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When you write an essay, an outline will be your best ally. It will help you not to lose track of your thoughts. It serves as a framework of your ideas. Honestly, it is not easy to write an essay if you don’t have an outline. It is part of the prewriting process, and it is necessary before you start doing the rough draft. Aside from researching, it also requires brainstorming and planning. But if you don’t know how to start doing one, here are ways on how to write an essay outline.

Writing an Essay Outline

1. Determining the purpose of your essay is the first step in writing the essay outline. Based on the purpose, you can then narrow down the topic which you need to do a research in preparation for your thesis statement.

2. In formulating your thesis statement, it should illustrate the objective of your essay. It’s a way of giving an idea to the readers on what the essay is all about.

3. After narrowing down the topic, doing research, and formulating the thesis statement, you can now start your essay outline. Brainstorm for every idea which you think is important to your essay. And then organize them together.

4. Determine the points which you want to include in each paragraph of your essay. And under each point, create a corresponding subheading. It will prevent you from forgetting anything of significance to your essay.

5. Remember that an essay outline doesn’t have to be as lengthy as possible. A single page is even enough. It is like making a list of the ideas that you have organized, and it must consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

6. The introduction must include the thesis statement of the essay. The reason why you have selected that particular topic should also be stated. It should also contain at least three topic sentences that must be included in the body of the essay. 

7. If you are going to make a five paragraph essay, then three of these paragraphs are the main body. Your outline must then include the topic sentence for each paragraph which relates to the thesis statement, explanation and evidence in support to the topic sentence, as well as the significance of your example.

8. The summary of the said topic sentences should then be discussed in the conclusion, and how the topic sentences have supported the thesis statement.

9. The last section of your outline should be the citation. It is a list of resources that you have used in your essay.

Students who prefer making an outline before starting to work find the writing easier to do. An essay outline is a way of organizing your ideas for your essay to flow systematically. It gives you an overview of how each paragraph should go. As a result, you will get the essay more structured. But if you find it hard, just follow the given ways on how to write an essay outline.

You should always remember about specific thesis statements recommendations. Truth is, you must master your writing skills. If you need guidance, simply find a tutorial or keep reading for a general overview. You can make it happen! You need to first get a general perspective on its main function. Your statements should always:

• State the subject of your respective essay
• State the main claim and or point
• Since you will be arguing, you must examine details
• Point out the main reasons that will deliver proper support
• State subcategories or divisions, if you have this point clear, everything will be organized.

Some examples will help you avoid problems. You can browse online to find samples. In addition, look at some thesis statements of the 3 types: expository, augmentative and analytical. Don’t forget to expand your vocabulary as well. Try to ask for professional guidance to get proper feedback. 

Common Problems

After looking through the below common list of mistakes you will be ready to write the best thesis statements ever. 

• Some fail to believe statements are like making assertions. This is wrong; it is all about an empty observation. For example, instead of claiming industrial emissions tend to contribute to unfortunate global warming, you can refer to the factors that actually lead to such matter. 
• A thesis statement must be specific and narrow. Many people fail to understand this point.
• Don’t miss out any step.
• Statements must exceed essay scopes. This is not a difficult task. 
• Most statements should not be wordy. They must be summarized at least in the introduction. You can later develop everything in subsequent paragraphs.

Remember 

Each thesis statement should go straight to the point. Forget about unrelated points. Don’t rush onto its development. You must get enough data to get going. If you want to write a good paper, don’t forget to follow a basic structure. This will help you proceed in a good way. If you have no clue, look for samples and forget about boring writing experiences. You can unleash your inner potential without a single issue. If you’ve been struggling to draw a good thesis outline, don’t worry. Take a deep breath and begin to practice.

When you turn back your head to the past, you will realize, your writing skills have certainly improved. Don’t give up! You can make it happen. Don’t forget to put the above hints into practice. Before you know it, you will be delivering magnificent papers. You don’t need to guess, you simply need to expand your knowledge. By learning from mistakes, you will venture onto error free writing time. This may sound difficult but it is not complicated at all.

Are you willing to invest time on mastering your thesis writing skills? Do you think writing a thesis is hard? Have you been stuck due to thesis writing assignments? We are looking forward to hearing from your own perspective. Share comments today.

