Plagiarism

Is it plagiarism if you...

Copy and paste a paragraph of text from a web site without enclosing it in
1.
quotation marks and referencing the source? Yes
Use the ideas of another author without providing a reference, even if you write
2.
them in your own words? Yes
3. Claim work produced by another student as your own? Yes
Copy a diagram or data table from a web site, providing a reference for the source
4.
underneath? No
5. Submit all or part of one essay for two separate assignments? Yes
Copy words from a book into your own work, but place quotation marks around
6.
them and provide a citation? No
Include a fact or saying in your assignment which is generally known without
7.
providing a reference? No
Incorporate text from another source, changing one or two words and providing a
8. citation? Yes

Defining plagiarism
So, there are actually a number of actions which can be seen as plagiarism. Here are some of the
most common forms:

Most common forms of plagiarism

1. Copy directly from another source without presenting it as a quote or providing a
reference

2. Use ideas from another source without providing a reference

3. Use too many words from another source when paraphrasing

4. Submit someone else's work or ideas as your own

5. Include a diagram, image or data table from another source without providing a reference
Why is plagiarism serious?
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. It is dishonest to claim that somebody else's ideas or words are
your own.

Being able to use information from other sources without committing plagiarism is an important
academic skill. Your work must show that you

 have individually (unless you are working on a group assignment) carried out the
necessary research to complete your assignment
 understand the main theories and arguments surrounding your topic and can use this
information appropriately to support your own arguments
 know how to attribute the words and ideas of others using ac cepted referencing
techniques

Avoiding Plagiarism
Good note-taking habits

1. Before you begin taking notes, write down all the details that you will need to cite and
reference the source appropriately in your work.
2. Instead of copying the text, read a section or page and then write a summary of it in your
own words.
3. If you need to copy or paraphrase the author's words very closely, develop a method of
indicating this clearly in your notes to help you remember. You could use:
o Different coloured pens
o "Quotation marks"
o Coding system e.g. [quote] = a direct quote
4. Adopt a similar method to clearly distinguish your own ideas from the author's.

Quoting

Whenever you copy the author's exact words into your own work you must distinguish them as a
quote. For example, if you are using the Harvard style:

Short quotes should be enclosed in "quotation marks". Longer quotes should be separated from
your text and indented from the left hand margin. In this case it is not necessary to use quotation
marks, as the quotation is clearly separated from your own text.

Cite the author's last name, the date of publication and the page number on which you found the
quote. Then, write a full reference at the end of your work.

Be selective in your use of quotes. It is preferable to demonstrate your understanding of the topic
in your own words.

You may want to use a quote if the:

  phrase is unusual and would have less impact if paraphrased
 quote substantiates your argument

Paraphrasing

When you write about information you have found from another source in your own words, this
is considered to be paraphrasing.

Whenever you paraphrase from another source you must always provide a citation in your text
and a full reference at the end.

Take caution when paraphrasing as it is plagiarism to include too many words from the original
text even if you provide a reference

What is common knowledge?

It is not necessary to provide a reference when you write about something that is common
knowledge.

Common knowledge is a fact which is generally well known in your field of study or the wider
world.

Opinions can sometimes differ on whether a piece of information is common knowledge and so if
in doubt you should always provide a reference.

Example

If you were writing about the effect of transport on the environment, you could mention that emissions
from cars are known to have a detrimental effect on the environment without providing a reference
because this information is well known in the public domain.

If you then went on to state the exact percentage of carbon dioxide produced from car emissions then you would need
to provide a reference because this is a detail which is not commonly known to people.

When to cite a reference

Cite your source in your text and provide a full reference at the end when you

 paraphrase
 summarise
 quote
 refer to the ideas or theories of another work in your
assignments.

