How to Write
an Essay
Outline
And How to Draft the First
Page of your Paper
Contents
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Assignment Outline-Essay Outline
Rubric-Essay Outline
Outline Visual
Choosing a Topic
Creating a Title
Thesis Statement/Alternative Structures
Declaring Key Points
Article Summaries
Bibliography
The Essay Introduction Assignment
Further Information
Assignment Outline-Essay
Outline
Essay Outline (5%)
 This writing assignment is a one-page [not including
the APA formatted references] essay outline due in
seminar (Week 7). Your essay outline will include your
essay’s proposed, working title, thesis statement and
a one paragraph summary of each of two ‘key’
journal articles, in addition to a list of peer reviewed
articles you intend to use in your essay. After your
essay outline is reviewed, you will have one week to
make improvements (if necessary) and resubmit your
outline. [Please see evaluation rubric in the Bb
Assignment Resources folder]
Rubric-Essay Outline
Criteria
Outline
submitted is
appropriate
length (1 page)
and double
spaced.
The outline
clearly states the
topic of the paper
Is the topic suitably
focused and
relevant to one of
the social
determinants of
health?
The outline
includes a
working title
which is relevant
to topic
Met
Unmet
Please revise &
resubmit
Rubric-Essay Outline
The outline
contains the
key points for
discussion in
the paper
The outline
submitted
includes a 1-2
paragraph
integrated
summary of 2
relevant
articles read.
The
bibliography
follows correct
APA style.
Outline Visual
 Title
 Paragraph
1: Thesis + Key points
 Paragraph 2: Article Summary 1
 Paragraph 3: Article Summary 2
 Bibliography
(separate page)
Choosing a Topic
 The
paper asks for a critical overview of
one of the determinants of health (with
the exception of biology and genetic
endowment). Given the very general
nature of the currently identified Health
Determinants, you are encouraged to
research a sub-theme or issue of interest
within a key determinant framing.
Choosing a Topic
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Income and Social Status
Social Support Networks
Education and Literacy
Employment/Working conditions
Social Environments
Physical Environments
Personal Health Practices and coping skills
Healthy Child Development
X Biology and Genetic Endowment X
Health Services
Gender
Culture
Creating a Title
 Titles
should also be creative, declarative
and relevant (a colon can come in
handy):
 Spreading
the Germ Theory: Sanitary
Science and Home Economics 1880-1930
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Introduction to Professional Practice:
Passion, Portals & Pie
Creating a Title
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Title – should not be a re-statement of the full
thesis relationship/premise [TS] - rather is an
edited version of the TS followed by a ‘:’ and
some form of positioning which can be
clever, funny, an alliteration OR which
provides additional clarity. The theme of the
title [if it works] should be reiterated at least
twice within the essay [introduction and
summary – being two suggestions]. [Clever
doesn’t mean ‘inflammatory or stereotypic.]
Thesis Statement
Thesis Statement Formula:
Archive + Proofs + Argument
Archive is the text, authors and/or field of study
(main topic).
Proofs are the 2-5 categories you found interesting.
Argument is the sum of these categorical parts, or
the in this case, the sub-theme.
Thesis Statement
Examples:
In Psycho the director uses cinematography, editing,
and sound to create an atmosphere of suspense.
What is the archive, proofs, argument?
The statement can be in any order:
Arguing that altruism does not exist and that
sympathy is fundamentally selfish, in her text The
Psychology of Sympathy, Karen Wispe suggests
that sympathy is a collective survival mechanism.
Archive, proofs, argument?
Thesis Statement
Simple vs. Sophisticated Thesis Statements
Simple:
In Psycho the director uses cinematography,
editing, and sound to create an atmosphere
of suspense.
Slightly more sophisticated:
In Psycho, Hitchcock uses distorted angles,
rapid editing, and alarming sound effects to
generate anxiety for the spectator.
How is this 2nd example more sophisticated?
Thesis Statement
The Thesis Statement provides the Blueprint because
it provides the proofs, or body paragraphs.