One of the most important things that children learn when they are in their late elementary and junior high school years, perfecting it during high school, is how to write a good persuasive essay. It can also be one of the most challenging. How does one write an essay that not only does its job— effectively expressing the views that it was meant to — but also captures the reader’s attention and makes him or her want to come back for more? That is the purpose of this article, which will outline five aspects of an intriguing essay.

1. The depth of the topic

In a well-written essay the topic should be carefully chosen—it should not be too general to allow for elaboration nor too restricted that there is not much that can be said about it. For example, if the topic is firefighting, you should not choose a general statement like “Firefighting is an interesting job,” but rather a more limited one like “Firefighting requires tremendous strength and endurance.”

2. Good grammar and vocabulary

In everyday speech we often make grammatical errors of various sorts, such as don’t for doesn’t, double negatives, inappropriate forms of pronouns and so forth. All of these errors are to be shunned like the plague when you write an essay; they are marks of poor, effortless thinking. The tone of your essay should always be such that you sound as though you have put a great deal of thought into deciding not only what to say but how to say it.

The vocabulary that you use is every bit as important as your grammar. Do not attempt to show off by using too many difficult words. 

3. Structure and format

Every good essay needs to have structure to it. There should be:

• an introduction in which you state clearly what you are going to try and prove in your work. Your thesis statement should be given here.

• a main body in which you set out to explain in detail why you think the way you do. If necessary you should also refute any arguments that seem to contradict your views.

• a conclusion in which you sum up what you have been discussing and attempt to go beyond it. In this section you can also include quotes and proverbs, which really have a way of giving the conclusion a kind of "style."

The structure of your paragraphs should be as formal as that of the paper itself. No paragraph should appear to “begin nowhere and end nowhere.” Instead, each paragraph should either begin with a topic sentence that states its purpose or end with a clincher sentence that does the same. Optionally you may include both.

4. Flow

When we talk about the "flow" of an essay, what we mean is how well each of the paragraphs seems to follow naturally from the one that comes immediately before it and to lead into the one that comes immediately after it. There should not be any suggestion of abruptness anywhere. For that reason you should have your points organized before you begin to do the actual writing itself. First jot them all down, one by one, on a piece of paper. Next, arrange them in an order that makes sense according to what you are writing about. All the while keep the title of your essay in mind - everything else that you do with regard to the assignment should revolve around it.

5. The effectiveness of your argumentation

The final aspect of an intriguing essay is how well you argue your points. It is never enough simply to say, "This way of thinking of or doing things is bad or inferior" - you have to give concrete, specific examples in support of your point and make sure that they can be verified.

An intriguing essay will not only bring you good grades. It can also serve as your ticket to success in higher education and maybe even at finding a job- for the best essay writers are well paid, sometimes $100 or more for one project. 

Joe Johnson is a writing habit researcher and avid blogger who shares his knowledge on a number of publications on a range of topics from: writing formats, researching, study habits, and student behavior. Click here to learn more about available MBA programs and new essay formatting techniques.

Writing an essay doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Even if you don’t have exceptionally good writing skills, you can write a decent essay by following these simple essay writing tips.

1. Organize your thoughts

Before you start writing your essay, take a few minutes to organize your thoughts. Of course, on a test like TOEFL or IELTS, you will have to deal with time limits. That, however, doesn’t mean that you have to start writing right away. Very few students are capable of organizing their ideas in their mind as they write. If you aren’t one among them it makes sense for you to take a couple of minutes to think about the topic. Organize your ideas in note form. This is the outline for your essay. Once you have got the outline ready, you can start developing each idea into a paragraph. 

2. Use familiar vocabulary

While writing an essay, be yourself and use the kind of vocabulary you would normally use. Some students feel that they must demonstrate their range of vocabulary by using long, obscure words. You might try this if you have got plenty of time to write your essay. But if you are trying to write a good essay in 30 or 40 minutes you must not waste your time thinking about long and unfamiliar words. Instead, use the words that you already have at your disposal. 

3. Use familiar sentence structure

Don’t try to demonstrate your grammatical range by using unusually complex sentence patterns. Even experienced writers find it difficult to write an extremely long sentence in a grammatically correct manner. Students with little experience will find it even more difficult. And hence use familiar sentence structures with fewer dependent clauses. This way, you can reduce the number of grammatical mistakes you will make. What’s more when you use familiar sentence structures your writing will look and sound natural.

