Planning Essay and Presentation

Thesis statement is the overall idea or argument of your work. It is a general statement that presents essential
points that leads the reader to the light direction.
A good thesis statement should be focused and succinct and must be framed as a declarative sentence.
Ideally, the statement should have at least three ideas that will developed in succeeding sections of the work.
Consider the following example:

The ASEAN region is a dynamic system because it capitalizes on cultural diversity, rich resources, and a
variety of perspectives.

This thesis statement contains the main idea that the ASEAN region is a dynamic system. In order to support
this, there are three points that need elaboration—cultural diversity, resources, and a variety of perspectives.
These three points will then be developed in each paragraph in order to make a well elaborated one.

Thesis statement Topic Sentence

 Thesis statement is the main idea of an essay. This  Topic sentence serves as the main idea of a
means that since an essay has several paragraph
paragraphs, the thesis statement covers the main  Topic sentence usually has one supporting point.
idea of a paragraph.
 Thesis statement contains at least two supporting
points which are developed in succeeding
paragraphs.

A good thesis statement has several qualities:

1. A thesis statement is always framed as a declarative statement.

Poor example: What is Plagiarism?
Improved Version: Plagiarism can be explained from cultural and socio-political perspective.

2. A good thesis statement is focused, meaning it provides supporting points that strengthen the main claim.
Poor example: An effective local government unit should have good communication facilities and
efficient resource management programs since these initiatives will be beneficial for its citizens.

Improved version: Effective dissemination of information and efficient resource management are
indicators of effective local governance.

3. A good thesis statement has clear boundaries. Meaning, it sets limits to what the essay intends to explore.
Poor example: Guitar skills can be improved if the player is dedicated and there are sessions devoted to
technique and investments on good equipment must be considered since these will be
influential in performing in front of an audience.

Improved version: Excellent guitar playing requires countless hours of practice, strategic decisions and
purchasing equipment, and tireless dedication.

Presentation of Papers

Simply reading your paper is not a good way of sharing your work, It is important that the written output be
effectively designed for oral presentation. This means that not everything is presented but only the salient
parts. The following are some tips to help your presentation:

Before the presentation

1. Familiarize yourself with the mechanics of the presentation (time limit, equipment to use and audience)
2. Prepare (outline for presentation, media to be use, PowerPoint presentation)
3. Rehearse your presentation
4. Select appropriate attire for your presentation.

During the presentation

1. Relax. Focus on the points you rehearsed, referring to your notes/outline from time to time. Once you start
talking, tension will begin to lessen.
2. Elaborate. Add interesting ideas in your presentation that you came across while writing the paper.
3. Establish eye contact. It is good to look at the audience from time to time, perhaps at their foreheads.
This allows you to create the illusion that you are looking into their eyes minimizing your anxiety.
 4. Start and finish strong. Good presentations start with the central theme or idea. Make sure to conclude
with a restatement of the central idea. Remember that the beginning and the end are powerful sections
of your presentation.

After the presentation

1. Thank the audience. Remember that the audience took time to attend your presentation. Showing
gratitude is a good way of gratitude is a good way of connecting with them.
2. Refer to your work. Questions are likely to be asked and therefore referring to your work would be a good
way to keep the discussions focused If there are ideas beyond the scope of your work, be open to
welcome them.

Outline

Two things to remember in preparing an outline

1. Outline format
a. Traditional- uses roman numerals, letters, and numbers.
b. Standard- uses numbers.
Example:
Traditional Format
Title of Work: Units of Research University
I. College of Medicine
A. Community Medicine
B. Pathology
II. College of Engineering
A. Industrial Engineering
B. Chemical Engineering
C. Mechanical Engineering
III. School of Fine Arts
A. Painting
B. Sculptures
IV. College of Liberal Arts
A. Political Sciences
B. History
C. Literature
Standard Format
Title of Work: Units of a Research University
1.0 College of Medicine
1.1 Community Medicine
1.2 Pathology
2.0 College of Engineering
2.1 Industrial Engineering
2.2 Chemical Engineering
2.3 Mechanical Engineering
3.0 School of Fine Arts
3.1 Painting
3.2 Sculpture
4.0 College of Liberal Arts
4.1 Political Sciences
4.2 History
4.3 Literature

2. Principles
a. Parallelism- Entries should observe the same language structure (e.g., words, phrases, sentences).
b. Coordination- Entries should observe levels of importance. In the example above, note that colleges
are labeled as major ideas because they carry the same level of significance in the research university.
c. Subordination- Entries should observe differences of importance (which ideas should be classified as
minor or major ideas?). In the same example, the different units under colleges are labeled as minor
ideas since they differ in scope from colleges.
d. Division- Entries should at least two to be sure that supporting points of a major idea are adequate.

