Academic Writing Steps
- Step 1: Choose an essay topic
- Step 2: Dissect your essay topic
- Step 3: Rewrite the essay question
- Step 4: Begin gathering broad ideas
- Step 5: Brainstorm
- Step 6: Develop a thesis
- Step 7: Read to support your thesis
- Step 8: Draw a mind map
- Step 9: Write an essay proposal
- Step 10: Draft your introduction
- Step 11: Write the first draft of the essay
- Step 12: Check your draft for problems
- Step 13: Second draft
- Steps 14–16: Proofread and edit your essay
At this stage, start to develop a thesis, which you will then see if you can support through evidence (your research).
With the sample essay topic, the question the thesis has to answer is ‘Compare and contrast these two viewpoints. Explain which is more persuasive’. The thesis will need to take a position on which viewpoint is supported, and the argument should be based on both what is similar and what is different in the two theories.
From the sample ideas collected in your early research (Step 4), you now develop a tentative or draft thesis.
Which of these statements is the most appropriate for your draft thesis?
Activity – Select Appropriate Statement
Which of these statements is the most appropriate for your draft thesis?
- This essay will outline two ways of understanding what happiness is.
- Individual happiness can be described as a momentary feeling.
- This essay will argue that belonging to a supportive community contributes to the meaningfulness of an individual’s life, and therefore their happiness.
- This essay will argue that although there are some similarities between these two viewpoints, the significance of the contrasts means that the two viewpoints are really theories about different things and that the more important meaning of happiness is the one based upon living a meaningful life.
You may refine your thesis further as you continue to read and plan, but at this stage a rough draft will get you started.