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Acadernie Writing & the Bubble Diagrarn
7* The term academic writing refers to any writing that you are required to do at university. You
may be asked to write in a number of different formats, for example: essa)'s, reflective essays,
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9** business reports, or laboratory reports.
ryz Regardless of the format, in academic writing you need to have a clearly developed argument.
"T!*" To do this you must be able to:
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I Demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate and analyse relevant ideas.
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ffi a Show that you can plan and structure your ideas about a topic.
"ha When doing any form of academic writing, there are several stages or processes that you need to
go through. The 'bubble diagram'(below) represents these different stages. Refer to the
{ffi. Academic Writing' information sheets and resources for further information.
Additional leaming tools / Sources of information
. See Uryrrya.S;fjffi3lt..gdx.e.U$tbfpr"yjrgg_rXsSqpg:t'qi$i*.[Link]"ighegLles$Ucq-s for turther resources to
complement this information sheet.
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Planning and $tructuring the Assignment
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tu* you've unpacked the topic, gathered information, and now you're ready to write your assignment'
& lf you spend time planning'y-our assignment before you start writing it, you will find that the writing
tfu... task is easier. Planning iir'otu"" trinfing critically about the main things you want to say-, the best
position or
order to say them in, aiO how you can ule information to best develop your overall
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2 Focus first on your overall argument or response to ihe essay topic
ffi e Write a statement to clarify your argument or position. (Hint: lf your assignment topic were a
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question, what would your main answer be?)
r Be concise and clear. Thls argument is central to how you structure your essay.
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tr Now think about the main points you wish to make that will develop this argument
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*# r What are the main (key) points that will develop your argument?
L3 r ln dot point form, jot down these main points.
. Think about the best order for making these points. (Hint: Pretending that you are giving a
talk may help clarify the best order.) Gonsider, the aims of the assignment: are you seeking to
ry3 compare/contrast; present a chronology; identify a solution?
?ry4 Check that each of these points is relevant to the essay topic and your overall response
' (argument) to the toPic.
#z * Each one of the main points will become a topic sentence in a paragraph
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{* Refer to the Writing the Assignmenf information sheet for further guidance on paragraph
structure.
r* Check that you have an appropriate number of main points for the assignment
ff* length
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. A paragraph can range in word length - there is no set number of words to a paragraph'
ptowevir, io help you plan, as a rough rule of thumb work on an average of 100 words per
paragraph. Thai means a2A0A word essay will contain approximately (and only
appr6ximately) 20 paragraphs. This helps you also to focus on important points - not words.
. lf you haye too many points for your essay length , group related ones together to make one
point.
. lf you have too few points, are there some other key points you should be making? Or could
some of the main points be broken down into several different points?
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( Organise your supporting detail
Look through your notes and information, and group related information together
. Choose material that wfll provide evidence to support or develop each of the points you are
making. Colour coding information may help here'
e Take note of the author and other referencing details (year of text, page number(s))'
. Use this to expand your essay plan so that you now have main points and key details:
Organise your references
. Create a list of all the books, articles and other resources you intend to mention or cite within
your essay. These will be needed for your reference list.
. List relevant texts that you have read but not refened to in the essay. Should you need to
provide a bibliography, you will also need this information.
Reflect and revise if necessary
. Allow time to revisit your plan so that you can check that you are making all the points that are
necessary to address the topic and develop and support your argument.
. Try reading it out loud - you can often hear if it is or isn't flowing in a logical way.
You are now ready to write. You know the main points you are making, the order to make them in,
and the detail needed to support and develop those points.
Refer to Writing the Assignment' and 'Editing the Assignment' information sheets for further
resources/in form ation.
Further Reading
e Cottrell, S. (2008). The study skills handbook (3rd ed.). London: [Link].
. Marshall, L., & Rowland, F. (2006). A Guide to Learning lndependently (4"' ed.). Australia:
Pearson Education.
Extemal Links
r 'JCU Study Skills Online' (James Cook University Learning Centre):
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Additional learning tools / Sources of information
. See vrlr:B:gijffiSj'-q#a{slibra{"yjeusr}tt*qs$-$-[Link]$J}i$.q{f*qj$:xl$,s{rlr{ie$ for furfter resources to
complement this information sheet.
