Developing your essay

This video will provide you with an introduction to writing an academic paragraph. While the video is playing, click "Slides" to navigate through the presentation or "Notes" to see the transcript. If you would like to return to specific sections of the video, please see below:

1. Introduction (0:37)
2. What's the Story You Want to Tell? (2:05)
3. Purpose and Characteristics of an Academic Paragraph (3:02)
4. Elements of an Academic Paragraph (0:49)
   1. Topic sentence (1:31)
   2. What is critical thinking and how is it demonstrated? (8:13)
   3. Evidence (2:21)
   4. Analysis (1:25)
   5. Conclusion (0:51)
   6. Transition (1:56)
5. Sample Paragraph (0:21)
6. Final Thoughts on Paragraphing and Contact the Writing Centre (2:19)

Click on Writing an Academic Paragraph (PowerPoint) if you would like the slides from the video; the transcript is available via the slide notes.

Topic sentences

• Claims and Facts (Royal Roads University, YouTube video)
• Topic Sentences: An Introduction (Carmen Seitan)
• Practice Finding and Supporting Topic Sentences (Carmen Seitan)

Using research evidence

• Quoting, Summarizing, and Paraphrasing (Royal Roads University)
• Claims and Facts (Royal Roads University, YouTube video)

Transitional expressions

• Transitional Expressions and Transitional Sentences (Royal Roads University)
• Transitional Expressions (Royal Roads University, YouTube video)
• Using Keywords to Improve Flow (Royal Roads University, YouTube video)
• Transitions (The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• Transitions (ESL) (The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Try this interactive module to help you assess if you've effectively demonstrated your critical thinking in your arguments. For the best experience, click on the arrows in the top left corner to view it in full screen.