[UPDATED] Essay Writing: General Tips 2021

Contest:

Shakespeare said that a pen is stronger than a sword, but if you’ve learned how to use a pen, you still may be a long way far from becoming a new Shakespeare. If you want to write great essays, you may need inspiration and nice writing technique. However, this task isn’t so hard if you know some basic principles of essay writing. Most often, you just need to go through five simple steps, so now we will talk about five paragraph essays.

Five Paragraph Essays

Of course, there are many complicated types of essays, but if you’re a student of a university or high school, you will most often get five paragraph essays assigned. These essays consist of five sections:

Introduction
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 2
Body Paragraph 3
Conclusion

This structure was proven to be the easiest for readers, since it provides the easy perception of information, navigating through ideas and arguments. Generally, your main goal is to make readers understand you, and get all necessary facts.

The Introduction

The main purpose of such a section is to introduce your key thought (thesis statement). You have to describe your thesis at the very beginning, since the whole essay, with all its arguments, will be based on it, explaining and supporting your idea. However, this is not the only purpose of the introduction. A good introduction begins with a “hook”. The hook is a very first sentence of your essay, and it must grab your readers’ attention, motivating them to read more. It may be a quote from a well-known expert, an extraordinary fact, or even an anecdote.

Even though it’s the shortest part of your essay, we suggest you paying special attention to it, since it determines the success of your paper. Once you hooked your readers, get right to the thesis statement. Make sure that your position on the considered issue is clear and leaves no doubts.

The introduction must also give your readers a hint on how you’re going to support your key statement. It will help readers understand your approach and become more familiar with your topic.

The introduction ends with a transitional sentence, which connects your introduction with the body of the essay. Make sure that your introduction isn’t more than three sentences long. It shouldn’t be too long, and you don’t have to write some specific information in this section. If your introduction is longer than three sentences, take your time and edit it. You surely will be rewarded with readers’ reaction.

Here we made an example of the introduction. This introduction may be a beginning of the essay devoted to the topic “How we learn from mistakes”:

People never change? If so, it’s really sad. Most of us are influenced by our own actions and life experience; analyzing our mistakes, we may learn even more than enjoying our success. To prove this point, we will consider scientific facts and everyday situations.

Do: Write your introduction carefully, since it creates the first impression of your entire essay. This section describes your point on a topic and also explains how you will work with such an issue. Don’t hurry up, take your time and spend extra effort on the introduction.

Don’t: Don’t write in the first person, and avoid the use of passive voice. Remember that active voice sounds a lot more convincing, and it also attracts more attention. “The book sells everywhere” sounds more powerful than “the book is sold everywhere”. Along with this, don’t use personal pronounces (I, me, my) – it sounds too subjectively.

The Body

The body of the essay is the main part. Here you can consider your topic in more detail, and write all your arguments.

Given that you write a five paragraph essay, the body of the essay should consist of three paragraphs. Devote first body paragraph to the strongest argument. We suggest starting from the idea that is directly related to the introduction. In other words, if you mentioned a certain fact in your brief outline at the beginning, start with this fact.

Don’t make your paragraphs too short. For example, you shouldn’t just mention a name of a certain writer who wrote about this issue, expecting your readers to get your thought right. You have to express your thoughts in detail, explaining how such evidence supports your thesis statement. Along with this, you have to explain why such evidence is relevant.

Your examples should be tied to the context. If you’re writing about a certain person, you must clarify what exactly is related to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about Abraham Lincoln, you must take into account how complex was his life. Maybe you want to write about his contribution to the abolition of slavery? Or maybe you want to consider his personality or his life before the presidency?

Once again, you have to make sure that your example supports your thesis statement. Explain how this evidence illustrates your point, and pay special attention to this, since it’s the main reason why you include such information in your work. Let’s see an example of the body paragraph. It’s based on the example of the introduction above:

A good example of learning from mistakes is a story of Thomas Edison. Of course, we know him for his successes in science and business, but these successes would be impossible without hundreds of mistakes. One of his most significant inventions, Edison’s lightbulb, had more than a thousand variations. Edison himself wrote that he didn’t consider all these attempts fails. In his opinion, he just discovered a thousand ways the incandescent bulb wouldn’t work. Thus, he was able to find the only right construction that turned out to be successful.

