🐰 E1: Discovery!

Research-based essays require the assembly of valid college-level sources; never Wikipedia, never dictionaries, and never encyclopedias. Also on the no-go list: Tabloid newspapers, blogs, and other sites lacking authority or credentials.

A point of view, or thesis, is also required. This is where you, the student: Your thoughts come into play. The key word is analyze. Anecdotal experience and personal beliefs are not analysis.

Once you have a viewpoint and you've scoured your sources, including the required texts, then you begin to analyze and further refine your topic. Your analysis is based on an educated perspective which you have gained by research. Here you have the unique perspective from your initial viewpoint and the sources you have assembled. This give you the credibility to form an informed analysis. Your informed viewpoint is primary. Your viewpoint developed through research.

Writing essays is a process of discovery. Research is done to learn about different aspects of a topic that are not already known. One has a hunch, a working thesis, and uses that to guide research.

Sometimes brainstorming happens to arrive at that hunch, sometimes the brainstorming happens after, or sometimes both. Skillful brainstorming covers all sides of an issue and anticipates many points of view. This is why bubbles and trees are so useful, they are non-linear and allow the mind to wander and consider the opposing viewpoints.

Maintaining an open mind through the discovery process helps to ensure that the eventual thesis is sound and that various aspects are covered, answering questions the reader may have and providing information along with a unique viewpoint.