Writing the report

The thesis Now that you have decided, at least tentatively, what information you plan to present in your essay, you are ready to write your thesis statement. The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. You know what the essay will be about. That was your topic. Now you must look at your outline or diagram and decide what point you will be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic?

The outline Steps in writing the essay: Essay outline. The outline of the essay is the body of your paper and can be presented in the bullet point form. This gives you opportunity to evaluate the order of presentation of the main ideas, to attest the logic of your presentation and to spot down gaps or facts that are irrelevant for your assignment. The typical outline should comprise 3 key points: An introduction to the topic The statement of your thesis or main question you want to resolve in your project. How you are going to organise your report (main points)

Steps Order in an Outline There are many ways to arrange the different parts of a subject. Sometimes, a chronological arrangement works well. At other times, a spatial arrangement is best suited to the material. The most common order in outlines is to go from the general to the specific. This means you begin with a general idea and then support it with specific examples. Thesis Statement of Summarizing Sentence All outlines should begin with a thesis statement of summarizing sentence. This thesis sentence presents the central idea of the paper. It must always be a complete, grammatical sentence, specific and brief, which expresses the point of view you are taking towards the subject.

Example Choices in College and After Thesis: The decisions I have to make in choosing college courses, depend on larger questions I am beginning to ask myself about my life’s work.     I. Two decisions described A. Art history or chemistry 1. Professional considerations 2. Personal considerations B. A third year of French? 1. Practical advantages of knowing a  foreign  language 2. Intellectual advantages 3. The issue of necessity     II. Definition of the problem A. Decisions about occupation B. Decisions about a kind of life to lead     III. Temporary resolution of the problem A. To hold open a professional possibility: chemistry B. To take advantage of cultural gains already made: French

Write the Body Paragraphs Each main idea that you wrote down in your diagram or outline will become one of the body paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you will have three or four body paragraphs. For each paragraph start with an introduction sentence, then write down each of your supporting points for that main idea and develop them. Make sure you give figures and analyse facts.

Write the Introduction and Conclusion Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. These paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay. The introduction and the conclusion are always written after the outline and the thesis

Introduction The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her an idea of the essay's focus. Here is an example on how the introduction could be organised An introduction to the topic that leads to your thesis statement The statement of your thesis or main question you want to resolve in your project. How you are going to organise your report (main points)

Conclusion The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly describe your feelings about the topic. You can “open” your conclusion by saying what could be improved, done in the future…

Last steps! You have now completed all of the paragraphs of your essay. Before you can consider this a finished product, however, you must give some thought to the formatting of your paper. Check the order of your paragraphs. Look at your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start with the strongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest in the middle. Whatever order you decide on, be sure it makes sense. If your paper is describing a process, you will probably need to stick to the order in which the steps must be completed. Check the instructions for the assignment. When you prepare a final draft, you must be sure to follow all of the instructions you have been given. Are your margins correct? Have you titled it as directed? What other information (name, date, etc.) must you include? Did you double-space your lines?

Check your writing. Read and reread your paper. Does it make logical sense? Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another? Have you run a spell checker or a grammar checker? Once you have checked your work and perfected your formatting, your essay is finished.