Use this diagram to help you decide when you need to cite:
When to cite - exercise

Here are some actions that you might do when writing a piece of work. Drag and drop the action
into the appropriate area of the screen depending on whether or not you would need to provide a
reference:

Reference required No reference required

Further Practice:
Question 1

Original text Submitted text

"Reality TV claims to feature 'ordinary' people Reality TV claims to feature 'ordinary' people
doing 'ordinary' things. As a genre, the 'people doing 'ordinary' things. The emphasis on
show' minimises the distance between the everyday life minimises the distance between
audience and the 'actors' through its emphasis the audience and the actors making the viewer
on everyday life so that the viewer is invited to feel like they too could become one of them by
recognise the participant as belonging to her or becoming a contestant, or being in the studio
his own habitus. A viewer sitting at home is not audience. (Tinknell & Raghuram)
only invited to identify with the actors; she or
he can become one of them by volunteering to
tell her story, become a contestant, or by taking
part in the show as one of the studio audience".
(Tinknell & Raghuram 2004, p. 258)

Reference: T incknell, E. and Raghuram, P. 2004. Big Brother: reconfiguring the active audience? In: Holmes, S. and
Jermyn, D. eds. Understanding reality television. London: Routledge, pp.252-269.

Compare the work submitted by this student with the original text. In your opinion has the
student:
 written about the original text in their own words?
copied phrases from the original text without quotations marks?
failed to provide a correct reference?
provided a correct reference?
included too many words from the original text?
used the author's ideas without providing a reference?

Question 2

Original text

"Having a home is a basic human need; we all need somewhere to live. For those people
within society without a home life is barely tolerable, and for a society (especially a modern
welfare state) a continuing problem of homelessness is an indictment of the ability of that
society to meet the welfare needs of all its citizens. Yet homelessness remains a significant
problem in affluent, welfare, Britain at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with
hundreds of people sleeping rough on the streets of towns and cities every night because they
do not have a home of their own to go to". (Alcock 2003, p. 73).
Reference: Alcock, P. 2003. Social policy in Britain. 2nd ed. London: Palgrave.

Draft essay 1 Draft essay 2 Draft essay 3

"Having a home is a basic
human need; we all need
somewhere to live".
However, despite the fact
that Britain is a wealthy
society with an established
welfare state, there are still
many homeless people
living on the streets.
"Having a home is a basic
human need; we all need
somewhere to live" (Alcock
2003, p. 73). However, as
Alcock (2003) points out,
despite the fact that Britain
is a wealthy society with an
established welfare state,
there are still many
homeless people living on
our streets.
Having a home is a basic
human need; we all need
somewhere to live. (Alcock
2003, p. 73). However, even
in affluent, welfare Britain,
there are still hundreds of
people sleeping rough.

Which draft essay would you submit:

Draft essay 1
Draft essay 2
Draft essay 3
Question 3
Now can you spot whether this next student has plagiarised and if so, why?

Original text
Essay extract

"Patient compliance is the extent to which the
actual behaviour of the patient coincides with
medical advice and instructions: it may be
complete, partial, erratic, nil, or there may be
over compliance. To make a diagnosis and to
prescribe evidence-based effective treatment is
a satisfying experience for doctors, but too
many assume that patients will gratefully or
accurately do what they are told, i.e. obtain
medicine and consume it as instructed. This
assumption is wrong". (Bennett and Brown,
2003, pp. 18-19).
"Patient compliance is the extent to which the
actual behaviour of the patient coincides with
medical advice and instructions: it may be
complete, partial, erratic, nil, or there may be
over compliance" (Bennett and Brown, 2003,
pp. 18-19). Too many doctors wrongly assume
that patients will obtain and consume medicine
as instructed.

Reference: Bennett, P.N. and Brown, M.J. 2003. Clinical pharmacology. 9th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Yes because the student, in the second sentence, has used many words from the
original text without including the reference.
No
Question 4

In the essay extract below the student has combined information from two different original
sources.

