Good essay writing depends on several factors. It is important to follow certain guidelines and rules to achieve an informative and thought-provoking paper. The following article will briefly explore a general process for writing academic-style papers while addressing how to write a thesis statement, essay introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs.
What Type of Essay are You Writing?
Determine the essay style most suitable for your topic. You will be structuring your essay according to this form. This step is beneficial because it makes the application of facts and ideas to your paper more simplistic. As an essay writer, I’m glad to present to you the following list that includes common essays styles used in secondary and post-secondary institutions:
- Argumentative Essay: The argumentative essay is based on an argument, and the purpose is to prove a point. The essay indicates the side the writer supports within or after the introduction. The rest of the essay is dedicated to proving that side with sufficient, supporting evidence.
- Comparison Essay: One way to discuss two different subjects is to compare and contrast their similarities and differences. Comparison essays do just that. Comparison style papers require clarity and organization. Comparison essays should have factual information, and be able to make readers conclude. For instance, a comparison essay may compare and contrast two political candidates.
- Persuasive Essay: Persuasive essays differ from argumentative essays by swaying readers towards the author’s perspective. Writers use logic, facts, and events to support a point of view and persuade readers that one side is more reasonable than another.
- Critical Essay: Critical essays require the writer to "criticize" a subject. The purpose is to provide a separate evaluation of that issue. Critical essays do not need to be negative, but often include a review to inform readers what is good and bad about the object being analyzed. Critical essays describe what is being written about, along with the opinion of the writer. Don’t forget to support your arguments with evidence.
- Descriptive Essays: Descriptive essays are a recounting of any subject, such as an event. This type of paper is meant to inform readers of something they may not have any knowledge of. Descriptive essays, unlike critical essays, analyze the subject without needing to provide a critical account of it. The writer may include an opinion; however, the paper’s thesis is not centered around the perspective of the writer. Rather, the thesis is a description of what is being analyzed in the paper.
There are more than a dozen different essay styles. Each essay style utilizes similar tactics such as logical reasoning, organization, structure, and clarity.
Introduction to the Essay
Include an introduction in your paper, instead of going directly into the argument and presenting your side. Imagine you are writing for readers who know nothing of your essay topic. It is important to have thorough but concise information on the subject’s background. A good way to achieve this is by writing an introduction that includes some of the following factors. Begin with brief sentences that describe and identify the main topic of the paper. If you are writing about the events which led to the Cold War, for example, define and identify what the Cold War is.
- Briefly describe what the essay is about: In what context will you discuss the Cold War?
- Now is a good opportunity to include your thesis statement! An introductory paragraph at the beginning of a paper provides the essay writer with a great chance to insert the thesis statement.
Include a Thesis
Not every essay requires a thesis. However, it is beneficial to have one. But what is a thesis? What length does it need to be? Where should a thesis be placed in a formal paper?
A thesis is a statement that summarizes the overall argument of the essay. The rest of the essay will argue to prove this thesis. Keep in mind that a thesis is unproven, and placed at the beginning or after the introduction of a paper. Thesis statements can be more than one sentence long.
Critical style papers (such as argumentative & persuasive) require a thesis that states what the essay is going to prove. Here are two critical essay thesis examples:
- Within the last ten years, the creation of micro-financial institutions in Bangladesh has significantly reduced poverty by a large rate.
- The main causes behind the outbreak of warfare and conflict in the international system can be best explained according to Kenneth Waltz’s theories on the three images of international relations: the individual, state, and state system.
Non-critical papers (such as descriptive and comparison) which do not prove anything may include a thesis that introduces the topic being discussed. Here are two non-critical essay thesis examples:
- The following essay will discuss the unfolding of events that contributed to and led to the outbreak of WWII.
- This paper summarizes the effects global warming imposes on the habitats of the rainforests of Central and Southwest North America.
Remember that a thesis should be specific to what the essay will discuss. A thesis should state the main argument, along with what evidence you will use to prove it.
The Structural Body of the Essay
The body of an essay consists of several paragraphs along with one concluding paragraph. Each paragraph should be approximately 5 or more sentences long. Try to avoid writing a paragraph with fewer than 4 sentences. The research, arguments, and ideas generated in the essay outline are used to write each paragraph.
The first topic sentence of a good paragraph should include a fact or piece of information. Here is an example of a good topic sentence:
Economic globalization has created more interconnectedness among most international states.
The rest of the paragraph will elaborate on the topic sentence. Remember to include evidence and factual information to back the topic sentence. For example, the rest of your paragraph will explain or help prove this sentence:
Evidence shows that the globalization of the world economies has created better relations between China and the United States.
Conclusion Paragraph
The final paragraph should summarize what the entire essay has proven. Briefly restate the main arguments in the paper. This will show readers how you came to the overall conclusion. A good concluding paragraph should recap the entire essay. Lastly, conclusion sentences at the end of an essay should "answer" the thesis by recapping all the evidence used to support the thesis statement.
About the author: Bianca J. Ward is a professional online essay writer at EssayWriterFree where she provides people with qualitative works. Besides, she is a passionate photographer and traveler who has visited 52 countries all over the world. Bianca dreams about creating a photo exhibition to present her works to others.