Like thesis statements and outlines, writing essay requires preparatory steps. An essay is similar to research
in that it requires planning and execution.

Presented are some steps for planning an essay.

1. Determining the topic, purpose, role and audience for the work. To help you in understanding these
three aspects, you must constantly ask these questions:
a. What am I writing about? How long the piece be?
b. Why am I doing this piece? Is it to inform? Persuade? Or argue a position?
c. Who am I doing this for? Is there a specific type of knowledge my readers need to understand the
piece?
d. What role am I taking in writing this piece? As an expert? A friend? A member of the community?
2. Expanding subtopics. This requires determining the scope of the work.
3. Collecting sources and making notes. In this part of the process, selection of source materials and
identification of important excerpts are crucial.
4. Brainstorming, forming the thesis statement, and outlining. In this part of the process, you need to create
a plan. This means jotting down important ideas and organizing them into an outline and thesis
statement.
 5. Drafting. In this step, parts of the outline are written. With the use of notes the ideas in your thesis
statement are elaborated on.
6. Peer evaluation and revision. In keeping with the notion that writing is a social process, seeking another
reader’s feedback is essential.

American Psychological Association (APA) Citation

The system of the American Psychological Association (APA) is used in preparing a list of references. The
following are guidelines for organizing your reference list.

1. Entries should be arranged alphabetically with the surname of the authors as points of reference. In
cases where there is no author, the title of the work becomes the first part of the entry.
2. The hanging indent format should be observed when writing entries. This means that the first entry is not
indented while succeeding lines are indented.

Books

General format

Author’s surname, initials (year of publication. Title of work (set in italics). Place of publication:Publisher.

Single authored books

Martinez, A. (2008). Creating memories. Quezon City: Maxwell Publishers.

Books with two authors

Pulido, D., & Mirador, J. (1998). Academic writing for college students. Tokyo: Lindell Inc.

Books with an editor

Mata, E. (Ed.). (2015). Workplace ethics: An introduction. Kuala Lumpur: UPM Press.

Books with no author

Cycling prime for beginners. (1989). Ohio: West and West Publishing.

Periodicals (Journals, Newspapers, and Magazines)

General Format

Surname of author/s, Initials (year of Publication). Titlehe article. Title of the periodical, volume (issue
numbers), page numbers.

Journal articles

Valdez, G. (2010). Philippine perspectives on environment politics. Journal of New World Politics. Vol. 8
(7), p. 25-32.

Magazines

Moore, B. (2001, August). Fashion for the new decade. Fashion Manila, vol. 8(7), p. 77.

Newspapers

Severino, P. (201, Oct. 23). Creating possibilities for Muslim Mindanao. The Metro Monitor, p. A17.

Online sources

Author, Initials or Institution. (date of retrieval). Title of work. Retrieved from Website.

Greenworks. (May 4, 2014). Methods of extraction of minerals. Retrieved from

https://www.greenworks/methods.html.

Developing Concepts

Definitions are essential in schoolwork as they serve as a frame of reference for discussion. For instance,
concepts in your respective subjects are understood because terms are use in a specific concept or process.

Central to developing concept papers is writing definitions. Definitions are used to provide meaning of a
particular word or term.

Types of Definitions
 1. Formal sentence definitions- include the term, class and distinguishing features. The term is the word to
be defined, class is the group where the term belongs, and distinguishing features are the qualities that
make the term unique.

Example:
Term Class Distinguishing
Feature
A bicycle Is a mode of That has two wheels
transport and is powered by
pedaling effort of
the rider.

2. Informal definitions- do not include distinguishing features.

Example:
Term Class
A chair Is a piece of furniture

3. Extended definitions- are essay length texts that use different rhetorical patterns to show the meaning of
a particular term or concept. Usually extended definition essays or concept papers do not just define but
describe, compare and contrast, show cause-and-effect relationship to provide the reader a holistic
definition of a term.

In order to clearly define your concept, remember these following tips.

1. In formal definitions, avoid using the same term to be defined (e.g., “A cellphone is a phone…”).
2. In writing definitions, observe the concept of mutual exclusivity. Meaning, make sure that the features of
the term do not overlap with other similar concepts of the same class. (e.g. “A skateboard is a mode of
transport that has four wheels.”)

