There a few secrets to writing an outstanding essay that are often overlooked by students who are often more concerned about meeting the deadline and passing than in producing a remarkable work – this approach is hardly recommended as it considers the essay a hurdle rather than the research and learning experience that it is meant to be. The essay is meant to be an exposition of your knowledge on a given subject – complete with a pointed and well-supported thesis that will carry the weight of your argument. With that in mind, consider the following elements when instructed to produce a quality academic essay.
The Thesis, Your Foundation
Without a pointed, interesting, and well-supported thesis your paper will amount to nothing. The thesis cannot be emphasized enough when writing academic literature and so it is here that you should devote a great deal of your time. All of your arguments must stem from this conceptual background and so ensure that however you might choose to frame your thesis statement, your arguments supporting this assertion must follow in sequence, must support one another, and must gain in strength until your final argument.
Research is integral to building a thesis with deep roots that can be easily and eloquently defended. Google might be useful for establishing some peripheral research that will give you a layman's knowledge of the subject matter – but much research will need to come from academic journals, books, and other print media. Most University libraries have excellent resources for finding particular topics or subjects within the catalogue and so it is highly recommended that one ask for assistance in researching a topic with your library staff. Librarians of all stripes love nothing more than to help inquiring minds and to fuel independent study and research – not to mention the amount you can learn from their expertise in this area.
Constructing the Essay, Deconstructing Opposing Arguments
The first step in constructing an essay after you have whittled your thesis to a point is to ensure that you have a series of arguments to present that will bolster the strength of your prime assertion. For example, if your thesis could be condensed to the argument that, “Lower income households are more likely to be comprised of members who participate in drug or alcohol abuse”, you might attempt to look into some research provided from a census as well as researching magazine articles dealing with both poverty and drug abuse alongside the more traditional academic journal articles. Your associated arguments might, by way of example, pertain to class conflict, normative behaviour and dysfunction, or simply genetic predisposition.
Another important notion to consider when framing your series of arguments is to consider the most common criticisms of your particular thesis. In the example used above, it could be argued that while alcohol abuse might be more prevalent amongst the working class – more exclusive and expensive street drugs such as cocaine or even prescription drugs might be more commonly abused by members of the middle or upper classes.
Always research the likely criticisms of your thesis and be sure to find the most persuasive counter-arguments to defuse and devalue those particular criticisms. By taking on the responsibility of the Devil's Advocate, and showing that you not only welcome the challenge of opposing arguments but further that you are able to refute the most commonly held of them shows supreme confidence in your data and in the strength and veracity of your thesis.
Coming Full Circle, Closing Arguments
In the closing paragraph of a finely tuned essay you will most certainly find a summation of all major arguments – but more than that, how they are all connected and how they might influence one another. Be sure to try and link as many of your independent points with logical outcomes that may easily be seen as influencing or supporting your statements.
Your arguments will gain further validity and your closing paragraph will become more than a simple summary, but also an appeal to logic in the sense that you will make an concerted attempt to show influence and relevance between each of your major points.
By providing a rock solid and interesting thesis supported by a network of arguments while simultaneously deconstructing and refuting commonly held opposition arguments – your paper will gain a great deal of credibility that will, no doubt, be reflected in the final grade.
The Thesis, Your Foundation
Without a pointed, interesting, and well-supported thesis your paper will amount to nothing. The thesis cannot be emphasized enough when writing academic literature and so it is here that you should devote a great deal of your time. All of your arguments must stem from this conceptual background and so ensure that however you might choose to frame your thesis statement, your arguments supporting this assertion must follow in sequence, must support one another, and must gain in strength until your final argument.
Research is integral to building a thesis with deep roots that can be easily and eloquently defended. Google might be useful for establishing some peripheral research that will give you a layman's knowledge of the subject matter – but much research will need to come from academic journals, books, and other print media. Most University libraries have excellent resources for finding particular topics or subjects within the catalogue and so it is highly recommended that one ask for assistance in researching a topic with your library staff. Librarians of all stripes love nothing more than to help inquiring minds and to fuel independent study and research – not to mention the amount you can learn from their expertise in this area.
Constructing the Essay, Deconstructing Opposing Arguments
The first step in constructing an essay after you have whittled your thesis to a point is to ensure that you have a series of arguments to present that will bolster the strength of your prime assertion. For example, if your thesis could be condensed to the argument that, “Lower income households are more likely to be comprised of members who participate in drug or alcohol abuse”, you might attempt to look into some research provided from a census as well as researching magazine articles dealing with both poverty and drug abuse alongside the more traditional academic journal articles. Your associated arguments might, by way of example, pertain to class conflict, normative behaviour and dysfunction, or simply genetic predisposition.
Another important notion to consider when framing your series of arguments is to consider the most common criticisms of your particular thesis. In the example used above, it could be argued that while alcohol abuse might be more prevalent amongst the working class – more exclusive and expensive street drugs such as cocaine or even prescription drugs might be more commonly abused by members of the middle or upper classes.
Always research the likely criticisms of your thesis and be sure to find the most persuasive counter-arguments to defuse and devalue those particular criticisms. By taking on the responsibility of the Devil's Advocate, and showing that you not only welcome the challenge of opposing arguments but further that you are able to refute the most commonly held of them shows supreme confidence in your data and in the strength and veracity of your thesis.
Coming Full Circle, Closing Arguments
In the closing paragraph of a finely tuned essay you will most certainly find a summation of all major arguments – but more than that, how they are all connected and how they might influence one another. Be sure to try and link as many of your independent points with logical outcomes that may easily be seen as influencing or supporting your statements.
Your arguments will gain further validity and your closing paragraph will become more than a simple summary, but also an appeal to logic in the sense that you will make an concerted attempt to show influence and relevance between each of your major points.
By providing a rock solid and interesting thesis supported by a network of arguments while simultaneously deconstructing and refuting commonly held opposition arguments – your paper will gain a great deal of credibility that will, no doubt, be reflected in the final grade.
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