How to Write a Good Essay Prof. Xin Yao and Dr. Shereen Fouad (partially based on slides from Dr. Michael Mistry and Prof. Andrew Howes)

Three Assignments Assignment 1: short essay (10% of module mark) Maximum 500 words for 06-25647 (Commercial Computing), Maximum 1000 words for 06-25648 (Commercial Computing [Extended]) Assignment 2: short essay (10% of module mark) Assignment 3: long essay (80% of module mark) Maximum 2000 words 06-25647 (Commercial Computing), Maximum 2500 words for 06-25648 (Commercial Computing [Extended])

Deadlines Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Submission deadline: 4pm, Friday, 31/10/2014 Assignment 2, Submission deadline: 4pm, Friday, 05/12/2014 Assignment 3, Submission deadline: 4pm, Monday, 12/01/2015

Submissions Submissions will only be accepted if they are submitted to the Canvas website of the Commercial Computing module: https://canvas.bham.ac.uk/courses/9916 The essay must be submitted as a .PDF file on Canvas, not as text as previously mentioned.

Plagiarism Turnitin has been enabled for all assignment. Plagiarised submission will be detected by the system and will be handled according to the University code of practice: http://www.as.bham.ac.uk/legislation/docs/COP_Plagiarism.pdf

Assignment 1 “Detailed and precise Unified Modelling Language (UML) models that encourage cost effective maintainability play a crucial role in reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a software product. Do you agree?”

Before Writing an Essay (I) Read the assignment specification carefully. Read it again even more carefully! If you’re still not completely clear about what to do, please ask – don’t guess.

Before Writing an Essay (II) Careful and focused research: read, comprehend, evaluate, reflect, paraphrase, and cite. Almost all of your answer should come from your own research, NOT from the lecture. Demonstrate an appreciation of an industry/commerce viewpoint on, or usage of, some issues or topics in CS/SE.

Essay Evaluation Criteria (I) The essay must answer the question. The essay must refer to evidence. Claims made in the essay should be supported by evidence and relevant citations to the scientific literature. The essay must have a concise introduction that is strictly relevant and introduces and defines the question to be answered.

Essay Evaluation Criteria (II) The essay must be well structured with a clear introduction (defining the question to be answered), an answer (citing relevant evidence), and a conclusion (that answers the question). The essay must be followed by references in the Harvard format, as described here: https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/icite/referencing/index.aspx

Essay Structure Abstract Introduction: (explain the problem/question, what is part, what not, why is it relevant). Main part(s): Explain approaches, compare them, stress advantages and drawbacks. Develop new ideas. The explanation should have a certain breadth and depth, should be sophisticated, factual. Conclusion: Summarise your contribution, give an outlook of possible trends. Here you may give an opinion (again balanced and well argued). References

Abstract Summarise the entire essay. Entice the reader to read on and read further. Be concise, precise and informative. Maximise the information content per word, so to speak.

Abstract: An Example Essay title: The role of enterprise architectures in reducing risk and cost. Lecturer: Jamie Knowles 2011-12 Commercial Computing/Programming

An Example Abstract

A Better Abstract

… or

Introduction Probably no more than 10% of your essay. What the essay is about: the question and its context. Why it is important. How I researched it. Headline conclusions. Overall structure of the essay (for long ones only).

Main Part(s): Some Tips Your essay must follow a story line, an inner logic. Describe facts and not opinions. Opinions should typically be only rare, mainly in the concluding section, and clearly indicated as such Guest lecturers provides Initial material and pointers ...But you need to collect further material – Research! look only for trusted, quality, online and library references Careful and focused research: read, comprehend, evaluate, paraphrase, and cite!

Provide Qualified Arguments Evidence is rarely definitive. Bad: “It is certainly the case that cloud computing will revolutionise business practice.” Good: “Many authors believe that cloud computing will have some effect on business practice.” Better: “Many authors (Smith 2009, Davies 2010) believe …”

Balance Your Argument One sided argument can weaken your argument. They do not convince the reader that you’ve thought the issue through. Present the argument from both side and then make your case why your side is superior.

References: Trusted, Quality Do not only use media sources (newspapers, blogs, etc.) Use evidence from peer-reviewed scientific literature. E.g., use Google scholar to help find sources.

Summary Claims need to be supported by factual evidences, e.g., references to scientific literature. Avoid stating the obvious. Always focusing on the question, not other issues. If you cite the evidence, state the nature of the evidence. E.g., it is estimated that 85% software projects overrun (Smith and Jones, 1995). Better to add that Smith and Jones surveyed 123 FTSE 500 companies.

Finally, … There are guides on how to write a good essay over the internet. Do read them. Some of the comments here apply more to the last main assignment, than to the 500 word essay.