Simply Academic
 by: Scott Lindsay

Start at the beginning - or the end - or somewhere in the middle. It may not be as where you start as long as you start somewhere in the process of academic essay writing.

The importance of academic writing is to supply a thesis or an arguable point. Academic writing cannot stand on its own by simply presenting the observations of others. As a writer, you must present your own argument and then supply points of support that assist in furthering your argument. You should be fully aware of what questions you are seeking to answer in your work.

Frankly, many academic essays might not even be correct in their argument, however, the purpose of an academic essay is to present a reasonable arguments to assist in attempting to prove a point.

Interestingly, it is rarely possible to write an academic essay from start to finish without belaboring a point. One of the best methods seems to be starting somewhere in the middle and allowing everything to simply unfold in a logical manner. In the end you find the several key threads that are germane to your original thesis and you write the complete essay with a much better view of the big picture.

Always be willing to review your arguments in a role of ‘devil's advocate’. Ask yourself if there are strong arguments against any of your assumptions and either bolster your argument or seek a better argument.

Transitions are another key to successful academic writing. Work at providing a sequence to your argument that allows the reader to visualize the chain that links the thoughts in a comprehensive manner.

If your essay came together easily there are likely two scenarios at work, 1) You understand the subject matter so completely the material simply fell together easily, or more likely 2) you haven't studied the subject matter well enough and are willing to accept something less comprehensive then should be evidence by your essay.

In the end, your academic essay should be clear and easy to follow. The argument should be well articulated and supporting arguments should stay on task. In so doing, the academic essay is much easier to read and is often viewed as more authoritative.

Finally, make sure your overall essay design and though process is well organized. If it is not, the essay will read like a random bit of disjointed academic thought.

About The Author

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters (www.faithwriters.com) and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers. Members include writers from all around the world. Please visit the website at: http://www.faithwriters.com.