How to write a health essay
Introduction
Understanding how to write a health essay starts with understanding the question being asked. Only after understanding the question can you conduct thorough and specific research and structure your arguments properly.
The research, which should largely be from peer reviewed journals, is followed by the writing proper. In your senior education experience there will be different questions for health essays but their responses should follow the same structure. The conventional structure is one with the Introduction, the Body and the Conclusion. After completing the first draft, its arguments should be refined. Then you put such finishing touches as the formatting structures in order. And before you hand in your paper make sure it is not plagiarised; that is well-referenced and is original.
Below is a guide on how to write a health essay and if you follow these guidelines you give yourself a better chance at getting the grade you are hoping for:
Understand the essay question
An understanding of the question being asked is the beginning of writing a successful health essay. Get the question that is being asked, wrong, and it does not matter how well you elucidate your arguments, the essay will be wrong. With this in mind, take as much time as you can to understand the question being asked. Pester your instructor for clarification; consult your dictionary for the precise meaning of those deceptive terms. Understanding the question being asked will help you develop a seamless structure for your essay. It will also demonstrate the direction you need to take when reading for your essay.
Research from Peer-reviewed Journals
Researching your health essay will be as time-consuming as writing it. You should comb through the mounds of research sources with a fine tooth comb. Choosing from the different sources is a research skill that needs to be cultivated as much as choosing the right words for your essay. At your disposal is your school library with all that it contains: both electronic and print; newspapers, magazines, encyclopaedias and health surveys.
You are also not restricted from contacting professional organizations and healthcare institutions. The list is wide and varied. Unless you have been prompted by your tutor to conduct interviews and surveys, you need to avoid health institutions and other professional bodies. Concentrate on non-empirical research materials.
For non-empirical/theoretical research it is advisable to use peer-reviewed journals. This helps you to directly evaluate research that bears on your research topic. Research on peer-reviewed journals is preferred to duplicating opinions and summaries from the textbooks and internet sources. Peer reviewed journals are the platforms where scientific debates take place. It is therefore a highly valuable skill to be able to disseminate findings from such authoritative platforms. It also goes a long way to demonstrate your understanding of the question in the essay. To access peer reviewed journals online you can visit such electronic databases like MEDLINE and PUBMED.
Structure your essay; introduction, body, conclusion
Different essay questions will invariably follow a similar structure. A conventional health essay should have the introduction, the main body and the conclusion.
The Introduction
The introduction should have an overview of what you plan to include in your paper. In addition, it should also indicate your plan on how to articulate your arguments.
The Body
The overview and how you plan to go about your arguments will be reflected in the main body. The arguments presented in the main body should be coherent and flow seamlessly from one to the other. The paragraphs should be written in such a manner that they naturally flow from one paragraph to the next.
The Conclusion
The conclusion contains a sum up of all that has been discussed in the main body. Also in the conclusion you can present the message you want your reader to get. Be careful not to go beyond what has been presented in the essay.
Refine your arguments for Coherence and Flow
After writing the first draft, you are supposed to make sure that your essay specifically addresses the question asked. You should also ensure that the arguments flow in a coherent fashion.
Students have employed several ways to ensure that their essay is specific and is coherent. The three most common ways include: leaving the essay for a week or more after writing the first draft before attempting changes; reading the essay aloud to enable judgments on coherence and flow; and diagramming the structure to ensure a logical progression.
Formatting structures for finishing touches
The finishing touches of a health essay have to do with complying with formatting structures set out by your higher education. You need to follow these formatting structures or else you will not impress your tutor and will not get the grades you are hoping for.
Some typical formatting structures include font size and style (size 12 and Times New Roman); margin size which should not go beyond 2cm; line spacing (the essay should either be doubled spaced or 1.5); and you double check if your essay requires footers and headers or not.
Avoid plagiarism by referencing properly
It is academic theft to use sources and not acknowledge its owners. This is called plagiarism. You should always acknowledge the sources you used to formulate your arguments. This can be achieved with proper documentation. Documentation entails proper in-text citation and referencing which is done at the end of the essay. Failure to do this will mean your essay will lack in originality and could get you kicked off of your course. A free plagiarism checker such as https://www.plagiarismchecker.net can help you double check you haven’t accidentally plagiarised.
We hope you gained a lot from reading our free ‘how to write a health essay‘ guide.