Just as with many other job applications, your academic writing sample should reflect your ability to write clearly and concisely. However, there are specific qualities that you need to possess as a researcher to be able to write compellingly. If you’re seeking a faculty position in a university setting, read on to discover what your writing sample should be like.
Thesis
To begin with, your thesis statement (also known as your thesis) should be short and sweet. The statement should match the purpose of your entire paper and include all of the relevant information. The statement should not try to cover too much ground; it should focus on one specific piece of research and include all pertinent details.
For example, if you are writing about the social media habits of millennials, your thesis statement should read something like this: “Millennials are gradually taking control of their own media consumption and are turning to new platforms such as podcasting to discover content that appeals to them.”
Introduction
Your introduction should hook the reader and provide them with necessary information. To start with, you should briefly describe the field of study in which you’ll be working. Remember that the purpose of your writing is to convince the reader that you’re a best-qualified candidate. Therefore, you need to keep your introduction short and sweet.
Next, you need to provide the reader with a hook. Just as with a blog post or a YouTube video, the purpose of your introduction is to intrigue the reader so that they’ll continue reading your paper. A good hook should make the reader want to read your paper right away.
Materials and Methods
What follows your introduction is a breakdown of the various materials and methods that you’ll use to conduct your research. Begin by explaining what materials you’ll need to collect data; next, you should describe the methods that you’ll use to analyze and evaluate the data. When explaining the methods that you’ll use, be as specific as possible.
For example, if you’re investigating the ways in which businesses can engage with consumers through social media, you’ll need to consider the various social media platforms that your business may use (i.e., Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn). If your business owns a blog, you should explain how you’ll analyze and evaluate the data that’s been previously published there to find quantitative and qualitative information regarding blog content, marketing, and engagement levels.
Once you’ve collected and analyzed the data, you’ll need to present your findings and conclusions. Your conclusion should summarize the key insights that you’ve discovered during your analysis. If possible, you should provide some level of detail regarding the limitations of your study. For example, if you’ve discovered that Twitter users in the United Kingdom favor a certain hashtag when using the platform to discuss politics, your conclusion might read something like this: “From this research, it appears that Twitter users in the UK mainly use the platform to discuss political matters, and, as a result, favor using the hashtag #PoliTwitter to create content regarding politics.”
Analysis
Your analysis should be rigorous and contain a clear description of the methods that you’ll use. If possible, you should provide a step-by-step guide to replicate the analysis. When conducting an analysis, you need to consider various factors and metrics to determine the reliability of your findings. When explaining your analysis, be very specific.
For example, if you’re analyzing the Twitter accounts of 100 CEOs, you should say exactly what you’ll be doing and why you’re doing it. In addition, you should describe the process that you’ll use to examine the data and reach your conclusions. If your paper is being evaluated, you should also provide a detailed outline of the methods that will be used to analyze it.
Conclusion
Your conclusion should briefly summarize all of the key information that you revealed during your analysis. If possible, you should provide some level of detail regarding next steps and directions for future research. Your conclusion should serve as a guide to follow-up studies. As with your introduction, your conclusion should be short and sweet.
For example, if you conducted an analysis of the Twitter accounts of 100 CEOs and you found that they favor using the hashtag #salesforce to engage with other users, your conclusion might read something like this: “From this analysis, it appears that CEOs are primarily using Twitter to follow other business leaders and to learn about emerging trends and topics.”
As you can see, with only a few simple steps, you can prepare a killer academic paper that will land you the job you deserve.