Essay Writing Skills

1st Year

Martina Raftery & Colette Fahy

26th October 2016

Outline
Assignment Brief
Research
Structure and Outline
Academic Writing
Critical Thinking
Referencing

Assignment
Essay
2,000 Words
15th of December 2016 by 9.30am
Submit hard copy to Visual Culture
Your essay must contain a bibliography of all
materials used for research and reference.

Essay Question
Choose one of the 12 Visual Culture seminar
texts, and apply the central ideas of the text to
one or two contemporary objects or images
from Fine Art, Design, Media or visual/material
culture.
Establish the Key Issues.
Discuss the work

Discuss?
1. Analyse a topics individual parts
2. Construct an argument
3. Arrive at a well supported conclusion

Understand key Essay Terms

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/writing/writingresources/essay-terms

Break the Task Down

1. Detailed Description
Identify central ideas of text
Remember you have been asked to
discuss an image/object and not an
artist/designer
2. Critical Understanding
Establish key issues
Three Main Points on issues raised by
image/object

Description
Style of the work?
How was it made?
Appearance in detail
Who created the work?

Sen Hillen, Newry Gagarin

#6, 1992, photo collage, 46 x
30cm

How does it fit into the career of the

artist/designer?

Socio-Political
When Context
was the work created?
How does it reflect the social and political
climate of this time?
How does this work relate to the present?

Meaning
Theme of the work
The subject matter (if relevant)
Social and cultural meanings embodied in the
work

Grayson Perry, The Adoration of the Cage Fighters, 2012, wool, cotton,
acrylic, polyester and silk tapestry, 200 x 400 cm

Audience/Viewer/Consumer

Who is the artist/designers

intended
audience/viewer/consumer?

Display
How is the work displayed in the
museums/galleries/screens of the real world?
What context does this create for the work?

Other Work

How does the work connect to other work

and mediums of similar content, narrative or
discourse?

Research

You must use a variety of academic sources

This can include: books, peer reviewed journal
articles, published reports, reliable websites, films
and documentaries
Do not rely on one main source

Trustworthy
Source?
Recently dated
Published by a legitimate publishing company,
peer reviewed journal or website
Authors are knowledgeable experts
Academic writing: use of correct spelling,
grammar and proper terminology
Ideally use websites for your own understanding
and then reference other academic sources
No Wikipedia

Reliable Evidence and

Sources
NCAD Library
http://www.ncad.ie/library/visit-us/

NCAD Online
Journals
http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/nc
ad/

NIVAL
www.nival.ie

Google Scholar
https://scholar.google.com/

Essay Structure

What makes a Good Essay?

Answers the question asked.
Shows understanding of the
subject.
Uses a range of sources.
Puts forward a clear argument.
Is logically structured and
ordered.

An Essay Template?

Many ways to write an

essay.
Must address the essay
question.
Check with lecturer.
Your chance to explore
and express.

Balanced Argument
Show how others have
disagreed with your
argument.
Bring in other voices.
Respond to them.
Strengthens your
argument.
Weave throughout essay
or have separate section.

Writing an Essay Step by Step

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Understand the Question.

Research and gather references.
Brainstorm.
Plan.
Write.
Proof.

Essay Construction
Your conclusion is the roof of
your argument. It seals your
essay.
The body contains the main
themes. Like the rooms of a
house, they are connected
but each has a different
purpose.
The introduction is the first
layer
References form the
foundation

Introduction
Introduce the topic why is it interesting?
Lay out a roadmap for the reader.
State the thesis or
argument.

Remember:
Write your introduction after the main body of
the essay.

Key Phrases: Introduction

The objective of this essay is
The essay will focus on.
This essay will aim to answer the
question
This essay will attempt to examine
This essay will explore

Main Body
3 to 5 main points.
Each point:
Introduce,
Back up with expert opinion,
Summarise.
1. Tell them what youre going to tell them.
2. Tell them it.
3. Tell them what youve told them.

Key Phrases: Main Body

It is argued that
It is proposed that
The authors posit that
The authors assert that
In addition,.
Furthermore,
Significantly

Conclusion
Summarise key points
Reference the larger issue
Have you supported your argument?
Never bring in new information unless
making a point about future directions
in the discussed topic

Key Phrases:
Conclusion
In conclusion,
To summary
In consideration of this

Academic Phrasebank
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Word Count
Introduction 200 words
Descriptive Background 400 words
Main Point 1 400 words
Main Point 2 400 words
Main Point 3 400 words
Conclusion 200 words
Total 2,000 words
Remember this is an example.
Adjust your plan to fit in all your key points.

Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are statements of
what a student should know,
understand or be able to do at the end
of a learning activity
Important to consider the Learning
Outcomes as these are the criteria you
need to demonstrate to your lecturers

Learning Outcomes: Research

Use an appropriate range of
academic sources that relate to your
topic and current practices in fine art
or design and broader cultural and
critical issues

Learning Outcomes: Analysis

Show a critical awareness of the influences in
art, design and culture which form the
foundation of visual and material production

Learning Outcomes:
Communication
Successfully communicate research,
analysis and initiative in coherent
and relevant forms. (expression,
clarity, spelling, grammar,
punctuation.)

