Tips on Outlining, Drafting, and Revising Scholarly Papers

Jan 31, 2009 Jenny Evans

Writing an essay requires specific skills and techniques that don’t come naturally to everyone. Learning the five basic steps to planning and writing a good essay is critical to your success.

Parts of an Essay

Every essay has three parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introductory paragraph explains the general topic and introduces a thesis statement, which explains the angle or position you will be taking in the essay. The body is the “meat” of the essay. It should contain all the points you want to make and flow naturally from one point to the next. The concluding paragraph concisely sums up what you have said. When writing an essay, you should outline and write the body of the essay first, then the thesis, and finally the introduction and conclusion.

Step #1: Brainstorming

Begin thinking about your essay topic well before your essay is due. Consider your topic generally. Decide what you could say about it and what points you have to make on the subject. Write down all your ideas, even the ones that don’t seem so great. Once you have all your thinking on paper, you can begin to focus on the best ideas.

Step #2: Outlining the Body

The next step is to outline the body of your paper. Look at the collection of ideas you’ve brainstormed. Are there a few ideas that naturally seem to flow together? Are there related concepts? Those should be the core ideas in your essay. For each of those main ideas, jot down a few things you will say to support or discuss it. Once you have a list of points and sub-points to use in your essay, you can begin organizing them into an outline. Though you can be as formal about it as you like, the general format for an outline is:

Concept #1

• supporting idea
• supporting idea
• supporting idea

Concept #2

• supporting idea
• supporting idea
• supporting idea

Concept #3

• supporting idea
• supporting idea
• supporting idea

Step #3: Choosing a Thesis

Every paper must have a thesis, which is a statement in the first paragraph that sums up your point. The rest of the essay will be devoted to developing and explaining that thesis. Even though the thesis of your essay comes first, it’s much easier to write after you have outlined the body of the essay. Trying to sum up your whole outline in a sentence or two will result in a good thesis. Write your thesis at the top of your outline and refer to it often while writing so you don’t veer off topic.

Step #4: Writing Your First Draft

Now the hard work—determining all the ideas you’ll put in your essay—is done. All you need to do is form the ideas into sentences. Write the body paragraphs of your essay first, using your outline as a guide. Once you’ve finished, summarize your essay in a concluding paragraph at the end and write an introductory paragraph that introduces your topic and thesis statement. While writing your first draft, don’t worry too much about spelling, punctuation, grammar, or sentence structure. Just try to get your ideas all down and worry about proofreading later.

Step #5: Revision and Editing

After your first draft is finished, take a break and get some distance from your essay. When you come back to it with fresh eyes, you’ll be better equipped to revision and edit. While editing the first draft, just think about getting the paper to communicate your ideas clearly. Don’t worry about details like spelling and grammar until the final draft. Printing out the essay and reading it aloud might help. Asking someone else to read the draft and give you feedback is also valuable. This drafting and revising process can be repeated as necessary until you are satisfied with the finished product.

Any writing exercise, no matter how small, should begin with brainstorming and outlining. Then, even if it seems strange to be writing your essay “out of order,” create the body of the essay first and the introduction and conclusion last. The drafting and revising process is the last step to good essay writing.

Copyright Jenny Evans. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

Read more at Suite101: Five Steps for Writing a Great Essay: Tips on Outlining, Drafting, and Revising Scholarly Papers http://www.suite101.com/content/5-steps-for-writing-a-great-essay-a93271#ixzz199PzI1yE