Knowing a Tool to Academic Success

If one is good at speaking, does it mean he is also good at writing?  I have met a lot of people who are very good speakers.  In fact, when they speak, you'll be mesmerized to listen because of their beautiful American accent.  However, I wonder why when they write, their essays  are not even unified and cohesive.  It really puzzles me a bit on the inconsitencies of their English proficieny - they are very good in speaking, yet fairly good in writing. 

So, if you seem to have this kind of problem in writing, then this article is for you.  This will teach you some effective techniques in writing technical papers.

As every one knows  writing is an act of stringing words to convey meaning.  This intellectual activity is not that simple for it requires critical thinking.  You need to know how to put ideas together and to use appropriate transitions to achieve clarity in your entire essay.  Being able to convey your intended meaning in such a way that your readers can decipher requires the ability to organize your thoughts well. And this can be done by first gathering ideas/facts about a topic you will write on.  Then, after collecting details, organize these facts/ideas through an outline.  From an outline you have scribbled down, you are now ready develop an essay.

An essay consists of three parts:  Introduction, Body and Conclusion.  An introduction should be well written so as to catch readers' attention.  An essay is judged basically based on its introduction. Whether the readers will read your essay or not depends so much on how well your introduction was written.  An introduction must shed light on the topic of the essay.  Some effective techniques include the following:
 -  thought provoking question
-  anecdote
-  quotation/maxim
-  statistics or facts
- startling statement
-experience

The body of the essay, on the other hand, should consist of details that support the thesis or the central idea of the whole essay.  An essay may have one or more paragraphs depending on the topic at hand.  Each paragraph should have a topic sentence or main idea that supports the thesis of the entire essay. Develop each topic substantially and make sure these body paragraphs observe coherence through the use of appropriate transitions.

Finally, your essay must end with a sense of finality.  This part is called conclusion.  In ending any essay, you need to synthesize the main points discussed in the body and add implications as well. 

Remember, if you wish your essay to have a wide readership, all you need is an eye-catching introduction with coherent thoughts and most of all you have to avoid jargon or tehnical language  for it will only discourgae younger readers.