Development by process analysis
Process analysis identifies and explains what steps must be taken to complete an operation or procedure. There are two kinds of process analysis essays: directional and informative.
A directional process tells the reader how to do or make something; in other words, it gives directions. You are more familiar with directional process than you might think; when you open a telephone book, for example, you see the pages in the front explaining how to make a long-distance call. As this approach is not that common in academic writing, this will not be further elaborated.
An informative process tells the reader how something is or was made or done, or how something works. Informative process differs from directional process in that it is not designed primarily to tell people how to do it; instead, it may describe the steps the author followed in setting up an experiment for instance. This is quite common in "methodology" sections of academic essays.
Of all the expository essays, the process paper is the easiest to organize, mainly because it is presented in simple, chronological steps. To prepare a well-written process chapter or essay, however, you should remember the following advice:
- Select an appropriate subject Avoid fuzziness and a subject too complex to describe within the constraints of your essay.
- Describe any necessary equipment and define special terms In some process essays, you will need to indicate what equipment or tools are required. Such information is often provided at the beginning of the methodological description.
- State your steps in a logical, chronological order Start at the beginning and carefully follow through, step by step, until the process is completed. Do not omit any steps or directions, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
- Organise your steps effectively If you have a few big steps in your process, you probably will devote a paragraph to each one. On the other hand, if you have several small steps, you should organise them into a few manageable units.