Undergrad Support group

elisebutt65

EthelBloggs wrote:

Hellllllllllp!!!

Im trying to write an essay and I've got all the info in my head and it just wont translate onto the paper or screen.. I can't seem to get the words out and it's driving me mad!

any suggestions pleaaaaaaaase???

Try doing a mindmap

Start off by getting a huge bit of paper and write the title of the essay in the middle. Then write everything that springs to mind in little boxes all around that central title. As you look at each filled box - think of what would come next - it's sort of like word association and you should end up with loads of topics and sub-topics.


Don't try and answer the question or give definitions in the introduction. Talk around the subject at first, give an anecdote or paraphrase from a case study to lead into the tone of your essay or report

If you're writing a report style assignment, you can use the first topics as your Headings and then the sub-topics as the paragraphs. If an essay, then use the topics as the lead sentence of each paragraph. Remember to write longish paragraphs - not loads of little sentences scattered all over the place. Use the last sentence of each paragraph to lead onto the heading of the next one until you come to the end so that it all 'flows'.

Then when you come to conclude - pull together all of the mini-conclusions you've made about each section. If done correctly, all sections should come together to form a nice neat conclusion. Don't leave things hanging. Also, don't put any new information in a conclusion - Ever!!!! New information should be in the main body.

elisebutt65

lisa_75 wrote:

This is very true. Reading widely does impress the markers. As a rough guide I was told to have one source for every 100 - 150 words in an essay, so a 2000 word essay would need 15 - 20 sources in your bibliography.

You may write the most fantastic essay ever, but if you only use 3 books your marks will be lower.

Hahahaha - so true - I am renowned in our group for finding an amazing number of references for a short essay - lol. I seem to have a knack for finding really obscure ones - they are suitable for use - it's just that no-one else ever seems to find them as well.

We did a shortish essay last fortnight - on Dark Tourism - only 2500 words but I still squeezed in 39 refs and found a brilliant book with details of a biblical theme park in Israel, as the author said - 'it is the be all and end all' of Dark Tourism(literaley - sorry no spell check today)

Tallulah22

39 references... good on you.

EthelBloggs

Thanks all.. I've used all your recommendations and it deffo helped

I think part of the problem was that I'd panicked myself about the deadlines n stuff.. couldn't see the wood for the trees kinda thing.. anyway... I thik I've got meself sort of sorted for the next couple weeks.. 3 more essays and a presentation :eek:

studentphil

I am sure 15 sources in a 2000 word essay is a lot if not even too many. I suppose it depends on the topic and subject.

lisa_75

studentphil wrote:

I am sure 15 sources in a 2000 word essay is a lot if not even too many. I suppose it depends on the topic and subject.

I don't think it is too many at all. In fact, I would struggle to use only 15 references in a 2000 word essay. It is not called "reading" for a degree for nothing!

I am studying Social Policy and I find there are a vast number of sources at my disposal. Don't know if it is the same for every subject though, but I imagine if you did a search for journal articles alone in any particular subject you would find at least 20 -30 articles if not more.

studentphil

lisa_75 wrote:

I don't think it is too many at all. In fact, I would struggle to use only 15 references in a 2000 word essay. It is not called "reading" for a degree for nothing!

I am studying Social Policy and I find there are a vast number of sources at my disposal. Don't know if it is the same for every subject though, but I imagine if you did a search for journal articles alone in any particular subject you would find at least 20 -30 articles if not more.

Writing the short Philosophy essays I do, to have a really devloped argument to throw in tons of quotes would really waste words.

lisa_75

studentphil wrote:

Writing the short Philosophy essays I do, to have a really devloped argument to throw in tons of quotes would really waste words.

You don't just use your references for quotes though. You need sources for all your descriptions/explanations/arguments etc. That’s why it is useful to use many references, so you get a wide variety of opinion/argument.

elisebutt65

studentphil wrote:

I am sure 15 sources in a 2000 word essay is a lot if not even too many. I suppose it depends on the topic and subject.

Not really- 15 ref's is ok for a 1st year but by 2nd year youshould be getting up to at least 25 references

The reason for references isn't to show your ability to argue but to demonstrate the depth and scope of your reading & research.

You need to be able to critiscise the various authors & get a good range of opiniopns to be able to do this. you're not there to blab about your own opinions until you can demonstrate your knowledge of all the opinions from all the other more knowledgeable out there.

I've started my dissertation and I'm only up to 3500 words - Methodology, Lit review(started) and 1st objective covered and I'm already well over 5 pages of references just mainly on the methodology stuff.

You can't let the word count limit you. Most uni's give you a tolerence of +/- 10% anyways and when you've finished, then you can edit it down.

Don't forget, when it's done - there will probably be a lot of repetition and unneccesary wordeage in there. Which is why we learn how to paraphrase and summarise in our first year. Why use 10 words when you can use 2 or 3?

They give you small word limits in your first years to get you into the habit of being succinct and to the point. Stops waffle!

studentphil

I still dont see the point in having tons of referencing. Surely it is hard enough to dell with and to understand one paper and then one or two reply papers without needing to go off and skim read tons of other books. I have never used more than 5 sources for an essay.