play in
making economic development more
equitable? In responding to this question, you
should read the following two readings…

Identify key words: commands, concepts,

context

Concept: economic development, equity, businesses

What role should today’s businesses play in
making economic development more
equitable? In responding to this question,
you should read the following two readings…

Identify key words: commands, concepts,

context

What is the problem that needs to be

resolved?
Examples to analyse together
1. What is pro-poor growth? Use a Identify key words:
single case study or a comparative commands, concepts,
study of economic growth episodes context
to illustrate and explain success or
failure in poverty reduction? What is the problem that
needs to be resolved?
2. How has the base of the pyramid
(BoP) approach evolved over the
past 16 years, and has it delivered
on its early promise?
Using sources
• We don’t want to know what you know, or what others think.
• We want to know what you think, and why (your justification)
(The answer to the essay question).
• To do so, you need to first show knowledge and an understanding of
what others think.
• It involves drawing on academic theories and concepts from your
sources…
• But go beyond this to applying these theories and concepts to
relevant evidence or examples (from clear sources).
Presenting your evidence
• Evidence = data, facts, quotations, arguments, statistics, previous
research findings, pictures
• Gathering evidence = primary and secondary sources
• Secondary evidence: previous research findings
• Primary evidence: Generating your own data, quotations, pictures,
interviews, observations
Accurate Referencing
• Why should you reference your work?
• What are the different ways that you can use another thinker’s ideas in your
writing?

Earlier studies have acknowledged the importance of informal institutions

In-text citation
(Abdel-Latif and Schmitz, 2010; Moore and Schmitz, 2008).
Moore, M. and Schmitz, H. (2008) Idealism, Realism and the Investment
Reference list Climate in Developing Countries. Brighton: Institute of Development
Studies.

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/skills-hub/referencing-and-academic-integrity/harvard
Why do we need to reference?
• Good work builds on the work of others
• Demonstrate your awareness and understanding of literature
• Being clear about how you build on others’ work strengthens your own work
• Honesty and clarity
• Your reader needs to know which ideas are yours and which ideas are
someone else’s
• Your reader needs to know which words are yours and which words are
someone else’s
• Supports justification of your argument
• Your reader needs to know source of evidence, to judge reliability
Different ways to use another
thinker’s ideas
In most cases, you will paraphrase rather than quoting directly:
• Express what someone else has said in your own words
• You must give reference to the source
Use direct quotes if you need to use exact words of source:
• Use selectively and avoid too many long quotes
• Quote exactly using quotation marks Cần phải mở ngoặc, đóng ngoặc khi dùng đúng câu đó
• You must give full reference (incl. page numbers)
Turnitin: produces a “Similarity Report” to check your work for plagiarism. See:
• https://canvas.sussex.ac.uk/courses/14493/pages/understanding-turnitin-
similarity?module_item_id=631457
• You can check your paper without submitting it through the Turnitin Draft
Check site in Canvas. Find the link here:
• https://canvas.sussex.ac.uk/courses/7328/pages/plagiarism-what-is-
it?module_item_id=337786
Academic misconduct (often called plagiarism)
Examples of academic misconduct:
• turning in someone else's work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• using text generated through artificial intelligence (e.g. ChatGPT)
Academic misconduct
Which of the following are allowable (are NOT considered misconduct):
• using someone else’s words, as long as you give them credit (ie as long as you cite
the source)
• copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit, as long as you
change the words
• using 1 source for the majority of your paper (or a section of your paper),
provided you give them credit
 Common structures of term papers Take care with word
count – 10%
tolerance. Excludes
references

Structure Critical essay Research paper (eg. Case study)

Introduction: 10%
Body: 80% Point 1: 20-30% Literature and concepts: 20%
Point 2: 20-30% Findings: 30%
Point 3: 20-30% Discussion: 30%
Conclusion: 10%

Develop a proper outline (and get

advice from your term paper
supervisor) before starting writing
your term paper!
The introduction: first impression
• Introduction: what to be included?
• What is the main theme or question
• Your hook: Surprising fact, real life or academic puzzle,
importance/urgency of topic. Helps engage the reader.
• Background: Key information to understand the topic or context
, e.g. short definition
• Your (unique) approach/position/argument
• When to write the introduction?
• At the beginning: need to have a proper outline, and may need
to revise as you go
• At the end
Paragraph and sentence structure
• Make it clear how each paragraph contributes to the argument;
• Topic sentence (often at the beginning) says tells the reader what the
paragraph is about
• Another sentence may be used to signal how the paragraph moves the
argument on
• Help guide the reader
• Signaling and signposting:
‘Based on previous…’, ‘Compared to’
• Be clear, concise and accurate
• Do not make simple things complicated
• Avoid lots of overly long sentences with multiple
subordinated clauses
• Do not add ‘padding’ to your writing
• Do not include things you don’t understand
Conclusion: The final word
• Answer the question! Be specific (not “In conclusion, there are many
things that development agencies can do”)
• Highlight (again) your key points or insights.
• Conclusion may also consider
• Implications of your findings (why this insight matters? To whom
in particular?)
• Recommendations for changes (policy, practices, values…)
Homework and preparation for next week
• Reflect on ways to improve your essay, based on class discussion
• Identify one 'argument’ from your essay to discuss in class
• Review session slides for week 4