Academic Writing
Express yourself clearly and concisely
Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation
Structure essay into paragraphs and use
subheadings
Not overly descriptive
Minimal use of I, my, me
Explore, probe or question
Offers an argument, critique, judgment

Academic writing is not

about:
Long complicated words/sentences
Sweeping statements
Revolutionary original ideas
Opinion pieces or emotional accounts
Conversational writing style

Critical Thinking
Skills
Knowledge: Identification of information
Comprehension: Organisation of facts and
ideas
Application: Use of theory, principles and
facts
Analysis: Separating a whole into its parts
Synthesis: Combining ideas to form a new
whole

Remember
Balanced argument
Reference experts
Be respectful
Make a constructive suggestion
Provide a recognition of the limitations of
your own argument

Struggling?
Look over your outline
Start with the bits you know
Have a chat with classmates
Ask tutor for clarification

Rules
Use UK spelling e.g. colour rather
than color
Double space your writing
Dont over rely on quotes
Use font size 12
Proofread
Reference

Proof and Edit

What to look for:
Relevant to topic?
Back up points - bring in expert
opinions?
Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation
Formatting
Referencing
Strategies: Spell-Check, text to
speech, swap with a friend, print
out and doodle

NCAD Referencing System

Harvard Style

Why Reference?

Credit your sources

Demonstrate readings
Bring in experts opinions
Strengthen your argument
Avoid plagiarism accidental or not
Professional integrity

MARK AIRS/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Quote
To directly use another's
work/words and acknowledge the
source
Rule
Short quotations (less than 3 lines) in
quotation marks within the text
Long quotations (over 3 lines) indented in
a separate paragraph with no quotation
marks

Quotation
It takes a great deal of time and
thought to install work carefully. This
should not always be thrown
away.Most art is fragile and some
should be placed and never moved
again (Judd, 1987, p. 35).

Paraphrase
To express anothers work/words in
your own words and acknowledge
the source
Rule
Never use quotation marks
Always cite in text

Paraphrasing
Judd placed a great importance on
the curation of work, remarking
that this process should take a
large amount of time and thought
to be done correctly (1987, p. 35).

Citations in the Text

Author
Year
Page Number
(Smith, 1990, p. 25)
Use citations wherever you make use of
an authors work either quotes,
paraphrasing or summarising.
Two authors (Smith and Blake, 2000, p.7)
More than three authors (Smith et al.
1999, p.100)

Image in Text

Fig. 1 Pablo Picasso Girl Before a Mirror(1932) Oil on canvas,

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Bibliography
Placed at the end of your essay
List ALL material consulted
List it alphabetically by authors name
Follow NCAD Harvard Style guidelines
Citation software - Zotero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8SfO4N2OMc

Bibliography - Book
Author/editors name), (year of
publication in parenthesis), Title in
Italics. Place of publication:
publisher.
Poyner, R. (1998) Design without Boundaries.
London: Booth-Clibborn Editions.

Bibliography
Chapter with Different
Authors

Author, (year in parenthesis),

title of chapter or essay then
write in followed by name & initial
of editor/overall author, Title in
Italics. Place of publication:
publisher, page number(s).
Smith, P. J. (1997) British Art in the 1980s
and 1990s in Murphy, B. (ed), Art from
Britain. Sidney: Museum of Contemporary

Bibliography
Web Resource
Author/ editors name, (year in
parenthesis), Title in Italics.
Place of Publication: Publisher (if
ascertainable). Available from:
URL (Accessed: date)
Holland, M. (2004) Guide to Citing Internet
Sources. Poole: Bournemouth University.
Available at:
http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk.library/usin
g/guide_to_citing_internet_sources.html
(Accessed: 4 November 2004)

Bibliography
Journal Article
Author, (year of publication), title of
article, title of journal in italics,
volume number (part number), page
numbers of article.
Dawes, J. and Rowley, J. (1998)
'Enhancing the customer experience:
contributions from information
technology', Management Decision,
36(5), pp. 350-357

Bibliography
Film
Title of film (Year of
Distribution) Director
[Material designation]. Place
of distribution: Distribution
Company.
Macbeth (1948) Directed by
Orson Welles [Film]. USA:
Republic Pictures

Some Exceptions
No page number (just leave it out!)
Anonymous work - use title of work (Treasures of
Art, 1990, p.84)
No author or year (website) - use title as author
and n.d. for year
If no main author (video or film) use the title
Exact year unknown (ca. 1750) or (n. d.)
More than one publication - use letters to
distinguish and list chronologically in bibliography
(Smith, 1988a, p.1)

Where to Find the

Guidelines?

NCAD Website Visual Culture Section

http://www.ncad.ie/students/student-academic-information/visual-culture-programmeinformation/

Checks for potential plagiarism

and provides feedback to you and
assess your work quickly.

Why Use?
Before submitting written academic assignments to
lecturers/ depts, a final check for plagiarism will ensure
that the writing is original and well cited.
Plagiarism is often unintentional and students may not
realize they have accidentally plagiarized.
TurnItIn will do a quick and thorough check of papers for
similar work. Using TurnItIn
will give you peace of mind that your essays are
plagiarism-free.

TurnItIn
You are being asked to use TurnItIn software
yourself to check for plagiarism before submitting
your academic work.
You will receive information on how to set up your
account and use it through your college email.
It will provide the information which allows you to
join a class on the Turnitin website

Process
Upload your written material to turnitin
A similarity check provides a basic indication of how
much information contained in a specific submission
is matched to other sources in the Turnitin repository.
Direct quotation, citations, or bibliography areas of
the paper are checked by the lecturer / department.

Contd
When your work is submitted a comparison
document called an Originality Report is produced.
This document details the matching or similar text
between a submission made on Turnitin and other
sources.
The Originality Report can be downloaded or printed

Time
Management
The Organised Student
http://theorganisedstudent.tumblr.com/printables
Prioritise with to do lists
7th 14th March - Description
14th 21st March Main Point 1
21st 28th March Main Point 2
28th 4th April Main Point 3
4th 11th April Introduction and Conclusion

Need Help?

Opening Hours: Mon Fri 9.00am

5.00pm
Email:
learningsupport@staff.ncad.ie