Do you often find it difficult to write a quality academic essay? If so, this article will answer all your worries!
Step
Method 1 of 4: Understanding Essay Questions
Step 1. Understand the essay questions
This is the first step you must take; Before drafting, make sure you first understand what needs to be done. If there are some terms you don't understand, immediately look up their meaning in a dictionary or try to understand the context of the sentence in its entirety.
If you're really having a hard time understanding an essay question, try consulting your teacher (though they probably won't give you the answer you're hoping for)
Step 2. Analyze the topic of your essay
This process will be easier if your teacher has given a specific topic. However, if you are asked to make an essay with an unlimited number of topics, choose a topic that you like and is widely discussed in various trusted sources to facilitate your research process later.
Method 2 of 4: Planning an Essay
Step 1. Research the topic to be written
Take advantage of the books available in the library and/or information listed on the internet to find relevant information and be able to improve the quality of your essay content.
To make the essay writing process more systematic, you can also write this information down on a large index card
Step 2. Create an outline of the essay
Basically, the outline of an essay is a chart of your frame of mind; in other words, the essay outline must be able to show what the composition of your essay will look like and what information you think you will include in the essay. Creating detailed patterns before turning them into powerful writing speeds up and simplifies the process of writing your essay, especially since you already know where you're going.
Don't skip this stage. Drawing up an essay outline can be a pain in the ass. However, believe me, you will find it difficult to combine information that is not well organized into a complete and quality essay. Prepare index cards and look for similar and relevant information; after that, combine the relevant information in one paragraph. Remember, there's no need to include any information in the outline of your essay! Simply number each index card to make it easier for you to find the right information while writing your essay
Step 3. Read the essay writing rules to understand how many paragraphs or pages you should create
If the written rules aren't clear, try asking your teacher.
Method 3 of 4: Writing an Essay
Step 1. Create a thesis essay
In academic essays, the thesis is generally placed at the end of the background. Basically, a thesis is a sentence/statement/hypothesis that you will prove in the essay. For example, let's say you make a claim that in terms of his actions, fictional character A is actually suffering from a mental disorder. The statement is your thesis that must be elaborated in the essay in order to be a valid conclusion.
Step 2. Compose the first draft of your essay
Draft essays are not final results so they don't need to be arranged as perfectly as possible following the correct format. To draft an essay, review the outline of the essay that you have made, then write down the first thing that comes to your mind that fits into the outline; Don't worry if your draft essay doesn't meet the required essay criteria.
Try adding punctuation, correcting initial capitalization of sentences, using proper nouns, and following the outline of your essay
Step 3. Divide your idea into paragraphs
Ideally, one main idea in the outline of an essay should be able to be translated into a specific paragraph; The ideal paragraph contains at least three separate sentences.
Step 4. Try to follow the pattern of 'Claims' followed by 'Evidence' and ending with 'Impact'
- A claim is a statement that ideally should be supported by evidence in the form of references or quotes from trusted sources.
- Impact is an overview of how or why the claim is so important and relevant to include in your essay. That 'impact' will then become a claim for the next paragraph, etc.
Step 5. Compose the second draft
Eliminate paragraphs that don't contain much information or argument. At this stage, we recommend that you do additional research to maximize the quality of the content.
Step 6. Use transition phrases
The use of transitional phrases will make it easier for readers to understand the relationship between paragraphs. If your essay outline is well-crafted, the phrases should be able to connect the content from one paragraph to the next.
Step 7. Edit your draft essay
After completing the second draft, don't forget to edit it. Start by editing common mistakes like spelling, capitalization at the beginning of sentences, use of punctuation, etc. If you're good at grammar, try to start editing in the realm of sentences, not just words
Eliminate rhetorical questions and reduce the frequency with which the passive voice is used. As much as possible, always use the active voice in your essay
Method 4 of 4: Completing the Essay
Step 1. Draft the final draft of your essay
Make sure your essay meets the proper writing format. Most teachers generally require their students to use the MLA writing format, but make sure you ask if you're not sure. Double check each spelling and reread your essay. If you have any doubts about spelling or grammar, ask a close friend, classmate, or relative to read and analyze your essay.
Tips
- Don't manipulate the type and size of the text or the margins of the text to make your essay look longer. Most of the teachers will actually provide academic consequences that are not kidding if they are aware of these manipulation efforts. Make sure you always stick to the rules; in fact, a lower font size is more substantial for an academic essay.
- Take a rest. There are times when genius ideas will actually appear while on an afternoon walk with your dog, you know!
- If you find yourself using the same word over and over again, try using a thesaurus dictionary to find synonyms. Don't have a physical thesaurus dictionary? Don't worry, you can always browse the online thesaurus pages available on the internet. In fact, some computers also have programs that function like thesaurus. However, before entering text, make sure you know the correct use of the synonym in the sentence.
- Use good and correct language. For example, '2' is not a word, but a symbol that represents a number. Therefore, make sure you use the word 'two' instead of writing it in letters. Do not also use informal language or variety of conversation. Remember, you're writing an academic essay, not an email or text message to your peers.
- Manage time well. If you have trouble writing under pressure, spend as much time as possible on your essay without distraction.
- Don't make a research report! Most people often make this mistake; Remember, essays have a different format than research reports.
- A complete paragraph should ideally consist of six sentences. Be careful not to make paragraphs too short or too long.
Warning
- Don't plagiarize other people's work! Remember, readers deserve your original thoughts, words and ideas. Using other people's words and ideas without citing the source is tantamount to deceiving readers, right? Trust me, unoriginal work will generally be easy to spot.
- Do not deviate from the rules regarding the number of paragraphs, number of pages, or number of words that have been determined if you do not want to accept the consequences.
- In modern times like today, there are many applications available to detect plagiarism. If you want to check the originality of your essay, your teacher can easily upload a copy of your essay to the app and find out all the sources of information you used. If caught plagiarizing other people's work, you must be prepared to accept various academic consequences such as being asked to repeat assignments, not being graduated, suspended, or even expelled from the academic institution that houses you. If you want to quote other people's words or ideas, always use the correct citation technique.
