How To Write an Essay : Step 1 - Don't write

When you are given the task of writing an essay it is tempting to get stuck in straight away. Afterall nobody likes a blank page and once you have a few words down you'll be able to build up some confidence. Soon enough the question that seemed incredibly difficult to understand is starting to make sense and you're a writing machine.

While it may seem like getting started has helped here in many cases it has had the complete opposite effect. For many people the question clears up not because they have come to understand it but instead because they have begun to redefine it. Such a move is incredibly dangerous as it means you end up answering the wrong question and drifting away from the target topic and, if its part of an assessment, the available marks.

Rather than starting by writing start by breaking down the question. Ensure that you understand all of its components before hitting the library or the word processor. Use the question to build the structure of your essay and a plan of attack for your research.

Psych Essays - Rules of Thumb - SEE

SEE - Statement, Example, Explanation.

SEE is an easy rule of thumb that you can use to help you structure clear, simple paragraphs in your essays.

Statement
Start with a specific statement. This should outline what topic your paragraph is going to cover.

Example
Elaborate on your topic sentence (your statement) with a relevant example.
This could be hypothetical, anecdotal, or (preferably) involve citing relevant research evidence.
In all cases keep it brief - your reader only needs to know the important points from the example, not the whole story.

Explanation
Most of the time this is where you really pick up marks because this is where you really answer the question and show your marker that you know what you're talking about.
Explain how your example relates to the initial statement
Explain how your paragraph addresses the essay question
Explain how this paragraph develops on or relates to information your have already presented (may warrant it's own paragraph).

While SEE is a useful rule of thumb, like all rules of thumbs, it is not always relevant. With time you will learn when you should and shouldn't apply it when structuring your paragraphs.

Psych Essays - Creating Essay Structure - Creating Flow

Flow is an elusive and vague term but proper use of what it refers to can really improve the perceived and actual quality of your essays.

At a high level flow is achieved by:
Making points clearly
Following a logical order that feels natural to the reader
Linking sentences and paragraphs in a non-disruptive manner

If that all sounds a tad vague and waffley that's probably because it is.

Perhaps then it is easier to talk about flow by addressing the above points one at a time.

Making points clearly
Sentences should be easy to read
- Use short sentences where possible
- Avoid unnecessary commas
-
Paragraphs should be easy to read
- Follow the SEE paragraph structure
- Stick to one point per paragraph

Following a logical order that feels natural to the reader
Tell the reader what to expect
- Do this primarily in the Introduction
Give the reader what they expect
- Follow the structure you have outlined in your introduction
- Stick to one idea per paragraph

Linking in a non-disruptive manner
Give the reader what the expect
- If you have provided a solid outline in your introduction sticking to it will ensure transitions are made smoothly
Soften transitions to new ideas
- In addition to following the outline supplied in your introduction the end of one idea/paragraph can be linked to the next. This is often done through the use of linking words/phrases such as "Additionally", "However", "Unfortunately", "On the other hand", "Further support comes from..." etc.

Overall though the creation of flow is something that comes from practice. The more essays you write the more your essays will flow.

Psych Essays - Creating Essay Structure - Core Components

The Introduction
In many cases a solid introduction can be created by rewording the question. This is because your essay question will probably provide the key elements of the introduction. In fact if the question is very specific it may well provide all of the key points. 

Importantly your introduction does not have to be written first. In fact, as it should outline the overall structure and order of your final essay, you may like to write it after you are happy with the overall structure and flow of your body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs
Your body paragraphs should inherit structure from the question. You should address broad points, including definitions, early in the essay and more specific points later in the essay. As already mentioned this should also be reflected in the introduction. In fact, to the reader, it should look like the body paragraphs inherited their structure from the introduction.

The Conclusion
The conclusion is a lot like the introduction. It should cover the same ideas in the same order. However instead of simply raising the ideas you should now be summarising the points you made in the body of your essay. Once again this should follow the order used in the introduction.


