This essay is a draft, which has been published on the New Statesman website, for comment and discussion. It should not be reproduced in any form without permission of the author
If you're writing an argumentative or explanatory essay, your ultimate aim is to persuade your reader that a specific argument or point of view is worthy of their consideration. In order to do write my paper effectively, you need them to follow what you say as closely and accurately as possible and - at some point - conclude: "I believe/understand this." A common way people try to achieve this kind of goal is by using signposting techniques i.e., including words in sentences which show readers how they are meant to respond to what is said. For example, in "I totally agree with the points X and Y" or "what she said should be taken into account when thinking about X". Sentences where signposting is being used effectively will specify for readers what result they are meant to achieve, why that result is important, and how it relates to what has gone before. This gives them an opportunity to reflect on their progress towards this result (which they may not have previously recognised), and change direction more naturally if needed. Inserting effective signposts not only increases the effectiveness of your writing but also keeps your reader focused; it's like having a pair of co-pilots working together to navigate you both through the paper while avoiding any potential problems/obstacles along the way. A good signpost must fulfil three criteria: First, it should clearly specify for your reader what result you want them to achieve at that point in the essay - this criterion is as important as the others combined because if it's not met, readers will be unclear on how they are meant to move forward (even more so if you're asking them to create/draw conclusions). Secondly, a signpost should tell readers why this result matters or why you think they would find it interesting (readers need something to motivate them). Thirdly, and crucially, a signpost must link your argument closely enough back to what has gone before; otherwise readers may have difficulty following where you're trying to take them. In the examples above, "I totally agree with the points X and Y" is a signpost because it specifies what result you want the reader to achieve (to create agreement) and why that result matters (because you think they will find it interesting). The second example is also effective because it links your new point closely back to what has gone before. Although signposting techniques can be useful for almost any type of essay , they generally work best when used within argumentative or explanatory texts (as opposed to descriptive texts e.g., essays on an artist's paintings). This is partly due to their inherent function in signalling a change of direction/intention as well as providing relevant information needed by readers in order to follow along. In general, you should use signposting techniques every time you say something that a reader might find hard to follow, specifically where such difficulty could result in misunderstanding or misinterpretation. For example, if you're writing about an historical event and think some readers might not be aware of a certain detail e.g., the background of a major character involved; the political/economic situation at the time; or simply what happened after first one thing then another - an effective way to give them this information is by using signpost phrases ("in other words", "to summarise"). The simplest explanation I can offer for why signposting works comes from my own experience as both a writer and (admittedly unenthusiastic) reader: when we write essays, we can very easily lose ourselves in the flow of our own ideas - getting so caught up in what we want to say that we forget why or how our arguments are meant to impact upon our readers. What signposting does is act as a kind of 'emergency button'. You can reach for it when you sometimes feel lost as a writer and push it without worrying about losing your way as long as you can recall where you were going before this happened. While reading essays, I find myself clicking on this button whenever writers fail to make their meaning clear enough for me (and doing so allows me to continue reading). Signposting techniques work because they provide a clarity which is often lacking from badly written pieces of academic. They allow essay writer to anticipate their readers' questions. When used well, they will help you make your meaning clear and ensure that your essay progresses in a logical way. Signposting techniques are useful because they cover the two main types of student-reader interaction: Note that although these categories may at first sight seem mutually exclusive - they are not. Even if you're writing an essay with only one reader (e.g., an exam answer), it is still important to think about how this reader might react to what you've written while reading it and use signposting techniques accordingly . If you're writing a response essay for class discussion, then interacting with as many students as possible becomes more relevant; depending on the setting/context, some of these techniques may generalise to a more social interaction with an imagined array of possible other readers. Finally, while signposting can be used for almost any type of essay , it is particularly useful for ones that explore or explain ideas (especially if you want to persuade someone else that your idea is correct). In this case, the main focus will generally be on making sure your arguments 'add up'. For example, if you're writing about philosophical issues e.g., whether there is such a thing as free will; then using signposting phrases in places where you need to - but don't already assume - agreement from your readers should ensure that they understand exactly what point you're trying to make and how it fits into the bigger picture.
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