Extremely long sentences are also confusing for the reader because they contain so many ideas. So if your aim is to retain your reader’s interest, opt for simple sentence patterns with two or at most three dependent clauses. 

4. Vary your vocabulary and sentence structure

Add variety and sophistication to your writing by using different sentence patterns. Do not repeat the same words and sentence structures throughout the essay. Although repetition isn’t grammatically incorrect, it is boring and indicates a limited knowledge of the language. Use different forms of the same word (e.g. noun, adjective, verb, adverb, infinitive etc.) and change the sentence patterns accordingly. Variety also comes from using different phrases and clauses. 

5. Avoid redundancy

Redundancy means unnecessary repetition. A sentence contains a redundancy when it has two or more words, phrases or clauses having the same meaning. For example, the words also, too, as well, furthermore and moreover are all used to indicate addition or continuation. When a sentence contains more than one of these words, it leads to redundancy.

6. Proofread

Proofread the essay after you have finished writing it. Proofreading is essential to spot spelling mistakes and unnecessary repetition of words. 

Manjusha Nambiar is an IELTS trainer and content developer. Her blog IELTS Practice provides free IELTS preparation tips and sample IELTS essays.

Writing a college essay can be a stressful experience. Sometimes you're overworked and have to wait until the last possible minute before you can start writing. Or even worse, you have multiple essays due at the same time. Proofreading is one of the most important aspects of writing any successful essay or thesis but it's often one that's overlooked. Thankfully, you can cut back on your stress levels by following these three easy tips on how to proofread an essay.

Swap Papers with a Friend or Classmate!

One of the most helpful things you can use to spot the most common errors is a fresh set of eyes. Having somebody read over your essay will go a long way when it comes to pinpointing the pesky mistakes that your eyes refuse to see. So it's a good thing there's a whole classroom full of students in the same situation as you. If you exchange essays with a friend or fellow classmate you can proofread each other's assignments, giving you a long overdue break from essay writing and a different perspective on your own work. If you don't know any of your classmates and don't feel comfortable approaching them then reach out to family members. There's bound to be one with some free time who owes you a favor or two.

Proofread Multiple Times with a Different Purpose in Mind! 

When it comes to proofreading an essay there are a variety of things to look for. Spelling, grammar, repetition, consistency with font and capitalization; these are all things that you should be looking for when reading over your essay. Trying to spot everything at once can overwhelm you and slow down the entire process, so you should do multiple passes focusing on a different aspect each time. The first time you proofread focus on your spelling (never rely one hundred percent on a spell checker) and then proofread it again focusing on grammar. Make a list of everything you're looking to correct in your essay and then work your way down, proofreading once for everything on the list.

Avoid Multitasking to Limit Distractions!

Technology today is fantastic. There's always a video to watch or a text message to reply to or a status update to read; all things that can distract you from your task at hand. Proofreading may not be fun but it's a necessary step when it comes to successful essay writing. Having the television on in the background while you proofread may be a great way to catch up on the newest guilty pleasure reality show, but it's also a great way to overlook errors in your essay. Create a playlist of music in advance that matches the length of time you want to spend proofreading. This will act as a timer so that you remember to take a break but will also stimulate your brain without distracting you.

Proofreading should not be as difficult or time consuming as writing the essay and by following these three easy tips you can make sure you get the results you need while managing your time effectively.

This guest post was written by the team at Cambridge Proofreading, the experts at proofreading for all skill levels and every kind of writing. Thanks for reading! 

How to Cite Sources in a Research Paper

When putting together your ideas with the ideas taken from others, always make sure that you are properly introducing and citing sources. If you don’t, you will be misleading your reader and, in the worst-case scenario, you could be accused of plagiarism. Here are some research paper tips for using outside information in your writing.

There are three ways to incorporate outside sources into your research paper:

1. Summary: Summarize an outside source when you want to gloss the entire argument and include highlights that need to be understood as background information before getting into specific supports for your argument or main idea.

2. Paraphrase: Paraphrase an outside source when you need to use the specific concept the author is treating but you don’t need to preserve the exact language of the text. Paraphrasing is preferable to direct quoting in this case because it allows you to maintain your voice in the research paper.

