One of the most nerve-wracking parts of being a student must be writing essays. Even with previous experience, many people still panic at the thought of jotting down an essay. There is even thought that essay-writing phobia could be an actual condition. However, there is a chance that the panic is not because you lack complete know-how of the issue. Instead, you are probably just struggling with certain aspects of the essay writing process. Be it you are looking for some tips or a comprehensive guide, reading this article will help you learn how to write informative essays that are meaningful and fulfilling.
What Is an Informative Essay?
An informative essay is a paper that educates an audience on a given subject matter unbiasedly. The subject could be an object, person, event, or phenomenon. The goal is to answer a prompt question in detail and with facts compellingly and concisely. You will not be giving your opinion or analysis; instead, your essay should remain objective and be based on facts.
When writing an informational essay, you are not trying to influence the reader to change their views but instead trying to enlighten them more on a given issue. You may have personal biases, but you must refrain from displaying them in your paper. For many struggling to write an informative essay, the problem is figuring out how to fairly present all sides of the subject without demonstrating a preference for any.
The Purpose of an Informative Essay
An informative essay seeks to inform while remaining neutral. Think of pamphlets, brochures, and textbooks, which are informative writing pieces. They educate the reader by giving detailed and precise information on a particular subject. Therefore, when working on an informative essay, you should focus on providing the reader with as much relevant information as possible and facts surrounding an issue.
Components of a Winning Informative Essay
For many people, the struggle with writing an informative essay begins with trying to figure out which details to include without going off-topic and how to make them convincing. Knowing the components that make up an informative essay will help you write the correct structure.
Introduction
The introduction lets you state the problem you will discuss in the essay. It needs to be interesting enough to capture the reader’s attention and make them want to dive deeper into the essay to find out more. In this section, you should give the background of the subject you will be discussing and highlight its importance. Your introductory paragraph is ideal for inserting exciting facts or statistics to ensnare the reader. For example, if you were writing about online swindlers, consider citing the number of people that have become bankrupt or gotten into debt due to the crime.
Thesis
A thesis statement can be one to three sentences long, highlighting the essay’s focus. It comes immediately below the introduction and summarizes your argument. The reader can gain clarity on the issue you will discuss in the paper through the thesis. Think of the five W’s to give you an idea of what to write as part of your thesis statement. The five W’s describe who was involved, what happened, when, where, and why. However, a more substantial thesis needs to include more than the basics. It should also be original.
Although the introduction and thesis statement comes at the beginning of an informational essay, some people prefer to write it last after completing their paper. This is because they have a better understanding of the topic and can quickly summarise it.
Body
This is the most significant part of an informative essay. Here you will get to present all your key points and arguments. Generally, the body should comprise at least three paragraphs. All paragraphs need to have a balance. Begin each section with a topic sentence and allow every paragraph to carry one idea. If you need additional paragraphs to communicate the same idea, maintain logical transitions so that the whole essay has a flow. Additionally, ensure that your sections contain three vital elements: the claim, the supporting evidence, and the explanation. In the end, there should also be a mini-conclusion marking the end of one idea and showing the transition to the next.
The claim or statement part of the paragraph is the topic sentence. It makes it easy for the reader to follow a discussion. After making a claim, the next step is to back it up with evidence. Evidence could be findings of a research or survey or even an experiment. This is why research is essential; it enables you to find information that supports your claims and shows the significance of your thesis statement. Following the supporting evidence is an explanation stating the importance of the discussed matter. The mini-conclusion then follows to wrap up the paragraph.
It is crucial to master how to write an informative essay because this is the opportunity to tell the reader what you know about the subject matter. To distinguish ideas and make it easy to read through your essay, use headings from H1 to H4 to separate sections.
Conclusion
In this section, you need to summarise everything you have discussed in the body of the essay. The conclusion should provide a sense of completeness. It should also restate the thesis statement to bring the essay to full circle. When restating the thesis, please do not copy it word for word but instead rephrase it. To finish the conclusion, you can use a clincher that will leave the reader thinking about the essay long after they are through.
In essence, the goal of a conclusion is to show the importance of the topic and give it context. Therefore, never add new information to the concluding paragraph. It marks your case’s end and should only reflect what the essay was about.
How to Write an Informative Essay
Now that you already know what the structure of an informative essay should look like, it is time to stack it up. So what should you do when writing an informative essay?
Select a Topic
Go for a topic you can research and which you also have some basic knowledge or interest in it. If the essay is an assignment, carefully review the instructions and requirements to ensure the topic you choose is relevant. The best topics to write on should not be too limited or too broad. Consider whether you can find enough information for the case you have in mind. Also, ensure that the subject is relevant and exciting for readers to want to learn more about it.
