Basics of Academic Writing

Component Parts of an Academic Essay

An academic essay comprises of three parts:

1. Introduction

2. Body

3.Conclusion

4. References

Introduction to Essay Writing

An essay, in its simplest form, is a paper that does two things: states a purpose and supports that purpose with clear, vivid details and examples. Of course, your mastery of the English language and of style can take those two things and develop an essay that either moves readers into further reading or score a better grade.

Four purposes in essay writing:

• to inform - very important in academic writing because no matter what class a student takes, he/she will be asked to explain, to illustrate things.
• to persuade - another important purpose in academic writing; students (and people in general) should be able to argue a point using logical reasoning.
• to express - we see this more in journal writing, in creative non-fiction; it's the expression of feelings.
• to entertain - again, we see this more outside of academic writing and more in works with a creative quality.

Once you have your topic and have figured out your essay's purpose, you need to know the must-have components for any academic essay:

Introduction

Something that engages readers about your topic and makes them want to continue reading. The introduction gives an over-view of the project and reveals the thoughts that the writer wants to pass across. Introduction part also defines the key terms of the question to ensure that the reader is understands the terminology used.

Thesis

Usually seen at the end of the introduction, the thesis expresses two things: the essay's topic and the writer's overall thought on that topic.This is your argument, and as such, it has to be something that can be ARGUED, i.e., an opinion. FACTS are not good theses; where is there to go once you've stated a fact?

Body Paragraphs

 The body of an essay is where you SHOW support for your argument, your thesis. Clear points need to be established, support of those points need to be developed, and connection to the essay's overall idea needs to be stated. Within the body section of an essay, you will find three important components: topic sentences, support sentences, and closing sentences. These will be discussed more in an upcoming post on body development. Here, I'll mention this - topic, support, and closing sentences are what give body paragraphs points, support, and connection to essay's overall idea.

Conclusion

Something that closes the essay without simply repeating what's already been stated. In the worst essays, I've had students who literally cut and pasted parts of their introduction into their conclusion. BIG no no. A conclusion should make a reader feel something, think something, or do something.

References

References are the materials that you use for researching your essay. There are specific styles that you use for writing your references. These are called referencing or writing styles. They include:

1.      American Psychological Association (APA)

Link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

2.      Modern Language Association (APA)

            Link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

3.      Harvard

Link: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

4.      Chicago

Link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/

Assignment

Sample of an essay

Pages                      :                1

References            :                2

Writing style         :                APA

Explain and critically assess Frankfurt's distinction between bullshitting and lying

Where to Seek Help

If you find yourself interacting with people who make themselves too busy, you are unlucky. I have come to learn that these ever busy fellows will always mislead you. They do not have time to listen to what you are telling. Your inquiries land on deaf ears. It is easier to receive incorrect solutions to your troubles, which may worsen your ignorance. Refrain from them if you want to learn, they are idiots, careless and callous, in fact the worst pretenders I have met. 

Since they are always in hurry, they pretend to be the angels who remained on earth. Instead, seek assistance from people who have time for you if you want to learn.