When students are given their first serious writing assignments, they often ask questions, like “what is an essay?”. According to a common definition, an essay is a piece of non-fiction that usually describes the writer’s perspective on a specific topic and aims to address this topic objectively .
There are many different essay types, and each of them has a specific purpose and characteristic features. Some essays may seem personal, whereas others are formal. Most probably, your professor will assign you an essay and give detailed instructions on what it should contain.
Usually, writing an essay requires some time and effort to research the topic, develop ideas, and actually write it. Yet, when you are overloaded with writing tasks, you can look for professional writing help and buy custom essays as learning materials. For example, writing experts at Writology.com claim that such a decision will save you from stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights, helping you arrange your studying schedule without violating the academic integrity of your college or university.
However, when you have enough time, you may work on your essay assignments on your own. If you are unsure how to come up with a good essay paper, we strongly recommend you to consider our helpful tips on successful essay writing.
Have a look at a step-by-step guide that will help you figure out how to write an essay:
Select an Appropriate Topic
img source: pexels.com
If your professor does not give you a specific topic to write on, you will need to pick one that matches your research interests and fits the subject. When choosing a topic, try to choose the one relevant to the current state of affairs since outdated themes for discussion will prevent you from writing a good essay. What is more, your topic should be interesting both for you and your target audience. Being interested in the topic yourself, you can make it interesting for your readers.
Yet first, you need to do preliminary research and learn what issues are relevant in your discipline now so that you could choose an appropriate topic to write on. Then, you will need to brainstorm your ideas to find out what arguments can be developed in your essay. Still, you have to be careful to choose a narrow topic since a too broad topic won’t allow you to create a good essay. However, if unsure of your topic selection, discuss it with your instructor and ask for advice.
Read Your Instructions
One more thing you should do before writing your essay is to study your essay instructions. To get a good grade for your essay, you will need to write it exactly as your instructor demands. Although you are supposed to demonstrate your creativity, you will need to do it within the instructions. In particular, you will need to pay attention to the citation style you need to follow, the number of sources to use, the date of submission, and other details. By reading the instructions carefully, you will be able to avoid unnecessary revisions.
Essay Structure
img source: pexels.com
If you want to get a good grade for your paper, you must follow the traditional essay structure. No matter what essay type you need to write, it should include the following parts:
- Introduction;
- Main body;
- Conclusion.
Your introduction has to include a hook, sufficient background information, and a thesis statement. The primary goal of your introduction is to engage and ‘hook’ your target audience to read your essay further. At this point, students often wonder, “what is a hook in an essay?” Well, it is a statement or an anecdote that appears at the very beginning of your essay and engages your readers and target audience so that they are interested in continuing reading.
The main body is often divided into several paragraphs, each discussing a specific point. Also, each of the main body paragraphs should include a strong claim and supporting evidence. To make your essay more credible and authoritative, you need to include in-text citations to support your arguments.
Finally, in the concluding part of your essay, you will need to summarize everything said in your document and restate the main idea established in the thesis. According to the standards of academic writing, you cannot add new information into your conclusion as it is just a recap of your paper.
After writing your conclusion, you may think that you are done writing your essay, but it is not right. Once you are done with your concluding paragraph, you will need to review your essay again to check if it is free from logical inconsistencies and grammar errors.
Provide More Fact
To add credibility to your paper, you will need to include solid facts taken from peer-reviewed academic sources. However, you need to not only provide the facts but also interpret them demonstrating your best critical thinking skills.
Use Correct Vocabulary
img source: pexels.com
When writing an essay, you will need to pay special attention to the words you choose. Poor wording will not allow you to make your essay engaging and interesting for your readers. We strongly recommend you to exclude fancy words and slang as they may sound confusing to your readers.
In case you need to include complicated terms when addressing your topic, do not hesitate to explain them in your essay. You should avoid slang, jargon, run-on sentences, etc., in an essay. What is more, you will need to proofread carefully to ensure correct spelling and grammar in your paper.
Find Good Resources
img source: pexels.com
Writing an academic paper is impossible without in-depth research. Even if you know the topic well, you will need to support your arguments with evidence and the findings of other researchers. Pay attention that when you include any thoughts and ideas of other scholars, you will need to cite them appropriately, following the citation style requested by your tutor.
When working on an academic essay, you must use the most credible, up-to-date, and peer-reviewed academic sources. Thus, you cannot use Wikipedia as a source since it is an open portal where anyone can post their article. All the references you use when working on your paper should appear in your reference list.
Do Not Forget to Edit Your Essay
If you are willing to become a skilled essay writer, you will need to dedicate enough time and effort to the editing stage. Once your essay is ready, you have to edit and proofread it thoroughly. Therefore, you should read it carefully and make sure it follows all instructions provided by the tutor.
Also, pay attention to possible logical fallacies and inconsistencies, and polish the mechanics of your paper until perfection. Although many students are too lazy to work on editing, we assure you that spending your time and effort on this stage is rewarding as it allows improving the quality of your paper.
We do hope that our tips help understand how to start an essay. By following our suggestions, you will be able to organize your writing process and become a successful student. So, polish your essay writing skills and achieve your academic goals!
