Essay writing criteria

Structure [Introduction, Body, Conclusion]

Demonstrate planning and organisation of the essay content in a way that is logical and pleasant
to read.

 Introduction
o What are you going to write about? E.g. Demonstrate key ideas that
motivated you to choose this topic & question.
o Why is it relevant to focus on this particular topic? E.g. are there gaps in the
literature? Is the evidence clear cut or are there controversies in the literature?
Try to capture the interest of the topic and say why it is important.
o How are you going to address the question? Have you identified clear
arguments? E.g. Have you thought about the argument you are going to
choose How are these arguments related? Are you going to identify areas of
overlap or identify discrepancies?
 Main Body of Essay
 Thoroughness
o The quality of the content
o Writing for someone with a degree in psychology, but is not necessarily an
expert in the field your essay is written about (fully explain/ define key
concepts).
o Scientific writing style (hypothesising)
o Confident writing style/ ownership of content
o You can use appropriate headings to help guide the essay (optional)
 Relevance
o The accuracy and coherence of the information presented
o Fully addressing the question, you have been set/chosen
o Staying on topic/ clarity of argument
o Conveying an understanding of key issues and concerns
 Critical Evaluation
o Consideration of the pros and cons of key theories
o Empirical evidence for and against each key theory mentioned
o Evaluation of research methodologies
o Independence of thought
 Conclusion
o Round up of motivation for key findings (don not include anything that has
not already been addressed in the main body of the essay).
o Ideas about future directions e.g. how can we progress the research in this
field/ are there research questions still to be answered and/or what are the
important applications of this research area?

References
o Around 20 references
o Proper acknowledgment of sources
o Minimal reliance on textbooks and general internet sources.
o Focused on key Journal articles in the field and follow the APA style for referencing.
o Around 50% should be based on recently published work e.g. from 2006 – present (if the
particular field allows) the rest should acknowledge the history of the topic e.g. the seed
that started interest in the area.