The Definitive Guide to Academic Essay Writing

Crack the secrets of writing a successful essay with this simple guide.

Many people find sitting down to write full-length essays a horrific and intimidating experience. As a graduate of English Literature, I spent a great deal of my time at university honing the essay-writing technique, and I am happy to impart what I have learned here as it worked for me. Now I’m successful Write My Essay service research writer.

Prepare your essay writing space

Some people like writing in their study room, or other personal space. Others find they need to go to a library or somewhere completely removed from mundane distractions. Find what works for you.

Personally, I always preferred to write in my own room, but I couldn’t work properly if it was a mess. In a Feng-Shui (or something) way, I found if the room was cluttered, my mind felt cluttered, and the writing never flowed properly. If you are going to use your own room as your working space, many fellow students have said they could only do so if it was tidy first. If you spend the first 40 minutes making it spotless, it will make up for hours of thrashing your essay forward in vain. Of course, this is not an excuse to put-off the actual writing, but a useful method of preparation.

Make your essay writing space a workplace

Treat the place where you will write the essays like a proper work space. Writing at a desk usually helps, as you want to be comfortable but not too comfortable. Switch off your phone and leave facebook alone for the next few hours. Water is an excellent addition, as it gives you long-term energy and will reduce stress-levels. Avoid slurping on fizzy drinks, as these will merely give you a sugar high and then a crash, and will not help your production-levels in the long run. Music is fine, but make sure it is the right kind for the academic work you want to do. Avoid music you will start singing along to. Classical instrumental music has been proven to enhance brain power. My own choice for essay writing was Vivaldi, although some people claim no music at all is the best of all.

Know precisely what you’re supposed to write on

Many people end up writing great essays on a topic which was way-off the one they were asked to write on. Words such as ‘argue’ ‘discuss’ ‘compare’ ‘contrast’ ‘evaluate’ etc all have different meanings. If you are unsure, look up the exact meaning in a dictionary, and make notes on how this relates to what is asked in the question. If you are still unsure, drop your tutor or teacher a quick email to confirm. At university level, tutors are usually more than happy to go over topics if you wish to meet up with them. They cannot answer the question for you, of course, but this can be a great way of ascertaining exactly what they expect of you in terms of your submitted writing.

Gather the relevant sources

If you are expected to quote from primary sources (novels, manuscripts, historical documents etc.) make sure you have these handy, and have already picked out quotes relevant to your essay topic.

If you are expected to quote from secondary sources (critical essays, reference books etc.) check through these and make notes of sections you believe may be relevant ahead of time. A great way of cutting down time in searching for relevant secondary sources is to use online libraries and materials you may have access to, as these can usually be searched by keyword.

Always have a Plan

Writing the plan is a key part to essays, especially when the word count starts moving into the thousands (or tens of thousands for a dissertation). Lay out your key points so that you show your understanding of the texts, how you can analyse and dissect them, and finally how you understand the core themes. Still stuck? Copy and paste this template to help get you started:

Understand
Show your knowledge of your primary sources here. These paragraphs should be packed with quotations from them. Remember, you cannot make a point in an academic essay without backing it up with primary evidence.

For example, it is not enough to say “Austen paints Lizzy as a woman ahead of her time” but you must back this up with examples from the text. An A-grade student would write instead: “In Pride and Prejudice Lizzy Bennet shows her superiority to the society she inhabits by refusing to be cowed by those who are technically her sociological superiors in 17th Century England. We see this both in her defiance of Lady Catherine’s insults, and in refusing to accept Mr. Darcy merely on material grounds.”

Analyze
Build on what you have provided in your understanding section. Go deep into the heart of the question, and really explore the details and nuances of the topic. This is the section where you bring in critics and secondary sources, using some to back up your own findings and/or others to perhaps point out contrasts.

Evaluate
Bring your findings to a logical conclusion. You must bring the essay to a close by answering the question directly. This is the only point in the whole piece where you are permitted to use ‘I.’ Even then, restrict it as much as possible to the final line or two.

Write you essay

Set aside a day when you are as free as possible. Sit down from 9 in the morning and write. You can break for lunch, of course, but otherwise write non-stop until you can’t possibly write any more. If you are strict with yourself, and set aside an entire day to write the main body of your essay, you can easily get between 1000-2000 words out of the way, breaking the back of the essay in one go.

Promise yourself something if you reach your target for the day. If you work solidly until 7 or 8 in the evening, go out and buy pizza and ice-cream and chill out in front of the TV for the next couple of hours.

Referencing

Believe me, this can be the difference between an ‘A’ and a ‘B’ grade. Usually referencing falls into two groups; ‘Harvard’ system and ‘Oxford’ system. The Harvard system is putting the relevant information in a bracket after the text, and Oxford is placing it as a footnote. You must pick a method and stick to it for the entire duration of your essay. References should include the authors name, title of the publication, place of publication, publishers name, year of publication and pages referenced. If you are repeatedly quoting from the same text, you need only put ‘ibid’ after the first reference per-page of essay. Using the previous example from Pride and Prejudice we would get:

In Pride and Prejudice Lizzy Bennet shows her superiority to the society she inhabits by refusing to be cowed by those who are technically her sociological superiors in 17th Century England. We see this both in her defiance of Lady Catherine’s insults (1), and in refusing to accept Mr. Darcy merely on material grounds (2).

Austen, Jane: Pride and Prejudice (London: The Folio Society, 1975) p.282-284.
Ibid p. 157-159.
Bibliography
The finishing touch, every text you have used in the course of your research should be listed here. Use exactly the same method as in referencing, minus the page numbers. Many tutors have different preferred methods when it comes to the Bibliography and Referencing, and it is strongly recommended that you check with them individually before submission.