writing an academic essay – by daniel tarker the purpose and process of academic writing

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Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

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Page 1: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker

The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Page 2: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Some Parameters We will not exhaust every aspect of academic

writing We will focus on the overall process of writing

an academic paper We will not focus on rules We will instead focus on strategies

Page 3: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

What Is The Purpose of the Academic Essay?

The word “essay” is derived from the Latin verb “exigere”, which means to:

Examine Test Drive out

Given this definition, what could the purpose of an essay be?

Page 4: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Other Purposes Discover knowledge Make a point Persuade the reader Share information Synthesize Information Analyze a topic Document your observations All of the above

Page 5: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Think of Writing as a Step-by-Step Process Read and Research Brainstorm Ideas Develop a Working Thesis and Outline Write a Rough Draft Review for Content Revise Rough Draft Review for Grammar and Mechanics Revise Second Draft Continue Reviewing and Revising as Needed

Page 6: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Where Do I Get Ideas To Write About? Read texts related to your topic Use brainstorming techniques like:

Listing ideas Clustering or mind mapping Free writing

Discuss the issue with others Research the topic

Page 7: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Reading a TextCompare these two images about Japanese

Concentration camps during World War II. The first is by American photographer Ansel Adams. The second is a cartoon by Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.

Page 8: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Contrasting the Two Texts Ansel Adams

Uses photograph Creates sympathy Documents history Subtle Politically motivated Captures humanity Shows us the suffering Emphasizes

helplessness Focused on the

individual

Dr. Seuss Uses cartoon Stirs animosity Used for propaganda Exaggerated Politically motivated Uses stereotypes Makes characters look

happy Emphasizes danger Focused on the larger

view

Page 9: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Clustering Write your main point in the center of the

page and circle it As ideas come to you, branch off from the

main point Think of the cluster as a tree, each idea

branching off a previous idea Do not censor or edit yourself

Page 10: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Cluster Example

Page 11: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Develop a Working Thesis A thesis comes at the end of the introduction

section of your paper It lets the reader know exactly what overall point

you are trying to make It should be specific, not general It can be used by the reader and the writer as a

road map for the rest of the paper It is not fixed; it can and should evolve as your

ideas evolve What you present in the paper should not deviate

from what you promise in the thesis Establishes expectations

Page 12: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Thesis Examples Dr. Seuss’ propaganda cartoons during World War

II reduced Japanese Americans to stereotypes, played on the fears of the American public during a time of war, and focused on the broad, generalized issues of the situation rather than the individual circumstances of the people involved.

Page 13: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Developing an Outline Once you establish a thesis, use it to help you

develop an outline of the paper An outline will:

Help you organize your ideas Keep you focused Save time

For every main point, you’ll need several supporting details

Page 14: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Outline Example Thesis Main Point

Supporting Point Detail Detail

Supporting Point Detail Detail

Main Point Supporting Point

Detail Detail

Supporting Point Detail Detail

Supporting Point Detail Detail

Main Point Supporting Point

Detail Detail

Supporting Point Detail Detail

Conclusion

Page 15: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Writing the Rough Draft Now that you have a thesis and outline, you

may begin writing your rough draft. As you write this rough draft, keep the

following strategies in mind: Organize information in your body paragraphs Hook the reader in the introduction Keep your paper coherent with transition words

and sentences Wrap up your paper with a strong closing Utilize academic writing conventions Follow the writing process

Page 16: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Introductions The purpose of the introduction paragraph is

to: Hook the reader Contextualize your argument or topic Provide necessary background information about

the topic

Page 17: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Strategies to Hook the Reader Ask a question Tell a story Use a quote Provide interesting statistics Share an anecdote Make a provocative statement

Page 18: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Give Context in the Introduction What does the reader need to know to

understand this paper? Historical background Issues relating to the topic Important authors and texts you will be referring

to Cultural issues Why this topic is important or relevant

Page 19: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Start Your Body Paragraphs with Clear Topic Sentences

A topic sentence:

Comes at the beginning of a paragraph Presents the most important point you want to

make in that paragraph Is specific (or not so broad it would require a

full essay to explore)

Page 20: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Use Compelling Supporting Points to Support Your Topic Sentence Supporting points are examples or pieces of

evidence that support the claim you have made in your topic sentence.

They can be: Facts Examples Anecdotes (Stories) Expert Testimony Quotes Observations Statistics

Page 21: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Make Sure to Elaborate with Concrete Details Once you have listed your supporting points,

you can now elaborate on them by adding details or explaining what you mean further.

Page 22: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

ExampleTopic Sentence: Dr. Seuss emphasized the

danger posed by Japanese Americans during World War II.

Main Point: His pictures show a parade of smiling Japanese marching down the West Coast collecting explosives.

Detail: Each box of TNT these cartoon characters carry plays on the often-irrational fears Americans felt toward Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Page 23: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

An Alternative: Using the PIE Formula Another useful strategy to organize

information is to use the PIE formula PIE

P = Point = The main point you want to make I = Illustration = A quote or paraphrase from the

text E = Explanation = Your explanation about what

the quote or paraphrase means

Page 24: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Use Transitions to Create Coherence Use transition words or sentences to bridge

ideas so the reader does not get confused First Second In addition Nevertheless In contrast Furthermore Therefore Etc.

Page 25: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Strategies for a Conclusion Re-state your thesis statement in a different

way. Make a strong closing comment. Leave the reader with a closing thought.

Page 26: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Academic Conventions: Things to Avoid Avoid using personal pronouns like “I”, “We”,

and “You”. Avoid not use contractions like “isn’t”,

“they’re”, “wasn’t”, etc. Avoid slang Avoid a personal tone Avoid vague ideas Avoid plagiarism

Page 27: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Academic Conventions: Things to Do Do address both sides of an argument Do cite your sources Do use a formal tone Do take a stand Do use concrete details Do give yourself time to develop your paper

Page 28: Writing an Academic Essay – By Daniel Tarker The Purpose and Process of Academic Writing

Remember, Writing is a Process Every writing assignment is practice for the

next one Writing takes time Go through every step of the process Focus on your ideas first Focus on grammar and spelling last Get feedback from a peer, instructor, or tutor