The dreaded phrase, “Just get two publications and you’ll be set” is one I am sure many of us at the start of our academic careers have heard. Subsequently, I am sure we have all thought, “how hard can it be?” We sit down and start to write, half-remembered lessons from university lurking at the back of our minds, only to run out of steam after half an hour. Thus, we are left with nothing more than a jumbled mess of half-formed ideas and the odd witty phrase that you are certain is a great way to start an article, but as you go, on you start to have doubts. Critically, we have missed the most fundamental lesson of essay writing: to have a clear thesis, a clear understanding of the type of essay we are writing and, lastly, a clear structure to follow.
Although these skills seem self-evident or have been deemed to have been mastered long ago, it is always worth returning to the basics to check in and make sure that no bad habits have crept in. Rest assured, even the best of us is guilty of less-than-steady structures, a dodgy thesis, or getting lost in the weeds on a topic. For the new academics, I hope that this can serve as a refresher or a guide to get you started on the path to publication.
The Thesis
Before pen can be put to paper, we must be clear with what the question is and how we seek to answer it. We must divide the whole into its clear components so that we can contribute to deeper knowledge (Medvid & Podolkova, 2019). Looking at Edwards and Moore (2015), we can see the clear cycle of evaluation of our question. Through this process emerges the thesis. In this early stage, it can be nothing more than loose ideas; however, with research, the logical connections of these ideas emerge and coalesce into the key points of the essay. For simplicity, the strongest three can be selected as the principal topics to be explored within the essay. Going forward, these ideas shall be referred to as the “key points.” These three key points form the basis of our thesis and are how we will answer our question. The thesis is the statement of intent for the essay. As such it is always best to have a clear idea from the beginning.
Having these key points clearly expressed is beneficial for both reader and writer, we shall look first at the impact this has for the writer. As research and writing progress, it is understandable that ideas can change, but through constant consultation of the thesis, the writer can check to ensure that they are following their initial premise or to adjust if there has been a shift. At every point, work should be assessed to see whether it answers the question that has been set out. As a writer, it is always worth remembering that no one knows your work as well as you do. Take the time to clearly set out the topic or question and, at the end, make sure you have answered it. There is nothing worse as a reader than being halfway through an article and realising you have no clue what is going on. Even more so when you must go back to the introduction to get a clear idea of what you mean.
This explanation might appear simplistic; however, the thesis serves as a road map for the reader and the writer. It should be consulted frequently at each paragraph, section or topic assessed to make sure that it follows the initial statement. Once the question has been established and the key points identified, the structure of the essay can begin to form. Without this crucial step, the essay is built on nothing more than shaky foundations and only disaster shall follow.
Rhetorical Methods
Once we have established our thesis and have identified our key points, we need to consider the rhetorical mode used to explore them. These modes relate to how a key point can be analysed and discussed. There are a multitude of rhetorical modes that can be used in writing. For the sake of simplicity, some of the most common are listed below (Folse & Pugh, 2020):
cause-effect essay:in which we explore a topic by looking at the identified issues and the consequences that come from them. In this, we are looking for the chain of events that led to the end result.
comparison essay: where we take two topics and look to find the similarities and differences between them. This is not only to state the obvious, but also to seek a more subtle approach in illuminating the two topics.
reaction essay: a more personal essay in which information is presented alongside the writer’s opinion of said material. This might not seem to have a place in academic writing, but objectivity is also a subjective matter.
argument/persuasive essay: collects information and presentng it to support the author’s position. The writer often draws the reader round to their perspective. The strength of this argument relates to whether it is an argument or persuasion.
When looking to structure an essay, it can be beneficial to adhere to one rhetorical mode. It serves as a clear framework to structure an essay around as well as being straightforward in its approach to an argument (Ferreira & Andrade, 2014). However, it is more common that elements from any and all rhetorical modes can be brought in to suit the nature of the key point. This can grant a level of freedom in how the subject is approached rather than bending it to suit the will of a rhetorical mode. What must be stressed, however, is to be certain as to what rhetorical elements are needed for each point during the planning stage. Having a clear thesis statement will come into play when selecting the right rhetorical method(s).
Structure
With the establishment of a thesis and rhetorical modes selected, attention can be turned to the nitty-gritty of writing. During the establishment of the thesis, key topics were identified and became focus points for other logical strands. These key topics can be transposed into the rhetorical modes, serving as the focus for each. Nevertheless, there can still be elements of structure that need to be addressed both to aid in writing and in structure.
Simplicity is always best, and in that vein, the five-paragraph essay comes into play. Familiar to all who had to do any form of essay writing, it is centred on an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion (Khoshhal, 2021). To develop this idea, paragraphs can be changed to topics or expanded to their own sub-chapters depending on the length of the essay. These topics can become their own mini essays, with their own rhetorical modes all linking back to the initial thesis. The five-paragraph structure is something that has been drilled into generations of students for its simplicity, clarity, and the sheer fact that it works. It is a solid foundation to build an essay on.
Taking this idea of simplicity further comes the three-sentence structure for paragraph writing: an introduction sentence, body, and conclusion. These concepts might be simple and seem to be below the level required for academic writing, yet they are not without merit. At each point, the writer is required to set a path to follow. It requires the writer to assess their work and ensure that they are sticking to the topic within the rhetorical modes they have selected. It allows for clarity and organises the writers’ thoughts (Hyland, 1990). Simple—yes, but it works.
Conclusion
Although it seems self-evident, the planning stages of the essay are critical—not just in what we are going to say, but how we are going to say it. An equal amount of time should be placed into both in order to have a successful essay. The thesis must be clear to the writer so that it can be clear to the reader. Rhetorical modes need to be selected to suit the nature of the topic they are addressing. This process will assist the writer to develop a firm understanding of how the body of the essay should be constructed. These methods might appear simplistic and reductive for an academic essay. Yet, these are fundamental skills for any writer. There is nothing to stop a writer from using these methods as the foundation of their essay before proceeding with the paper any further. Critically, for any writer, there must be clarity in message, style, and structure throughout the essay.
References
Edwards, L., & Moore, C. (2015). Defining the argument: Developing thesis statements. The Language Teacher, 39(5), 35–37. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTTLT39.5
Ferreira, S. A., & Andrade, A. (2014). Academic analytics: Anatomy of an exploratory essay. Education and Information Technologies, 21(1), 229–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-014-9317-9
Folse, K. S., & Pugh, T. (2020). Great writing 5: With spark (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hyland, K. (1990). A genre description of the argumentative essay. RELC Journal, 21(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368829002100105
Khoshhal, P. A. M. (2021). How to write an academic essay. International Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 8(6), 31–36. https://ijrasb.com/index.php/ijrasb/article/view/254
Medvid, O., & Podolkova, S. (2019). Essay as a form of academic writing. Edukacyjna Analiza Transakcyjna, 8, 215–225. https://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.ojs-doi-10_16926_...