3. Direct Quotes: Writers directly quote an outside source only when the wording is particular and the meaning of the quote would be lost if the writer were to paraphrase. Writers might also quote when they want to emphasize the speaker’s identity or emphasize the writer’s stance is not the same as their own. If you are placing quotation marks around text and citing it, the wording must be identical to the original even if the original is incorrect. If the original makes a grammar or spelling mistake, maintain the mistake and place ‘[sic]’ next to the mistake.

Whether you are summarizing, paraphrasing or quoting, you must cite the source. If what your writing does not come from general knowledge or your own mind, you must cite the information. How do you cite these outside sources? Depending on your field, you’ll choose one of several formatting guides to follow. To give you an idea, the Humanities use MLA; history fields use APA; journalism uses the Chicago Manual of Style and there are several other fields and formatting guides to go with them. No matter the guide, these are the important pieces of information that need to be included when citing outside sources. Since MLA and APA are two of the major formatting guides, this information will pertain to them.

1. Bibliography or Works Cited where you list the bibliographic information for each source in your paper. 

2. In-text citation that can be linked back to the bibliography provided. Every time you summarize paragraphs or quote an outside source, you need to provide either a footnote or parenthetical citation that allows the reader to find the source information and page number so that if he or she desires, the exact quote can be found in its original context.

3. Introducing the speaker or source of information in the body of your text is often preferable since it gives the reader a sense of why the information is appropriate and credible in your paper. If the speaker is not particularly important, you can simply include the speaker information in the in-text citation.

At first it might feel strange to constantly cite your sources, but the general rule of thumb is to err on the side of caution. Over-citing is safer than under-citing and risking plagiarism. 

Cassie Golie works as a full-time writer for higher education blogs focusing on online education opportunities. Several educational establishments offer online education degrees, including   Northeastern University and Brown University. 

In most every high school or college class, you’ll be asked to write an essay. But starting a paper can be difficult. You might not know what you want to argue, or you might not know how to support your argument. It becomes even more difficult if you write sentence by sentence, because you don’t know what direction your paper is going.

An outline is a great way for you to organize your thoughts before you start writing a paper. It keeps your essay fluid and focused, and helps you decide your main argument, your supporting evidence, and your analysis in a simple structure. Writing an outline will make your essay-writing process smoother and stress-free, and it will give you material to reference if you get writer’s block.

Follow the following structure on how to write an outline for an essay

I. Introduction

A. Lead-up
B. Thesis

II. Topic Sentence 1

A. Evidence
 B. Analysis
C. Evidence
D. Analysis

III. Topic Sentence 2

A. Evidence
B. Analysis
C. Evidence
D. Analysis

IV. Topic Sentence 3

A. Evidence
B. Analysis
C. Evidence
D. Analysis

V. Conclusion

Paragraphs 2-4 are considered "body paragraphs."

1. Assemble your evidence

Your paper will be much easier to write if you've been collecting evidence, such as quotes from primary sources, statistics, and critical commentary. After you've done your reading and research, collect the evidence that is most relevant to your main argument. Organize the evidence into three or four main points–more if it's a long paper! These three or four points will become your sub-points or body paragraphs: the arguments that support your thesis.

Tip: Put all your evidence on Post-it Notes. As you're arranging and rearranging the notes, it'll help you easily figure out what evidence belongs together and what doesn't.

2. Write your thesis

Hopefully, after you've done all your research and collected all your evidence, an argument will start to form. Maybe it is something you repeatedly noticed throughout the book you read, or maybe it's opinion you have after reading commentary on your topic. Either way, your paper needs to have an argument behind it, and a thesis is how you define your argument to the world.

If writing your essay is like building a house, your thesis is the foundation. It needs to be strong, and it needs to give enough substance to let you keep writing and developing off of it. A good thesis will be succinct, written in active voice, saying who is doing what, and use a strong verb.

3. Write your topic sentences

The topic sentences are the supporting claims of your thesis. Remember those three or four groups of evidence you have? The topic sentence is a way of summarizing the argument that evidence supports. They elaborate on a point you mention in your thesis, and draw on your evidence and analysis to create an argument. Like your thesis, your topic sentence should also be an argument and be a full sentence. You'll prove the topic sentence throughout the course of your paragraph.