Research
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of research when writing an essay. As the author, it is your responsibility to communicate accurate information. Your sources must be credible and objective, and so should your claims. If you are uncertain about a statement, investigate and ascertain its credibility before you include it in your essay. Do you want to sound more convincing? Find supporting evidence, like surveys and experiments, to back you up.
Conducting research allows you to present your essay from a place of knowledge and not just hearsay or personal opinion. In addition, it is a way of authenticating that the ideas presented in your paper are cold facts.
Create an Outline
After research, you are now confident about your ideas, and it is time to write them down. Create an outline showing what you want to include in your essay and where to include it. An outline is basically like a journey map, showing what comes next after what. Some of the ways to create an outline for an informative essay include:
- Using a concept map
- Free write
- Brainstorming
Your outline should include the preliminary title, thesis statement, main points, and supporting points. Some learning institutions require students to submit an outline for approval before they can start writing the essay.
Begin Writing Your First Draft
This is where you get to write down all the information you have on your topic. Focus on getting all your facts out, and leave the editing for later. The first draft is like a prototype of what your final essay will look like. As you write it, you may get new ideas along the way or feel the need to omit others; either way; it is okay.
After finishing your draft, it is time to revise and edit your work. Ensure you have followed all instructions, your paper has a good flow, no spelling and grammar errors, sources have been cited wherever necessary, and all references are provided.
General Tips for a Hooking Informative Essay
1. Select narrow topics
Do not go for broad themes that you will not manage to discuss conclusively within the given page limit. Narrow down on your topic selection and invest in telling your audience more than they already know on the matter. If your topic remains too broad, it will be challenging to develop a clear framework for research, and you’ll often end up with general information. You can narrow down a research topic using demographics, timeframe, location, or relevant issues like gender equality.
2. Brainstorm and research extensively.
Brainstorming is a helpful way of generating ideas through the various stages of writing an informational essay. There are several ways to brainstorm. For example, it could be through a chat with a friend, colleague, or professor, asking yourself questions, or using the mind mapping method to organize your thoughts and ideas.
Once you have figured out the direction you want your essay to take, begin researching extensively to establish what other sources have to say about your observations, insights, evaluations, and analysis. However, research is not just about reading; interviews and experiments also count as research.
3. Review instructions
Pay attention to all the guidelines you have been given, such as essay length, writing style, font style, and size. While there is a standard way for writing informational essays, there are instances where you are provided with specific additional instructions to follow. Do not hesitate to consult with your lecturer or teacher if you are uncertain about something.
4. Make sure to revise your essay
When you take time to review your essay a couple of times, you can identify areas where you can expand or improve on ideas and where there is a need to trim back. This will ensure that all the information you have included is meaningful. Revising your work is also a chance to correct grammar and spelling mistakes.
5. Use writing tools
Do not shy away from using tools like Grammarly and Microsoft Office Grammar. However, take note that the devices are only supposed to guide and facilitate you as you write your essay. If the tool is taking over the process, like in the case of a spin writer, then you are committing malpractice.
Things to Avoid as You Write an Informative Essay
1. Pronoun, grammar, and spelling mistakes
The general rule is that you should write essays in the third person. Avoid using first or second-person pronouns like I, you, or we. In addition, avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes. If you use contractions, get them right, and your subjects and verbs must agree. While it is often said that typos do not reflect on your grammar knowledge or language proficiency, presenting an essay with too many typos indicates that you were not attentive enough.
2. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the action of passing off someone else’s work or ideas as your own. It is a serious offense, especially in academic institutions, and you can even be suspended. You can plagiarize someone’s work in two ways: taking content from a source without quoting or giving credit or rewording an entire piece of someone’s job to make it seem your own.
3. Neglecting the thesis statement
Please note that the thesis statement is what holds up the rest of the essay. It reveals the main idea of your essay and is the focus of the discussion of the entire essay. When you ignore the thesis statement, it is easy to go off-topic and confuse the reader.
4. Using sources that are not credible
In this modern era, there is tons of information available on the internet covering almost any topic. However, you cannot trust every piece of data on the web. Peer-reviewed sources are the most reliable.
Final Thoughts
This article only discusses the foundation you need to build your informative essay. Otherwise, your writing will be assessed on the specific standards that show your ability to implement them in your essay. Now that you know the approach to take when writing an informative paper, what’s left is for you to shine with how you present your viewpoints.
