Essays are a very common form of academic writing. Like most of the texts you write at university, all essays have the same basic three-part structure: introduction, main body and conclusion.
The three-part essay structure is a basic structure that consists of introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction and the conclusion should be shorter than the body of the text. For shorter essays, one or two paragraphs for each of these sections can be appropriate.
A basic essay consists of three main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. This basic essay format will help you to write and organize an essay. However, flexibility is important. While keeping this basic essay format in mind, let the topic and specific assignment guide the writing and organization.
At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type.
One of the most common challenges in writing an essay is coming up with a thesis statement. This is the most critical part of the paper and acts as a brief hint to explain the objectives of the writer and what the reader can expect by the end of the paper.
An academic essay should answer a question or task. It should have a thesis statement (answer to the question) and an argument. It should try to present or discuss something: develop a thesis via a set of closely related points by reasoning and evidence.
The 2021 U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress for Writing, for example, indicates that as many as 75% of students cannot write at a basic level.
In academic or college writing, most formal essays and research reports use third person pronouns and do not use “I” or “you.”
Maintaining a formal voice while writing academic essays and papers is essential to sound objective. One of the main rules of academic or formal writing is to avoid first-person pronouns like “we,” “you,” and “I.” These words pull focus away from the topic and shift it to the speaker – the opposite of your goal.
Effective uses of “I”:
Positioning yourself in the essay: In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas build on or depart from the work of others, in which case you'll need to say “I,” “we,” “my,” or “our”; if you wish to claim some kind of authority on the topic, first person may help you do so.
The five-paragraph essay
Arguably the most common essay format is the standard five-paragraph essay. This essay devotes a paragraph each to the introduction, conclusion, and three different supporting details. Let's break down what each of those sections includes.
The text of your paper should be left aligned, NOT justified, as justified text is hard to read if it hasn't been professionally typeset. The default in Word is left alignment so don't change it.
A complete research paper in APA style that is reporting on experimental research will typically contain a Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References sections. Many will also contain Figures and Tables and some will have an Appendix or Appendices.
Paraphrasing the work of others is an important skill for university assignments. The transformation of the words, phrases and ideas of different authors into your own words avoids plagiarism, but you'll still need a citation or citations as appropriate.
Try recasting sentences that start with 'I' more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your 'I' count.
Don't include your name unless it's specifically requested. Oftentimes, you'll need to submit your college essay in a specific file format.
Do not use first-person pronouns ("I," "me," "my," "we," "us," etc.). Using these expressions in analytical and persuasive essays can make the writing wordy, can make the writer seem less confident of his or her ideas, and can give the essay an informal tone.
Personal writing, such as for a reflective essay, or a "personal response" discussion posting, can be written in the first person (using "I" and "me"), and may use personal opinions and anecdotes as evidence for the point you are trying to make.
1. Not Using Library or Online Resources for Research. Yes, it is the first and most common mistake that many students make when it comes to writing academic papers. Obviously, if you want to produce a writing project that is well-researched, you first need to identify proper research sources.