Brilliant Essay

Bill Kirton is an experienced lecturer and writer who most recently held the post of Royal Literary Fund Writing fellow at the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee and St Andrews, where he specialised in helping students across all subjects in developing their literary and academic writing and research skills. Bill is also a published author and respected ghostwriter who specialises in making information accessible to specific audiences.

• About the authorAuthor's acknowledgementsPublisher's acknowledgements Introduction: Do as we say, not as we do  Part 1: Establishing the basicsChapter 1: Developing good writing skillsChapter 2: Giving markers what they wantChapter 3: Getting started with academic writing  Part 2: The research phaseChapter 4: Learning how to readChapter 5: Libraries are more than just booksChapter 6: Turning reading into notesChapter 7: The importance of critical thinking  Part 3: Getting ready to writeChapter 8: The bare bones of academic writing structuresChapter 9: How to create a plan  Part 4: The writing phaseChapter 10: The conventions of academic writingChapter 11: The basics of sentences and paragraphsChapter 12: Good grammarChapter 13: Punctuation mattersChapter 14: Spelling it rightChapter 15: Expanding your vocabulary  Part 5: Editing and other essentialsChapter 16: The importance of the post-writing phasesChapter 17: Never ever plagiariseChapter 18: Quotations, citations and references  Part 6: Maximising your potentialChapter19: The elements and advantages of good presentationChapter 20: Making the most of feedbackChapter 21: Essays in exams  Conclusion: Take the advice but be yourself