Do: Keep sentences related to each other. First of all, write transition sentences between different arguments, it will simplify reading significantly. Ideally, the entire body part of your essay must have an idea that goes through all the sentences, connecting your thoughts, and creating a holistic picture that can be easily perceived by readers.

Don’t: Don’t be too general. Your arguments must be related to the thesis statement, explaining particular features of your topic. Don’t expect that your readers will understand your point after reading a few words that you consider a “well-known fact”. We also suggest not including unnecessary information. For example, if you’re writing about the role of Abraham Lincoln in the abolition of slavery, don’t write about his childhood or private life.

Transitions

The common feature of good essays is transitional constructions. Use such phrases as “moreover”, “on the other hand”, “furthermore”, and so on.

These transitions help your readers understand where one sentence ends, and another sentence begins. It also gives a reader a short pause between arguments, so your essay won’t be too boring, and your readers will be able to perceive new information naturally.

Let’s take a look at the second paragraph of the body:

Obviously, we all are in a sense like Thomas Edison. Every time we have to master a certain skill (driving, painting, cooking, etc.), we go through many mistakes, to learn how to make it right. Of course, some people are able to go from the theory right to the successful result, but these are exceptions rather than a rule. We cannot cook a tasty pie without smashing a few eggs, so the whole process of learning is a sequence of mistakes that turn into experience.

This is an example of a good body paragraph, and it also illustrates how you can use transitions.

The Conclusion

Even though it’s the last part of the essay, it shouldn’t be considered a separated part. It still must be devoted to your topic, and tied to the thesis statement.

A fun fact is that the conclusion is somewhat similar to the introduction – these two sections have a lot in common. Just like the introduction, this part is short, and it’s able to either make your essay great or break it.

This paragraph should begin with a transition phrase, which is a peculiar “hook” of the conclusion. This phrase leads to your thesis statement, since you have to remind it once again, in order to help your readers bring all arguments together.

Generally, you may repeat your thesis statement four or five times, so make sure that you don’t use the exact same words every time. You should repeat your ideas in different words, not copying your own sentences over and over again. The conclusion is also a good place to remind your strongest arguments.

At the end of the essay, write a sentence that pushes your readers to action, or explains how your thoughts may be used.

In the end, we see that mistakes help us learn and improve our skills. There are many examples in science and everyday life that show us how important mistakes are. The main thing is not to consider each mistake as a fail. Mistakes can teach us more than successes, being steps on the way to improvement.

Do: Be strong. Your conclusion must be brief and persuasive, so it may be not an easy task. However, we suggest taking your time and take this task as serious as possible, since it’s your last chance to make your readers agree with you. You have to be confident. If you think that your arguments are obvious, make sure that every reader will think so.

Don’t: Don’t write the same words again and again. Although the conclusion must express the same ideas as the introduction, make sure that these parts of the essay don’t sound the same. Show how good your writing skills are.

Generally, the structure of the essay looks like this:

Introduction

A hook
A thesis statement
A brief outline of your arguments

Body Paragraph 1

A transition from the general topic to the subtopic
Examples
An explanation of how your examples prove your thesis statement

Body Paragraph 2

Another subtopic, and a transition
Examples
An explanation of how your examples prove your thesis statement

Body Paragraph 3

Another subtopic, and a transition
Examples
An explanation of how your examples prove your thesis statement

Conclusion

A transition, and a thesis statement
Mentions of subtopics and the main topic
A sentence that motivates your readers to act or think

Other Tips

Plan your work. Even if you have too little time, and want to write the whole essay right now, we suggest taking your time and prepare. Planning your essay, you are able to find the best arguments instead of writing the first things that come to your mind.

Determine which idea is the most familiar to you. If you know a lot about a certain thing, write about it first. The success of the entire essay depends on how you sort your ideas by importance.