Information on using the essay question to structure your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion can be found here

Psych Essays - Creating Essay Structure - The answer is in the question

A common point of anxiety around essay writing comes in finding the correct structure.
Every year we are flooded with requests to give a clear outline of the structure.
However every year that outline has already been provided.

Where and how is this information provided you ask?
Typically any specific structural requirements can be found in the question itself or the marking guide.

By unpacking these and using them to plan your essay before you start writing you should be able to create a well structured essay that answer the whole question.

However, before we get into that, there are some key structural elements that are often missed. Importantley these key structural elements are always the same:

• You will need an introduction
• You will need body paragraphs
• You will need a conclusion

The structure of your answer to the question will be reflected in each of these elements.

Example using a specific question:

The easiest way to explain how the structure for an answer to an essay question can be extracted from the question is to use an example. We will use the following example:

"Discuss the relationship between the concepts of space and time in the human mind."

Unpacking:

In the question above the key words that provide structure are:

"Discuss the relationship between the concepts of space and time in the human mind."

• "Discuss" provides an instruction for your overall approach to the essay. It suggests that you should consider all sides of any argument that the question is interested in. This can include evidence for and against the topic of interest as well as strength or weaknesses of either side.
• "...relationship between" points to the fact that the relationship that does or does not exist between two or more ideas that follow will be important. This provides a point of focus.
• "...the concepts of space and time in the human mind." are the topics of interest for this essay. Each of these refine the focus of the essay. Specifically you need to focus on the concepts of:
• space - Your first concept
• and time - Your second concept
• in the human mind - This places a restriction on these concepts. Importantly we are focussing on space and time in the human mind rather than space and time as understood in physics or by real world clocks. This is an important point to pick up on. If you were to discuss space and time outside the human mind there would be no marks available for that content.

Remembering that you want to move from broad ideas to specific ideas while defining important terms for your reader your structure would probably look like this:

1.  Define space in the context of the essay - you may like to use references here
2.  Define time in the context of the essay - you may like to use references here
**These definitions could be done in the same paragraph if you keep them brief or could be done in separate paragraphs if you wanted to go into more detail on each concept***
3. Discuss how these 2 ideas relate, preferably by using research evidence.

• a) Consider how they do relate
• b) Consider how they don't relate
• c) Consider which side of the relationship argument (if either) is more convincing - Why? Are there any limitations? etc.

These points provide the general structure for every section of the essay (intro, body, conclusion)

If you do not feel that your question or marking guide can be used to provide structure you might like to read about what to do when your question doesn't provide structure.

Planning:

As we have seen from unpacking the question the simplest approach to structuring our question goes:

Intro
Definition paragraph(s)

• - Cover space
• - Then cover time to stay consistent with the question

Paragraph(s) in favour of a Relationship

• - One idea per point. We will call this point A.
• - Plan your points out then then use them to write your intro and body paragraphs. We will call this point B.

Paragraph(s) against a relationship

• - One idea per point. We will call this point C.
• - Plan your points out then then use them to write your intro and body paragraphs. We will call this point D.

Evaluation paragraph(s)

• - One idea per point. We will call this point E.
• - Plan your points out then then use them to write your intro and body paragraphs. We will call this point F.

Writing:

At this point you use your plan to write each section. As you use the same plan for the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion you should end up producing consistent structure throughout. The use of consistent structure gives your reader a clear idea of where your essay will be going and is a core component in the creation of flow in an essay.

Your essay will probably end up looking like this, but without the blue section headings:
Introduction:
Research (a reference could be used here to strengthen this claim) has suggested that there may be a relationship between the concepts of space and time in the human mind (or the reference could go here). Key to these claims of a relationship are points A and B. However evidence against this idea of a relationship comes from points C and D. In order to decide which case is more likely it is necessary to consider both sides and evaluate the strength of their arguments using E and F.

