Read your assignment carefully: • The style, structure, and focus of your essay will vary depending on the type of essay you are writing • Look for information about the nature of the essay. Check for formatting and style requirements. • How long your essay should be • Which citation style to use • Formatting requirements, such as margin size, line spacing, and font size and type Narrow down your topic so your essay has a clear focus • A research-based essay, you might find some inspiration from reading through some of the major sources on the subject. • A critical essay, you might choose to focus on a particular theme in the work you're discussing, or analyze the meaning of a specific passage. Ask for clarification if you don't understand the assignment • If you're having trouble narrowing down your topic, your instructor might be able to provide guidance or inspiration. Find some reputable sources on your topic Academic books and journals tend to be good sources of information. You can also look for primary source documents Make notes as you do your research write your notes down on individual note cards or enter them into a text document on your computer Try organizing your notes into different categories Choose a question to answer or an issue to address you might discover that there is a particular question you want to answer, or that there's a popular argument or theory about your topic that you'd like to try to disprove Create a thesis statement that summarizes your main argument Try to summarize your main point concisely, in 1-2 sentences. This will be your thesis statement. Write an outline to help organize your main points briefly list the major points you will be making in your essay Present your argument(s) in detail. write a series of paragraphs addressing each of the major points you'd like to make Cite your sources properly. you will need to credit the source of your information. Proofread your revised essay After editing your essay, go over it again closely to spot any minor errors, such as typos or formatting problems Read your assignment carefully Check for formatting and style requirements. Narrow down your topic so your essay has a clear focus Ask for clarification if you don't understand the assignment Find some reputable sources on your topic Make notes as you do your research Choose a question to answer or an issue to address Create a thesis statement that summarizes your main argument Write an outline to help organize your main points Present your argument(s) in detail. Cite your sources properly. Proofread your revised essay
