An overall structure of an essay

1 INTRODUCTION

The introductory chapter must answer 4 major questions.

What is the topic of the essay, and why is it important?

What do you think or believe about the topic? THIS STATEMENT WOULD BE
VERIFIED IN THE ESSAY!
What method will be used pursuing the verification?
How / who / why should exploit the results of your work?

The Chapter 1 will encompass 4 sub-chapters.

1.1 General issues

Raise the topic and point out the relevance. A good approach can be if you present the
particular topic as an element of a greater system.

You may highlight some interconnections: How the central matter of the essay concerns other
related issues?

Read papers, essays, monographs, browse the Internet libraries before you choose the topic of
the essay!

1.2 Hypothesis

Present your substantial presupposition! Elementary important part of the essay. The aim of
the whole essay is to verify the hypothesis.

Dont pursue the GREAT GENERIC THEORY OF THE WORLD as the hypothesis of a
short essay. A minor particular statement should also fulfill the duty as a relevant hypothesis.

1.3 Methodology

Define and make explicit what elaboration method will be applied. Some methods:
Comparison
Analysis
o descriptive
o prognostic
o technological
o economic
o statistic
o historic
o systematizing
o interdisciplinary
 Empirical
o monitoring, observation, supervision
o questionnaire
o interview
o prospecting
o experiment
o case study

1.4 Applicability of the results

Highlight one or a few issues of application.

2 VERIFICATION

The essay will have #N chapters. The following chapters from Chapter 2 to Chapter (#N-1)
will pursue the proof of the hypothesis (Sub-chapter 1.2) applying the methods (Sub-chapter
1.3).

3 CONCLUSION

In the last chapter (Chapter #N) you will reveal the statement about the verification of the
hypothesis. This will be almost automatic as exactly this was discussed in the previous
chapters.

References

Elementary important to apply a correct annotation system. You may consult any of the
standards below.

OSCOLA http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/publications/oscola.php
HARVARD http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm
APA http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx

An easy-to-access electronic library

Social science research network. http://papers.ssrn.com

14 July 2015

Balogh Zsolt Gyrgy

associate professor
Corvinus University of Budapest