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The Writing Centre Student Academic Success Services
http://sass.queensu.ca/writingcentre
HOW TO
WRITE
YOUR
FIRST
UNIVERSITY
ESSAY
What are the 3 main differences between
high school papers and university papers?
Time: University papers take
longer to research and write.
Referencing: Make sure you
know how to correctly show
where you got your information
from. The more you show this,
the less your risk of accidental
plagiarism.
Language: Use less. Be
precise and specific in all
you say. NEVER use four
words when one will do.
WHAT READERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University
• Your response to (not just your summary of) others’ ideas
• Links, insights, patterns, and analysis
• Persuasion
• Coherent and logical organization, as well as …
Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University
THINKING through a page or a keyboard
to determine your response to the ideas
you encounter and THEN organizing
what you have for the reader.
Editing is like pulling a shirt out of the washing
machine, folding it, and putting it back in.
Coming up with a thesis – Why? WHY?!
How do I relate to this material?
Would talking to someone help me figure out what I think?
What’s the primary point I want readers to take away
from my essay?
Don’t just propose – persuade! Don’t just exhibit – argue!
DEVELOP A STRONG THESIS - your conclusions, your argument, the final stage in your critical thinking. You're about ready to start organizing your paper when you have this.
Ensure that what you plan
to say addresses all parts of the question.
What a Thesis Statement is NOT:
NOT a description (what you will do)
In this essay, I will discuss the motif of
blindness.
NOT a statement that is self-evident
Blindness is a prevalent motif in
Shakespeare’s King Lear.
NOT a statement of fact
In King Lear, Lear keeps his sight while
Gloucester is blinded.
NOT a question
Does the motif of blindness in King Lear
reveal anything to the reader about true
vision?
NOT a matter of personal opinion or
preference that cannot be argued against
Ultimately, we discover that Gloucester is a
better character than Lear.
NOT a broad generalization
Throughout history, writers have explored the
importance of sight versus insight in the great
works of literature.
PEI farmers have been working for a net loss since the North American Free Trade Agreement, a
reality we can see by examining the downward trend in income tax statements for this group;
working for less has a negative impact on the regional economy, on farmers’ sense of identity,
and on their confidence in Canadian government.
Homeless people in Kingston should be given access to services, such as regular food donations,
public restrooms, and camping facilities, because these provisions would improve life for all
inhabitants of the city.
Secondhand smoke is toxic and can cause heart disease and cancer, so increasing legislation
against smoking in public places is a benefit to all, although it could be argued that smokers’
rights are being trampled by such legislation.
Queen’s University’s dependence on technology has caused students to lose the ability to think
independently, and therefore to produce unsatisfactory academic work. Would the return of
handwritten notes and a ban on laptops and cell phones remedy this issue?
EXAMPLES
YUP! AND THAT’S NOT A BAD THING!
WHAT?! MY THESIS CAN CHANGE?!
Abcdefg hijklmnop qrstuvwxyzab cde fghijklmnopq rstuvw xyza. Bcdefg hijkl mnop qrstuvwxyzabc defg hij klmop qr stuvw xyzabcde fghi jklmnopqrs tuvw xyzabcdefg hij klmnopq rst. Uvwxyzab cde fghij klmnopqrs tuvew x yza bcdef ghijklmn opqr stuvw. Xyzabcd efgh ijk? Lmnopqrsttuvwx yzabcd. Efghij klmnopqrstu. V? Wxyza. Bcdefg. Hijklmnopq rstuv. Wxzz!
© The Writing Centre ~ SASS: Student Academic Success
Services, Queen’s University
THE PARAGRAPH: NOT JUST A
RECTANGULAR BLOCK OF TEXT!
Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University
EVERY. SINGLE. PARAGRAPH.
Every paragraph starts with a transition* from the previous paragraph to the next
PARTICULAR POINT you are making about some aspect of your thesis.
Every paragraph continues with evidence, illustration, argument, synthesis,
paraphrase; whatever you choose to include in the middle of the paragraph goes
to SUPPORT THE POINT YOU MAKE IN THE FIRST SENTENCE.
Every paragraph finishes with WHY THIS POINT MATTERS.