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Writing the Assignment
Writing an assignment requires that you fit your argument and key points to certain academic
*3 conventions. Academic writing - whether it is in the form of an essay, a report, a thesis, or a
b literafure review - contains distinct parts, each with distinctive functions:
r* . lntroduction
,ffi . Body (made up of paragraphs)
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ffi Gonclusion or summary
{4_ o A list of references
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tr Writing the introduction
@ An introduction acts as a 'roadmap' to your reader. lt helps them to understand where you are
ffiz going in your assignment, how you will get there, and wfiat they will see along the way. There are
u several distinct parts to an introduction, and they are as follows:
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,-.- lntroducing the topic orsubject arca
The main aim of the first part of any introduction is to introduce the topic or subject area, and the
7P most important concept(s) relevant to answering the question.
Aim or purpose
The introduction also needs to indicate your aim(s) or purpose in the assignment.
Strudurc oroverall plan
You need to signal how you will present information in the assignment. ln wfiat order will the key
points appear? This gives the reader an indication of rvhat to expect.
Limits or scope of the assignment
You may want to include mention in your introduclion of any limits in your [Link]
you emphasise? Due to space, will you be intentionally leaving anything out?
Ary u nre nt or fhesis state ne nt
The final part of the introduction needs to clearly identifo your argument or thesis statement.
Some useful ways to signal your argument include: 'This paper argues that...'; This essay
contends lhat...'; 'lt will be arguedfriat...'.
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Writing the conclusion
The conclusion is simply a summary of all your main points discussed in the essay. lt brings
together all of the main points in a final statement that relates directly back to the topic or
question. The conclusion is also rvhere recommendations may be made, your argument is
evaluated, or future pattems of change are forecast.
lmportantly, your conclusion should:
e Contain no new ideas or information.
r List your key points, briefly.
r Relate key points direcfly back to the question/your argument.
Writing the body of the assignment
The body of the assignment consists of one or more paragraphs structured to reflect your critical
thinking about the question and the chosen order for presenting your argument. The order of your
paragraphs can be a logical sequence, a chronological sequence, a clustering of closely related
ideas, a juxtaposition of opposing ideas, or in terms of importance.
Pangnphs
Each paragraph will have a similar structure, and functions like a 'mini-essay'. lt should have an
introduction (topic sentence), a body, and a concluding sentence. These each have a distinct
function:
. A topic sentence (usually the first sentence of the paragraph) states the key point of the
paragraph. lt is this point around which the rest of the paragraph is organised.
o The topic sentence is followed by the 'body' of the paragraph. This can contain explanations,
evidence and examples to support the key point of the paragraph. Supporting evidence is
used to justify, explain or develop your argument.
. A concluding sentence links the main idea of the paragraph back to your argument, and
therefore to the assignment topiciquestion.
Many drafts may be produced before an assignment is complete. This requires that you leave
sufficient time to reflect upon your ideas, and edit your work. For further strategies, see the
'Editin g your assignment' information sheet.
Further Reading
o Cottrell, S. (2008). The study skills handbook (3rd ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
. Marshall, L., & Rowland, F. (2006). A Guide to Learning lndependently (4th ed.). Australia:
Pearson Education.
Extemal Links
. Essay & Assignment writing (UNSW): W$WjS,UrtWpdu-e*1E_titrht*ti
Additional learning tools i Sources of information
. See '$*.,r*:sltff$*e:iit."agr-li&ietdvysrfp&p"ps*ai.J-1is-r:i'sJlll*j*Jgge$ffgg for further resources to
complement this information sheet.
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Transitional wotds and expressions and synonyms:
addition illustation say
. aod fot i*amfls stzfe
in additioa itr ptmanzt :assert
Ptus for iasfance - rneint4in...
together with sucb as declare
. also tlat is ar8ue
fi:rtber specifically posit
firthert,.ore contend
moleovef thus feason
too hence claim
odditiooaily as a tesult show
. - i. .
ln zddluor . as a conseguence demonstrate
fikesrise so illustrate
' as well explain
sequelrce describe
coflt(ast fusq second . .. elucidate
by conftast./ n finaJlv cleify
cofltrast last
on the contrary neS
but then
" however now
though Iater
:;;t: . .
neverthel"s" .
DeIote
'yo a{ter
on onehand / on [Link]
the other hand '., . .?tthe same tibe
' at the opposite . ia the meaotime
end of the subsequenfly
sPecfruf,l
as opposed to slrIrrmafy
aonet&eless to slr1n up
. coaversely in s,mrn?f,I
in spite of this in conclusion
fioily
corelation .
eithet ... ot [Link]
neither ... or . as a tesult
aot only ... but in tbat case
consequently.
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a5 a consegueoce
Comparissn' so
5imibdy' subsequently
likersise accordingry
in comparirea fot thatfeason
witl therefore
equalJy because
id contrdst in view of thet