Write an Essay

How to Write an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide for a College Student

Creating an Essay Title Page

An essay title should include the name of the author and indicate the purpose of the paper. (e.g. research paper, thesis, thesis paper) An author’s name should be placed on the first page. It can be printed in all capitals or in lowercase. Some authors prefer capitalized and some prefer lowercase. (e.g. Sully, Dunbar, O’Connor) An author’s name should be surrounded with commas (e.g. Sullivan, Browne, Parker) It can be separated by periods or hyphens (e.g. Henry, Williams, Smith). The author’s last name should be displayed in a 3rd or 4th page quote. (e.g. T., Day, Dickinson) An author’s name can be accompanied with an underline (e.g. Matthews, Sullivan) In all cases, an author’s name should be placed at the beginning of the body of the paper.

The Basic Essay Structure

Introduction A short introduction paragraph will probably follow the start of the thesis statement. The subject of the essay should be as original as possible, so try to think of an idea that is unique. Overview Always have a short summary of the thesis in the introduction paragraph. This will help the reader understand your ideas in a quicker way. Objective The objective of your paper should be clearly stated in the introduction paragraph, and it should help the reader understand what your paper is about. Information-gathering process The information-gathering process will allow the reader to learn more about your topic. Competition Competition helps you analyze the situation from different perspectives, but it also gives you a chance to present your ideas to other people.

The Essay Outline

The first thing you should know about the essay outline is that it is a table of contents that includes the ideas you want to focus on in your paper. It can be divided into different categories depending on what you are writing about. Once you have that figured out, create the tables. This step involves searching for tables of contents for papers and then copying them. This will also help you decide which styles to use when writing. The Opening Paragraph The opening paragraph should introduce the topic of your essay writing and the reader. It should also show your unique voice while at the same time using language that shows you are serious. The next section should be your introduction where you can explain your objective and story. This section can be separated into two parts.

Citations and Quotes

The collection of citations and quotes is to be used to support your main points. It is here that you put the evidence that provides your reader with the key concepts you are emphasizing in your essay. You should cite both primary and secondary sources to show your proof. Overview and Structure This section is pretty self-explanatory. It details how you are going to write the essay. Most college students have no idea how to structure an essay so this section is often the most difficult and confusing. Proofreading At this point in the writing process you may be surprised that a bunch of grammar and spelling mistakes have crept in your essay. In this section you are going to find your proofreading areas.

Conclusion

Last, but not least, the conclusion must inform your readers of why they should choose your paper and not the other. Be specific and stick to the facts. I hope you have found this post helpful and if you do, let me know and I will be more than happy to help!