Body:
Definition Paragraph(s)

• - Space first (as it it mentioned first in the intro)
• - Then time

Paragraph(s) presenting evidence in favour of a relationship

• - Point A first (as it it mentioned first in the intro)
• - Then Point B

*If any of these paragraphs address space or time separately ideally space will be considered first to match the intro

Paragraph(s) presenting evidence against a relationship

• - Point C first (as it it mentioned first in the intro)
• - Then Point D

*If any of these paragraphs address space or time separately ideally space will be considered first to match the intro

Paragraph(s) presenting an evaluation of the evidence for and against a relationship

• - Point E first (as it it mentioned first in the intro)
• - Then Point F

* If any of these paragraphs address space or time separately ideally space will be considered first to match the intro
** If any of the paragraphs only evaluate one side of the argument ideally paragraphs evaluating evidence in favour of the relationship should precede those evaluating evidence against the relationship as that would match the order already provided in the essay.
*** This section should build towards the conclusion. If you have decided that one side 'wins' be sure to convey this to the reader during the evaluation.

Conclusion:
Clearly there are arguments for and against a relationship between the concepts of space and time in the human mind. While each argument has its strengths and weaknesses overall it seems that... whatever you decide upon by the end of the body paragraphs.

Creating Essay Structure - Common Essay Words and what they imply

Typically the structure of an essay is supplied in the question itself. Importantly the individual words used in an essay question can provide a solid suggestion of where to start.

If you have a word that isn't included in the list below or if you would like something clarified further please leave a comment and I will update the post.

Define
When you are asked to define a concept you are typically required to provide something similar to a dictionary definition. Critically it probably shouldn't come from a dictionary though. Typically it is best to obtain a definition from a journal article or a book by an authority on the subject.

You should expect to write at least one sentence per item that you are asked to define. In most cases you will not be required to write more than one paragraph defining each item.

Describe
This is the next step up from providing a definition. It would be wise to start by defining the item of interest. Once a definition is in place, i.e. once your reader knows what you're going to be talking about, you should move on to talking about the item in general. Start big then move into specific examples.

Discuss
This is the next step up from describe. Once again you should probably start by defining the terms of interest in the essay so your reader knows what you're going to talk about. Once the terms are defined spend a paragraph or two describing the current state of knowledge about the terms of interest. From here you can start comparing and contrasting the terms and/or providing some form of evaluation. This part can be done by appealing to research articles or books OR through your own analysis. In all cases the important part is your ability to back up your claims.

Claims can be backed up by providing relevant research or sound reasoning. Where possible use relevant research or combine both. Sound reasoning is often the weakest option because you should be able to find research to back up your claims most of the time. If you have not done this it typically demonstrates a lower level of research on your part rather than how impressive your thinking is.

Compare and Contrast
In essence this is about identifying similarities and differences. You may also like to consider relative strengths and weaknesses when you contrast the terms used in the question.

Evaluate
Usually this is about judging something. Does it do what it intends to do well or not? For example is Psychoanalysis an effective therapy? When you do this be sure to provide solid reasons for the judgements you pass. It is also a good idea to consider each side of the argument before reaching a final decision.

Consider/Considering...(i.e. considering research)
This can be thought of as providing a focus for your essay. Pay attention to what follows this and tailor your answer around it.

Use/Using
This is similar to Consider/Considering. If anything it is more restrictive. It provides a clear focus for your essay that you should not stray from.

Creating Essay Structure - What to do when the question doesn't provide structure

Every now and then you will strike a truly horrible question.
One that is so vague that it is unclear how to go about answering it.

In these cases:

1) Re-assess the question
Before you go any further make absolutely clear that the question is not providing any structure. Does it give you the key topic? Does it suggest that you should take a certain approach? Does it use any key essay words? If it does use those words to build your essay structure. If it does not you're going to have to try something else...

2) If possible, ask for clarification
If the question is really this bad chances are you won't be the only one with issues. Ask your tutor, lecturer, or similar to provide clarification. This will benefit the whole class.

3) Revert to standard essay structure.
At the very least the essay question should have provided you with a topic. As a general rule essays:
Define what they're talking about
then
Give some background about what they're talking about
then
Discuss important implications of what they're talking about. This can include strengths, limitations, practical applications, relevance in today's society etc. etc.