Original text 1 Original text 2

"Transport contributes to poor air quality.
Although discharges of many of the most
damaging air pollutants have declined over the
last decade, there are still 'hot spots' in some
city centres and along motorway corridors
where concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and
particulates from road vehicles exceed safe
levels. The Department of Health estimates that
there are between 12,000 and 24,000 early
deaths each year resulting from poor air quality
in our cities". (Environment Agency 2005,
paragraph 2).
"More affordable cars, rising incomes and a
land use policy that has favoured out of town
shopping centres and greenfield housing
developments, have all led to a growing
dependency on the car as a means of transport.
Road vehicles currently account for 22 per cent
of all UK carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the
main greenhouse gas responsible for the human
contribution to climate change". (Foley and
Fergusson 2003, p. 1).
References:

Environment Agency. 2005. Reducing the environmental impacts of road and air tra nsport: position
statement [Online]. Environment Agency. Available at: URL: http://www.environment -
agency.gov.uk/aboutus/512398/289428/655143/?lang=_e [Accessed 21 July 2005].

Foley, J. and Fergusson, M. 2003. Putting the brakes on climate change: a policy report on road transport and climate
change [Online]. London: IPPR. Available at: URL: http://www.ippr.org.uk/ecomm/files/PuttingtheBrakeson.pdf
[Accessed 21 July 2005].

Essay extract

Despite the fact that harmful emissions have fallen during the last 10 years,
our continuing reliance on the car as a means of transport makes a significant
contribution to air pollution (Environment Agency 2005; Foley and
Fergusson 2003). For example, in 2003 road transport was responsible for 22
per cent of the UK's carbon dioxide output (Foley and Fergusson 2003) and
according to a recent report by the Environment Agency (2005) there are still
areas where nitrogen dioxide levels from emissions are dangerously high.

Do you think plagiarism has been committed?

Yes
No
Developing a Main Idea

Choosing a Main Idea

After you have brainstormed about your topic to find many ideas, you must choose a main idea for your essay. A main
idea is the major point you will make in your essay. Your essay will also have subpoints, but each subpoint will support
this major point. It is very important that your essay have a main idea. It is also very important that your main idea
responds adequately to the prompt provided.

Look at your idea map or list and ask yourself the following questions:

What are the connections between the different ideas in my map/list?

In the example map and list, it is clear that getting a better job, finishing school, and learning a new language are all
connected.

What major idea in my map/list has the most subpoints?

In the example map and list, getting a better job has the most subpoints. Learning a new language and finishing school
also have many subpoints. Since both learning a new language and finishing school are connected to getting a better
job, they could also be seen as subpoints of the main idea getting a better job.

What ide a in my map/list interests me most and/or do I feel most strongly about?

Based on the number of subpoints, it seems like getting a better job is most interesting to the author of the example map
and list.

What main idea best responds to the prompt provided?

All of the ideas in the example map and list respond fairly well to the prompt because they all identify goals that could
be achieved in the next few years. Keeping in touch with family and friends may not be as related to the prompt. This is
a goal that most people will have throughout a lifetime, not just throughout the next few years.

After you choose a main idea for your essay, write a sentence that reflects this main idea and responds to the prompt
provided. Your main idea might sound like:

An important goal I would like to achieve in the next few years is getting a better job.

Topic Sentences
T opic sentences are sort of like thesis statements for your body paragraphs. A clear topic sentence will establish the
main idea of the paragraph so that the reader understands what each body paragraph is about. T he topic sentence does
not need to be the very first sentence of the paragraph, but it should be near the beginning.

When writing the topic sentence for a body paragraph, consider the main idea of the paragraph. If you have already
chosen the subpoints for your essay, it will make it even easier, since the each body paragraphs will focus on one
subpoint. Our example writer’s topic sentences may sound something like the sentences below:

 T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 1: T he first step I will take to getting a better job is to finish school.
 T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 2: Next, I will work toward getting a better job by preparing a resume.
 T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 3: T he final step I plan to take to get a better job is to search for jobs.

