what makes a successful undergraduate student essay? presented by: prof. ildiko horvath as a...
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WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ESSAY?
PRESENTED BY:
PROF. ILDIKO HORVATH
As a reference see Chapters:
1: Essay Writing Basics
5: Writing the Research Paper
10: Conventions of Academic Writing
SCIENCE PAPERSSCIENCE PAPERS
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
Generally, follow APA style for formatting and references
Needs to have a cover page and running head (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/)
Essay Title: The Status of Healthcare in Canada
Your Name
Affiliation (class)
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
PAGES 2 AND UPPAGES 2 AND UP
Start the text on the second page Paragraphs and sections (if using) clearly
defined, visually Respect formatting requirements (spacing, font
size, margins) No double-spacing between paragraphs Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdAfIqRt60c&list=PL8F43A67F38DE3D5D
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
FINAL PAGEFINAL PAGE
References
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology journal articles. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 55, 893-896.
Notice: oAlphabetic order by last nameoInitials of first and middle namesoStandardized formatoFor full set of rules, refer to link below and/or your textbook, pp. 91-100
Examples for APA format
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/08/
WHY IS GOOD ORGANIZATION & PRESENTATION ESSENTIAL?
It shows diligence Reflects care for your work Inspires confidence in your abilities to handle the
given task Creates interest and positive mindset in the reader Ultimately, …
it helps you get a better grade! In scientific writing sloppy style & presentation =
sloppy content & poor science Sloppy style breaks two essential rules of scientific
writing: clarityclarity and logical progressionlogical progression
THE WRITING PHASE An essay has three parts: an introduction,
middle/body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
As a basic guide, 20 per cent is usually sufficient for the introduction and conclusion together.
Generally, when writing short research papers, no section headings are needed.
Longer papers require headings. These segment the paper visually and separate distinct sections.
Adapted from Bailey, 2013; Henderson, 2013
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
The introduction presents an essay’s purpose, topic, approach, and organization
In scientific papers the introduction establishes credibility and reliability of the author
Logical opening (inverted triangle method)Begins broad and ends specific
Henderson, 2013
ISSUES OF CREDIBILITY Knowledge
Appearing well-informedProviding strong support
ReliabilityFollowing conventionsWriting grammatically and clearly
ObjectivityAvoiding biasMentioning other sides and viewpoints
Henderson, 2013
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
A good introduction includes the following:1. Definition of key terms, if needed (for clarity)
2. Relevant background information (places your research in context)
3. Review of work by other writers on the topic (in shorter papers)
4. Purpose or aim of the paper (the reader needs to know what you are trying to do)
5. May include your methods used (e.g. experiment, literature review, group essay, lab report)
6. Any limitations you imposed (be realistic and state your limitations clearly)
7. The organization of your work (to ensure that the reader can follow your argument)
Bailey, 2013
WRITING THE BODY OF YOUR ESSAY To write a successful essay, use strong
paragraphs Strong paragraphs are:
Unified Focused on one idea
Coherent Easy to follow
Well-developed Organized with relevant support
Henderson, 2013
WRITING MIDDLE PARAGRAPHS The topic sentence states the main idea of each
paragraph
The topic sentence is usually the first sentence but could be placed elsewhere in the paragraph
The rest of the paragraph should support the topic sentence
Add suitable evidence to substantiate your claim(s)
Hard evidence (facts, statistics, research findings) preferred in scientific writing, as these add authority
Adapted from Henderson, 2013
SCIENCE/RESEARCH PAPERS Voice and styleVoice and style
Objective and analytical Detachment shows absence of bias and faulty reasoning Use of passive construction to deemphasize subject and/or stress that
which is studied
Direct Constructions that stress the study, not the researchers Avoid using personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’
LanguageLanguageStraightforward prose with few modifiers Avoid figurative language
Example:Example:
“Data were analyzed using the framework methodology of qualitative analysis”.Henderson, 2013
WRITING A CONCLUSION As a rule, conclusions tend to be shorter and more
diverse than introductions. Student papersStudent papers should have a final section that
summarizes the arguments and makes it clear to the reader that the original question has been answered.
An effective summary should achieve full closure to the discussion and include a statement on the implications of the findings.
Avoid making these common mistakescommon mistakes: Include some new information on the topic not mentioned
before Include a quotation that appears to sum up your work
Adapted from Bailey, 2013
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: INTRODUCTION
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: CONCLUSION