Try not to repeat yourself word for word. Add some variance, and use your writing skills.

If you’re writing about wealth, you can also say “prosperity”, or “welfare”. At the same time, try not to use obvious constructions that consist of a subject, verb, and a direct object. Creativity takes more time, but you’ll be rewarded for your effort.

Practice!

It’s almost impossible to write a perfect essay from the very first time. You may read this article and feel confident, but don’t forget that theory always looks easier than practice.

Try to write more. Choose topics that are simple for your, try to make the proper structure, taking into account all our tips. You’ll see how your skills improve with each new essay, and you’ll easily write an essay on any topic when the time comes.

How To Write A Good Quality Essay

Teachers often try their students with writing some papers. This way they want to check what knowledge the latter have got. If you receive an assignment to write an essay, we would like to give you some tips how to do it right.

Idea and research

First of all, you should collect all the relevant information on a subject. You can look for it on the internet. Start writing with a thesis statement, that is, an idea of your essay. For that you should have some background knowledge.

Find out what topics and sources (primary and secindary) your teacher would accept
Find a decent essay to check how many sources should be there and how they should be cited
Do not use Wikipedia as a source
Make notes, which later will help with the idea. To save time, note all citations as they should be
Prove your idea. However, do not miss any information that may contradict your opinion. You should have good points to underpin your idea.

Analyze another essay

Study one of good essays so that you know how a paper should be structured and written, that is, introduction, body, conclusion etc. Of course, you should not copy that paper but write your own.

What arguments are used and how they are underpinned
How good the structure, thesis statement, vocabulary, sources etc. are there
What the author concludes and what answers they give
How effective the research and specific writing are

Decide on main idea

You may have many thoughts, but you cannot write them all down. You should choose one idea and put it in the thesis statement that you are going to develop and support throughout the whole text.

Make a list of all your ideas and points
Check lists on other subjects to have a notice
Stick to your schedule. When you write the final sentence, it is still not over.

Thesis statement should be clear

Check your list of ideas
Which one can you dwell on the most? Pick one, make a few points and underpin them. Make a conclusion.
Write a clear thesis statement. It should explain the main idea of your essay. It should interest the reader.
Your thesis statement should focus on what you are going to present, so that the reader can know if the information is important for them.
Essay should focus on a particular subject with particlar sources and evidences.
Do not write your paper in the first person unless it is a reflective essay or a personal statement.

Plan your writing and prepare a final draft

When you know what and how to write, you save a lot of time. The introduction and thesis statement go first, of course. But do not hurry and at first make an outline. It looks like a table of contents, but it helps to move on in your writing. You will know when you need an argument and evidence. Therefore, your essay will be smooth.

Writing the body

In the body you explain and prove or deny the idea mentioned in the introduction. Overall, an essay should not be too big. A few paragraphs will be fine. You should always get straight to the point so the paper is concise and understandable. If your essay appears to be long, make it shorter. People don’t like long reads.

Choose the title wisely

Check other essays on the same subject for the titles if you don’t make up with your own. This way you can see what the reader might want to read.

Do not use cliche phrases. People know you are presenting your idea. Use various vocabulary.
You should start from a bit far, to talk on a general problem, and then come up to the specific issue you have been investigating. The thesis statement is a sort of conclusion of your introduction.
Your essay should not be more than one page long. Paragraphs should be short too, so the reader won’t feel bored.

Conclusion

Mind that the conclusion should not have any examples. You summarize what you have already been said and prove your main idea.

Conclusion should give answers to introduction, thesis statement
You can provide your thesis statement again but in a different way. Now you have evidences that support your idea, so you can prove it

Grant Proposal: Tips on Planning and Writing

If you’re going to write a grant proposal, it means that you’re dealing with valuable research or feel passionate about developing a community resource. Perhaps, you have a clear understanding of how something can be improved so you’re looking for funding to make your vision come true.

