Please I would like to know the definition of essay?, also if you have any references about how to write an essay? it's for teaching purposes. I found a lot of ways to do essays, so i want to standardize a global structure. Do you know any? Can you Suggest me any? .
Hi Andrei
The definition of an academic essay is a document that has a defined structure – an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
Where a good essay is to be able to critically discuss and evaluate ideas within a set word limit. Essays focus on developing an argument or analysing ideas rather than on description. There are typically three parts.
1. Introduction
The introduction sets the scene for the whole essay. For a 2000 word essay, this could be a 200 word paragraph. The purpose of the introduction is to identify the topic, your point of view and the main reasons for your response.
Introduction includes:
- An introductory sentence or two related directly to the question.
- A definition or explanation of a key term, cited from your discipline.
- A clear statement of the focus of the essay or the position being argued, your thesis statement.
- Sentences that give a clear idea of what the essay will be about (content) and the direction (scope) the essay will take.
2. Body
Paragraphs in the body of the essay show your discussion of the main ideas supporting your position or response to the question. Ideas from the scholarly literature give credibility and weight to your argument.
Each paragraph should link with the previous paragraph and may include:
- A topic sentence: a statement of the main idea of the paragraph.
- Explanation or supporting evidence from the scholarly readings.
- Further evidence from your reading to deepen your discussion.
- Application of ideas to a scenario or through the use of an example.
- Your discussion of, comment on and evaluation of these ideas.
- A concluding sentence that brings the paragraph to a close.
3. Conclusion
The conclusion summarises and make final evaluative comments. It is important to refer back to the essay question.
Conclusion includes:
- A brief summary of the main ideas presented in the essay.
- Confirmation of the thesis included in the introduction.
- Final evaluative comments on the relative importance of the arguments.
- Comments on the ongoing significance of the topic as an issue that needs further discussion or investigation.
Hope this helps
Robert
I still have some doubts on how an essay writing can be differentiated from a text, a short story or an article. Only structure I could find on the net was intro-body1-body2-body3-conclusion, which basically the structure for any text. Is it about the academic intention of the text? In what a writing is an essay one?
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