Published on
January 24, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
December 6, 2021.
The conclusion is the final paragraph of your essay. A strong conclusion aims to:
Tie together the essay’s main points
Show why your argument matters
Leave the reader with a strong impression
Your conclusion should give a sense of closure and completion to your argument, but also show what new questions or possibilities it has opened up.
This conclusion is taken from our annotated essay example, which discusses the history of the Braille system. Hover over each part to see why it’s effective.
Published on
January 21, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 27, 2022.
Every paragraph in your paper needs a topic sentence. The topic sentence expresses what the paragraph is about. It should include two key things:
The topic of the paragraph
The central point of the paragraph.
After the topic sentence, you expand on the point with evidence and examples.
To build a well-structured argument, you can also use your topic sentences to transition smoothly between paragraphs and show the connections between your points.
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay. It usually comes near the end of your introduction.
Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.
Example: Thesis statementDespite Oscar Wilde’s Aestheticist claims that art needs no justification or purpose, his work advocates Irish nationalism, women’s suffrage, and socialism.
You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:
Published on
January 7, 2019
by
Courtney Gahan.
Revised on
September 1, 2022.
A research paper outline is a useful tool to aid in the writing process, providing a structure to follow with all information to be included in the paper clearly organized.
A quality outline can make writing your research paper more efficient by helping to:
Organize your thoughts
Understand the flow of information and how ideas are related
Ensure nothing is forgotten
A research paper outline can also give your teacher an early idea of the final product.
This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction, focused paragraphs, clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion.
Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence, and each point is directly related to the thesis statement.
As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.
An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis and interpretation.
There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative: they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.
The essay writing process consists of three main stages:
Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
Writing: Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
Revision: Check the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.