The main argument is then restated at the start or
end of each paragraph as that individual proof is
used as evidence towards proving it.
Most importantly: The thesis statement gives the
reader an idea of what to expect in terms of
structure. This is an invaluable rhetorical technique
in terms of convincing the reader of the soundness
of your argument.
Thesis Statement
 The
preceding discussion introduces the
traditional method of organizing a paper.
What are some possible alternative
structures to the ‘hamburger essay’?
Alternative Structures
There are infinite alternatives; some may be
stronger than the traditional, some weaker.
Some examples:
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Progressive (each proof builds upon the
previous)
Comparative (find similarities between texts)
Web
Circular
Alternative Structures
A good way to be creative with structure is
to use visualization. If the ‘hamburger’ or
‘inverted triangle-rectangle-triangle’
formats are not working for you, play
around with the shape(s):
For example:
Declaring Key Points
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The key points are the ‘titles’ of your
paragraphs. What is each paragraph about?
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How can the paragraphs be structured for this
paper?
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Your key points may have been included as
part of your thesis statement; if so, spend a
few sentences elaborating on them. If not, list
the key points below the thesis.
Article Summaries
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Summarize the most relevant parts of the most
relevant articles you plan on using
Focus on support for your premise (as
opposed to summarizing entire article or
focusing on methodology)
Not reflective writing; now it is argumentative
and scholarly
Authors and year in sentence (only mention
article title if key to your discussion—ex. Smith
and colleagues (2001) suggest…)
Bibliography
 Your
paper should be supported by at
least five non-course references, which
must come from a range of sources and
no more than one may be from a website
or textbook. Additional references
especially from the course readings are
encouraged especially for the
introductory positioning and context
setting.
Bibliography
Where to research?
 Google search to get started and brainstorm
 Nutrition and Food Sciences (on BB, under
‘Assignment and final exam resources,’ under
the last heading: Ryerson Library resources on
Nutrition and food)
 Ryerson library website, ‘articles,’ ‘by subject,’
‘health and medicine’ or ‘health services
management’
 Cecile Farnum (cfarnum@ryerson.ca) Nutrition
Librarian
Bibliography
 Needs
to be in APA format
 Where
to find an APA manual?
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Google search APA
Find link on Blackboard under ‘Writing Skills
Initiative’ under ‘Writing Slides and Material’
On the Nutrition WSI blogsite
In the Ryerson Library
By using Refworks
Essay Introduction Assignment
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During the second half of seminar in Week 9,
you will exchange the first page draft of your
final essay for a peer review process. Included
on your essay’s first page will be your
introductory paragraphs and your thesis
statement. Guidelines will be provided to you
as to how to engage in the peer review
process. Your original draft page and your
reviewer’s comments will be submitted at the
end of the seminar [ie Week 9]. [Please see
the evaluation rubric in the Bb Assignment
Resources folder]
Essay Introduction
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The intent is to position a very specific issue
[the focus of the student paper] within the
large and complex health and health
determinant [social determinant] discussion
[literature].
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The 'three paragraphs' should allow students
to indicate that they understand the
multifactorial nature of the field and provide
an opportunity to state that their analysis will
acknowledge the strengths and limitations [or
the inconsistencies] of their paper's focus.
Essay Introduction
Start broad (not too
broad) and position
yourself by becoming
more focused:
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Health
Emergence of SDH
Your determinant
Your sub-theme
Your Thesis Statement
Essay Introduction
 Three
paragraphs and one page long
 No lists!
 Must provide references
 Use key words/terminology from readings
 No thoughts or previous experiences
 Use 3rd person throughout (no more 1st or
second person)
Further Information
See Blackboard for TONS of information on writing
the essay (and thus on writing the outline and
introduction)
Under ‘Assignment and Final Exam Resources’ click
on:
 Writing Supports, or
 Marking Rubrics
 Essay Outline
 Top 10 recommendations for essays and
introductions
 Further thinking and writing suggestions that might
be helpful for the term essay and final exam
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