While developing your grant proposal, you shouldn’t be afraid to use your imagination. Grant proposal writing is a creative process, so it’s not that different from fiction writing. We recommend that you approach this task with excitement, thinking of how your ideas will become real. Your idea is great, and you can achieve your goal. All you have to do is convince others and make them as excited about your idea as you are. Check out this guide from Paper Due Now to write an outstanding grant proposal.

Overview

We are going to provide you with some tips on how to approach your grant proposal and to plan it properly. We recommend that you consider the overall purposes of your grant proposal, the audience, and expectations, to make sure that your information will be applicable in different contexts. Nevertheless, the general approach implies certain limitations. First, you need advice tailored to your particular field of study. Secondly, you should follow certain instructions and your proposal must meet the requirements of the granting agencies.

Talk to mentors, professors, and people who have received grants already. We also recommend that you contact the funding group or agency you’re applying to and find reliable advisors to understand what your grant proposal should look like. Any feedback is valuable.

Before writing the grant proposal itself, we suggest that you:

Plan what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it;
Think of how your plan will achieve the necessary results;
Research the organization to learn more about its mission;
Check out sample proposals from your department or organization.

Once you’ve done everything from the list above, write the first draft of your proposal.

Additional Resources About Grant Writing

You can visit a library at your university and learn all you need to know about granting institutions, grant proposal writing, and grants, in general. We also recommend that you visit the official website of your university and search for useful resources.

Purpose, Audience, and Expectations

A grant proposal is a straightforward and clear document intended for a particular funding agency or organization. The main goal is to persuade your audience to provide you with support. To do it, you should demonstrate that you are responsible and have a detailed plan.

When planning your grant proposal and writing your draft, ask yourself the following questions.

Who is your audience?
Think of who will read your proposal. What are the goals and mission of this agency? Is your goal aligned with their values? Does your audience know anything about your field? If you answer these questions, you will better understand how to present your plan, what background you should provide, and what vocabulary to use. We also recommend that you select the information that will be most persuasive for this particular audience. In some cases, statistics and numbers may have the strongest effect, and sometimes, it’s better to provide recommendations and testimonials. You should develop your argument depending on the nature of your audience.
What are the expectations for your grant?
Consider all the requirements of the granting organization in detail. Your proposal should meet these requirements. We recommend that you ignore any advice that contradicts these requirements, including suggestions from this website, because some general tips may turn out to be useless in your particular situation.
How to establish your credibility?
You should present yourself as a knowledgeable expert and establish your credibility by demonstrating the strengths of your plan. You should prove the value and importance of your plan, as well as your solid knowledge of your field. Provide references to your previous accomplishments and prove your ability to succeed with this project. We also recommend that you mention any partnerships that you’ve had with the various individuals and organizations.
How to present your plan logically and clearly?
You should organize your proposal in a logical way. Create several sections with clear headings and make sure that the content of every section corresponds to the heading. You should also make sure that your content meets the requirements for grant proposals of the granting agency. Grant proposals are clear and straightforward. It means that you shouldn’t use metaphors or allusions. We suggest that you stick with a clear and simple language so that your readers can understand your message easily. However, you can use vivid imagery or interesting stories if they allow you to illustrate the importance of your proposal and its urgency.

Common Elements of Grant Proposals

Usually, grant proposals have several distinct sections. The titles of the sections depend on specific guidelines of a certain organization. However, they usually serve the same functions. In the list below, we consider some of the common elements of grant proposals and their purposes, along with tips that will help you write these sections successfully. We also recommend that you use the headings defined by the call for proposals and follow the grant’s guidelines.

Short Overview (a.k.a. “executive summary” or “abstract”)
In this section, you should present the most important points of your proposal as briefly as possible. Longer proposals may require you to provide a full page for the overview. However, quite often, this section can be one paragraph long. No matter the length of your proposal, the overview should answer the following questions:
- What’s the problem you’re going to solve and the goal of your project?
- What outcomes do you expect from your project and how you’re going to achieve them?
- How will you evaluate the success of your project?
- Why is your project important?
- Who are you?

