How to write a scientific essay

A scientific essay is a creative work of reasoning, in which the author describes the main essence of the scientific problem under consideration and offers reasoned ways of its solution. The recommended form of the text is a question-answer with the use of a number of homogeneous members of the sentence, introductory words (can be slightly modified, – it depends on the direction of research).

Why write a scientific essay?

Writing a scientific essay is necessary for the development of creative thinking, the search for an actual solution to the scientific problem posed.

What else is useful for writing an essay?

Competent, concise formulation of the author’s thoughts on the topic of the work.
Creation of logically-interconnected structural units of the document.
Using several categories of analysis in the selection of the required literary sources.
Constructing cause-and-effect relationships.
Illustrate available concepts with appropriate visual aids.
Justifying one’s own conclusions on the basis of the information presented in the essay.
Using the basics of scientific style of speech in writing.

What should be contained in the text of the document

The author states in the scientific essay the essence of the posed scientific problem, relying on the results of an independent analysis of the issues under consideration. To get the best results, it is allowed to use appropriate concepts, analytical tools, appropriate within the framework of the studied direction.

Rules for creating the text of an essay:

each paragraph of the document corresponds to one main author’s thought;
in the generalizing conclusions the author’s position on the solution of the problem is indicated (the use of plagiarism, thoughtless copying of the thoughts of third-party researchers is strictly prohibited).

Depending on the direction of research, the topic of the essay, the document may contain information about the used statistical data, analysis of the problem with a detailed analysis of the available examples, etc.

development of creative thinking;
composing a literate written text;
determination of cause-and-effect relations;
structure of the information studied;
arguing one’s own point of view using different examples

How to Write an Essay: General Recommendations for Structure

Writing an essay consists of 7 main stages: studying the terms of reference, determining the topic in question, collecting the required information, working through the main statement, drawing up the future structure of the document, and composing a draft.

The advantages of creating a scientific essay draft:

elaboration, improvement of text coherence;
the ability to add additional material as the document is written;
highlighting the main points and creating logically interconnected structural units;
timely correction of spelling/punctuation errors in paragraph content;
polishing the words/sentences;
after checking the final version of the draft, the student rewrites the finished work on a clean sheet.

Introduction

In the introductory part of the essay, the reason for choosing the topic under consideration is justified, the essence of the scientific direction is disclosed. The main task of the author is the correct formulation of the main question, the solution of which is planned to be found in the mentioned document.

Terminology on the research topic is reflected/interpreted in general phrases without deviating from the given direction – it will dilute the scientific style of writing in the necessary context.

Main part

In the text of the main body, the author provides answers to the questions posed about the research topic. Each paragraph consists of four main parts – this is the thesis, its proof, illustrations on the issue at hand, and a mini conclusion summarizing the study of the direction.

For an argumentative, logically-connected presentation of your own thoughts, it is recommended that the student use more subheadings. This approach will help to comprehensively cover all the points necessary for a complete study of the objective.

What information will help compose the draft for the main body of the essay?

The current state of affairs in the branch of knowledge being studied.
Who are the professionals involved (possible options – research scientists, pharmaceutical companies, scientific organizations, etc.).
What are the main difficulties/contradictions underlying the problem in question.
Methods for solving the problem proposed by the author of the essay: search for new solutions, detailed review of existing “gaps” in the considered industry, analysis/classification of theoretical concepts, identification of new algorithms/methods for implementing the proposed technology, etc.
Description of the advantages/disadvantages of new solutions in comparison with existing methods of eliminating the problem.

Conclusion

This part of the document contains reasoned conclusions, generalizations on the topic of work. The author describes the results obtained and gives recommendations, advice on further application in the theory/practice of the discipline under study.

What should be necessarily considered when writing an essay

The main emphasis in writing the introduction and conclusion is to focus on the problem under study. In the introduction, the author describes the essence of the issue at hand, and in the conclusion summarizes the results of the study
The integrity of the work is achieved through the logical relationship of the main structural units of the text. “Red lines”, highlighting of paragraphs, the presence of additional subheadings are the criteria of a quality essay.
Adherence to the chosen style of presentation. A scientific essay, respectively, is composed in a scientific style. Depending on the direction of the discipline/discussed issue, it is allowed to use a publicistic style.
The presence of a thematic epigraph will give the work “a special charm” and show that the author is really interested in the chosen research topic. He will complement the main idea, give the logic of the narrative some completeness, etc.
The selection of the thoughts of third-party research scholars will demonstrate the student’s awareness of a particular discipline.
The form of presentation in the style of “question-answer” will help to involve readers in the discussion, to interest them to finish reading the material to the end.

General design requirements

The recommended length of the work is up to 10 pages of standard A4 format.
The text is typed in the text editor Microsoft Word using single-sided printing mode.
The font used is Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing.
Margins: top/bottom – 20 mm, right – 10 mm, left – 30 mm.
The text is aligned to the width, the paragraph indent is 1.25 cm.
To count the total number of sheets is used through numbering in Arabic numerals in the center of the bottom line without a dot at the end. The title page is designed according to the methodological recommendations of the educational institution and is included in the number of pages, but it does not have a number.
Titles are marked in bold type and separated from the main text by two line spacing of the specified value (1.5 mm).
Titles consisting of several sentences are separated by a period without underlining and a period at the end.
The use of the word transfer function in the essay is forbidden. Abbreviations and acronyms used in the work are subject to mandatory deciphering after the first mentioning in the text of the document.
Units of measurement are given in Latin notation in accordance with the International System of Units (SI).

How to write an essay quickly and without revision?

Studying theoretical material on the topic of the essay
We work through the peculiarities of the area in question
We think over the topicality of the stated theme
We highlight the key theses and work out our own author’s position in accordance with them
Determine the theoretical concepts, scientific theories, and terminology that reveal the basic essence of the work
Draw up a thesis on the basis of arisen thoughts and ideas
We write a rough draft, working through the structure necessary to fully cover the question posed
Analyze the content of a written text, supplement/rework mistakes/inaccuracies
We check the literacy, the consistency of style, the correctness of the essay’s composition
Make final changes and format the final version

Common writing mistakes

The text of a scientific essay is compiled purely on the basis of your own thoughts, without the use of literary sources on the topic of the work. The author is recommended to alternate personal thoughts with the studied information – in this way the objectivity of the data is achieved.
A bias on the presentation of own thoughts with a bias on the points of interest of the author. Such an approach reduces the quality of the essay, so it is not suitable for publication in the relevant scientific publications.
Lack of understanding of the essence of the problem posed, lack of a coherent text. A good essay is a detailed, comprehensive elaboration of the topic. Such a document is interesting to readers and valuable as scientific material.
Listing of extraneous thoughts, absence of an author’s position. Such an essay is not suitable, because without the author’s own opinions, it is not unique, but looks like a collection of other people’s ideas, developments, etc.

A properly composed essay is a guarantee of a good grade and an opportunity for self-realization in the chosen scientific direction, which is especially important for young scientists-researchers.