This document provides guidance on writing academic essays, including developing an argument, organizing the essay, conducting research, incorporating sources, and addressing grammatical considerations. It recommends starting early, keeping organization in mind, and revising through multiple drafts. Introductions should present the topic and encourage further reading, while conclusions should remind readers of how evidence supports the thesis and leave them with issues to consider. When researching, use a variety of sources but evaluate their authority and reliability. Methods like skimming, scanning, paraphrasing and quoting should be applied appropriately.

2. General
An essay should have an argument to
support your thesis
You may formulate questions to answer
in your essay.
Possible hypothesis
An idea against is also useful to
generate further discussions

3. Organization
 Beginning
 Development
 Ending

4. Methods of composing
 Start writing early
 Keep organization in mind
 Revise widely, draf and redraft
 Revise sentence to sentence,
paragraph to paragraph

5. Essay Topics
Developt and demonstrate your
reasoning:
 Note key terms/methods the topic
ask you to use
 Controversies will generate
discussions
 State your own position

6. Planning and
Organizing
They have a central role in an academic
essay. A good introduction should
present your topic.

7. Topic
 Provide context
 Clarify the crucial point of your
essay
 Encourage readers to keep on
reading
 A potent conclusion will provide
the essay a closure

8. Introduction
You can write the introduction at the
essay-writing process, at the very
beginning or you may write it and
rewrite it. The introduction may take
one or more than one paragraph.Its
size depends on the length and
complexity of the essay

9. Interesting-effective
introduction
 You can quote an expert, if you
do it, introduce him/her
 Provide some background
information
 Use an anecdote to exemplifies
your reasons for choosing the
topic

10. Conclusions
 They should remind the reader
of HOW the evidence presented
has contributed to your thesis
 Involve critical thinking
 Leave the reader with
something to think about

11. Researching
Reading different material:
 Textbooks
 Research readings. Look for facts
to support or modify your view
 For books: scan the preface, the
table of contents and index
 Write down the bibliography
consulted

12. Researching using the
internet
Have in mind that not all the
information found on the web is always
reliable. Pay attention and look for
Academic Resources. Remember to
originate specific questions to direct
and limit your search.

13. Search engines
They are very useful when you are
looking for specific and academic
data. Some of them are:
 Infomine
 Academic information
 Beaucoup
 Search engine Colossus Directory
of Search Engines.

14. Guidelines for
evaluating specific
resources
Authority
Affiliation(sponsor of the Web Site)
Audience Level
Currency (recent update given)
Content Reliability Accuracy

15. Skimming and
Scanning
They are a general overview of a
written text before beginning to read
it in detail.

16. Prior to skimming
Preview techniques: title, subject
matter, author, when/where was
published, audience, chapter titles,
headings.
Read carefully the introductory
paragraph. Then the first one or two
sentences of each paragraph. Finally
read the whole text

17. Scanning
It is basically skimming with a
focused goal. Keep a specific set of
goals in mind as you scan the text

18. Using Sources
How not to plagiarize
Do not borrow passages, quotes from
books, articles or Web Sites without
identifying them
Add aknowledgements in your essay
Give references and name the authors

19. Paraphrazing/
quotations/summaries
If you use your own words, show that
they are related to other authors
Write down the author ,title, and
publication data.
Do not post passages from online
sources

20. English Sources
You can indicate your attitude to the
sources you have cited. Make sure of the
verbs you may use by choosing specific
verbs to them. Utilize a dictionary to
check whether the verbs are adequate
or not

21. Grammatical Patterns
Pattern 1: reporting
verb+that+subject+verb
Pattern 2: reporting
verb+somebody/something+for+noun
Pattern 3: reporting verb+
somebody/something+as+noun, gerund
or adjective