How to Write an Essay

Writing an essay is easy, writing a good essay is very difficult. The first thing you should do is get a marking guide. Some professors hand them out, but if he or she doesn’t, then enter your essay questions into Google and search the results. You will usually find the marking guide that some student has put on the Internet to help out his or her fellow students.

Plan your essay

Do it with bullet points and by making notes of your research resources. Do not do too much research at this point. Just give yourself a vague idea of where you are going with your essay and the points you are planning on adding.

Research your essay topic

Always make notes as you research. Do not read a bunch of texts for an hour and then try to make notes. Make small notes when you see relevant points and add page numbers and reference information so you can reference said facts or information in your essay reference section.

Write a very rough first draft

You need to allow your creative side to come out, which means you cannot be too concerned with spelling and grammar. You cannot be all that concerned about coherence either. If there are modular sections that do not seem to connect with the rest of the work, then just go with it and fix it all when you have finished.

Start your essay the first day you get it

The best way to avoid procrastination is to actually make a start on the essay the same day your professor gives it to you. That way, in your mind you view it an uncompleted task rather than a task you need to do. It is harder to procrastinate in this situation, and therefore you are more likely to finish the work long before the deadline. Rushed essays are the worst essays.

Proofread in sections

Take it a paragraph at a time. If you try to proofread in large doses, then you will find yourself going into skim-read or automatic proofreading mode and you will miss things. It is very easy to go into skim-reading mode when checking your own work because you already know what it is going to say, which makes skim-reading the natural next step.

Finally, once you have proofread, go over your work and check for everything that looks like it may be a fact. Find a reference for that fact or piece of information because your professor will probably lower your marks if you make seemingly factual claims that you cannot back up.