Article Sphere Logo
Schools Colleges Universities Article

How to Structure Your Essay – 6 Easy Steps

By Expert Author: Nick Sanders
Word Count: 778 words | Views: 237 view(s)
Being new to writing essays you will be unfamiliar with the structure of an essay at university. You may have written a few different essays at college during your A-levels or equivalent if not in the UK, but these will be a little different to what is seen as minimal in academia. After all, you want to bet getting the best grades possible from the work that you submit, so if your essay or report is structured in the wrong way, then you may end up missing out on marks because your thoughts aren’t clear and your argument is a little fumbled. Below I will set out some steps that you can take when thinking about the actual structure of your paper and what you will need to submit an essay you can be proud of.

Step 1 – Get organised
In order to properly structure your essay you will need to organise your thoughts, your desk, and even the computer you are going to be typing on. Get rid of Itunes and all other unnecessary programs for the time being as you will need to get a few documents open and even a note pad and pen to make sure you are heading in the right directions and eliminating any mistakes ion the way.

Step2 – Be informed
Many people seem to think that they can look at a computer screen, type a few thousands words and hey presto you have an essay! Well, probably it would be an essay in an ideal world, but let me tell you that the world is far from ideal and in order to sound credible to anyone who is going to read your work, you need to be able to understand all of the material that you need to source, read and digest. If you haven’t got around to this stage yet, then feel free to go and learn about the subject you want to write, even if this is only an introduction.

Step 3 – What, How and Why?
You should also be thinking about when, where and who – these are termed as the seven honest serving men and will get you through your academic life. You are not just going to structure your essay around a topic and throw all the information you have learned about it on to paper and submit that as an essay. Your lecturer/professor will be looking for your critical evaluation and thought process and want you to be constantly asking, well why is that, or how is that, or why did that happen, etc. You can also structure your answers this way.

Establish what you are going to be talking about.

Explain to the reader how things have been established and also put ‘signposts’ connecting one concept to another.

Answer why certain things have happened or arguments have ensued – this is probably the biggest part of your ability to show an understanding of the essay topic.

Step 4 – Choose a direction
You will want to set out a map or guide to how you are going to write everything and what way you will link each part to the next. You will also need to think about having the essay flow and choose the direction you want your argument to take. All great essays have a firm base that is built upon and they lead to a finalised position. Make sure yours does too and don’t rely on not knowing where you are going to.

Step 5 – Write it and Write well
Actually getting down to the writing is a good start indeed, but structuring your writing to have a beginning, middle and end is the way to go. every part of your essay should have an introduction, a central body allowing the reader to see your argument, and then a conclusion of the particular section that links and leads onto the next.

Step 6 – Be Prepared
Preparation is one of the most important things to have when writing an essay or paper i the academic arena. You will want to have a plan of what you are wanting to write. Some students find it easier to map out their essay in preparation for actually writing their paper, getting themselves mentally prepared for the writing and thoughts ahead. Keep in mind that certain bits of information belong it certain parts of the paper, don’t leave your reader second guessing your argument or wondering what the argument of the paper was about.

Also, if you want to get the best out of your submitted essays then you should have a proofreader or editor take a look at your work.
Nick Sanders

About the Author:

Nick Sanders is the owner and founder of Supaproofread.com, an online proofreading and editing services company, specialising in dissertation proofreading and editing. You should visit them if you are looking for professional proofreading service.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/How-to-Structure-Your-Essay--ndash--6-Easy-Steps/160020

 This Article has been viewed 237 times.
  

Related Videos



 

Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Schools Colleges Universities" article category.

People interested in the above article "How to Structure Your Essay – 6 Easy Steps" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Alternative medicine has furnished great professional opportunities for aspirers and has become the major career option for thousands of aspirants world -wide. New approach of holistic medicine has lashed prominent practices of conventional medicinal treatments, as comprehensive methods of alternative medicine have its varied benefits. Demand in holistic treatments have substantially gained momentum in few recent years as its benefits are introduced by the best natural medicine schools by offering legitimate holistic medicine programs for the aspirers.
A business degree can be your gateway to utmost success. In this age of market and finance, having some kind of management degree can really make you adept in this highly competitive environment. Business degrees make you adept in the aspects and various fields of business and finance and help you become a competent business professional or industry expert in the long run. If you get the degree from a reputed institute your future can be really bright and you will easily climb up the ladder to success.
The admission process for 63 colleges under Delhi University (DU) started from June 1 and over 26,000 forms were sold on the first day. The university has sold over 80,000 common pre-admission forms so far. In all, Delhi University will admit 49,000 students in 47 undergraduate courses this year. In spite of instructions from the DSW office about the common admission forms, most students flocked to different colleges to purchase individual forms. However, only Jesus and Mary, St Stephen's and Khalsa College will rely on separate admission forms.
I wish to become an animator, which software should I learn to operate? This is a common question many people ask. I wonder why people think that animation training is limited to learning software. The history of animation would clarify that software plays a limited role. The first full-length animation film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1944. Before India got its independence in 1947, Americans had won 17 Oscars for animation films. Computers came into business only in the 1960s. Then how did they make animated films?
In modern era, free market reforms have become a prelude to further economic development. United Kingdom has been one of the prominent centers for higher learning due to enormous amount of investments poured in by the government. Every year there is a huge competition between students in developing countries to study in UK. It is in fact a symbol of prestige that the new students pursue with remarkable panache.
In recent years, Australia has gained popularity among international students for higher education. With the emergence of respected colleges and universities in Australia, featuring cutting-edge curriculum and world-class faculty, education has been flourishing in Australia. With hundreds of colleges, TAFE's and universities in Australia to choose from, it can be very difficult to make the right decision.
MBA education has now becoming much popular and students also take interest lots in doing such degree to make their career in management. You can look here full details on mba colleges and study in India. The India education also provides lots of useful information about mba abroad.
Article Directory Home All Categories Reference And Education Schools Colleges Universities How to Structure Your Essay – 6 Easy Steps
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.