Some granting organizations may also require you to specify the amount of funding that you need. Build your abstract around the purpose and mission of your project. A good approach is to include the main concepts and terms from the organization’s mission statement. Although your abstract or summary is the first section of your grant proposal, we recommend that you write it last. It will be easier for you to write a short overview when all the other sections are ready.

Examination of a Problem or Need (a.k.a. “problem statement,” “statement of need,” “needs assessment,” “statement of problem,” or “literature review”)
The importance of your project can be explained by a gap in knowledge, resources or opportunity that you’re going to fill. To explain the value of your project, we recommend that you clarify the need you respond to. First, you have to establish the context, or background, of your problem. For example, if this problem is related to a certain population, describe this group of people and include the necessary data. When looking for an academic grant, this section may look like a brief literature review that demonstrates your extensive knowledge of the topic and understanding of the scholarly context, as well as its significance. However, even academic grants require you to explain what impact your project will make and how it will contribute to solving a specific academic problem.
Description of the Project (a.k.a. “project goals, methodology, and objectives,” “strategies and tactics,” or “project narrative”)
Now that you’ve explained the need for your project, describe the project itself. We recommend that you answer the following questions:
- What are your research questions?
- What are the goals of your project?
- What will the outcomes look like? (Make your outcomes specific, achievable, measurable, timely, and realistic).
- What methods will you use, and how you’re going to achieve your goals?
- Why do you think that your project will respond to the need or problem productively?
- What is the estimated timeline for your project?

Some of these questions focus on the impact of your project. The impact is especially important because the funders want to see the real benefits of your project and understand how they can evaluate your achievements.

Budget (a.k.a. “resources”)
When asking for funding or support of any kind, you should clarify what exactly you need and why you need a particular amount. Usually, budgets are presented in the form of figures and tables. Make sure that every amount is properly labeled. Your budget should be followed by a justification statement that explains all the kinds of costs, equipment, and material which are necessary for your project.
Other Sections that Might Be Required
- Cover Letter
  Sometimes, you may need to write a cover letter before your grant proposal. Cover letters allow you to introduce yourself as a seeking individual or organization, establishing your professionalism and describing your project. It’s a good opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm.
- Organizational Qualifications
  If you represent and non-profit organization, you may need to write a particular section devoted to the mission, nature, and functions of your organization. Quite often, this part is located near the section that examines a problem.
- Supporting Documents
  You may also need to provide supporting materials at the end of your grant proposal as an appendix. You may include additional endorsements, records, personal bios for your employees, status information, and letters of support from other groups and organizations you’re partnering with. Make sure that all the documentation from this section is directly related to your proposal.

General Tips

Mind the agency’s key interests

If the call for proposals or the funding organization’s mission contains keywords, try to use these terms in your own proposal. However, don’t try to use as many keywords as you can. The main point is to help your audience understand the connection between their purpose and your project.

Use numbered lists to organize ideas

Quite often, people use numbered lists to organize the key ideas within a proposal. You may start such a list with phrases like “This plan involves the following stages…” or “The main goals of this project are…” The use of numbers allows you to present your information efficiently, making your proposal easy to comprehend.

Write customized proposals

Looking for grant funding involves certain competition so you may apply for several grants from different funding agencies. If you choose this approach, make sure that your proposal responds to specific expectations, interests, and guidelines of each agency. We recommend that you never use the same proposal over and over again. In addition, if you’re applying to several sources at the same time, you should think strategically, clearly understanding what kind of support you need from every organization. For example, do your research and determine which source is more likely to cover the cost of personnel, and which will likely support your request for materials.

Don’t reject small grants

Both big grant opportunities and small grant opportunities are important and can be useful. Moreover, if you’ve already found a smaller grant, it might increase your chances to get a larger grant. If a couple of stakeholders have already supported your project, it will increase your credibility.

Never give up and write more

Writing a grant proposal is difficult because you need to carefully analyze your vision and approach your solution critically, responding to a certain problem or gap. Even experienced grant writers often face rejections. Nevertheless, if you keep writing, you’ll be able to justify your objectives and to determine the most productive methods. The more you write about your project, the better you understand what the grant committee is looking for. In addition, even if you’ve already received a grant, it doesn’t mean that the writing should stop. There are many grants that require you to provide updates and reports on a regular basis, so you should be ready for it.