You will notice that each of these sentences uses key words—“first, next, and final”—to transition between each
paragraph. T his is a very smart thing to do when writing your topic sentences, because words like these help your
reader follow your points and connect them to one another.
 Parts of the Essay, Outlining
Organizing the Essay
It is great to have many ideas to write about, but it is also important to organize those ideas in a logical way that your
reader can understand. Without an effective organization, your essay can become confusing, and your main idea can get
lost on the reader. T aking a few minutes to outline your essay before you begin writing will help you organize your
ideas and group them effectively throughout your essay. T his lesson explains the three major parts of the essay. T he
lesson provides tips for creating an outline with your main idea and subpoints. Lastly, the lesson explains how to use
thesis statements and topic sentences.

The Three Parts of the Essay

Your essay will have three main parts:

1. Introduction: T he introduction should be one paragraph. It should introduce the topic and main idea and preview
the rest of your essay. T he introduction will also include your thesis statement.

2. Body: T he body is generally made up of three paragraphs. Each paragraph supports and develops (adds detail to)
your main idea. T o guide your reader, each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence.

3. Conclusion: The conclusion is one paragraph. It summarizes the body paragraphs and concludes the essay.

Creating an Outline with a Main Idea and Subpoints

In Lesson 1, we discussed how to brainstorm ideas using idea maps and lists. We also discussed how to choose a main
idea. It is most effective to select your main idea and subpoints before writing your essay because you can use your
main idea and subpoints to make an outline.

Look back at the sample essay question and brainstorming methods from Lesson 1.

Sample Essay Topic

What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years?

In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations,
experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

From the example idea map and list in Lesson 1, it appeared that the main idea was getting a better job. T he writer
identified her main idea as follows:

An important goal I would like to achieve in the next few years is getting a better job.

T he next step is to find subpoints that will support and develop this main idea. Again, we can look to the brainstorming
methods this writer used to find possible subpoints. From her idea map and list, it was clear that other ideas the student
writer listed--finishing school, learning a new language, preparing a resume, and searching for jobs--all connected to
getting a better job.

T he writer could choose finishing school, preparing a resume, and searching for jobs as her three subpoints, since each
of these could be seen as steps to getting a better job. In other words, these three subpoints develop add detail to and
support her main idea. Each body paragraph will focus o n one of these subpoints.

Once you choose a main idea and three subpoints, it will be easier for you to create an outline for your essay. You do
not need to spend a lot of time on this; you only have 45 minutes to plan, write, and proofread your work. Dev eloping
an outline will help you stay on track.
You know that you need to have an introduction and a conclusion —these will be the first and last paragraphs of your
essay. What about the three paragraphs in between? How do you decide what order they should go in? Well, you have a
number of options. A few of the most common options for ordering your body paragraphs are listed below.

In order of importance: You might feel like one of your subpoints is stronger than the other two, or even that one
subpoint is most important, one least important, and one in between. If you are asked to argue something, it can be a
good idea to put your subpoints in order of importance. You could begin with what you see as your weakest argument
and then lead up to the strongest argument so that you drive home your main idea more and more with each paragraph.
You can even use a signal phrase such as, “the most important reason,” when you get to your most important subpoint.
Or you could frontload your most important idea to grab readers’ attention and persuade them early in the essay.

Chronologically: In some essays, you might find yourself describing a process and maybe even explaining the steps to
something. If this is the case, you may choose to use a chronological order, mean ing that you will focus on when things
happen. If you use this organization, you can use signal phrases like “first, second, third” or “first, next, last” to guide
your reader.

Compare and contrast: Many GED essay prompts will ask you to compare, contrast, or both. T o compare means to
talk about the similarities and to contrast means to talk about differences. You can divide your paragraphs into
similarities and differences, so that each paragraph discusses only one similarity or one difference. If you ar e discussing
all similarities or all differences, you can use signal phrases like “another similarity” or “another difference.” If you are
discussing both similarities and differences, you can use a signal phrase like “on the other hand” to show your move
from comparison to contrast.

