Essay Instructions

(from University of Washington)
ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF AN ESSAY

* An introduction, a body, and a conclusion: In a short essay such as this your introduction and conclusion should be one paragraph each. The body should consist of at least 3 paragraphs. As a general rule, a sufficiently developed paragraph in an academic essay should consist of at least 5 sentences.

* A thesis statement: Your thesis statement is one sentence that clearly and concisely states your position. The rest of the paper is the argument that you construct to support the thesis statement. A thesis statement should not simply be a statement of fact, because there is no need to construct an argument to support a simple statement of fact. A thesis statement should represent a position that others could conceivably argue with. A thesis statement typically appears in the introduction of the essay, though it is not often the first sentence in the introduction. A good thesis statement is vital to your essay's success because it defines the focus and purpose of your essay. If you are unable to write a good thesis statement, you are probably not very sure of what you want to say. Perhaps more important, the thesis statement determines the structure and content of your argument.

* Documentation: In your two integrative essays, you will be using sources that are not required reading for the course. In that case, you will need to document your use of those sources, with in-text citations as well as a Works Cited. If you need to brush up on documentation, visit the DDLS (Distance Degree Library Services) style guides page at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/electric/library/tutorial.html