Academic essays take a very specific format of writing and all of them tend to be more or less the same. Sometimes the assignments given will come with very specific instructions that describe exactly how the work should be written.
In today’s article, we take a glance at how most academic essays are written. Remember the structure can be slightly different depending on the instructions given and the type of paper being written.
Academic essays consist mainly of 5 major parts: 1) Abstract 2) Introduction 3) Main Body 4) Conclusion 5) References
Abstract
An abstract is the part of an essay that shows in brief what the essay is about. Therefore, it usually highlights some of the major points of the paper and tells the reader exactly what to expect from the paper. However not all academic papers require an abstract. This is because they usually come with lengthy papers that tend to be research-oriented. Such papers usually include a table of contents.
Introduction
The introduction of a paper or an essay opens up the subject of the paper. It will usually include a thesis statement. Also it is the part of an essay that starts to explore the subject matter of the paper. The introduction usually contains definitions of terms or the subject matter in order to help the reader understand what it is about, before diving deeper into the paper.
Main Body
The main body of an essay is the part that argues the main points of the paper. The writer aims to convince the reader of their arguments for or against the subject matter in this section. So the body usually includes in cite references to other published works. It also includes infographics to help prove the points being made by the author.
Conclusion
The conclusion is the part of the essay where the writer will finish their argument and decide if they are for the subject matter or not. So they can do this by briefly highlighting a few of the main points from the essay and then conclude.
References
This is the part of the essay where the writer will list all the relevant publications that they cited in the essay. However, the order in which they are listed depends on the reference style the writer is advised to use in the instructions of the assignments. Some common reference styles are APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and Vancouver.
When writing your academic essay ensure that you do adequate research. Ideally research is done before writing. This ensures your paper has accurate information and has a good flow. Also remember that some papers may not require you to have an abstract. Pay attention to the instructions given before you start writing.
Academic papers usually come with a word count. The abstract, table of contents, and references do not account for word count in the academic essays. In case there are no specific instructions given this is the most ideal way to write your academic essay.
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