Writing an academic essay could be intimidating especially if you have never written one before or have written one for years but do not know how to go about it. However, by following the five points listed below, you could write an excellent essay and avoid unnecessary stress or anxiety. As a pre-requisite, you must read the guidelines given at the back of this document to ensure that you are not violating any university’s regulations. Once you have read and accepted these guidelines, you are well on your way to writing the perfect essay.
The first step towards writing an academic paper is choosing a topic for your essay. It may be tempting to write about your hobbies or passions, but you should resist such temptation as the essay will be your first work and it should be free from fluff and unnecessary details. For example, if you are writing on the subject of Ancient Greek civilization, start your essay with an introduction on what the region was, the evolution of that civilization and what made it unique from other civilizations. Do not forget to elaborate on the period, its significance to today’s society and its influence on world history.
The second step towards writing an essay is the development of a solid thesis statement. You must prove your claim with hard facts and figures. Your thesis statement is the most important part of your essay and it should answer every question that a reader may have in mind. Besides, a thesis statement will allow your reader to follow the direction of your essay easily. If your reader is able to follow your essay within the first few pages, they would have completed reading your work and have acquired valuable information.
The third step towards writing a successful narrative essay is properly structuring your paragraphs and making sure that you use proper commas and periods. These basic elements are often overlooked by novice writers but play an essential role in effectively writing a narrative essay. In addition, your paragraphs should be descriptive in nature and use proper words and terminologies. Each paragraph should build on the previous one and give your reader the picture that you want them to present to the rest of your essay.
Another tip on how to write an academic essay is to use appropriate vocabulary and proper grammar. As you may know, academic writing is often challenging and it is crucial to ensure that you use correct grammar and spelling. The use of poor language and slang is a major turnoff to readers. On the other hand, using correct grammar and spelling will impress your reader and will help you earn a good grade. Remember, professors, lecturers, and university representatives are all looking for a well-written academic essay.
The last but not the least step on how to write a good academic essay is to develop a plan of action or a plan of attack. This is an important step as it will lay out your structure and outline your plan of attack. In other words, it is critical that you think about your ideas, what you are going to write, and how you will present it to the reader. Your plan of attack will guide you through your research and determine which specific papers you should read and which ones you should skip.
In conclusion, the main purpose of your essay is to convince your reader that you have constructed a strong argument or thesis. The body paragraphs, which are the supporting parts of your essay, must convince your reader that you deserve their trust. The body paragraphs of your essay should not only contain valid information, they also must be strong and concisely written. The introduction is also an extremely important part of your body paragraphs as this is where you will reveal your motivation for writing the essay, what you are planning to do with it, and why your research is superior to that of the other authors. In most cases, the introduction is the deciding factor in how many people choose to read your essay.
The introduction should be tailored towards the audience for which you are writing. If you are writing for a class assignment, your introduction should be geared towards your professor and your student readers. On the other hand, if you are writing as a student, your introduction should be directed towards your own needs and requirements. Finally, as you begin your final draft, you will want to make sure that you have satisfied all of the requirements of your assigned topic. If there are any requirements that you feel are too strict, cut them so that your essay does not become unnecessarily lengthy.
