Academic Inquiry and The
Explain A Concept Essay
A WEBINAR
You are writing to inform experts in the field
 Your academic reader expects that your essay that
explains a concept follows some basic ground rules
 You have followed academic inquiry and academic
research processes
 You have kept an open and objective mindset
 You have used university credible sources ONLY
The Discourse Community
 You are freshmen college students, writing an essay
that explains a concept to the university (academic)
discourse community
 What does this mean?
GROUNDRULES
 You define your terms
 You present facts as facts
 You present expert opinion as opinion
 You clearly document the sources of all data in the
essay using an approved style sheet (MLA, APA, etc)
 You have considered carefully the biases and
agendas of the scholars whose research you use and
acknowledge it
YOU EXPLAIN CONCEPTS. YOU DO NOT
ARGUE ANY ONE VIEWPOINT
 Objectivity matters
 How to suspend preconceptions, biases, and closely
held beliefs
Find a Topic
 Use the Points of View Reference Center as a starting
point
 Educate yourself about the topic. As high school
students, you don’t know enough about the topic to
have an opinion, yet
 Learn about the topic. Be able to define the topic,
understand the scope and the history, and have a
thorough grounding in the facts of the topic
Then, Frame Research Questions that will Allow
You To Explore the Facts
Let’s use the Death Penalty as a topic
Questions:
What is the Death Penalty? What is the scope of the
death penalty issue? How many people are affected?
Why is the Death Penalty an Important Topic in
America? Which States Have the Death Penalty?
What is the History of the Death Penalty? What
Crimes Qualify for Capital Punishment? Which States
Currently Execute People for Capital Crimes?
These Questions Allow You To Explore and
Explain the Topic
 Who
 What
 When
 Where
 Why
 How
 To What Extent
You Might Also Investigate the Major Issues
Surrounding the Topic
 Ethical Issues
 Moral Issues
 Legal Issues
 Key facts
 Key laws
 Key legal cases
You Will Not Argue Any One Side of the Issue
 You will use definition to explain the topic to the
reader
 You will use facts to explain the topic to the reader
 You may, in certain cases, use expert opinion to
explain the topic to the reader
 YOU WILL NOT TAKE A SIDE ON THE ISSUE
 You will not argue a point of view or an issue
OBJECTIVITY
 Suspend your bias. Expand your knowledge of the
subject
 Then explain the subject to the reader
 After we examine it, you should review the Points of
View Reference Center article
THE DEATH PENALTY: AN OVERVIEW
It is a good model of what you should write about the
topic and how you should write about it
Pitfalls to Avoid
 Writing in any mode other than EXPLANATORY
MODE—because the topic is a debatable issue,
sometimes students make the mistake of arguing a
point or taking a stand on the issue. This is a
mistake. (Your task is to explain your topic as a
concept, NOT to take a stand on the issue or argue a
key concept or debate point)
Pitfalls to Avoid 2
 Asking the wrong questions
To explain the debatable issue as a topic, you should
define the issue as a term and should ask the right
questions. The 5 W’s and the H (what, who, when,
where, why, how) are excellent questions to begin your
consideration of the issue. You should also establish
the SCOPE of the issue by asking ‘How/To What
Extent/In What Ways are people most deeply affected
by the issue?”
Pitfalls to Avoid 3
 Assuming the reader knows as much as you about
the topic
It is your task to educate your reader and to explain
clearly and explicitly major terms, concepts, and
opinions. Remember that you are informing your
university reader about the topic, but do not assume
that the reader shares your thoughts and knows as
much as you know about the topic. You have spent
weeks researching the topic. You are educating
yourself, and are acquiring a knowledge set that your
reader most likely does not possess.
Hint
 Analyze Your Audience
What does your reader know? What does s/he
believe? What biases does the reader have that will
affect their acceptance of your explanation?
 Explain the Concept
Use definition, explanation of key facts and concepts,
real world examples, example cases and laws
 Use SPECIFIC details
Use specific facts, concepts, and details—Readers need
specifics, not vague generalities.