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These step-by-step instructions and examples are a great starting place for many homework projects. Follow these steps to break up a big assignment into doable pieces, learn how to efficiently complete each part to get the most out of your time, and organize your work to finish everything when due.
General Essay
An essay is a short composition that deals with a subject from a personal point of view. Often, an essay’s purpose is to prove a point or sway opinion. Tackle an essay just like you would tackle a research paper—break it down into manageable tasks.
Make sure you understand what your teacher expects of you. Review all of the information you have about the assignment and verify that you can answer the following questions. If you don’t know, ask your teacher.
- Are you required to do your essay on a particular topic?
- When is your essay due?
- Is there a requirement for length?
1. Choose a general topic that interests you and comply with any guidelines that your teacher provided. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, page through a magazine, watch the news, or skim a newspaper for stories about people, events, or issues that intrigue you.
Example: An article in the morning paper about pollution from automobiles catches your eye. You feel strongly about the importance of reducing pollution, and would like to know more about this issue.
2. Do some digging to get a feel for your topic. Do Internet searches, read a few newspaper articles, and skim encyclopedia articles related to your topic. Use what you find to narrow the point of focus for your essay.
Example: While reading a few newspaper articles about automobile pollution in your city, you learn that a council member has proposed a $.01/gallon gas tax to help pay for programs to reduce automobile pollution. You’re interested in this proposal and decide to make this the focal point of your essay.
Every essay begins with a working thesis statement—that is, a main point. Your job is to come up with a main point, then use your essay to support it.
Tip: A good working thesis statement is
- Interesting to you and your audience
- An opinion about your topic
- A complete sentence summarizing your position
1. Make your topic and your point into a complete, opinion-based sentence. This becomes your working thesis statement.
Example: You have already selected a topic—the new gasoline tax proposal.
From your preliminary research, you’re pretty convinced that a new tax on gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in your city. That’s your main point.
Now put your topic and main point together:
new tax on gasoline /will reduce automobile pollution in the city
Next, make it into a sentence:
A new tax on gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in the city.
2. Make sure your thesis sentence expresses your topic and your point accurately, and that it’s clearly based on opinion, not fact. If necessary, fine tune it.
Example: A new, $.01/gallon tax on gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in the greater metropolitan area.
3. Define your objective—that is, what you intend to accomplish with your essay. Are you trying to explain a process? Do you want to educate your audience about your topic? Are you trying to persuade your readers to think the way you do about your topic?
Example: You intend to use your essay to explain why you think the new gasoline tax will reduce automobile pollution. Your objective, then, is to persuade your audience to agree with your thesis statement.
It’s time to organize your ideas—that is, to outline your essay.
1. Put your thesis statement at the top of a sheet of paper, and then list the points you intend to use to support your thesis. A strong essay needs at least three supporting points.
Example:
A new, $.01/gallon tax on gasoline will reduce automobile pollution in the greater metropolitan area.
• Revenues from the new tax will go directly to cleaning up automobile pollution near freeways and major thoroughfares.
• The hike in gasoline prices will encourage people to drive less by taking the bus, carpooling, or walking instead.
• The hike in gasoline prices will make new car buyers more likely buy a fuel efficient car.
2. Read each point in your list and ask yourself, “Can I support this point with fact?” In essays, you can draw on personal experience as well as research to support your points. If you can’t support a point with the information you already have, do a little research to find supporting information. If you are unable to turn up supporting information, take that point off the list.
Tip: If your teacher requires you to hand in a bibliography with your essay, take a few minutes now to determine what information on each source that you’ll need for your bibliography and jot this information down for each source you use in your research. For example, does your teacher require you to list your source’s publisher and where it was published? Knowing exactly what you need now will save you the hassle of having to go back to look up additional information later.
3. Read through your points and consider the order in which they appear. Does the sequence of your points work? Could your essay be stronger if you presented your points in a different order? If necessary, rearrange your points.
