Writing the first draft

When you have read extensively, and assimilated and summarised sufficiently, it is time to write the first draft of your assignment.

• Write an introduction in which you introduce your topic and outline and summarise your approach to the subject.
• Write your essay in your own words. It is important that it should not consist of chunks lifted from various sources, clumsily linked together. See the section on Legal and ethical use.
• A critical essay should indicate to your lecturer that you have:
  • understood and thoroughly researched the topic.
  • exhausted the topic within the terms of reference you were given.
  • emphasised certain factors and aspects.
  • interpreted data.
  • compared facts, points of view, etc.
  • evaluated points of view, arrived at some independent conclusions.
  • presented the points in your argument in a logical, reasoned flow.
  • summarised, reached a logical conclusion and been able to make recommendations.
• You will not necessarily be doing all of the above in one particular essay, as your conclusion will obviously depend on the nature of the assignment and what you set out to do.
• Pay particular attention to layout and numbering.
  • Number your pages as well as the various chapters, sections and sub-sections of your essay.
  • The easiest way to number is as follows:
    
    

    	1.    Introduction 2.    A definition of advertising 3.    Modes of manipulation       3.1 Propaganda in modern...       3.2 Misinformation...       3.3 Hard selling... 4.    ...etc.

    
    
  • It is considered good practice to number only up to the third level, e.g. 1.1.3. Thereafter it is better to use (a), (b) etc., or just to use bullets. Long number hierarchies become difficult to read.
• When you have exhausted the topic, write a conclusion summing up your main line of argument and your most important findings.