Academic Essay Writing Explained
Before we even begin with the topic of this article, it should be emphasized that this is not a primer or even a guide on academic essay writing. This article only serves as a basic guide because this field is can be quite complicated. It cannot be given justice by something as simple as this article. However, we will strive to cover to the essentials and make it as simple as possible so that when you decide to embark on it, you will not have a hard time. This is merely a primer and not a guide per se.
Those of you who are still in school or have graduated from college in the past few years will no doubt recognize the concepts that will be mentioned in this article. The first thing that you should do when writing and academic essay is to understand the course or subject, because if you do not know what you are going to write about then you will definitely have a problem. Analyze the instructions you are given, which are often called prompts. Sometimes you will be given a rubric that will contain the grading points for the essay. Be sure to look over them so that you do not miss anything. There are times when you will be asked to analyze, argue, discuss, explain, or compare and contrast certain topics.
A significant chunk of the paper you will make will contain information culled from various sources. Depending on the situation or unless otherwise specified, the rule of thumb is that the more sources you consult, the better. You can do this by researching extensively for the topic and reading as much material as you can. Always remember that it is better to spend more time reading about the topic that writing about it. This may not seem to make sense at first but once you make this a habit, it will be easier for you to tackle academic essay writing.
Once you have all the information that you need, then you can go on and analyze what you have just researched. Be sure to take note of the things that catch your attention or the core concepts of the topic you are going to write about. After undergoing these steps you can proceed to writing your draft. It is advisable for you to start out with the writing process with creating an outline. Always make sure to have a thesis statement or a claim that the paper will revolve around. You can also include in your draft topic sentences that will serve as your guide and the overall idea for each paragraph that you will make. After this you can go on creating your draft. Remember that your draft does not have to be pretty at first because you will be reading through it afterwards and revising it. If you feel satisfied that of your work, have someone else read it and ask for their critique.
It is always better to have an outsider look at your paper because they can see things you might have missed. In this process, do not be offended by the comments, remember that you are asking for an opinion and not looking for an argument. If you cannot find someone to do that for you then a good idea would be put your work down and let it sit for a day or two, then look over it again. You then have a new perspective because of the rest. This then brings us to a crucial aspect of working on academic essays, and that is to always start early.