Introduction
Since 2001 I have worked by email with hundreds of students who have read How to Write Better Essays to help them tackle the problems they routinely have with writing essays. Now I want to extend the same help to all those who are faced with the challenge of researching and writing a dissertation.
To make this help accessible to more people, I have decided to run short courses lasting two to three weeks on different aspects of essays and dissertations. The courses will be run in a virtual classroom with 10 to 15 in each class. This not only reduces the cost of each course, but gives students the opportunity to share their concerns and problems with other students. That way you will benefit from the breadth of experience we all bring to the topic.
To extend this opportunity to even greater numbers, I have also decided to set up a forum on the website, so that anyone who has problems with essays or dissertations can ask for help. As the forum is open to anyone, I hope that students and tutors from around the world, who regularly contact me, will contribute to the site, helping students with these problems.
Of course, if there are problems you are reluctant to share with others even on this anonymous basis or if you just want clarification of any advice I have given in these books, email me and I will be happy to help.
As for Philosophy I am very happy to enter into the same sort of discussion. You will see that with the book comes access to a Palgrave website dedicated to the book, which contains a lot of material helpful to both students and teachers.
In the student zone you will find the complete notes on each chapter, essay plans for the typical questions set on many of the issues raised in the book, structured methods to help you develop your philosophical skills and explanations of some of the most difficult philosophical terms and problems.
In the teacher zone there is a wealth of material designed to help teachers to teach their courses, including tables and figures that feature in the book, along with questions, exercises and other material. Attached to the site I hope to develop a discussion forum where teachers of philosophy can not only exchange ideas on many of the intriguing issues discussed in the book, but help each other in the difficult art of teaching their subject.
How to Write Better Essays
If you have ever wondered why it is that while you struggle to get the simplest idea down on paper, others effortlessly write clear, elegant well-structured prose incorporating relevant and interesting ideas, this book is for you. It will take you through all the five key stages of essay writing showing you how to structure your ideas, develop your arguments consistently and present your ideas in a style that is concise and effective.
In the process you will not only develop your writing skills, but you will also learn how to improve your research, note-taking, reading and organisational skills. What’s more you will learn to think more analytically and creatively. You will develop your thinking skills: you will be taught how to analyse difficult concepts and arguments, synthesise ideas and evidence from different sources, discuss and criticise, and evaluate arguments and evidence.
Lastly, in the second edition, which was published in 2008, you will find a very helpful troubleshooting section that allows you to locate solutions to your writing problems immediately.
Philosophy
This is a clear, accessible introduction to the method and subject of philosophy. Written to meet the needs of students, each chapter is analysed into clear structures to help them use complex ideas confidently, with movements in thought represented on intellectual maps that allow them to see how each fits into the whole. With a complete glossary of key concepts, the text is enriched with fascinating insights into the lives and ideas of philosophers, which makes it an absorbing read.
How to Write your Undergraduate Dissertation
Published by Palgrave Macmillan.
(2009) ISBN: 978-0-230-21875-8
Dissertations are largely about thinking: they are set to give teachers a window into the minds of their students, to see how they think, not just what they think. Unlike any other book this starts where you have to start: it teaches you how to generate your own ideas and develop them into interesting, original research projects. It shows you how to put your ideas together to create the most persuasive and compelling arguments. It teaches you how to use evidence and language consistently. Throughout it emphasizes that writing is a form of thinking: the most difficult form and dissertations are a test of your ability both to think and write clearly.
Of course, dissertations are also about more practical matters. All of these are here too. Indeed, every aspect and every stage of producing a dissertation is explained in these pages from generating your first ideas about what you might like to research to binding and submitting your work. You will learn how to get the most out of your relationship with your supervisor, how to plan your research, manage your time and read and take notes more effectively, and how to work with primary and secondary sources, choosing from the complete range of quantitative and qualitative research techniques.
And, of course, as I’ve said, it is also about writing – the most difficult form of thinking. You will learn how to plan every detail of each chapter, how to construct sound arguments, use language consistently and deploy your evidence convincingly, and how to convey your ideas simply and economically with a light effective style to produce a memorable, thought-provoking piece of work. Then, finally, you will learn how to revise and edit your dissertation, so that the quality of your work and the extent of your achievements really shine through.