Successful Sample Grant Proposals

The most effective way to learn how to write grant proposals is to check out good samples. We decided to provide you with an example of a successful proposal and we encourage you to analyze it so that you know what to focus on and what makes a strong proposal. You can also look for more samples on the internet, understanding what are the most persuasive and effective writing techniques.

Application for HEX Fellowship (2018-2019)

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION

Name
Student ID Number
Phone
Email address
Madison Address, Zip
Department(s)	English Department
Intended Degree	PhD
Year in Program (bold one)	MA student\|PhD student\|Dissertator
Anticipated Graduation Date	Spring 2019
Proposed Title of Your HEX Project	This Is My Home: Housing Issues in Madison
Community Partner (if known)	Tenant Resource Center

PART II: PROJECT INFORMATION

Project Goals (300 Words):

The population of Madison represents only 48% of the overall county’s population while including 73% of the county’s low-income households, which means a tremendous need for affordable housing. There are thousands of families whose housing is being put at risk. What resources do they have? My proposed project, “This Is My Home: Housing Issues in Madison,” will partner with the Tenant Resource Center to serve as a platform for people whose lives are affected by the current situation with housing in Madison, creating a series of podcasts and aiming for the development of new ways of communicating tenant rights.

Next year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Go Big Read will host several events dedicated to Matthew Desmond’s Evicted. Given the issue of housing justice, I consider my project a connection between the Madison community and the University. My project will provide information on Madison housing regulation, rights, and development in the form of interviews with activists, legislators, and community members, which focus on low-income neighborhoods. Five podcast segments will address issues highlighted in Evicted in the context of individual experiences and Madison politics. The series of podcast segments will be hosted on a web page that will also include a forum and informational resources. The TRC described this project as “exciting,” because it allows for speaking to a wider audience. My main goal is to help people who face systematic inequalities of the housing system and to let them share their experiences so that the community can better understand the problem. The idea of this project is to ensure a better understanding of other people’s experiences while also informing the audience about how policies are enforced.

Target Audience (300 Words):

This project aims to engage different types of audience. I’ve conducted interviews with people whose lives have been affected by housing policy, focusing on such issues as accessibility and affordability. I hope that their voice will help to illustrate the issues these people are dealing with and the circumstances that prevent them from accessing affordable housing.

Every episode of the podcast will focus on one family or person whose story will be complemented by other interviews from people who have the same experience or knowledge of this subject. These interviews will illustrate Madison’s housing history in the broader context. The series of podcasts will also include interviews with TRC staff members who understand the regulatory and legal issues associated with tenants rights. One of the goals of this project is to highlight the administrative structure and to encourage collaboration among different levels of administration. This project will also help the TRC communicate with tenants who otherwise wouldn’t call the Center for counseling.

As a volunteer, I can access the communities. The cases handled by TRC staff will serve as the basis for interviews with people who are at risk. Fieldwork research and my collaboration with Professor Revel Brown have allowed me to summarize the available information on Madison housing and key figures in governmental and non-profit sectors.

Methodology (300-400 Words):

Conducting the necessary number of interviews will require a lot of time and effort. However, I have already established good relationships with researchers and community members. Given the fact that I’m already working at the TRC, it will be easier for me to gain the trust of people who need housing assistance to interview them. I am aware of the risks associated with interviewing people who speak out against the abuse of power and my goal is to establish trust by demonstrating respect for the privacy and a commitment to community-based work.

I’m going to spend 3 hours a week as a housing counselor, improving my understanding of housing law and the mission of the TRC. In addition, I will spend 2 to 4 hours a week conducting interviews and working with the raw material. The interviews will be conducted at the Center or another community location, as well as over the phone. I have the necessary experience in video and sound editing, which allows me to produce a high-quality piece. At the same time, this is a time-consuming process so I anticipate that the editing process will take a few weeks.