For the sample essay topic, a chronological method of organization might be an effective organizing strategy, since
achieving a goal often involves a series of steps. An outline for the essay might look like this:

I. Introduction: states the main idea (getting a better job)

II. Body Paragraph: first, finish school
III. Body Paragraph: next, prepare resume
IV. Body Paragraph: finally, search for jobs
V. Conclusion

In sum, the goal is to choose a main idea and three subpoint s that support and develop this main idea. Next, you want to
choose an organization that you feel works best for your topic. Finally, it is a good idea to compose a short outline you
can follow while writing your essay.

Introductions
Development and Details
Choosing a main idea and subpoints, creating an outline, and producing a thesis statement and topic sentences are all
great first steps to writing a successful GED essay. T he solid foundation you make during the planning phase of your
writing process is extremely important. But what comes next? Remember the third criterion that essay readers use to
score your essay: development and details. While writing your essay, you must develop and support your ideas with
details. T his lesson provides tips for using details develop and support the main ideas you discovered during the
planning phase and to expand the outline you created while planning.

Writing a Developed and Detailed Introduction

You know your introduction needs a clear thesis statement. But what else do you put in the paragraph? T o answer that
question, think about the purpose of an introduction:

 Introduce your topic

 Create interest
 Provide necessary background information
 Identify your main idea
  Preview the rest of your essay

Your thesis statement will identify your main idea and preview the rest of your essay. Remember that this can be either
one or two sentences. You will probably place your thesis at the end of your introduction paragraph. You can use the
other sentences in your introduction to introduce your topic, create interest, and provide necessary background
information.

Let's look again at the sample essay topic from Lesson 1 and Lesson 2.

Sample Essay Topic

What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years?

In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations,
experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

T he paragraph below is an example introduction for this topic. As you read, think about what each sentence does within
the paragraph. What sentence(s) introduce the topic and create interest? What sentence(s) provide background
information? What sentence(s) identify the main idea and preview the rest of the essay?

"Making goals for myself and working toward them keeps me on my toes and makes my life interesting. T here are
many goals that I would like to achieve throughout my life. I have begun working toward many of them by looking into
going back to school and thinking about what I’d like t o do for a career. One major goal I would like to accomplish in
the next few years is getting a better job. My plan to get a better job is to finish school, prepare a resume, and then
search for jobs."

Notice how the first two sentences introduce the topic and create interest in it. T he third sentence provides some
background information for the reader. Although this background information might not be absolutely necessary, it
gives the reader some background for the essay and also creates interest in the topic. T he final two sentences identify
the main idea and preview the rest of the essay. Notice also the movement from general to specific in this paragraph.
When you read carefully through the paragraph, you’ll notice that each sentence is a bit more spec ific than the last. It’s
a good idea to move from general to specific like this in your introduction.

Body Paragraphs
Writing Developed and Detailed Body Paragraphs
In Lesson 2, we said that your three body paragraphs support the main idea of your essay. In each body paragraph, you
also have a main idea that needs to be supported. T he development and details you provide in each body paragraph
support each paragraph’s main idea.

In Lesson 2, we also talked about the importance of having a clear topic sent ence for each of your body paragraphs.
T he topic sentence, which is typically near the beginning of your paragraph, serves as the thesis statement for the
paragraph. Aside from a clear topic sentence, what else can you put in each body paragraph? T he answe r: sentences
that provide supporting details for your paragraph’s main idea.

T he diagram below illustrates the relationship between your essay’s main idea and thesis statement, your paragraphs’
main ideas and topic sentences, and the supporting details y ou provide in each paragraph.
Consider the three example topic sentences from Lesson 2. T hese three topic sentences represent the three subpoints
our example writer has chosen to support her main idea of “getting a better job.”

T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 1: T he first step I will take to getting a better job is to finish school.

T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 2: Next, I will work toward getting a better job by preparing a resume.

T opic Sentence for Body Paragraph 3: T he final step I plan to t ake to get a better job is to search for jobs.

For each subpoint, what are some details that would add development and support? Some ideas are listed below.

