Pre-Writing and First Drafts:
The 40:20:40 rule
40% prewriting
20% writing
40% revision
1st creating an outline (follow smu outline)
Formalize your ideas
2nd
Picking a topic:
1- Look for problems or issues in the field and decide on your position
2- Focus on one specific part of the issue
3- Be confrontational: it’s okay to choose a topic that lacks widespread support
4- Start from what you know
5- Try out simple binary choices to see if one matches your position on a topic: good/bad,
agree/disagree, right/wrong
Consider these questions:
What were the main ideas presented?
Were they any interesting issues presented that caught your attention?
Was there anything you agree or disagree with? Anything you can expand upon
Was there anything that opened up new perspectives to you?
Thesis:
A strong thesis statement is an argument that is:
Narrow
Specific
Explained
Reasonable- A thesis statement should not include:
-
Generalization
Personal Beliefs
Absolutes
When working on a thesis:
Think of possible answers to your research question
Is it something that the reader could disagree with?
Could your topic be more localized in time or space?
Are there limits to what you could put on the investigation? What does your evidence/research
speak to?
Can you give the reader a good reason to care about your point?
Mapping Scheme: Is in the from of “X is true because of a, b and c.”
Tells reader what you plan to say
Provides a list of supporting arguments
Helps the reader and writer organize ideas into sections
Support your thesis statement:
Create a list of points/arguments that could be used to support your thesis statement.
Ways to organize your points and supporting evidence:
Independent reasons
Historical timeline
Most to least important or least to most important
Logical sequence
Body Paragraphs:
Each element of the mapping scheme should be addressed with a body paragraph (or for longer
essays a section or chapter)
Paragraphs help readers by using a single, focused claims (and clear transitions) to clearly
explain each claim to support your argument. They are a unit of an argument and do not
address only one idea.
Elements of a body paragraph:
Topic Sentence – clearly/directly state the aim that this paragraph will demonstrate. Transition
from the previous piece of evidence into the new paragraph.
Evidence- Bring scholarly research and sources to support your point
-
Quotes/Stats/Lab/Survey results/primary evidence
Explanation – for every quote of paraphrase demonstrate your understanding of the material
Integration/Conclusion- reinforce your points by summarizing the argument and relating it to
the thesis or another part of the essay
Introduction:
A good introduction includes:
-
Opening sentence
Context
Thesis Statement
Mapping Scheme
A good conclusion includes:
-
Signal
Summary
Moving Forward
Final Statement
(Do not:
-
Simply rephrase the introduction
Introduce new ideas or facts
Make absolute claims
Draw unreasonable conclusions)
(writing@smu.ca)