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How to write a kickass essay?

An academic essay is a piece of writing that sets out an idea or argument and then proceeds to provide evidence in support of it, analyze or interpret it. If this is your first-ever essay task, it might be challenging. But as you develop your skills, it will become a simple activity. When you adopt the right attitude, your complicated task will become interesting, letting you even have some fun.
When creating your draft, focus on your message. You can stylize the text later. When it looks final, remember to check it for plagiarism using our online plagiarism checker.

Essay structure

Before working on the structure, it's best to make a draft version. Once you're done with the draft, you can edit and polish the system. Working with the latter will be much easier than writing a finished text from scratch.
Essay structure:
1. Introduction. Here, you state your central thesis and the essay's main idea and grab the reader's attention.
2. Main body. It should be subdivided into paragraphs and, if necessary, into subparagraphs. Each section is an interconnected group of sentences developing a single message and must contain the following:
  • A topic sentence. This is where you set forth your fundamental idea.
  • Supporting sentences. They cover the details and develop your message.
  • Arguments, proof, or examples from the subject area. They're needed to support the author's point of view.
  • A critical conclusion based on your opinions and evidence.
  • A closing sentence. It sums up the thesis and transitions to the next paragraph.
3. Conclusion. It should summarize all you've written in a logical form. It should be a firm conclusion that ties the main points of your essay together and shows why your arguments are relevant.
At the end of your essay, you must list all your sources, the ones you used for quotes or to back up your thesis.

Essay classification

An essay can belong to one of the following categories:
  • Explanatory – explains a process, its stages, and its history.
  • Informative – present information that’s new to the reader.
  • Descriptive – describe a theme or the situation around it.
  • Convincing – Convincing the reader to adopt a specific point of view.
The most popular essay types or formats include:
  • Classic. 5 paragraphs. The format is suitable for a persuasive, informative, explanatory essay.
  • Analytical. In this format, you present a comprehensive analysis of the selected theme. The author must showcase their critical thinking skills and provide personal conclusions.
  • Creative writing. The author can choose a theme and style and describe their personal experience.
  • Narrative. The format is similar to creative writing, but the author needs to follow a specific structure and formatting rules.
  • Orientation. The essay talks about the theme and idea reader. It doesn’t include any conclusions or opinions.
  • Process. Such a project has a step-by-step structure and explains how this or that process functions.

Steps of writing essay

Writing an essay is done in 3 stages:
  1. The preparatory stage. The author picks a theme, studies the question, and creates an essay plan.
  2. Writing. The author creates a draft version and states their central thesis, backing it up with arguments. After finishing the draft, the author polishes the structure and edits the text and format.
  3. Proofreading — is when the author checks the content, consistency of presentation, grammar, spelling, and formatting. It’s also vital you check your essay for plagiarism.
  4. Enjoying the creation.
Take a break for a few days or at least a couple of hours if the deadline looms. This will let you look at your creation with a fresh perspective, helping your brain to switch from the creative task of writing to the analytical study of editing.

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Common mistakes when writing an essay

Here are some of the more common mistakes authors make:
  • Writing and editing the text simultaneously leads to difficulties, and the process becomes hampered. You end up using both cerebral hemispheres at the same time, with each one interfering with the activity of the other.
  • Picking a boring theme simply because it’s easier. Neither the author nor the audience is interested in the essay, making the entire experience dull, and the article fails to provide any meaningful contribution to its field.
  • Watering down your thesis in conclusion. The message of the essay must be powerful. We don’t recommend writing something like, “this is but one of the existing opinions out there.”
  • Not checking the essay for plagiarism. Authors who engage in plagiarism intentionally or by accident damage their reputations greatly.

Don't forget to check essay for plagiarism

The essay may contain citations from other authors to prove your thesis's validity. You need to make sure you frame quotations correctly since failing to do so will count as accidental plagiarism.
Colleges and universities do not take kindly to plagiarism – punishment may entail expulsion or a fine. And this applies to not just the students: plagiarism in journalism is also a severe violation.
To avoid such problems, checking your essay for plagiarism is best. Use reliable and accurate checkers like Skandy.
Advantages of using Skandy:
  • High speed. No need to allocate a lot of time for scanning; the checking takes 1-2 minutes.
  • A detailed report with all the borrowed phrases in the text.
  • In-depth check. Skandy checks the text on multiple levels, detecting paraphrasing and misquoting.
  • Various supported formats. You can check word, txt, or pdf files, take a photo of a document or check a webpage using its URL.
  • Secure cloud storage. The check results are stored for 180 days. You can share them if you need to provide evidence of your work being plagiarism-free.
  • Over 500,000 teachers and students from leading schools and universities trust Skandy checker. You can quickly check your work, improve it and rest assured you won't be accused of plagiarism. Your essay will receive a high grade and be evidence of your superb professionalism.

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Text author: Columbia Proof

November 9th 2022


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