Presenting concepts

Concepts may be explained through different modes or patterns. Aside from definition, other ways such
as explication and explanation can be used to elucidate on a concept.

A concept can be developed through explanation by providing examples and situations.

On the other hand, explication employs a critical interpretation of a concept. Referring to short passages
from another source, explication provides another perspective of a concept.

An explication interprets another work by examining the concept/s presented. Through a critical analysis of
points raised in text, a richer explanation of the concept is given to readers. This may be done through
comparison and contrast, description, cause and effect and other rhetorical modes.

Concept papers are not only to define, explicate, or explain something but is used beyond the classroom.
For instance, companies now require concept paper for projects before certain actions are undertaken.
Grant-giving bodies require concept papers from researchers before funds are awarded.

Parts of a Concept Paper

Introduction includes the background of the topic. History can also be included in this section. Proper use of
note-taking techniques should be used in this part.

Body is the main section of the concept paper. In this part, you will elaborate on the specific claims made in
your thesis statement. To make the work manageable, consider developing topic sentences for each
supporting point from your thesis statement. These topic sentence will be used as the main idea of each
paragraph to make the body of the essay.

Conclusion of the concept paper reemphasizes the thesis statement, provides a summary of the body of the
paper, and relates the importance of the concept in the specific field or the world in general. In terms of
difficulty, the conclusion is the easiest to write since you will be referring to the previous parts you drafted.

Position Paper

The position paper is devoted to a discussion of one side of an issue. While other essays are devoted to
presenting of information, the position paper tackles one significant issue of a community on which the author
takes a stand.

The position paper has several parts that are different from other essays you have encountered.

1. Issue- similar to topic sentence. It is central concept up for contention. An issue would have supporters for
both negative and positive ideas and the author chooses one for the position paper.
2. Argumentative thesis- states the stand of the author in the issue.
3. Claims- These are statements that support the author stand.
4. Evidence- These are the proofs to strengthen the author’s claims.
a. Evidence from surveys, library research, and experiments.
b. Evidence from informant interviews (those who have direct experience related to the problem/issue)
c. Evidence from expert interviews.

Introduction contains background information concerning the issue (the who, what, where, when, and why),
yes or no question containing the issue, and the argumentative thesis.

The summary of counterclaims will constitute the second paragraph of your position paper and is devoted
to an enumeration of arguments opposing a stand. The summary of counterclaims is a unique feature of
argumentations as it highlights the author’s counterclaims. This will allow you to refute these claims in the
body of your argument.

For succeeding sections of the body of your paper, elaborate on the claims in your thesis. These sections
should indicate evidence that will convince readers on the strength of your stand.

Pieces of evidence to strengthen the author’s claims.

a. Evidence from surveys, library research, and experiments.

b. Evidence from informant interviews (those who have direct experience related to the problem/issue)
c. Evidence from expert interviews.

The conclusion contains restatement of the thesis statement as well as the main claims. Similar to the
introduction, the conclusion holds a powerful position as it contains the thesis statement and gives readers
a strong sense of the author’s position.

Technical Report

A technical report is a document that needs different approaches of data collection and treatment. Aside
from exploring it as a research problem, it also contains the following sections:

1. Background Study- this section delves into the nature of the problem, the circumstances that led the
problem, and the reason s why the writer is addressing the problem through research.
2. Relevant Literature for Review of Related Literature- this section synthesizes studies that support the
investigation.
3. Methods, Materials and Participants- this section describes the different ways of collecting data and the
strategies to answer the research questions e.., techniques of analysis. Also, if applicable, participants
should also be described in general-criteria in their selection and number. (How were they selected? What
criteria were used? How many participants?)
4. Results and Discussion- this section expounds on the answers to the research questions. Specifically, the
results and discussion present findings from the literature, survey, interviews, or experiments as well as online
research.
5. Conclusions and recommendation- this sections presents the generalizations drawn from the research
results and discussions.

References:

 Valdez P. N., (2016), English for Academic and Professional Purposes. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing
House.
 Xavier University (October 15, 2016) Position Paper. Retrieved from
http://www.xavier.edu/library/students/documents/position_paper.pdf
 SFU ( October 15, 2016) Writing Position Paper. Retived from
http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/130d1/WritingaPositionPaper.htm


Type of Exam

I. Multiple Choice
II. Applying APA style
III. Identifying Thesis statement and Topic Sentence
IV. Complete the table
V. Essay