4. Insert your evidence and analysis

The first part is easy: take the evidence you assembled, and put it in your outline. The next part is trickier, it's where you analyze and discuss the evidence. It may be tempting to just leave the evidence in as proof of your point, but this is your essay. If the reader doesn't hear your voice and commentary, they're not going to think it's your argument. How much analysis you want to include in your outline is up to you; you may want to write a few words about what you're planning on saying, or you may want to write out your commentary in full sentences.

5. Start thinking about your introduction and conclusion.

Because your introduction and conclusion are not really places for evidence, you don't have to include too much about them in your outline. It helps to start thinking about what sort of introduction you want to have, how you'll set up your paper and introduce your topic. You can also start thinking about how you want to end your paper, what kind of impression do you want to leave your reader?

Hopefully, after writing your outline, you'll feel your paper start to come together. There may be some frustrating points where you feel like you don't have enough evidence or your argument doesn't make sense, but remember that is all part of the writing process.

Micaela Deitch is a sophomore at Georgetown University. She works for OpenSesame, where she enjoys learning about education and eLearning.

As you may know, writing, speaking and painting are all about the same thing. They are supposed to come from deep inside. When speaking, you must think about the topic of conversation - this applies to each kind of art. We are gifted since we can deliver real pieces of art. For those who failed believing topics are not important, guess what? They do matter! Keep reading to get the best out of your next exploratory essay.

For instance,  when it comes to speaking, depending on the person you can get a list of "topics of conversation" if you know the person, remember that we are all different and there is no manual or tutorial specific to establish a conversation, as well as issues to develop a good talk. On the other hand, if you need to write an exploratory paper, you need to understand that topics abound. Yet, you are not simply writing for your own, you are writing to catch the reader’s attention, too. So, in the case of a conversation, the topic will depend on what people have in common, because if she or he is a doctor or a singer is very unlikely that you talk about food, so it all depends on preferences. When writing, you can play with many thoughts and ideas.

Consider the following exploratory essay topics:

1. Opt for a Business Topic – You can write about Recession Proof Management goals

2. Select Psychology Topic – Marketing Influences considering children expectations of most parents

3. Write about Social Sciences Topic – you can discuss about developing effective methods to assist extensive diversity in college campus communications

4. Select a Communications Topic – you can write about creative methods in order to maintain right balance in overseas offices

5. You can write about a Nursing Topic – you can discuss relationships between some schedule variations & compassion fatigue

6. Select a fun Engineering Topic –  you can always write about Civil Engineering & utility companies

7. Opt for a Biology Topic – it may be good to write about effectiveness of the most important World Health Organizations techniques and Strategies

8. Find a suitable Computer Science Topic – you can write about gaming platforms and how they influence a person

9. English Topic – you can write an evaluation of little women considering modern day values

10. Select an Education Topic – you can write about educational differences that exist between virtual & traditional Colleges

Many elements

So, a part of selecting the best topic, psychological elements are linked to your essay development. For instance, you will be considering ideas but your emotions may come alive, too. Truth is, writing and composing essays is an important task, and it should be treated as such. If the writer is wrong emotionally, this will definitely have a huge impact on the intellectual outcome. You should first establish your priorities and if you are feeling stressed, simply work on it. You can select a fabulous topic and begin with an outstanding paper. 

Keep in mind, an exploratory essay must also include a good Introduction: It is essential to captivate and charm the reader. You can work on a fun and interesting topic, this is an extra point! Remember to come up with the best conclusion ever, as well. 

Do you enjoy writing essays? Have you ever written an exploratory essay? Boring times are over, do you think a good exploratory essay topic will help? Do you find any of the top 10 exploratory essay topics amusing?

There's no denying the sweaty palms, pounding head and sudden vacancy in the part of the brain dedicated to everything that happens be on the current test that's being taken. Taking tests is one of the biggest anxiety-inducing activities for college students, and many students even find themselves struggling to maintain acceptable grades because of text anxiety. Use these handy exam taking tips to learn how to relax, breathe and exceed at test-taking.

Stay Calm

Breathe and read. Anxiety often makes the brain feel muddled and leads to a lack of reading comprehensive. Take a few deep breaths and take the time to deliberately read through each question before answering it. Many people like to read through the entire exam before beginning to answer any questions. It may be beneficial to make quick notes for longer problems to make sure that key points stay in mind. Review the answer after completing the question and compare it to the question to make sure that it is logical.