I’ve contacted Madison 365 — a website that mostly focuses on Madison’s communities of color to make sure that they will include my short segments in their own podcast. In addition, every episode I produce will be available on a website provided by UW and distributed with the help of the Go Big Read project, along with the TRC website and local media. Longer segments are intended for nationally distributed podcasts.

I’m going to evaluate the success of the project depending on its reach, analyzing the traffic on websites. However, I think that the success of the project is determined not only by the number of people who hear the podcast. While working at the TRC, I realized that people not only want to be informed about their rights but also to be heard. Understanding that there is someone who wants to listen to them will help these people fight the feeling of helplessness. Providing a platform for these people is one of the most important goals of my project. I hope that it will improve communication between people with the same experiences who faced similar issues and who are looking for structural changes. To better understand the investment of participants and their access to the podcast, I will provide a brief questionnaire.

Timeline:

I am looking for a two-semester grant. As I already have communication with community partners established, I am going to prepare the project this summer and to start it this fall, to coordinate with the Go Big Read. I believe the distributing their production over the course of two semesters will help improve the quality and depth of the project, while also improving our understanding of Madison’s housing system.

Summer:Coordinate with Revel Brown’s urban planning class to establish a network of potential interviewees and to collect the necessary information on Madison housing regulation. Conduct research.

Examine recent methodologies.

Brainstorm on themes for segments.

Coordinate with the TRC.

Early Fall: Conduct interviews.

Mid-October: First podcast segment.

Early December: Second podcast segment; distribute questionnaires.

Early Spring: Conduct interviews.

Late February: Third podcast segment.

Early April: Fourth podcast segment; distribute questionnaires.

Mid-May: Final longer segment.

Community Connections (150 Words):

As a graduate student, I have gained knowledge of the conditions of racial disparities, poverty, and systematic inequalities common among the communities that surround the university. I volunteered as a counselor for Community Justice, Inc., a law firm in Madison. I have experience in working with individuals that need legal assistance for civil and criminal issues. At that time, I became interested in housing problems in Madison, and this experience pushed me to volunteer at the TRC to focus on the housing issues. I have established good relationships with the executive director and the campus programming coordinator. I am familiar with the networks of government agencies and non-profit organizations assisting low-income families and individuals, which allows me to analyze Madison’s housing structure.

I also worked as an instructor at the Oakhill Humanities for three years, which helped me better understand the specifics of public humanities programming.

Academic Research (300 Words):

My main research interests lie in queer theory and LGBTQ cultural history. My dissertation investigates how socially vulnerable populations build their identities, relations, and affiliations. I consider this project an opportunity to explain different configurations of supportive alliances while using my previous research to illustrate structural inequality. My minor coursework focuses on the language of disciplinarity and its impact on academic research. I hope that this grant will help me illustrate common problems, using the first-person narrative to explain issues surrounding housing crisis in Madison.

Analyzing previous HEX projects, I paid particular attention to Rebecca Summer and Garrett Nelson’s “Goodman to Garver: Stories of Place on Madison’s East Side.” Their work focuses on a particular neighborhood, which inspired me to narrow my scope. I will also take into account their work to interpret Madison’s housing crisis.

This project has been heavily influenced by ProPublica’s model of journalism, and Nikole Hannah-Jones’ coverage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, in particular.

Analyzing the relationship between public activism and humanities research, I have been interested in Housing Works, a non-profit from New York City. Their center includes studio space and bookstore. This is not only a business model but also an attempt to make sure that the target audience, including people who suffer from HIV/AIDS, have the necessary resources and can access a community space, sharing their experiences related to housing problems. I hope that my project will be a starting point for an online community space that represents vulnerable communities of Madison.

Essay Outline: Writing Tips

If you have a thesis statement, it doesn’t mean that you’re prepared to write your essay. You should clearly understand what this essay will look like and what are your key points. This is where an outline comes in handy. Outlining your essay can help you make sure that your writing will be logical and complete, with no repetition and gaps.

