How to Write a Good Essay

An essay is a short piece of writing, usually one to ten pages, that makes and
defends a claim. Sometimes in American English, the term paper is used to
describe an essay, but the word paper can usually describe a research report or
lab write-up as well.
There are many types of essays, including descriptive, narrative, and expository.
However, the most common is the argumentative essay. Once this type of essay is
mastered, the other types, usually being simpler, are quite easy to master.
The argumentative essay is designed to convince the reader of the truth of the
central claim, or thesis. The thesis is usually one sentence long and states the main
claim that the rest of the essay tries to support.
Essays usually have three main parts: the introduction, the body, and the
conclusion. In the introduction, the writer tries to gain the readers interest and
focus the discussion on the thesis. In the body, the writer defends the thesis using
evidence and logical arguments, and tries to refute counter-arguments. In the
conclusion, the writer summarizes the arguments, restates the thesis, and
reconnects the essay to the larger context, significance, or future.
You may have been told in the past that the introduction needs two main parts: A
hook and a thesis. This is true; yet a more complex structure for the introduction
includes five main parts (Booth, Colomb, and Williams 2008):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

A common ground to introduce the topic

A problem or question
A statement of significance (optionalneeded if significance is not obvious)
The thesis
A plan or overview of the paper (if not stated in the thesis)

Some thesis statements include the plan or overview of the paper. Some only
consist of such a plan. For example, in the sciences, a thesis may simply state the
question, methodology, and a promise of a discussion of the experimental results by
the end of the paper. Such a plan thesis in the sciences is quite different from the
traditional claim thesis of the humanities.
Examples:
A plan thesis: This paper seeks to identify X by method B and concludes
with a discussion of the results and recommendations for further research.
Some claim thesis formulas:
X is/was/should be N.
Although A, B because of 1, 2, and 3.

Although we may think that X is true, an analysis of A, B, and C shows

that in fact N is a better understanding.
X is true; however, a complete understanding of X requires that we
recognize A, B, and C as well.
Common organizational structures for essays or papers:
Basic Essay

Scientific Study

Humanities Essay

Introduction

Introduction

Introduction

Argument 1

Literature search

Background

Argument 2
Argument 3
Conclusion

Methodology
Results
Discussion

References

Conclusion

Argument 1
Argument 2
Refutation of
opposing
arguments
Conclusion

References

References

Classical
Organization
Introduction/exhor
dium
Issue at
hand/narratio
Plan/divisio
Proof/confirmatio
Refutation/confutat
io
Conclusion/perorati
o

Sometimes the Literature search or Background in the scientific or humanities

papers may be incorporated into the introduction and come before the thesis. That
is, they may form part of the narratio that leads up to the statement of the
problem and the methodology, plan, or thesis in response.
Perhaps the best way to gain a feel for how to write good essays is to read essays.
While some of the example essays included on Moodle may not be classified as
good, they do provide examples of how to structure an essay. Note that the color
coding on some essays should not be included in your final essaythe colors are
simply to help you see the various structural elements in the example.

References
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. 2008. The Craft of
Research. 3rd ed. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Corbett, Edward P. J., and Robert J. Connors. 1999. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern
Student. 4th ed. New York: Oxford U P.