Main Idea of Body

Supporting Details
Paragraph
getting a course list from the community college; figuring out what classes I want
Finish School
to take; meeting with an advisor; signing up for classes
listing my skills and experience, finding sample resumes, drafting a resume,
Preparing a Resume
getting someone to look at it
going to the community job center; looking online for jobs I’m qualified for;
Searching for Jobs talking to friends and advisors about opportunities; making a list of possible job
leads

T he paragraph below is an example body paragraph about finishing school.

"T he first step I will take to getting a better job is to finish school. I can get a course catalogue from the community
college and study it to see what classes sound interesting. After I think about what sounds interesting and would be
helpful to me, I can decide which ones I want to take. T hen, I can meet with an academic advisor to get advice about
what courses I would need to get my degree. After I figure out what classes to take and get advice from an advisor, I
can sign up for the classes I need and want to take."
Conclusions
Writing a Developed and Detailed Conclusion
It is important to have a strong conclusion, since this is the last chance you have to make an impression on your reader.
T he goal of your conclusion isn’t to introduce any new ideas, but to sum up everything you’ve written. Specifically,
your conclusion should accomplish three major goals:

 Restate the main idea of your essay, or your thesis statement

 Summarize the three subpoints of your essay
 Leave the reader with an interesting final impression

T he paragraph below is an example conclusion. As you read, think about what each sentence accomplishes within the
paragraph. What sentence(s) restates the essay’s thesis statement? What sentence(s) summarizes the essay’s three
subpoints? What sentence(s) leaves the reader with an interesting final impression?

Getting a better job is a goal that I would really like to accomplish in the next few years. Finishing school

will take me a long way to meeting this goal. To meet my goal, I will also prepare my résumé and search

for jobs. My goal may not be an easy one to achieve, but things that are worth doing are often not easy.

Notice that the first sentence restates the thesis. The second and third sentences
summarize the essay’s subpoints. Finally, the fourth sentence leaves the reader with an
interesting final impression.

No new information is presented in this paragraph. Instead, the writer sums up what has
been written so far and leaves the reader with a last thought. While the content of the
paragraph is very similar to the introduction, the paragraph itself is not exactly the same.
This is important. Even though the goal of the conclusion is to restate a lot of the
information from the introduction, it should sound different because the conclusion’s
purpose is slightly different from the introduction.
 Expository writing

What is exposition?

The purpose of exposition (or expository writing) is not primarily to amuse, but to enlighten and
instruct. The objective is to explain and analyze information by presenting an idea, relevant
evidence, and appropriate discussion. Its essential quality is c larity. Most of the writing that you
are required to do at school is expository (reports, tests, essays etc..) Similarly most of the writing
you will do after school will be of this sort.

Examples of expository writing include:

 Reports
 Scientific reports
 Term papers
 Encyclopedia articles

Features of expository writing

The main features include:

 Informative
Expository text is meant to deposit information
 Clarity.
Using words that clearly show what the author is talking about.
 Organization of the text.
A well-written exposition remains focused on its topic and lists events in
chronological order
 Impersonal
Second-person instructions with "you." However, the use of first-person
pronouns should be avoided.
 Unbiased
Expository essays will not overtly reveal the opinion of the writer.
Process Essay
What to consider when writing a process essay
A process paper either tells the reader how to do something or describes how
something is done. As you write your process essay, consider the following:

 What process are you trying to explain? Why is it important?

 Who or what does the process affect?
 Are there different ways of doing the process? If so, what are they?
 Who are the readers? What knowledge do they need to understand this
process?
 What skills/equipment are needed for this?
 How long does the process take? Is the outcome always the same?
 How many steps are there in the process?
 Why is each step important?
 What difficulties are involved in each step? How can they be overcome?
 Do any cautions need to be given?
 Does the process have definitions that need to be clarified?
 Are there other processes that are similar and could help illustrate the
process that you are writing about?
 If needed, tell what should not be done or why something should be
done.
 Process papers are often written in the second person (you), but some
teacher prefer that you avoid this. Check with your teacher.

