4 Tips For Essay Writing

4 Tips For Essay Writing ”, you’re going to want to identify what you think the examiner means by the terms ‘solution’ and ‘demarcation problem’. How are you going to define and operationalise those terms in your essay? This is essential, because your argument has to have a clear definition of the terms you’re using in order for it to be coherent and responsive. This doesn’t mean you should use lazy constructions like “I am going to define ‘demarcation problem’ as ‘the question of how we can define ‘science””. That’s a perfectly reasonable definition (if you can defend it, and you should give a reason you’ve chosen a certain definition), but you need to be a little less clunky. Paraphrase your thesis and demonstrate how you have proven it with your arguments. Addressingcounterargumentsis also an important part of developing a strong argument. It shows you have done extensive research and you have a good understanding of the topic in question. You should acknowledge existing and possible objections to your arguments and respond to them, discrediting them or showing why they don’t hold true in your case. If relevant and important, you should also address counterargument you cannot refute and concede to them. It’s important to understand it, because it can be the key to getting a high mark. Every question has hidden assumptions behind it. For example, in the question about ‘the demarcation problem’ above, there are assumptions that there is a single problem of demarcation, as well as a single best solution to that problem. Instead of just listing and summarizing items, assess them, discussing their strengths and weaknesses. As well, be aware of biases in sources, both academic and news media. You should categorize or code your research according to your different arguments and supporting evidence. Re-formatting your research like this, for example all information from all sources relevant to your first argument are put together , makes it much easier to write. The new version of Adobe Reader lets you highlight and insert text bubbles in PDF files, so you can avoid printing them out or typing out your notes. Depending on the length of your paper you can also briefly summarize the organization of your paper. This is like providing a tour for the reader of your arguments to come. It is totally fine to use Wikipedia, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, lecture notes etc to familiarise yourself with the key arguments and concepts. Have a think, put the argument and essay together. Find relevant books and articles from the reading list and/or Google Scholar searches. The length of sections should be proportionate to the size of your essay. So a 1 page introduction to a 5 page essay is too much. Essays that go off the point with lots of extra detail will get poor marks. In the context of the question you’re answering, and the frame you’ve provided for your argument, why should I care about the point you’re making at this point in the essay? Once you’ve proven that your argument stands, I want to know the significance of it. You’ll hear this quite a lot, and you’ll probably wonder what on earth it means. Thesis Statementis the most fundamental component to include in your introduction. It is your basic argument, demonstrating what you are trying to prove. It should be concise and clear and it should be a statement that someone can disagree with a.k.a. an argument. Build a set of concepts and questions, compare different views and arguments and their relevance and importance to your research. Sometimes it’s enough to point out that these assumptions exist, and then to proceed with the essay by clarifying the definitions you’re using and the assumptions you’re working with. Sometimes you might think that the assumptions are fundamentally mistaken, or disguise a more important question. In that case, you’ll need to point this out, and then proceed to explain why, and to make your arguments within the essay using your revised understanding of the question. If the question is “what is the best solution to the demarcation problem? Make sure you take notes on everything you read. In fact, write down a few potentially useful quotes verbatim. I still handwrite quotes in my notes, and I’m working on my PhD. There aren’t many ways in which I’d recommend being like me. There is a difference between reading to understand the topic, and reading that you plan to reference.