Academic writing
Topic analysis
Understanding the question is the first step in writing an essay. The meaning of the question may not be immediately obvious. The process of analysing your question helps you pinpoint the actual subject of your assignment.
Analysis of the topic involves identifying:
- instruction words
These tell you what to do, e.g. describe, define, analyse, compare (visit the Glossary Of Task Words at the Learning Centre)
- key concepts
They are the focus, i.e. what you need to research. If you do not identify key concepts correctly, you may miss the point of the assignment
- limiting or qualifying words or phrases
These make the key concepts more specific. They identify the part of the subject matter on which you need to concentrate, e.g. specific periods in time, geographical areas, organisations, etc.