Another reason to write an outline is that it can help you manage your time efficiently. Just break down your essay into sections, and write a draft for every section within a certain period of time. Keep in mind that the introduction might take a lot of time to write, so we recommend that you write it when the rest of your essay is ready.

Preparation

Planning and outlining are not the first steps of the writing process. First of all, you should decide on the length of your assignment. You may have many interesting ideas, but before you write an outline, you should decide how many ideas you’re going to include in your essay and which of them are the most important ones. For instance, if you need to write a 1,000-word essay and you have five main arguments, it means that you should cover every argument in 150 words. Think of whether this amount of words is enough to tell your readers everything that you consider important.

Your arguments should be equally relevant to your topic and equally developed. therefore if you feel that you will need 400 words for one argument but you won’t be able to write more than 150 words for another, we recommend that you get rid out the unnecessary argument.

To make sure that you’re ready to write your outline, take a look at this checklist. Do you have everything you need?

An interesting topic;
A thesis statement;
Arguments that will support your thesis. All the arguments are equally relevant and the length of your assignment allows you to address every point properly.

The Structure of an Outline

This is an example of an outline written using the linear style. Here, all the points are sorted by importance. You should consider your arguments in relation to your topic and write a bulleted or numbered list. You can check out a formal structure with numbers and letters, below.

As you can see, the subgroups are indented to the right. Therefore, as you move to the right, the ideas get more specific. This is an effective and easy way to organize your essay visually.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to write complete sentences at this stage. All you have to do is shut down your key ideas and plan the overall structure of your essay. The best outline is the one that allows you to read it and summarize your essay so that somebody who is completely unfamiliar with the topic can understand you.

If your audience can naturally follow your arguments, it means that you’ve created a successful outline and now you can start writing your first draft. If people have any questions, you may want to develop your outline. Perhaps, some of your arguments are not connected logically, or you may need to clarify something. Keep in mind that your audience may not be as familiar with your topic as you are, so make sure to provide the necessary background information.

Introduction
1. Your topic
2. Attention-grabbing sentence
3. Your thesis statement
The first key idea
1. Supporting argument
  1. Details
  2. Details
The second key idea
1. Supporting argument
  1. Details
  2. Details
The third key idea
1. Supporting argument
  1. Details
  2. Details
Conclusion
Details

A Sample Outline

We prepared an outline for a persuasive essay with a thesis statement, three main arguments, and supporting evidence. Every paragraph starts with a topic sentence to make sure that your readers will understand you clearly. You can also take a look at this outline and quickly understand what arguments have the most support, and what may need some development.

In the example below, you can see a common essay structure. There are three arguments that support the thesis with evidence. The structure moves from more general points to the more specific ones. However, some essays are written using different approaches. In addition, your essay may include more than three parts, depending on the type of assignment and the topic.

Introduction
The topic: is downloading music for free theft?
1. There are different opinions on this matter.
2. The internet and digital formats make downloading music easier than ever.

Thesis statement: Downloading music without permission is stealing.

Key idea #1: Downloading music without permission is a legal issue.
1. Supporting arguments:
  1. Taking something from someone without permission is theft.
  2. Artists and record labels own the rights to their music.
  3. Music is intellectual property so taking it must be considered a criminal act.
Key idea #2: This is an ethical issue.
1. Supporting arguments:
  1. Morality (the difference between right and wrong).
  2. There is no difference between downloading music for free and stealing a record from a store.
  3. Intangible property should be treated just like tangible property.
Key idea #3: Free downloads cause a loss of income.
1. Supporting arguments:
  1. Musicians make music because they love it but for them, the music is also a source of income. Free downloads make musicians and record labels lose money, having a significant negative impact on the whole industry.
  2. Therefore, such actions affect all the jobs related to the music industry.
  3. If musicians and record labels don’t profit off the music, the quality of the music will decrease and the record companies won’t bring talented musicians to the public.
Conclusion
1. Even though so many people download music for free, it must be considered a crime. This is wrong in both ethical and legal contexts, having a negative impact on the music industry.
2. Restate your thesis statement: Downloading music without permission is theft.

[UPDATED] Essay Writing: General Tips 2021