1Hi, Ms Harris. Here we are, talking once again.
2Well, I'm always willing to help out wherever possible.
3Is anything troubling you?
4Well, your advice last week about writing summaries was very useful,
5and I'm using these summaries a lot in order to prepare my final master's thesis.
6But you're having problems, right?
7Yes, I have a few issues to discuss.
8Obviously I want a good essay, and I want to achieve high marks.
9But I'm not sure on the best way to start.
10That's an easy question.
11Start with a topic, but not one that I necessarily suggest,
12but one that you want to explore.
13You'll always write better when doing so on a topic you're interested in,
14not one imposed upon you by others.
15Well, I'm interested in management theory.
16Then pursue that.
17However, that alone is far too broad.
18Break it into various current areas of discussion and relevance,
19then look more carefully at one of them -
20say, management and cultural differences,
21or management and motivation,
22or other aspects, such as the role of salary, group cohesion, or leadership.
23I would say I'm interested in group cohesion,
24that is, how people interact in the workplace.
25Well, that's a start,
26but you can't then just write planlessly,
27without defining exactly what you intend to do within the area you've chosen.
28You'll have to think of a thesis, and this statement could be of several types.
29Such as what?
30Oh, you could argue a point, something that you believe in;
31or discuss an issue, looking at its various perspectives;
32or critique the opinions of others, pointing out the pitfalls and flaws.
33The thesis statement will make that very clear because it will say,
34in simple terms, what you intend to achieve in your essay.
35I see. And then I can just begin writing, right?
36Wrong!
37If your essay is going to be clear, it needs to be logical and organised,
38and this means you'll need an outline.
39This could be written as a flowchart, or spider graph,
40that is, a series of connected lines,
41but whatever shape the outline takes,
42there must be a sense of progress, in, more or less, a straight line, towards a goal.
43And then my essay will be good?
44With such progression, definitely
45as long as you do achieve everything that you set out to do,
46as specified in the beginning, okay?
47Well, Ms Harris, your advice about essay writing all sounds very useful:
48solid, and step by step, so I'll certainly follow that.
49But can you tell me in more general terms,
50what constitutes the best essay?
51Oh, there are many aspects to consider,
52but one of the most important is certainly, original thinking.
53The best essays are written by people who think for themselves,
54and not just copy or imitate established views.
55I think I can do that.
56But remember, you can't just give a list of unsupported assertions.
57There needs to be support as well -
58a chain of logic linking each step in your argument.
59Right!
60Yet that alone is not enough.
61Your argument may be logically sound, but is it practically so?
62For that, you need examples, from real-life, to illustrate your points or sub-points.
63I've got lots of examples from my course readings.
64I suppose I could use them.
65But remember, whenever you use an example,
66or facts or figures that are not commonly known,
67you must give a reference.
68That's an academic necessity, without which your writing will automatically fail.
69So, it's necessary to give these. Right.
70Absolutely! And with that, your essay will be fine,
71but always ensure that you format it clearly.
72What do you mean?
73I mean the practical considerations,
74as written in the university style guide,
75such as leaving appropriate margins,
76using double spacing, Arial font, and so on.
77You see, your writing must look good, as well as be good.
78I can certainly do that.
79And, finally, related to the previous point,
80you need to respect the number of words required.
81Your individual lecturers will give you a word-count figure,
82so follow what they say, making your essay neither too long, nor too short,
83perhaps 10% either way should be acceptable.
8415% was common when I was younger,
85but it's a lot stricter now,
86and 20% would be pushing the boundaries just a little too far.
87I guess I can do all that. Thanks for your advice.