Your responses to these questions and statements should enable you to write an
effective process essay.

Suggested transition words to lead readers through

your essay
Process essays are generally organized according to time: that is, they begin
with the first step in the process and proceed in time until the last step in the
process. It's natural, then, that transition words indicate that one step has been
completed and a new one will begin. Some common transitional words used in
process essays are listed below:
One Another
Transition
time time
TIME
After a few hours, Immediately following,
Afterwards, Initially,
At last In the end,
At the same time, In the future,
Before In the meantime,
Before this, In the meanwhile,
Currently, Last, Last but not least, Lastly,
During Later,
Eventually, Meanwhile,
Finally, Next, Soon after,
First, Second, Third, etc. Previously,
First of all, Simultaneously,
Formerly Subsequently,
Immediately before, Then,
Cause and effect Essay|
Definition:
In this kind of essay, the aim is to explain the causes (reasons) or the effects
(results) of an event or situation.
e.g. Causes of air pollution (multiple factors leading to air pollution).
e.g. Effects of watching too much TV (many effects of a situation).

Sometimes an event causes something to happen, and that situation leads to

another event, and it causes another event to happen. This is called the causal
chain or domino effect.
e.g. Use of deodorants will bring the end of the world.

There may be several causes or effects of a situation. However, in a student

essay, it is advisable to keep the number of major points to 2 or 3, which form
separate developmental paragraphs.

Organization:
Depending on the topic, there may be three patterns of organization:
1. Multiple causes-->effect
In this pattern, the organization is as follows:

thesis statement: Air pollution is caused by the following factors: exhaust gases from
cars, uncontrolled factory releases, and burning of low-quality coal for heating.
I. exhaust gases from cars
A. government does not have enough control
B. citizens are not conscientious
II. uncontrolled factory gases
A. no regular checks on gases released
B. factories are inside the borders of residential areas
III. burning of low-quality coal for heating
A. no governmental control
B. other forms of energy too expensive

Each developmental paragraph is devoted to one of the causes of air pollution. Each
cause is supported by two minor supports. While writing, these major and minor ideas
should be adequately explained and exemplified as well.

2. Cause-->Multiple effects
In this pattern, the effects of a certain situation are explained in separate paragraphs, with
the following organization:

thesis statement: Watching too much TV is one of the major sociological issues of this
century, which has many effects on the physiology and psychology of people.
I. eating disorders
A. TV meals
B. obesity
II. communication problems
A. more violence
B. no interpersonal talk

Again, we have grouped related effects under two main points: physiological and
psychological. Then, we have supported each effect with two minor supports (A and B).
While writing, we should explain these major and minor supports by giving examples
and/or defining what we mean, as well.

3. Causal chain / Domino

In this pattern, the events lead to one another, as in the following organization:

thesis statement: Using deodorants with chlorofluorocarbon gas will bring the end of
world.
I. Chlorofluorocarbon gases are contained in most deodorants and released by some
factories into the air.
II. This gas causes the ozone layer to become thinner and finally disappear in patches.
III. The unfiltered ultraviolet rays of the sun cause overheating in the poles of the earth,
where the icebergs start to melt.
IV. The huge amount of water released from the poles leads to a rise in the sea-level.
V. The sea will cover the land and this will be the end of the world.

Again, each major point should be supported with examples, statistics that show that
there are some factories and deodorants that release chlorofluorocarbons, that there is a
rise in the sea-level, etc.
Language:
To explain reasons and results, we use:
As a result,
As a consequence,
Consequently,
So,
Since
As,
Because
One reason why ...
One of the most important reasons why ...
The main reasons why ...
There are other reasons, too, ...

Do not forget that using transitions enables the piece of writing to be coherent; it is easier for the reader to
follow our ideas when transitions are used to link them together. However, overuse of transitions causes a
traffic jam and should be avoided. We should be using transitions sparingly (only when necessary).