Writing an Effective Paper (Video)

The following video explores strategies for organizing, writing, and polishing academic writing:

“Writing essays at UWA: Get started on essay structure.” By UWAstudents. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VmG6B_Gaf4 Licensed under: CC-BY

Considering the following questions while reviewing your writing will give you feedback to enhance your essays prior to submission:

Argumentation

• Is the thesis set up in a way that makes you care about it?
• Are the claims related precisely to the thesis, or do they become tangential at any point? Are they interesting?
• Does the evidence prove what it is intended to prove?
• Are there well-placed examples? Are they entirely relevant?
• By the end of the paper, might someone who believed differently from the thesis be swayed by the argument? If not, why not? What’s missing? And if so, what were the strongest points?
• Are there extraneous paragraphs or sentences that seem less important to the point?
• Where is the climax of this paper, where you most feel the author ‘s mastery?

Organization

• Is the structure of the paper as effective as it can be?
• Does the order of the paragraphs make sense?
• Does each paragraph build off of what was developed in the previous one?
• Does the end of the paper relate back to the beginning?
• Are the different steps of the argument linked in a logical manner?
• Is every step adequately explained, or are there leaps or holes in logic?
• Do some ideas seem to come out of nowhere, or do you feel like you’ve been prepared for each new concept?

Voice and Consistency

• Does the topic capture your interest because of the way it’s presented?
• Can you tell from the tone that the author cares about the topic?
• Is the author’s tone maintained throughout the paper?
• Does everything in this paper work towards articulating or proving the thesis?