Guides & Tips on Writing

Essay Types
An essay is a brief prose composition in which the writer expresses his/her opinion about a limited subject. Below you can find information on different types of essay along with samples.
Persuasive Essay Expository Essay Informal Essay Research Essay Literary Essay Argumentative Essay Critical Essay Narrative Essay Comparison / Contrast Essay Cause / Effect Essay Evaluation Essay Classification Essay Descriptive Essay Definition Essay Exemplification / Illustration Essay Personal Essay Admission Essay Scholarship Essay Exploratory Essay The Five-Paragraph Essay Literature Essay
Citation Styles
Ask each of your teachers which style they want you to use. If they have no preference, you can use any or follow these guidelines:
MLA: literature, arts, and humanities. APA: psychology, education, and other social sciences AMA: medicine, health, and biological sciences. Turabian: designed for college students to use with all subjects. Chicago: used with all subjects in the real world by books, magazines, newspapers, and other non-scholarly publications.
Writing Tips
An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what. You may be writing an essay to argue for a particular point of view or to explain the steps necessary to complete a task.

Either way, your essay will have the same basic format.

If you follow a few simple steps, you will find that the essay almost writes itself. You will be responsible only for supplying ideas, which are the important part of the essay anyway.
Decide on your topic Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas Write your thesis statement Write the body Write the introduction and conclusion Add the finishing touches