Essay writing can invoke lots of anxiety and stress, especially where knowledge of the writing process is lacking. The key to writing compelling and meaningful essays is an understanding of the essay question and presenting your research findings logically.
After learning the essay writing techniques, you can apply them to any academic writing task or any subject. You can feel more relaxed and confident while approaching any writing task. The following methods can let you write meaningful essays on different subjects.
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( votes)Analyzing the question
Failure to understand the essay topic or question can contribute to failure and disappointment in essay writing. Understand the phrases used in the essay question, whether it is comparing and contrasting, critical evaluation of something, and so on. The phases used in essay questions have varying expectations.
For instance, if an essay requires you to evaluate a given theoretical approach, you need to understand that theory and other approaches as well. You must also come up with a justified and solid conclusion on whether the theory is good or not. An essay must adequately address the prompt provided, including the direct and indirect requirements.
Proper planning
Using the available time efficiently can enable you to complete the essay on time and improve overall performance. Avoid underestimating the time it can take to complete an essay. Allow more time on essays in subjects like philosophy because, unlike essays on other subjects, philosophical essays are neither self-expression-based nor research papers.
One of the basic academic requirements in a college or university is a demonstration of how to write meaningful essays. The essay techniques in the area of philosophy are still relevant to other subject areas. Students can opt to find meaningful essays on philosophy on Samplius to have an idea of what it takes to write meaningful academic essays. The purpose of essay samples is to have an easier way of learning how to write essays by finding inspiration from experts.
Critical thinking approach
A pass in an academic essay may only require being descriptive. However, for a better grade, you must demonstrate your ability to think critically when writing the paper and drawing conclusions. For instance, if you are researching theories, the limitations of those theories and how they have been presented in the research must be clear.
Critical thinking can make your essay look unique because you can show the professors that you understand how to present your arguments. Practicing critical thinking and applying the skills in your essay requires you to be attentive when going through literature reviews in the research materials.
Read More: What Should Be the Scholarship Essay Format?
Paying attention to paraphrasing and quoting
Create a balance between general arguments and relying on the work of other researchers. Avoid writing a “novel” essay that is not supported by sources. Otherwise, this may show that you have not familiarized yourself with other publications. Citing a source is also an indication of failure to produce a novel argument.
Use credible citations when making a factual statement or drawing on theories, frameworks, and arguments of other academicians. The citations should support the novel argument you want to make.
Reading widely
Reading is as important as writing in any academic endeavor. Before beginning to write, conduct a detailed search for literature using relevant databases. Being creative in filtering information is a great academic skill.
When you come across a promising material, review the abstract to confirm its relevance. After identifying relevant materials, review their bibliographies and identify the sources being cited and use Google Scholar to find out who has cited them. Avoid relying heavily on a few texts because this may be an indication of shallow literature use.
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Finding a study partner
Finding a study partner is a great and simple way of writing meaningful academic essays. This does not mean writing the essays together because you risk submitting plagiarized essays.
After completing the draft, exchange the essays for proofreading purposes. It will be easier for the other party to proofread and pinpoint errors to be fixed. Proofreading your work can make you “go blind” to grammatical errors in a document even after going through it severally. It is also easy to fail to identify gaps in the way the essay is presented.
Conclusion
Essay writing can be challenging for students who fail to pay attention to the basic requirements. Writing meaningful essays on different subjects starts by understanding the question requirements, planning, and thinking critically. It also requires being attentive to quoting other people’s work, reading widely, and having another person proofreading your work. By adopting the above techniques, you will develop a well-structured, quality, and meaningful essay on any subject.