Writing and Research

argument. Finally, work as much of your material into the main text as possible, reserving educational footnotes for material that would disturb the flow of thought

Triads, headings, bridging, summarising, and footnoting give your writing clear structure and logical coherence. Use triads – the three-part structure of introduction, body, and conclusion – to structure your writing at all levels. Use two or three levels of descriptive, numbered, styled headings to provide a clear skeleton of each chapter. The more complex your argument, the more you need bridging and summarising paragraphs to help readers follow the

triads
• headings
• bridging and summarising
• footnotes

The first essential is to plan your essay before you start writing. In particular, make sure you understand the question correctly. When you get down to writing the essay, ensure that your introduction clearly states the purpose and thesis of the assignment. In the body, check for unity and sustained, persuasive argument. The conclusion should bring the assignment to a clear, decisive end.

An essay written to answer a question typically has two main parts, the what and the why. The what states what you believe to be the answer. The whyprovides your reasons for proposing this answer. Your reasons need to be convincing. ‘For each step in the defence of your argument, you will need to provide sufficient evidence and an analysisof that evidence.’[9]

The two most important points to remember about using sources are to (a) use sound, scholarly works and (b) interact with your sources rather than just affirming them. After you have understood the question and gathered relevant information, you are ready to write the assignment.

A fair rule of thumb is one unique work for each page; thus, a five-page paper would have at least five entries in the bibliography, a 200-page dissertation at least two hundred. This guideline works well for long papers, but for short papers, you should aim for more than one per page.

Don’t overuse a single source. This is a common mistake. Students find one good source and quote it as if it were the only and final word on the topic. Even experts hold different opinions about topics. Whenever possible, try to interact with several different sources, especially ones reflecting alternative views. If, for instance, you are charismatic in your doctrinal views, don’t use only authors who share your persuasion.

Here are some examples of key words to note:
• Analyse: divide the material into sections or elements and discuss these in full.
• Compare: identify thesimilarities and/or differences between ideas, facts, viewpoints, and so on.
• Contrast: point out the differences between certain objects or characteristics.
• Criticise: point out good and bad characteristics, andgive your own opinion after considering all the facts.[1]