A wiki-essay is a cluster of wiki-pages (notes), that forms a coherent and complete whole. A wiki-essay is of particular use in setting Assignments, but it also of use to a reader when looking to familiarise herself with an new area.
A wiki-essay is a special form of Wiki Cluster that serves the purpose of being a unit of work that is able to be read and assessed.
Zoning Cobwebs
Wiki's and Hypertext in general suffer the problems and advantages of non-linearity. This problem can be expressed with questions such as "Where do I start?" and "Where or when does this end?". All this non-linear exploration is great, but it comes with clear costs.
The task of defining a wiki-essay therefore comes down to scoping or zoning of a clearly defined set of pages, links and navigation. This is best done with a map.
Essay Maps
An essay-map is a Wiki Minimap that serves to define the bounds and scope of a Wiki Essay. It should serve to give a visual definition of this cluster, and as a navigation aid to show where in the cluster the current wiki-page (note) is situated, and provide the means to easily navigate to other pages.