How To Write A Good Academic Essay

An Essay concerning Humane Understanding in four books (1690) by John Locke (1632-1704) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)By Lynne Evans

Sometimes students feel that they have done a lot of research but this is not reflected in their grades for writing an essay. There are many reasons for this, which this article attempts to explain.

First of all there is so much information on the Internet that it can be confusing. It is not enough to simply copy what someone has said and use this as an authoritative statement in your own work. Just because it has been said by someone doesn't make it absolutely true. You need to look for the facts behind the statement, is it backed up with solid evidence? If not, perhaps your "authority" isn't a good one.

When you look up information remember to keep a record of the author, date, title and name of publication and the date you retrieved the information if you got it online. If you can't give this information then you shouldn't use a quotation from that source. You need to check and double-check 'facts' found online.

Don't simply rely on the information in the Internet. Don't ignore it but look into what s available and get an overview of your subject before you go to the library and dig out the academic books that are on your reading list. The Internet is a very good source of information but should not be your only source.

You need to quote from a variety of sources not from only one or two academic texts. Find articles written by well-known academics in your field, and look through new journals in the library to ensure that you have the latest information.

While there are some academic theories which have stood the test of time and need quoting, there are others which have fallen into disfavor in academic circles, so if you quote from older texts, you need to know if they are relevant to current thinking or not. If you wish to give examples of ideas and theories that have fallen by the wayside, then it is useful to quote some, but not to rely on outdated texts for your essay. Too many quotations from one or two sources will appear unoriginal.

You need to keep detailed notes, and remember that you are not only required to write one essay, there will be others, so make detailed notes that will assist you in other writing. This will save you time on research for your next assignments.

In academic writing you have to produce rather a lot of evidence with which to persuade your readers that your work is of merit. This is why thorough research and detailed bibliographies are necessary. It isn't enough to have a theory and to write about it, if there is not a substantial body of evidence to support your brilliant theory, it will not be well-received by your tutor.

You have to argue your point and be able to refute the counter-arguments through quotations from other respected academics in your field.

Lastly, remember not to use "I" or "you" but the impersonal third person "one" in academic writing. You are writing for a formal audience so your language should be formal.

If you enjoyed this article there are many more on http://www.writepass.co.uk for you to browse. Hopefully the articles on this site will help you to improve your academic writing and help with other issues which students in higher education have. Why not click on the link and see what the site has to offer you?

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List of Banned Words In Nation’s Schools

United States Department of Education (Photo credit: Christopher S. Penn)by Tap Vann, Weekly World News: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/46143/list-of-banned-words-in-nations-schools/

Here’s the U.S. Department of Education’s list of words that are now forbidden in our nation’s classrooms. No, they are not the seven forbidden words George Carlin always talked about. The Department of Education is waging a war on words of all sorts, and they also want the words removed from all standardized tests.

“These words are harmful to students and to all individuals in American society,” a spokesperson for the Department of Education reportedly said. Fearing that certain words and topics brainwash students and make them feel “uncomfortable”, education officials are demanding that over 50 words be removed from classrooms across America. The changes must be in effect by September, 2012 or else offending schools will face heavy penalties.

The word “dinosaur” made the hit list because dinosaurs suggest evolution which creationists might not like. “Halloween” is targeted because it suggests paganism; a “birthday” might not be happy to all because it isn’t celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Republican” is banned because it is associated with “dissent” and “obstruction”, according to Department of Education sources. Words that suggest wealth are excluded because they could make kids jealous. “Poverty” is also on the forbidden list.

“In a throwback to “Footloose,” the word “dancing” is also taboo. However, there is good news for kids that like “ballet”: The city made an exception for this form of dance. Also banned are references to “divorce” and “disease,” because kids taking the tests may have relatives who split from spouses or are ill.

Some students think banning these words from periodic assessment tests is ridiculous. Those students have been expelled from their schools. A Department of Education spokesperson said, “we’re not an outlier in being politically correct. This is just making sure that test makers are sensitive in the development of their tests, and in the development of good American citizens.”

Here is the complete list of words that are banned:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)

Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs


Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)

Bodily functions


Cancer (and other diseases)

Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)

Celebrities

Children dealing with serious issues

Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)

Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)

Crime

Death and disease

Divorce

Evolution

Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes

Freedom

Gambling involving money

George Bush (both of them)

Guns

Halloween

Homelessness

Homes with swimming pools

Hunting

Jesus Christ

Junk food

Just Bieber (it’s just too much now)

In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge

Loss of employment

Moses

Nuclear weapons

Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)

Parapsychology

Politics

Pornography

Poverty

Rap Music

Religion

Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)

Republican

Rich People

Rock-and-Roll music

Ronald Reagan

Running away

Sex (“oral sex” is allowed because it is not “sex”)

Slavery

Terrorism

Television and video games (excessive use)

The Bible

Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)

Vermin (rats and roaches)

Violence

War and bloodshed

Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)

Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.