Essay Writing

What is an Essay?

An essay is a piece of writing that presents an argument based on well-researched evidence. During your studies, you will be asked to complete essays in order to demonstrate your understanding of key concepts within the subjects you study.

Essays will require you to do more than simply describe or repeat information. You will need to respond to a question by critically interpreting and evaluating evidence you have gathered through your research.

The Research Question (or Thesis Statement)

A research question (also known as a thesis statement) is a single sentence that summarises your position on the topic to be argued, and it will be written in the introduction of your essay. This statement should be a direct response to your essay question. If you find that your research question does not reflect the entire essay question, it should be reworked as this will be the guiding statement for your entire essay. Ensure that your final research question corresponds to the requirements of the Assessment.

Tip: Write your research question down on a piece of paper and keep this piece of paper in sight while working on your essay. This will help you remain focussed as you progress to the next stages of crafting your outline and then drafting your essay. Every dot point or sentence that you write should relate to your thesis statement or research question.

The Outline

Once you have your research question, you can build the structure of your essay to present the most logical, persuasive and coherent argument possible. This is where you construct the outline of the essay, which happens before you start writing the essay.

Writing a strong outline is key to ensuring that you remain on the right track (that is, convincingly proving your argument and answering all the assessment’s requirements, as detailed in your subject’s Learning & Assessment Guide). To develop your outline, you may use a linear list or a mind-map, whichever you find most useful. This outline needs to consider the following:

1. What are the main points of your argument?

Categorise the evidence you have gathered during your research process into groups, based on what point they are making. Each group will form the evidence base for one point towards your overall argument. This can be done as a list of headings initially.

2. How many points will you make in your essay?

It is usually best to dedicate one paragraph to each point, so that your essay is well organised, and moves smoothly from one idea to another. The body of most essays will have a minimum of three or four paragraphs, however the number of paragraphs in your essay will be determined by the total word count of your assessment. The longer your essay, the more paragraphs you will have because you will be making more points or subpoints. As you refine the outline, include subheadings under the headings.

3. What order will your main points (paragraphs) be in?

Consider what will be the most logical flow for your argument. What order will make the most sense to the reader? You do not want to jump back and forth between similar or identical ideas.

Do not be afraid to test out different structures. Try creating a list of your main points and swap them around to see what feels like the most effective way to make your argument. Use the outlining stage to rearrange the headings and subheadings in a logical order to discuss the points that you wish to make in your argument toward a sound conclusion. The conclusion answers the research question or thesis statement.

Remember: Your argument will determine your structure. If you change your argument, the main points and therefore structure of your entire essay may need to be revised to better support your updated research question. It is much easier to rework an outline than a draft, so do not start drafting until you have a strong outline that coherently answers your argument and addresses all the assessment’s requirements, as detailed in the Learning & Assessment Guide of your subject.

The First Draft

When the outline corresponds to the argument that you wish to make to answer the research question/thesis statement, you can begin writing the first draft. Write the draft according to your outline.

Tip: Ensure you are using the English (Australia) language option in your word processor, such as Microsoft Word.

Subsequent Drafts

Ensure that you have enough time to reread your work at least 3 times, ideally at different time periods. Upon each reading, you will improve the essay. Check the structure (logical flow) of your essay and the relevance of each main point to the argument you are making. You can then make any changes that you deem necessary. Tighten the language so that it is formal and academic. Check the grammar and ensure that all citations and references are in the appropriate format.

See: NTI Harvard Referencing Guide

Before Submission

Once the first draft is completed remember that you will need to work on, at least, a second and third draft. Reread the Assessment details and ensure that your research question or thesis statement has addressed the purpose of this assessment.

Reread your essay, checking that it addresses your research question, and that each paragraph works towards proving your thesis statement. Check that your thesis statement, introduction and conclusion align, and that your essay has not accidentally changed direction between the beginning and the end. You need to read through your paragraphs and ensure the argument is consistent all the way through.

Reread your essay, checking that your language, spelling, grammar and referencing formats are in line with an academic essay for submission at NTI.

Below is a list of questions that you should be asking yourself when revising drafts.

• Have I done everything the Assessment details have asked me to do?
• Does my thesis statement or research questions reflect this?
• Is my thesis statement in both the introduction and conclusion?
• Have I provided strong evidence from academic sources to support my argument?
• Have I evaluated the evidence and shown critical thinking within the body of each paragraph?
• Does each paragraph have the correct structure (topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence)? See: Paragraph Structure
• Does the order of my paragraphs create a logical flow to build my overall argument? Does each paragraph, and the evidence within them, contribute to arguing my thesis statement?
• Is most of the evidence paraphrased rather than directly quoted?
• Have I correctly formatted and referenced all quotes and ideas from other sources according to the correct referencing system? See: NTI Harvard Referencing Guide
• Is my essay within the required word limit (which generally does not include the Reference List)?
• Is my language academic and formal?
• If I have used acronyms, have I written out the full words and then provided each the acronym in parentheses on its first mention?
• On subsequent mentions, have I only written the acronym?
• Have I italicised Pali and Sanskrit words?
• Have I proofread my essay for Australian grammar, spelling and punctuation?
• Have I included a Reference List with an entry for each source that I cited in the essay?

Finally, when I have a Final Draft:

• Have I checked my Turnitin Similarity Report to ensure that I have not inadvertently plagiarised myself or someone else? See: Assessment Support Guide (NTI login required)
• Have I saved a copy of my essay?