The Ultimate Guide to Essay Writing

1. Pick a Topic to Cover
Choosing a powerful topic will set a right tone for the whole paper.

• Define your purpose. Is your aim to offer the steps to solve a particular problem, persuade readers in your point of view, or educate people about some idea, person or event? Your topic must fit this purpose.
• Choose a topic that’s appropriate to the paper’s length. Avoid broad topics as you cannot cover them fully due to the limited number of words. If you’re writing a four‐page essay, don’t retell the whole history of women’s rights. Instead, narrow it down to a more specific subject like one important incident in the women’s rights movement. 
• Pick a topic you’re interested in. If you don’t care about reducing alcohol advertising, don’t pick this topic for a persuasive essay. If you decide to write about something that matters to you, you will sound more convincing. And the reader will find the paper more interesting.
• Almost every writing assignment requires a student to make a research. Pick a subject that you can find enough material about.

2. Conduct a Research
Gather and analyze information for your essay

• Use the Internet. Find reliable websites with such domains as .org (non-profit), .edu (educational institutions), and .gov (government). Google Scholar and Google Books are both awesome ways of finding out what’s available in terms of your topic. Avoid websites in which information may be edited by anyone, like Wikipedia.
• Visit a library. You may find many trustworthy academic resources there. To know what to look for, familiarize yourself with the library sections relevant to your topic. Look through the titles on the shelves. Library staff can direct you to valuable material.

3. Develop a Thesis Statement
Academic essays should have the main idea, point, or central message. Your argument should reflect it. Make one sentence that presents your position on this main idea. Let’s run through what makes for a strong thesis statement:

• It is clear and to the point.
• It doesn’t contain phrases like “the thesis of my paper is” or “the point of the essay is”. 
• It is debatable. But make sure you have enough evidence to prove your belief. 
• A successful thesis makes it clear for you what material to include in the main body. These paragraphs should support and explain your thesis.

4. Create an Outline
An outline serves as a roadmap for an essay. It helps to stay organized and focused throughout the writing process and ensures proper coherence (flow of ideas) in your work. This is a common structure of academic essay:

   Introduction

• A hook (a striking fact or statistic, anecdote or a quote);
• A preview of three subtopics;
• The thesis statement.

 Body Paragraphs

• A topic sentence (states one of three subtopics that will be discussed);
• Supporting evidence;
• A concluding sentence (explains how the evidence proves the thesis);
• Transition to the next paragraph.

Conclusion

• Restatement of the thesis;
• Restatement of three main ideas (subtopics) of the essay that were discussed in the body;
• A concluding statement (offers a solution, calls to action, or makes a prediction).

5. Write a Draft
At this stage of essay writing, focus primarily on the content. Take your time and organize the information you have in a logical narration based on the outline.

Proofread the Draft

Carefully read your paper and remove the mistakes. If necessary, use online proofreading tools.

Compile a Bibliography

All academic essays must contain references. Create a list at the end of the paper where you acknowledge all the books and articles you referred to in your own written piece. If you don’t cite the sources, you might be accused of plagiarism.

Format the Paper