How to Write An Essay? 5 Guides to Prepare An Essay

  • click to rate

    According to the philosopher Walter Benjamin, "the essay is the game of theory". If we specify a little more, an essay is a text in which an author exposes and develops his ideas, both objective and subjective. This type of story has an introduction, development, and conclusion that contemplate a subject from a particular approach. This literary genre is highly required by university teachers when proposing academic work, so it is essential that students know how to implement it properly.

    It is very common that at the time of writing an essay all the ideas we had vanished and the mind goes blank starting to go around our head the most common question in these cases, how do you write an essay? 

    The first thing that must be clear in order to write an essay is the structure, but not only that, since there are also other factors that influence its quality that, throughout this post, we will try to cover. 

    Structure of An Essay

    We can define an essay in three parts according to its structure: introduction, development, and conclusion, but what should each of them contain? 

    • Introduction: This part should represent approximately 10% of the length of the essay and should perfectly summarize the subject that the author is going to deal with throughout the essay. In the introduction, the argumentative line that will be carried out in the rest of the parts of the essay will be reflected. 

    • Development: It is the central part of the essay and, therefore, the one that should occupy the most extension, specifically around 80%. In this part, the author will present his ideas and arguments, citing other authors, magazines or reference books on the chosen theme. The main ideas and arguments that position the author on that topic will be presented. It is important that all explanations are related to each other and are well cohesive. 

    • Conclusion: The remaining 10% of the trial extension corresponds to the conclusion. In this part, the author must summarize the most important ideas of all the text he has written previously. Moreover, you should highlight the ideas that help you position yourself so that you can easily know the author's position. 

    Steps to Do An Essay

    Once the structure is clear, there are a number of tips that will help you improve your ideas and, in short, to be able to perform an essay better. Take note of the six tips we give you below: 

    1. Think about the theme of your essay

    However tidy the structure of the essay is, it is necessary that the subject in question be of great relevance. Address current issues and write taking into account the audience it is intended for. Check local media and internalize the topics that are on the table.

    2. Research everything you can about the topic you will discuss

    Find reliable sources from which to get the information for your essay. Surely in the library of your neighborhood or city, they can help you find the documentation you need. In case you prefer to search the information on the internet, make sure if your teacher is in favor of or against using Wikipedia as a source.

    3. Study other essays already written on the subject you have chosen

    Find essays written by professionals dealing with the topic you plan to develop and learn from styles, typologies, content ...

    4. Don't cover too many points

    The essay does not intend to exhaust all the possibilities of a subject but focuses only on a part of it. Avoid writing paragraphs and paragraphs of other aspects of the subject in question.

    5. Use short sentences

    This will give dynamism to the text and keep the reader's attention. It is a way to avoid boring your audience and ideas are concrete.

    6. Includes reflections

    As more objective as your essay should be, it is recommended that after the conclusion you include a paragraph that stimulates reflection and attempts to change the reader's perspective on the subject.

    How to Write An Essay: online courses and resources

    If despite the guidance we have provided you to write an essay you need more resources, do not worry, since we have a list of courses that will help you better visualize the structure of an essay and, in addition, they will surely inspire you to face the dreaded blank sheet. 

    Udemy platform course

    The Udemy training platform offers a free online course to learn how to write an essay. Aimed at university students with sufficient Word management and experience in basic academic writing, this course grants a certificate of completion. This course, which will teach you to develop the skills needed to perform an essay, is taught in 24 classes that include readings and videos. The person in charge of teaching it is Professor Eduardo Escalante who has a university degree in Linguistics and Literature, as well as a degree in Education.

    More than 3,600 students rated the course with 4.5 stars, it's your turn to try it!

    5 Guides to Prepare An Essay

    On the internet, there are also a large number of guides that will help you better focus your efforts. We present 5 resources that we have found and that are free: 

    1. Guide for essay writing

    This is a manual prepared by the Spanish teacher Yolanda Gamboa, from Florida Atlantic University, which presents some strategies to improve the quality of the essays. Download it here.

    2. Guide for the preparation of an academic essay

    This is a guide generated by teachers from the University of Salle Victoria, with the aim that their students have a practical guide to writing an essay appropriate to the expectations of the institution. Enter this link to read the document. 

    3. Technical guide for preparing an essay

    Teachers of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Autonomous University of Querétaro prepared this practical and simple manual about the characteristics and conditions that every academic essay must-have. Enter here to get it instantly.

    4. Guide for the preparation of an essay

    This guide, which follows the guidelines of style and format provided by the American Psychological Association (APA), was designed to provide students of the Catholic University of Costa Rica with a practical and complete manual for preparing research reports in the form of essays. You can download the guide in this link.

    5. The essay and its characteristics

    Presented in practical and concrete slides, this guide presents the fundamental aspects of this kind of text, as well as recommendations for students who face it. Click here to read the guide.

    We hope that these tips on how to write a good essay have helped you to start writing the one you have chosen.