Writing Essay Papers
Introduction
There is great importance attached to writing essay papers before graduating from college. It is an indication of the ability of students to express learnt concepts. It is as a yard stick to measure understanding of theories and, their application. Students are therefore , advised to follow the right procedure in writing essay papers. It guarantees high marks and, good grades. The following are the steps to be followed:
- The student should make sure that he understands the topic of the essay. Relevant references on the topic should be studied to have an idea of what is required. The student should feel free to liaise with the tutor for any clarifications. This will make the task of writing essay papers enjoyable and, informative. It is also recommended that students form study groups to exchange ideas on topics before writing. Failure to understand the topic makes the essay papers irrelevant and, out of topic. It results to poor grades.
- The most important stage in writing essay papers is doing research. This involves getting relevant information on the topic. The information can be got from books, publications, journals and, online sources. They support the ideas of the writer. The references used in an essay must be cited in the body. Failure to cite used references leads to penalties for plagiarism. This is a serious academic offence and, can result to cancellation of the entire essay paper. It should be avoided at all costs. All the information got is written in draft form. It is used to prepare the outline.
- The outline is an arrangement of topics and, subtopics as they appear in the essay. The essence of writing essay papers is to identify the most important points. They are of much relevance to the topic. They should be given preference in the discussion. In the outline, these points should come first. When preparing the outline, one must pay attention to the word limit for the essay. It determines the number of points that should be discussed. Points which are of less relevance can be discussed together.
- The body of the essay contains the discussion of points as they appear in the outline. It is normally the biggest part. All the references used should be cited in the body of the essay. The student must ensure that the flow of points in the body is cohesive and, coherent.
- The conclusion is the last part of the essay. It is a summary of what has been discussed. It gives the way forward on major issues emanating from the discussion. It is usually brief and, short.
Conclusion
Students who follow the above steps will be assured of high marks in their essays. It makes the work of writing essay papers informative and, enjoyable. Students must master the language used in writing essays because any grammatical errors are severely punished. The points discussed should be from the student and , should not be shared with colleagues. This can make the essay lack originality. Students should always maintain independence when doing their work.