Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book sets out proven approaches and techniques which can help everyone write good essays. Extensively revised and updated in this fourth edition, Good Essay Writingnow includes new material such as:

The authors focus on answering key questions students face when preparing essays - What do tutors look for when marking my essay? What kind of skills do I need as I progress through my course? How can I avoid inadvertent plagiarism? What are the protocols for referencing?

Encapsulated in easy to digest summaries, this new edition shows you how to approach different types of essay questions, addresses common worries, and provides extensive use of worked examples including complete essays which are fully analyzed and discussed. Each chapter also includes suggested further reading and an extensive glossary.

Good Essay Writing is highly recommended for anyone studying social sciences who wants to brush up on their essay writing skills and achieve excellent grades.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• About the Authors (p. viii)
• Preface to the Fourth Edition and Acknowledgements (p. ix)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• 1.1 How to use this guide (p. 2)
• 1.2 Will the guide tell you everything about essay writing? (p. 3)
• 2 What is a Social Science Essay? (p. 5)
• 2.1 The structure of a basic social science essay (p. 5)
• 2.2 What is distinctive about a social science essay? (p. 6)
• 2.3 Common errors in essays (p. 9)
• 2.4 Four golden rules for writing a social science essay (p. 11)
• 2.5 Why an essay is not a report, newspaper article or an exam answer (p. 11)
• 3 Stages of Writing, from Preparation to Final Version (p. 15)
• 3.1 Read the question and any guidance notes (p. 16)
• 3.2 Identify and organize the relevant material: drafting an essay plan (p. 19)
• 3.3 Drafting stages (p. 22)
• 3.4 Time management (p. 23)
• 4 Matching the Answer to the Question (p. 26)
• 4.1 Reading the question (p. 26)
• 4.2 Command words and cognitive skills (p. 27)
• 4.3 Types of social science essay questions (p. 32)
• 5 Reading, Note-taking and Literature Searches (p. 39)
• 5.1 Reading (p. 39)
• 5.2 Taking notes (p. 46)
• 5.3 Academic literature searches and gathering data (p. 50)
• 6 Thinking Critically and Formulating an Argument (p. 57)
• 6.1 Critical thinking (p. 57)
• 6.2 Formulating an argument (p. 59)
• 7 Writing Introductions (p. 63)
• 7.1 Longer or 'full' introductions (p. 64)
• 7.2 Basic short introductions (p. 68)
• 7.3 When do you write the introduction? (p. 69)
• 8 Writing the Main Section (p. 71)
• 8.1 Structuring your argument (p. 71)
• 8.2 Using evidence to support your argument (p. 74)
• 8.3 Adding weight to your argument (p. 82)
• 8.4 Communicating your argument (p. 85)
• 9 Writing Conclusions (p. 92)
• 9.1 What a conclusion should aim to do - and should not do (p. 92)
• 9.2 What a conclusion should contain (p. 93)
• 10 Referencing (p. 96)
• 10.1 What is a reference? (p. 96)
• 10.2 Why are references needed? (p. 97)
• 10.3 What should be referenced? (p. 98)
• 10.4 Basic principles (p. 98)
• 10.5 Advanced referencing (p. 108)
• 10.6 Compiling your references (p. 113)
• 11 Some Common Worries (p. 115)
• 11.1 Writing too much or too little (p. 115)
• 11.2 Using the 'I' word, 'subjectivety' and 'objectivety' (p. 116)
• 11.3 Using your own experience (p. 117)
• 11.4 Presentation, spelling, grammar and punctuation (p. 117)
• 11.5 Plagiarism and poor academic practice (p. 118)
• 12 What Tutors Look for When Marking Essays (p. 124)
• 12.1 Marking schemes: criteria related to grade bands (p. 125)
• 12.2 Writing skills: 'introductory', 'intermediate' and 'advanced' essays (p. 128)
• 13 Examples of Student Essays (p. 134)
• Essay 1 (p. 135)
• Essay 2 (p. 143)
• Essay 3 (p. 148)
• Essay 4 (p. 154)
• Appendix A Abbreviations and Words in Foreign Languages (p. 161)
• Appendix B Editors' Symbols - Common Notations Made by Tutors (p. 163)
• References (p. 164)
• Index (p. 166)

Author notes provided by Syndetics