WHAT MAKES A
SUCCESSFUL
UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENT ESSAY?
PRESENTED BY:
PROF. ILDIKO HORVATH
As a reference see Chapters:
1: Essay Writing Basics
5: Writing the Research Paper
10: Conventions of Academic Writing
SCIENCE PAPERS
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT
ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
 Generally,
follow APA style for formatting and
references
 Needs to have a cover page and running head
(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/5
60/01/)
Essay Title: The Status of Healthcare in Canada
Your Name
Affiliation (class)
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT
ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
PAGES 2 AND UP
 Start
the text on the second page
 Paragraphs and sections (if using) clearly
defined, visually
 Respect formatting requirements (spacing, font
size, margins)
 No double-spacing between paragraphs
 Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdAfIqRt60c
&list=PL8F43A67F38DE3D5D
FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT
ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
FINAL PAGE
References
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing
manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.
Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology
journal articles. Journal of Comparative and Physiological
Psychology, 55, 893-896.
Notice:
oAlphabetic order by last name
oInitials of first and middle names
oStandardized format
oFor full set of rules, refer to link below and/or your textbook, pp. 91-100
Examples for APA format
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/08/
WHY IS GOOD ORGANIZATION &
PRESENTATION ESSENTIAL?
 It
shows diligence
 Reflects care for your work
 Inspires confidence in your abilities to handle the
given task
 Creates interest and positive mindset in the reader
 Ultimately, …
it helps you get a better grade!
 In scientific writing sloppy style & presentation =
sloppy content & poor science
 Sloppy style breaks two essential rules of scientific
writing: clarity and logical progression
THE WRITING PHASE

An essay has three parts: an introduction,
middle/body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

As a basic guide, 20 per cent is usually sufficient
for the introduction and conclusion together.

Generally, when writing short research papers, no
section headings are needed.

Longer papers require headings. These segment the
paper visually and separate distinct sections.
Adapted from Bailey, 2013; Henderson, 2013
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
 The
introduction presents an essay’s purpose,
topic, approach, and organization
 In
scientific papers the introduction
establishes credibility and reliability of the
author
 Logical

opening (inverted triangle method)
Begins broad and ends specific
Henderson, 2013
ISSUES OF CREDIBILITY
 Knowledge


Appearing well-informed
Providing strong support
 Reliability


Following conventions
Writing grammatically and clearly
 Objectivity


Avoiding bias
Mentioning other sides and viewpoints
Henderson, 2013
WRITING AN INTRODUCTION
A good introduction includes the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Definition of key terms, if needed (for clarity)
Relevant background information (places your research
in context)
Review of work by other writers on the topic (in shorter
papers)
Purpose or aim of the paper (the reader needs to know
what you are trying to do)
May include your methods used (e.g. experiment,
literature review, group essay, lab report)
Any limitations you imposed (be realistic and state your
limitations clearly)
The organization of your work (to ensure that the
reader can follow your argument)
Bailey, 2013
WRITING THE BODY OF YOUR
ESSAY
 To
write a successful essay, use strong
paragraphs
 Strong paragraphs are:

Unified


Coherent


Focused on one idea
Easy to follow
Well-developed

Organized with relevant support
Henderson, 2013
WRITING MIDDLE PARAGRAPHS

The topic sentence states the main idea of each
paragraph

The topic sentence is usually the first sentence but
could be placed elsewhere in the paragraph

The rest of the paragraph should support the topic
sentence

Add suitable evidence to substantiate your claim(s)

Hard evidence (facts, statistics, research findings)
preferred in scientific writing, as these add authority
Adapted from Henderson, 2013
SCIENCE/RESEARCH PAPERS

Voice and style
 Objective and analytical
Detachment shows absence of bias and faulty reasoning
 Use of passive construction to deemphasize subject and/or
stress that which is studied


Direct
Constructions that stress the study, not the researchers
 Avoid using personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’


Language
 Straightforward prose with few modifiers
 Avoid figurative language
Example:
“Data were analyzed using the framework methodology of qualitative
analysis”.
Henderson, 2013
WRITING A CONCLUSION
As a rule, conclusions tend to be shorter and more
diverse than introductions.
 Student papers should have a final section that
summarizes the arguments and makes it clear to
the reader that the original question has been
answered.
 An effective summary should achieve full closure to
the discussion and include a statement on the
implications of the findings.
 Avoid making these common mistakes:


Include some new information on the topic not
mentioned before
 Include a quotation that appears to sum up your work
Adapted from Bailey, 2013
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: INTRODUCTION
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: CONCLUSION