How to Write an Essay!Ms. Lavigne

ENGLISHNorth & South Esk

Regional

Why learn how to write an essay?

Essay writing is a challenge. The following information will help you to learn how to properly write an essay here at NSER.

* MLA style citation will be used this term (this applies to English/Lang. Arts, History/Social Studies, Humanities elective courses only)

Do I really need to learn this?

There is a lot more to essay writing than stringing together some words. Don't expect to sit down and dash off an essay in a single session.

The first thing you must realize is that an academic essay has a very specific structure. YOUR ESSAY MUST ADHERE TO THE PROPER FORM IF YOU WISH TO POSSIBLY ACHIEVE A GOOD MARK !!

The Main Parts of an Essay

1. Title Page 2. Body - Introduction - Body - Conclusion

(using in-text citations) 3. Works Cited

Title Page A cover page (it is the first

page of your essay but IS NOT NUMBERED) which contains the title of the paper, along with the student's name, The teacher of the class, the class for which the paper was written, and the due date.

NOTE: Often a title page is not essential for a paper unless specifically requested by your teacher. AT NSER, WE WILL USE THE FOLLOWING FORMAT FOR A TITLE PAGE ON ALL PAPERS.

*Make your title interesting to catch the reader’s attention!!!

Title Page

Body of the Essay This consists of an introduction, supporting

paragraphs logically arranged to develop your main ideas, and a conclusion. List the points you wish to develop, place each point in its own paragraph, and expand on each point with supporting facts, details and examples.

Each paragraph should: clearly present the relevant information, discuss and evaluate information and opinions, and develop an argument based on the information and a review

of opinions. This is 80-90 percent of the essay and must satisfy

the reader's appetite. To do this, the body of the essay must reflect solid research, show a clear understanding of the subject, and develop your points logically.

The Introduction Whatever you are writing—an essay, a report, an article, a thesis, a journal, a

literature review, or any other piece of academic writing—the introduction will be the first thing the reader sees. If an introduction is poorly written or constructed, if it is boring, if it does not tell readers what they need to know, if it does not help readers to orient themselves to your paper—then you have lost your readers' interest right from the beginning, and you can be sure of losing marks, no matter how well the rest of the assignment is constructed.

An introduction should do the following: alert a reader’s interest (interesting quotation, scenario, or fact about the

subject) indicate the scope and direction of the paper, and act as a navigation guide

to its reading. show the reader how you are interpreting and approaching the question indicate the focus of the paper Contain the thesis statement - A proposition advanced and supported by

research….(This essay shall…..)

The Conclusion The purpose of a conclusion is to tie together, or integrate the

various issues, research, etc., covered in the body of the paper, and to make comments upon the meaning of all of it.

This includes noting any implications resulting from your discussion of the topic, as well as recommendations, forecasting future trends, and the need for further research.

The conclusion should: be a logical ending to what has been previously been discussed.

It must pull together all of the parts of your argument and refer the reader back to the focus you have outlined in your introduction and to the central topic. This gives your essay a sense of unity. 

never contain any new information.  usually be only a paragraph in length, but in an extended essay

(3000+ words) it may be better to have two or three paragraphs to pull together the different parts of the essay. 

add to the overall quality and impact of the essay. This is your final statement about this topic; thus it can make a great impact on the reader.

The conclusion should not: just ‘sum up’ end with a long quotation focus merely on a minor point in your argument introduce new material

The conclusion may include: a summary of the arguments presented in the body and

how these relate to the essay question a restatement of the main point of view presented in the

introduction in response to the topic the implications of this view or what might happen as a

result.

In-Text Citations

MLA style papers use in-text citations. These come at the end of the sentence directly following a quote or paraphrase. These citations are always brief and in parentheses.

Why do we need to cite our sources?

You must always provide the source of information, facts, or opinions which you have obtained as a reference for the reader.

Basically, you must give credit to the sources you have used in your essay or else you are guilty of stealing it from that person (aka plagiarism).

When to Cite 1. If you take a quote directly from a source

word for word then you must put it in quotation marks “……” and put a parenthetical citation directly after it at the end of the sentence.

2. If you use information from a source and put it into your own words (paraphrase), you must also cite it because it is someone else’s work. Place citation after paraphrased material (ex. At the end of the paragraph or group of sentences)

* You need not cite information that is considered common knowledge in the academic world. (see you teacher if you need help deciding)

How many sources should I have?

There is no set number of sources or citations to be utilized in each and every essay you may be called upon to write. The number of citations will ultimately depend on the nature of your subject.

If you begin your essay with four or five citations per page and then only have one citation for the next six pages, then something is wrong. You are probably not documenting something that does need to be documented. Of course, if you insert a citation every other sentence, then you may be overdoing it.

In-text Citation Structure (Book) Author not named in text:

Provide author’s last name and the page number(s), with no punctuation between them.

Ex. One researcher concludes that “issues such as gambling that touch public morality need to be discussed, even if the result is ambivalence” (Morton 201).

Author named in text: Do not repeat the author’s name in the parentheses; just give

the page numbers. Ex. One researcher, Suzanne Morton, concludes that “issues

such as gambling that touch public morality need to be discussed, even if the result is ambivalence” (201).

Website Cite an electronic source the same way you

would any other source: usually by author’s name or, if there is no author, by title.

Ex. Business forecasts for the fourth quarter tended to be optimistic (White 4).

This example cites a source with page numbers. If page numbers are not included you can use paragraph numbers (ie. Par. 4-6) or only include the author’s name, either in parentheses or in the text.

Works Cited The works cited page is the LAST

page of your essay. The purpose is to list all of the

sources you have used in your essay.

*List them alphabetically according to the author’s last name.

If a source has no named author, alphabetize it by the first main word of the title.

Works Cited Structure The basic format for books includes the following

elements: (author, title, publication information) Ex. Morton, Suzanne. At Odds: Gambling and Canada,

1919-1969. Toronto: U of Toronto Press, 2003. Do not include page numbers in the works cited.

Citations for a personal or professional online site:

Ex. Lederman, Leon. Topics in Modern Physics – Lederman. 12 Dec. 1999 <http://www-ed.fnal.gov/samplers/hsphys/people/lederman.html>.

Citing Other Types of Sources

• There are several different types of sources that you can use with a variety of publication information and authors/editors. If you are unsure how to cite something, please talk to Mr. Silliker or Ms. Lavigne. • You can also check for yourself online @ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Questions? Ask any

questions now to clear things up because being able to properly write an essay is an essential skill for survival in high school!