How to write better essays

Notes on : How to write better essays by Bryan Greetham

My interest: the book is on how to structure an essay, although I’m not in that stage of my process yet, I hoping to find some guidelines on how to read and research in an effective way. I’ll only analyze the chapters that are relevant to the stage I’m in. These are chapters from stage 2 of the book where the author has the idea that the reader is already in the stage where he knows what is relevant for his subject/question and needs to research effectively in his subject. I’m hoping that some of these strategies could be useful for me.

Stage 2 Research

Chapter  12 : Reading Purposefully

Chapter 13 Processing the ideas

Chapter 14 Note-taking for Analysis and Structure

Chapter 15 Remembering your notes

Chapter 16 Note-taking for Criticism and Evaluation

Chapter 17 Thinking and reading Critically

Chapter  12 : Reading Purposefully

Warning : don’t pick up  a pile of books that appear vaguely useful and browse among them. You will hardly read all the books from cover to cover.

-    Pin down exactly the section of each book that is relevant for your research from the index page.

-    Some books (with unclear index) it could be useful to read the chapter heading, or summaries, first last paragraphs          from each chapter.

-    The first and the last chapter of the book which gives you an idea of the main question and the end conclusion.

-    Ask yourself: Is it relevant? What section?

There are 3 different reading strategies to choose from :

1 Carefully word for word, when text is of central importance

2 To skim it, pick out the general content, key ideas and the broad structure

3 To scan it, when you’re just looking for a specific question, date or what the writers says about a certain subject.

Chapter 13 Processing the ideas

Ultimately, the quality of the work we produce will depend upon the quality of our internal processing of the ideas we read.

To process the information you should analyze and structure the idea’s, evaluate and criticize them.

Multiple reading : To to ensure that you’re able to do deep-level processing, it may be necessary to accept you need to do two or three reading of a text, particularly if it is technical and closely argued.

Reading for comprehension, just to understand the argument, new technical terms.

Reading for analyzing and structure, analyze the passage into sections and subsections.

Reading for Criticism and Evaluation the argument of your author. (see more info on ch17)

Tip : Give yourself some breathing time in between the Analysing and the Evaluation reading, this gives your mind more time to process the ideas. If you do this to quick, your own ideas would be so assimilated into the author’s ideas, this will make it had to be critical.

Chapter 14 Note-taking for Analysis and Structure

Linear notes for analyzing a structure.

Pattern notes for criticism and evaluation

Chapter 15 Remembering your notes

Create a clear structure for yourself, the mind remembers structures, not a list of paragraphs.

A good structure will act a net, it will bring the surface to you.

Keep your notes free from clutter

Structure tips:

Keywords - sometimes with subsections

Capitalisation – Some people choose to put their keywords into capitals

Colour – go through the text with multiple color pencils, for example, keypoints in a different color.

Gaps – leave plenty of gaps between your points, this also gives you the opportunity to add other related things.

Abbreviations – Symbols to write quicker. Like > =

Be brief, you’re not making an encyclopedic account, you should not have to make notes on your own notes

Translate what the author says in terms and a structure that makes sense to you.

Keep notes which are connected to the same subject together.

Taking out the author’s structure:

Words that indicate:

Structure : First, Second, Finally

Examples : for example, for instance

Change in direction : in Contrast, However

Extensions: further, therefore, thus

Chapter 16 Note-taking for Criticism and Evaluation

Don’t omit the interpretation stage, you can make pattern notes with these two questions:

1-    What issue does the question raise that need to be researched and examined in the essay?

2-    What do I know and think about the issues? (good guideline)

Also, read a book about the same subject from a different author, but always critically think about your point of view.

Chapter 17 Thinking and reading Critically

Common mistakes by authors:

Failing apply the logic that one idea leads to another.

Relying on untested evidence

Using misleading language, without reflecting on his hidden implications.

As a reader you can use this criticism : (you could use an extensive checklist from p 132)

1.    Arguments

1.1    Does the conclusion follow from the reasons the author gives?

1.2    Are there hidden assumptions in the argument

2.    Evidence

2.1    Does the author have enough reliable evidence?

2.2    Does he represent the evidence accurately?

2.3    Does he draw reliable inferences from it?

2.4    Does he draw relevant inferences from it?

3.    Language

3.1    Is the author's meaning clear?

3.2    Are the words consistently used?