1. WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ESSAY? PRESENTED BY: PROF. ILDIKO HORVATH
As a reference see Chapters:
1: Essay Writing Basics
5: Writing the Research Paper
10: Conventions of Academic Writing

2. Science Papers

3. FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE?
Generally, follow APA style for formatting and references
Needs to have a cover page and running head ( 60/01/)
Essay Title: The Status of Healthcare in Canada
Your Name
Affiliation (class)

4. FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE? PAGES 2 AND UP
Start the text on the second page
Paragraphs and sections (if using) clearly defined, visually
Respect formatting requirements (spacing, font size, margins)
No double-spacing between paragraphs
Watch this video: &list=PL8F43A67F38DE3D5D

5. FIRST: WHAT SHOULD A STUDENT ESSAY LOOK LIKE? FINAL PAGE
References
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Harlow, H. F. (1983). Fundamentals for preparing psychology journal articles. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 55,
Notice:
Alphabetic order by last name
Initials of first and middle names
Standardized format
For full set of rules, refer to link below and/or your textbook, pp
Examples for APA format

6. WHY IS GOOD ORGANIZATION & PRESENTATION ESSENTIAL?
It shows diligence
Reflects care for your work
Inspires confidence in your abilities to handle the given task
Creates interest and positive mindset in the reader
Ultimately, …
it helps you get a better grade!
In scientific writing sloppy style & presentation = sloppy content & poor science
Sloppy style breaks two essential rules of scientific writing: clarity and logical progression

7. THE WRITING PHASE
An essay has three parts: an introduction, middle/body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
As a basic guide, 20 per cent is usually sufficient for the introduction and conclusion together.
Generally, when writing short research papers, no section headings are needed.
Longer papers require headings. These segment the paper visually and separate distinct sections.
Adapted from Bailey, 2013; Henderson, 2013

8. Writing an Introduction
The introduction presents an essay’s purpose, topic, approach, and organization
In scientific papers the introduction establishes credibility and reliability of the author
Logical opening (inverted triangle method)
Begins broad and ends specific
Henderson, 2013

9. Issues of Credibility Knowledge Reliability Objectivity
Appearing well-informed
Providing strong support
Reliability
Following conventions
Writing grammatically and clearly
Objectivity
Avoiding bias
Mentioning other sides and viewpoints
Henderson, 2013

10. Writing an Introduction
A good introduction includes the following:
Definition of key terms, if needed (for clarity)
Relevant background information (places your research in context)
Review of work by other writers on the topic (in shorter papers)
Purpose or aim of the paper (the reader needs to know what you are trying to do)
May include your methods used (e.g. experiment, literature review, group essay, lab report)
Any limitations you imposed (be realistic and state your limitations clearly)
The organization of your work (to ensure that the reader can follow your argument)
Bailey, 2013

11. WRITING THE BODY OF YOUR ESSAY
To write a successful essay, use strong paragraphs
Strong paragraphs are:
Unified
Focused on one idea
Coherent
Easy to follow
Well-developed
Organized with relevant support
Henderson, 2013

12. Writing Middle Paragraphs
The topic sentence states the main idea of each paragraph
The topic sentence is usually the first sentence but could be placed elsewhere in the paragraph
The rest of the paragraph should support the topic sentence
Add suitable evidence to substantiate your claim(s)
Hard evidence (facts, statistics, research findings) preferred in scientific writing, as these add authority
Adapted from Henderson, 2013

13. Science/Research Papers
Voice and style
Objective and analytical
Detachment shows absence of bias and faulty reasoning
Use of passive construction to deemphasize subject and/or stress that which is studied
Direct
Constructions that stress the study, not the researchers
Avoid using personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’
Language
Straightforward prose with few modifiers
Avoid figurative language
Example:
“Data were analyzed using the framework methodology of qualitative analysis”.
Henderson, 2013

14. Writing a Conclusion
As a rule, conclusions tend to be shorter and more diverse than introductions.
Student papers should have a final section that summarizes the arguments and makes it clear to the reader that the original question has been answered.
An effective summary should achieve full closure to the discussion and include a statement on the implications of the findings.
Avoid making these common mistakes:
Include some new information on the topic not mentioned before
Include a quotation that appears to sum up your work
Adapted from Bailey, 2013

15. Test Your Knowledge: Introduction

16. Test Your Knowledge: Conclusion