For most students, writing is hard. It is normal to feel a bit overwhelmed if you often have to write academic essays as part of your course. However, if you have the right strategy, writing an essay may not seem that intimidating. In this post, we are going to provide some tips that will help you get the job done smoothly.
Analyze the topic question
In most cases, an essay is just a collection of responses to some specific questions. That is why you must explicitly state the topic question and analyze it. In general, there are three parts of an essay question: content terms, limiting terms and directive terms.
Look at the topic from different perspectives, and think of arguments on both sides. If you have the arguments ready, the only thing you have to do is to type research paper and then proofread it. So, conduct adequate research before you start writing. With no confusion about the topic question, you will find the next steps relatively easy.
Define your argument
Defining the main argument is one of the most important parts of writing an essay. You should have a pretty good idea of what arguments you are going to present. Get as much information about the topic as possible and then develop your argument. Try to write the main argument in a single, precise sentence.
Use reasoning, evidence and scholarship
Use reasoning and evidence to strengthen your argument. To support your claim, provide concrete information. This information should consist of facts, specific examples, statistics and quotations. The purpose of providing reasoning is to make a link between your argument and the evidence. Evaluate is a piece of evidence before you use it.
Also, use scholarship to show the relationship of your argument with the already available knowledge on the topic. You can use it as part of the reasoning and evidence.
Make sure the essay is coherent
There are three basic components of an essay: introduction, body and conclusion. Try your best to maintain coherence of these sections.
Introduction
Write a catchy introduction. It can be a general statement, the result of an interesting study, an anecdote, or something like that. The introduction should also include a thesis statement that presents your argument in the most precise way possible. To some extent, the appeal of the introduction determines whether the reader will keep a reading.
Body
In the body paragraphs, you have to present your argument and elaborate it. Provide a reasoned case and back it up with evidence. The overview and the introduction determine the length of the body.
Make sure that a paragraph does not contain more than one idea. You can make your essay captivating by providing strong and precise arguments. And all the arguments in these paragraphs in some way answer the topic question.
Conclusion
The conclusion is the last part of your essay, and it is as important as the introduction. In this part, sum up the topic and mention the relevance and importance of the argument. Try to make the sentences strong and unforgettable. However, do not introduce any new concept or argument in the conclusion.
Edit and proofread your essay
Do not submit your essay without editing and proofreading it. Some students tend to think that editing and proofreading are the same, but they are not. The goal of editing is to find and fix significant issues with content, paragraph structure and overall organization. On the other hand, the main focus of proofreading is on finding and fixing typos and grammatical errors.
It is not easy to find errors in your own writing. A human proofreader is better than a spell checker. You can request your friend to read the essay and find errors. Be open to suggestions for improvements.
Final thoughts
Writing an essay requires patience and dedication. It is a skill you can work on and improve gradually. You will write better over time. With that said, just practice is not enough. You have to be a bit strategic. We hope you will use our tips and make your next essay flawless.