Writing the body of your essay can be a formidable task, but it doesn’t have to be if you let the tools you’ve amassed—your thesis statement, your objective, and your outline—do the heavy lifting for you.
1. With your outline as a guide, turn each of your points into a paragraph using facts and personal experiences to support that point.
2. Once you’ve fleshed out the bones of your essay, go back and connect the paragraphs into a cohesive narrative. Be sure to use strong topic sentences as transitions between the paragraphs. Your goal is to make clear to the reader why you presented the information in the order you did.
Tip: Be sure to cite any information you borrowed from another author—that is, any fact or opinion that is not your own.
3. Read through your essay with a critical eye. Does each topic sentence clearly summarize the point of the paragraph? Does the sequence of your paragraphs work?
4. If time permits, take a break. Put your essay out of sight for a day or two and forget about it. This way your eye and your perspective will be fresh when you next review the essay.
It isn’t uncommon to get sidetracked while writing. Occasionally, you’ll discover that what you’ve written deviates from your original premise. This is OK. It’s why your original thesis statement is called a working thesis statement.
1. Reread the body of your essay. As you do so, ask yourself: “Did I make my point?”
2. If the arguments you’ve made don’t support your working thesis statement, refine it. You can broaden your thesis statement, narrow it, or restate it altogether. Just be sure that your final opinion-based statement is supported by the facts and arguments in your essay.
Your essay’s introduction and conclusion reinforce the key points you make in your paper.
1. Use your introduction to state your main point—that is, your thesis statement—and briefly describe what your essay is about and the points you intend to make. Your introduction should also grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read on. Try including a surprising fact or anecdote about your topic to grab the reader’s attention.
2. Use your conclusion to summarize the points you made in your essay and the arguments that supported them. Don’t restate your points exactly—your goal is provide a sense of closure and to leave the reader with a final perspective on your topic.
A bibliography is a list of the sources you used in your research. It is usually included as a separate page or pages at the end of your essay and titled “Bibliography,” “References,” or “Works Cited.”
1. Gather all the source information you jotted down when you were taking notes.
2. Assemble your sources into a single list, alphabetized by author’s last name. Sources that don't have authors (encyclopedia articles, for example) should be alphabetized by title.
3. Properly format each item in your source list according to an accepted bibliographic style. One common bibliographic style is provided below, but there are many acceptable styles for bibliographies. Be sure to use the format that your teacher specified.
Common Bibliographic Style
This bibliographic style follows the MLA Handbooks for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition, written by Joseph Gibaldi and published in 2003 in New York by the Modern Language Association of America.
Book
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Book Title. Publication Location: Publisher, Publication Year.
Encyclopedia article
'Article Title,' Encyclopedia Name. Edition Year ed.
Newspaper, magazine, or journal article
Author Last Name, Author First Name. 'Article Title' Publication Title Publication Date: page numbers.
Book review
Reviewer Last Name, Reviewer First Name. Rev. of Book Title by Book Author First and Last Name. Publication Location: Publisher, Publication Year.
Film, movie
Movie Title. Dir. Director First and Last Name. Studio or Distributor, Movie Release Date.
Internet source
Author Last Name, Author First Name. “Article or Page Title.” Site Name. Date assigned to the Web site (if available). Institution or organization affiliated with the site. Date of access. .
Put the final touches on your essay. Don’t be tempted to skip these steps—nothing detracts from a good essay more than grammar or spelling errors.
1. Run a spell check on your essay and fix any problems. Nothing will detract more from your work (and possibly lower your grade) than misspelled words.
2. Read your essay from start to finish, the same way your teacher will. Fix any grammar mistakes or other errors you find.
3. Once you’re satisfied that your essay represents your best effort, get a second opinion. Ask a parent or other trusted person to read your essay critically and to give you feedback. Make any changes you think necessary.
4. Read the essay one last time to make sure you didn’t introduce any new errors.
5. Finally … hand in your essay. Congratulations!
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