Writing Your Essay

Writing Your Essay Repeating citations unnecessarily disrupts the flow of an essay. When you have finished the first draft of your essay you must check if it 'flows'. This is an important feature of quality of communication . The reference section is the list of all the sources cited in the essay . Finally, only repeat citations when it is unclear which study / theory you are discussing. Critical Evaluation - arguments should be supported by appropriate evidence and/or theory from the literature. Evidence of independent thinking, insight and evaluation of the evidence. Each paragraph should comprise a main theme which are illustrated and developed through a number of points . Now let us look at what constitutes a good essay in psychology. After writing your plan conduct supplementary reading and refine your plan and make it more detailed. Just type the name and date of the psychologist in the search box and click on the 'cite' link. In simple terms every time you cite/refer to a name of a psychologist you need to reference the original source of the information. It aids to pull the attention of the audience and provoke their curiosity. The number of points that you make will depend on the word count (1500 words, 4-5 paragraphs). Each main point that you make needs to be linked back to the introduction and the thesis statement. The introduction is usually one paragraph 15% of total word length (don't get caught up on numbers). The introduction sets up the essay by presenting background information related to the essay question. Introductions are very important as first impressions count and they can create a halo effect in the mind of the lecturer grading your essay. If you start off well then you are more likely to be forgiven for the odd mistake later one. This plan could be in the form of a mind map, a summary table, or by writing a core statement . Know how to write a proper conclusion that supports your research. Prior to the start of an essay organize your thought and outline a rough draft. Like this, you can ensure that your story will flow and not create a mess. Present your essay with an interesting and suitable Title. Also underline the key words/ideas that have been used like workplace diversity, communication etc. However, if you are doing a group work assignment and your lecturer has asked you to work together and submit the assignment jointly, that is not collusion. Collusion, like plagiarism, has an element of dishonesty in it. Evidence suggests psychoanalytic therapy works best if the client is motivated and has a positive attitude. It is very important to elaborate on your evaluation. Don't just write a shopping list of brief evaluation points. Instead make sure you expand on your points, remember, quality of evaluation is most important than quantity. As a general rule make sure there is at least one citation (i.e. name of psychologist and date of publication) in each paragraph. Highlight the major issues which “lie behind” the question. Let the reader know how you will focus your essay by identifying the main themes to be discussed. Identify the subject of the essay and define the key terms. If there is a word count for your essay try to devote 10% of this to your introduction. The general focus on the introduction will then become more focussed on the essay question. Secondly identify and highlight the instructional words. E.g. is the essay asking you to compare, justify, argue, discuss etc.