Keep Refreshed

Most examination proctors allow clear water bottles to be brought into the examination hall. Ensure that you are well hydrated during an exam as this helps to fight off anxiety and clear your mind. 

Perspective

Find perspective before taking an exam. While a test could be worth a percentage of the overall class grade, don't give one test more clout than it deserves. All this does is contribute to test-taking anxiety.

Plan to manage time before stepping into the examination room. Scrambling to calculate the remaining time after half of the test is already over does nothing but waste time and isn't conducive to successful exam taking. Realizing that time management concerns were ignored in the planning process can just lead to more anxiety.

Time Management

Time management during an exam means having a convenient source for checking on the time so that you are able to keep track of your progress. Since most test proctors do not allow cell phones during the testing process, bring a watch to stay informed about time, don’t rely on the exam hall to have a clock. Take time at the start of the test to become familiar with the types of questions and quickly formulate a schedule for completing each section.

Take a minute after the test is completed to go through each page and check for incomplete answers. Make sure the carefully check the pages to be sure that none have stuck together. There have been students who have missed an entire page of a test by accident, but don't let this fact fuel anxiety. Instead, use this knowledge as a cue to double-check tests before handing them in.

Ask for help

Don't be afraid to seek out help if test anxiety is severe enough to interfere with everyday life and is not controlled with the exam taking tips listed above. Many colleges have realized that test anxiety is a real problem that can keep even exceptional students from excelling. Counselors may be able to discuss options for taking tests that can reduce anxiety and increase success. Students who have a proven problem with testing anxiety may be allowed to have more time to take an exam or may be given a quiet area to work on the test.

Author Bio: This article was contributed by Eli David who is the owner and founder of Consulting Guru which is a company that guides and mentors students and young professionals through the management consulting recruiting process. Consulting Guru, led by Eli has a carefully thought out strategy for the entire recruiting process. Initial interviews at all the top firms are daunting, many of them include problems solving test like McKinsey has their famous McKinsey PST. From writing CV’s and cover letters to the initial interview and further career advancement in your current management consulting position Consulting Guru has a special package suited to you.   

Are you looking to write the top college admission essay? Are you even familiar with such concept? Before applying to a business school find out aspects of the school that best identify you. Concentrate on the question and define a pre-trial schedule that matches your request. Make a "brain storm", i.e. write all the ideas that you think can contribute to the essay topic. Organize information and ideas considering the most important ones, which should be strengthened.

When writing the admission essay, try to make sure the error does not exceed the length of words requested and clear writing ideas. At the end of the essay, proofread the text so there are no syntax errors and spelling. It is better that another person with an external input with new data, and then see what ideas are not understood in the study.

More tips

Having a good curriculum, giving a good interview and getting the best scores in the admission essay is a must! These requirements are important when entering a business school. At the same time to apply for an MBA, writing an essay plays a fundamental role to add or subtract points. In that sense, try to follow hints in order to write the best essay ever. Within many tips, the top are: 

Understand the initial essay question 

Believe it or not, this is one of the points where most candidates fail. Focus on the question and define a prior scheme that matches what you ask in the question. 

Perform a "brain storm" 

As previously mentioned, a brain storming session is a must. Although it is recommended to structure your response to be consistent, try to write all the ideas you think can contribute to the essay topic. 

Organizing information 

Within the organization of ideas, consider what is the most important, what should be reinforced, and which can be exemplified by experiences. The trials assess the achievements, the skills of applicants, as well as the features that stand out. 

Writing the definitive essay

It is time to concentrate. When writing the definitive essay, try to look out for mistakes, do not exceed the length of words requested and be clear in the drafting of ideas. You don’t want to overwhelm the reader. Make it simple yet interesting! 

Editing and proofreading 

Once you are done with your essay, it is time to review the text does not have syntax and spelling errors. This has been mentioned several times but it is imperative! 

Have someone else read your essay 

You need to discover whether hidden mistakes are out or not. Sometimes, we fail to understand specific errors because we cannot be subjective. Don’t feel concerned about silly mistakes, everything can be rewritten. Expand your horizons by learning from criticism! 

Do you like writing essays? Have you ever written an admission essay? Do you find it hard to come up with a good essay outline? Share your thoughts and experience today. We would love to learn from your perspective.