2.
1.
3.
TRANSITIONAL TOPIC SENTENCE
Transitional words or phrases in your paragraph’s topic sentence help your reader see the progression of your logic.
“The benefits of eating kale are clear, but eating too much kale can cause digestive
problems.”
ONE PARAGRAPH = ONE IDEA THAT BEGINS AND ENDS IN YOUR OWN
WORDS.
Five questions to ask yourself when revising your
paragraphs:
Can you state the point of each paragraph within a single phrase?
Have you developed the main point’s details in each paragraph?
Does every sentence relate to the paragraph’s main point?
Are there smooth transitions starting each paragraph?
Does this paragraph support my thesis?
Student Academic Success Services, Queen’s University
Label each paragraph in under three words. The label has to be highly specific; it must
indicate exactly what the paragraph is about. Be RUTHLESSLY honest.
Make a list of the labels from first to last. This is now an overview of your paper as it is.
IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LABEL YOUR PARAGRAPHS?
Maybe you have more than one main point in that paragraph, which means you
need to edit.
DOES THIS OVERVIEW MAKE SENSE?
Maybe you will see a better sequence for your paragraphs. Don’t be afraid to
change the order; often re-arranging your points produces more clarity for the
reader.
ARE THERE REPETITIONS IN THE LIST OF LABELS?
Maybe you need to merge two paragraphs into one.
How to Create a Reverse Outline
WRITE WHAT YOUR READER NEEDS, AND NOT MORE.
IN WRITING, LESS IS MORE.
BE CONCISE.
• WHAT IT IS
• WHY IT MATTERS
• HOW TO BE IN IT
THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY
Now that you know why academic integrity matters, you need to know
how to show it. Good news: there are three critical skills necessary to
display your credibility, your academic integrity:
PARAPHRASING & Documenting
SUMMARIZING & Documenting
QUOTING & Documenting
QUOTING:
LESS IMPORTANT TO YOUR
READER THAN
PARAPHRASING.
Ashford says that “rhubarb is
[her] least favourite [fruit]”
and she would “rather have
chocolate than any fruit or
vegetable.” (Writing workshop, Queen’s University, September
29, 2016)
MY STATEMENT: Although I find the taste of most fruits and vegetables
pleasing, I would have to say that rhubarb is my least favourite, and that I’d
rather have chocolate than any fruit or vegetable.
PARAPHRASING:
AN ESSENTIAL SKILL
Ashford likes
chocolate more than
rhubarb. (Writing workshop, Queen’s University,
September 29, 2016).
We, as human beings, need to consider the needs of the
many as well as the few in order to provide social safety
networks for all, since we live in a democratic nation. (33)
BE CONCISE. GET DIRECTLY TO THE POINT.
DEMOCRACY
REQUIRES EQUAL
BENEFITS FOR ALL
CITIZENS. (7)
This essay will examine and explore the complex,
dynamic relationships between our digital
communications (Internet, email, IM, text, etc.) and the
degree to which our mental health is impacted by these
communications. (32)
SOCIAL MEDIA USE AND
MENTAL HEALTH ARE
INTERTWINED. (8)
EDITING: SEE IT AS NEW!
Print your paper out in a NEW AND LARGER FONT.
Read it out loud, ideally to someone else.
AGGRESSIVELY eliminate puffed up language. AGGRESSIVELY ensure you’ve shown your reader
who your scholarship community includes.
ACCIDENTAL PLAGIARISM IS STILL PLAGIARISM.
SUDDEN FOCUS GROUP!
How do we reach you
to help you understand plagiarism and
academic integrity at Queen’s?
IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR WRITING BETTER THAN IT
ALREADY IS, BOOK A WRITING CENTRE APPOINTMENT
ONLINE AT HTTP://QUEENSU.MYWCONLINE.COM
Visit: Stauffer Library, first floor NE corner
Phone: 613-533-6315
Email: [email protected]
Homepage: http://sass.queensu.ca/
Facebook.com/QWritingCentre Twitter: @SASS_WC
Facebook.com/QueensLearningStrategies Twitter: @SASS_LS
SASS Writing Centre
Stauffer
Library Main
Floor
