Scott G. Brown is a scholar of Christian Origins and has many years of experience teaching religion at undergraduate level. He has published a book on the "secret" Gospel of Mark and articles in the Journal of Biblical Literature, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Revue Biblique, Biblical Archaeology Review, Expository Times, and Harvard Theological Review.

"Brown's A Guide to Writing Academic Essays in Religious Studies is not only a readable and reliable guide that one can put into the hands of undergraduates; his concluding chapter on the Hallmarks of Bad Scholarship could be read with profit by all those who are concerned to avoid a litany of mistakes in argumentation. Brown is equally attentive to the mechanics of research, drafting and polishing prose, matters of style and format, bibliography and footnotes, punctuation and quotation, and the ultimate goal of producing careful, well-documented, and compelling essays. This is a book for every library and should appear on every syllabus." J.S. Kloppenborg, Professor and Chair, Department & Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto, Canada

• What is an Academic Essay?; Presuppositions; Theoretical and Methodological Assumptions; Assumptions Concerning Background Knowledge; How is an Essay Evaluated?; Content; Form; Some Reflections on How to Write an Essay; When to Start.