Organization of Process Essays

Process essays: In a process essay, the thesis deals with the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the process. The body of the essay describes the process in detail. Generally, the conclusion of the essay returns to the significance, importance, relevance, or value of the process. For a process essay to be effective to a general audience, the significance, importance, relevance, or value for the reader cannot be isolated to a single location or community--it must, in some sense, be universal.

Types of Process Essays

There are two types of process essays: prescriptive and descriptive. Prescriptive essays are essays which explain how to do something. Descriptive essays describe how something works or how something is done.

Prescriptive Essays (How to Do Something)

• Prominent and overt use of transition words
• Imperatives (verbs that issue commands) are used to state the steps in the process; present tense active verbs, to explain the steps.
• The pronoun you is often the subject of sentences.
• Sentences which state the steps in the process are short and direct. Sentences which explain the steps may be longer but are still concise.
• The explanation of the process proceeds carefully step by step in order. The only digressions are to include warnings or point out the dangers of not following the steps as outlined.
• A list of tools or materials may be given before the process is explained.
• Technical terms may need to be explained when they are introduced.

Descriptive essays (How Something is Done or How Something Works)

• Prominent and overt use of transition words
• Present tense active verbs or present perfect tense verbs are used to describe the process.
• The subjects of sentences are nouns or third person pronouns, generally, the things which do the process or which are used in the process.
• Sentences are concise and direct.
• Explanations may follow chronological order or may follow some logical order.
• Technical terms may need to be explained when relevant.

Types of Processes

Simple processes (step-by-step): This is a process where sequence is important and necessary for the process to be completed. Most how-to projects are simple processes. When describing a simple process, the writer leads the reader through the process, defining key terms as needed. Essays explaining simple processes are usually prescriptive. (Analysis)

Organic processes: These processes usually follow chronological order. Within an organic process, some of the steps my include options, but generally, there is a single outcome to the process (like in the simple process). Essays explaining organic processes are usually descriptive. (Analysis/Interpretive)

Decision-making processes: A decision-making process works like a computer program. At each stage of the process, a decision is made which results in a new series of decisions. Essays explaining decision-making processes may be prescriptive, descriptive, or a combination of both (Interpretive/Valuation).

Qualitative processes: In these processes, the outcome of the process is measured against a set of standards. Unlike the simple process, where there is only one path to the desired outcome, in qualitative processes, there are numerous paths to the desired outcome, each with its own relative worth. Often readers are expected to make evaluations about the end product. Usually, essays illustrating qualitative processes define the standards and then suggest strategies for realizing those standards. Sometimes these essays are also written with a negative focus, focusing on the reverse of the desired outcome or ridiculing the outcome. Essays explaining decision-making processes may be prescriptive, descriptive, or a combination of both. (Valuation/Synthesis)

Dangers

Confusing with Other Modes

Narrative: Sometimes students confuse process with narrative. A narrative essay focuses on a personal reaction to a conflict situation. Narrative essays are expressive, emphasizing the feelings of the narrator or persons involved in the conflict and eliciting similar feelings in the reader. Process essays are expository, explaining how to do something, how something is done, or how something works. The purpose of the process essay is that the reader undersant the process and its significance, importance, relevance, or value.

Descriptive: Students may also confuse process with description. Descriptive essays are expressive essays that focus on the way something is or was. Process essays focus on how something is done or works.

Cause/Effect: Process essays focus on how something is done or something works. Cause/Effect essays focus on why something is done or why something happened.

Lack of Clarity

Process essays must be clear. Avoid long wordy explanations. Use as many short declarative statements as possible. Use examples to illustrate steps. Use simple clear descriptions as illustrations. Use short narrative explanations to explain steps.

Oversimplification

Students sometimes choose topics which are too simplistic--a recipe for a favorite dish, changing a tire. While these topics may be suitable for a process paragraph, they are not complex enough for a process essay. Students can use these types of topics if they expand the context of the discussion to include anecdotes about the process that would illustrate how to do it, how it is done, dangers when doing it, humorous situations involving the process, and so on.