The Ultimate Guide to Essay Writing
A degree-level essay is probably a lot different to what you’re used to. This guide is here to help you navigate the rules and regulations of writing an essay.
- Think about your essay question / title.
An essay has to go somewhere. You can’t just waffle for three pages and hope it makes sense. Spend some time looking over the questions and think about how you would answer them, as you don’t want to run out of steam halfway through.
Take careful consideration to what the question is asking you and what they actually want you to do; how many texts will you need? Will you have to compare and contrast? It’s all in the wording.
2. Make an essay plan.
You’ve picked your essay title, but don’t just dive right in. Grab some pens and paper and plot out how it’s going to go. As usual, you will need an introduction, middle, and a conclusion, but you need to figure out what you’re going to say. Write down the key points you need to make and what resources and references you have to go with them. The best essay flows from point to point and doesn’t jump around too much.
3. Start in plenty of time.
Give yourself plenty of time to think about what you’re writing and the argument you’re making. Your lecturers will be able to tell the difference between an essay rushed in two days, compared to one started two weeks ago.
4. Know your referencing system.
Harvard? Oxford? MLA? Referencing systems can differ from course to course, or even module to module. Certain referencing requires you to make footnotes at the bottom of the page, whereas others just need a works cited page. Double check before you begin, because it will save you time later. This also includes stylistic choices such text size, font and indentations; it’s better to be safe than sorry.
5. Make a list of references used.
It’s easier to correctly reference and quote whilst writing your essay, rather than coming back to it later. A bibliography can take longer than you think, so to make it that little bit easier you can make a list of who you’ve referenced. Be sure to take note of page numbers and any URLs you need!
6. Now you can start…
Writing an essay is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. You’ve made a plan so you have the pieces, you just need to put them together. Don’t worry if some parts sound a bit clunky to begin with — you can edit it later; that’s what first drafts are for after all.
7. It’s okay to take breaks.
You’ll fry your brain if it’s all work and no play. Grab some food, watch a bit of television, and stay hydrated. Don’t work to exhaustion.
8. Redraft, redraft, redraft.
Don’t just hand in your first copy, it will most likely have errors and grammar mistakes which will slip by on your first read-through. Give yourself a day or two so you can come back to it wish fresh eyes, the mistakes will be easy to spot. Do this 2 or 3 times and your essay should be perfect! It’s a good thing you started early, eh?
9. Bibliography & formatting.
You’ve finished writing! All you need to do now is put together your works cited and / or bibliography page. If you’ve been keeping a list of your references you should be golden, just make sure to list them as specified in your referencing system. Now is the time to double check that your formatting is perfect and that you’ve numbered your pages correctly. (Don’t forget your index if you’re including one!)
10. Submission time!
Breath a sigh of relief because it’s time to submit. Upload to Turnitin to make sure it passes the plagiarism filter and you are good to go!
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