Planning and Structure
Writing an essay at the postgraduate level requires careful planning and structuring to present a coherent, well-argued, and scholarly piece of work.
Below are some essential steps to help you plan and structure your essay effectively.
1. Understanding the Assignment
Before you start, make sure you thoroughly understand the assignment brief. Identify key instructional terms and concepts, and clarify any ambiguities with your instructor if necessary. Knowing exactly what is expected will guide your research and writing process.
Further information is available in the "Getting Started with your Assignment" section.
2. Research and Identify Information Sources
You must comprehensively research your topic area, using a variety of academic sources such as books and journal articles. The Library runs training workshops throughout the academic year on how to find relevant information sources.
Make detailed notes and keep track of your sources for citation purposes. The Library also runs training workshops on how to use RefWorks, a reference management software.
3. Identify relevant Information Sources
The CRAAP tool is a method used to evaluate the credibility and reliability of information sources based on five criteria:
Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose
Further information on deciding what is relevant information,.
4. Create an Outline
Organise your research around the key themes or arguments relevant to your essay topic.
An outline serves as the blueprint for your essay, helping you organise your thoughts and structure your argument logically.
A typical outline includes:
- Introduction
- Hook or attention-grabber
- Background information
- Thesis statement
- Body Paragraphs
- Topic sentence for each paragraph
- Evidence and examples
- Analysis and interpretation
- Transition to the next paragraph
- Conclusion
- Restate the thesis in light of the evidence presented
- Summarize key points
- Final thoughts or implications
How to Structure a Paragraph
The PEEL approach is a structured method for writing a clear and cohesive paragraph.
By following this approach when writing your literature review, you can effectively convey your main idea, provide supporting evidence and interpret the evidence and then link to the next paragraph or back to the main point.
Academic Writing Style
Self Paced Guide
Aims of the guide
- Know how to structure your work.
- Know how to write in an academic style.
- Know how to use appropriate academic language.
- Understand the importance of revising, editing and proofreading your work.
How to access the guide
Use the back and next buttons at the bottom right of the screen below to navigate through the guide. Alternatively, use the contents button to jump to a specific page.
Accessibility options are available at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen
| Informal Tone | Formal Tone |
|---|---|
| You can see that the results are pretty surprising | The results are notably unexpected |
| I think this theory is very interesting | This theory offers a novel and significant contribution to the area |
| It is shocking that so many studies ignore this critical aspect | It is noteworthy that numerous studies do not address this critical aspect |
| This paper looks at how people deal with stress | This paper examines how individuals cope with stress |
| I believe this approach is the best way to solve the problem | This approach is considered effective in addressing the problem |
| In my opinion, the results show that the method works | The results indicate that the method is effective |
| The author talks about how this problem can be fixed | The author discusses potential solutions to this problem |
| There are some issues with the methodology | The methodology has several limitations, including sample size and data collection methods |
By making adjustments like these, you can refine the tone of your essay to be more formal, objective, and academically appropriate, thereby enhancing its professionalism and credibility.
Review, Edit and Redraft
Remember to factor in time to use Studiosity before submitting your essay.
Studiosity is a free tool that is available 24/7 and provides assignment feedback on your language, structure, spelling and grammar.