Planning An Essay
The following steps are intended to help to break down the task into
manageable ‘chunks’ This may help with:
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Breaking the task down into manageable ‘chunks’
Time management (dividing the tasks may make them easier to plan
for)
Step 1.Analysing the title
1. Circle process words;
2. Highlight or underline content words;
3. Pick title to bits;
4. Try to establish exactly what you are being asked to do;
5. Look at list of action words
Step 2. Summarise the title
Put the title in your own words to sum up or break down the title into a list of
aspects to cover.
Step 3: Organising and planning
1. Look at the essay title and your plan;
2. List what content you need to cover or do a mindmap [for an example
mindmap and an essay mindmap template, see links to other docs]
3. Look at what you already have (for example lecture notes, reading
notes)
4. Add these into your plan;
5. Note where gaps are to find more information;
6. Take each issue in turn and try to find more information. This should
enable you to be more focused in both finding the information and in
your reading of it. (see steps 4 and 5 for more on this)
7. Write a rough essay plan (this may be done in mindmap format);
8. Allocate a word limit for each section - you won’t need to write much for
each aspect!
Step 4: Sources of information
Useful, initial sources that may give you a more general picture and for those
who wish to delay the more in-depth reading!
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TV, radio, films
discussions with friends
discussions with tutors
Sources to provide an overview of a topic:
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general encyclopedia or dictionary, for example, psychology dictionary,
art history textbook
newspapers;
internet;
Lecture notes and course notes;
Then, obviously, books, journals, and so on. You could ask for focus
from your tutor. They may be prepared to suggest one or two key texts
to get you started. You could also make an appointment to see a
Subject librarian for guidance.
Choosing material
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Look at the reading list;
Keep checking relevance of information to the title.
Guide your reading- set yourself specific questions to focus your
reading (e.g. in relation to essay title and your plan).
Ask tutor for help and advice;
Seek out current information;
Select information that relates most specifically to the task;
Check back cover of books;
Scan introductions and conclusions;
Browse through headings;
Look for summaries (particularly at end of chapters).
Bias
Look out for reliability and bias
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Is the source well known in the field?
Might it be biased? Does it matter?
Does it have a good bibliography?
Is it from a respected publisher?
Ask your tutor if you’re unsure.
Recording details
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Make notes on what you read
highlight bits that are relevant or use post it notes
you could record bibliographic details as you go along (for
example in a word processed table which can easily be sorted
alphabetically [link to bibliographic information ]or photocopy the
back of the title page)
make notes of bibliographic details
 author(s);
 title (full);
 year;
 publication place;
 publication date;
Step 5: Reading for meaning
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Select by amount
o Some information may be too indepth - e.g. journal article. You
could just use the abstract;
o Monitor your comprehension. Read a few sentences, then stop.
Without looking back at the test, sum up what you have read
(aloud or written);
o Re-read difficult bits. Academic texts often contain difficult
passages.
o Don’t panic! If a book really is too hard, put it aside and find
something easier to absorb
Step 6: Making notes
There are many different means of recording information from texts. The
following are just some suggestions that you may wish to try:
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Photocopy information
Highlight keywords and phrases;
Colour code information.
Try creating mindmapped notes
Use post it notes for relevant pages
Ask indepth questions e.g.
 what point is the writer making?
 Why is this detail relevant?
 Is the writer trying to answer a particular question?
You could create a template of questions to ask of a text, based
on specific sections of your essay plan. For example: