Week4：The Essay

For many writers, the problem is not just what to write about, but how to sustain that idea over several pages of writing.

Informal Outlines

In informal outlines, you organize your notes into sections that correspond to different parts of your essay. 

Formal outlines have the same concept behind them as informal ones, but they have specific formats. Formal outlines have more details than informal outlines, and formal outlines also use certain methods of showing relationships between ideas.

Formal outlines often use Roman numerals, although using Arabic numbers is perfectly acceptable.

Good academic writing uses information from multiple sources to support its main ideas. 

Libraries are important sources of information--nothing compares to browsing shelves of books or journals. 

In the modern era, the Internet is quickly becoming the most popular forum for our research.  Whether using a search engine, reading online documents, or asking questions in forums, we can find almost anything we are looking for.

One source of information that is often overlooked is talking to experts. 

Remember the important parts of an academic essay:

Clear topic

Well-defined thesis statement

Clear paragraphs

Support from research where needed