Essays may be five-paragraph long on average, but if you are chased by a stringent deadline or assigned to a convoluted topic, even such a simple task may seem impossible to finish. However, you can always improve your essay writing skill with some practice and a few tricks up your sleeve.
1. Choose a topic that you are interested in:
In most of the cases, students are given the liberty to choose the topic for their essays. So, it is always better to choose a reasonable topic that you find interesting in the given subject area. When you are genuinely interested in a topic, it reflects positively in your writing.
2. Read more to improve your vocabulary:
In order to become a successful academic essay writer, you need to work on your vocabulary and the knowledge of grammar. The best way to do it is by developing the habit of reading well-written texts. The more you read, the better your writing skills get.
3. Make sure there’s enough research material for the chosen topic:
If you cannot find the necessary information on an essay topic, it is wiser to move to a different topic. However, if you don’t have the luxury to change the topic, try using online academic databases like Google Scholar or Microsoft Academics to find relevant research material.
4. Prepare an outline for the essay before writing:
If you proceed to the drafting part without any solid plan of action, you will need more time to finish the paper than generally required. When you prepare an outline for essay beforehand, it helps you save time, allows you to organize the content, and guides you through the process.
5. Be very specific about your choice of words:
There’s a specific limit on the count for academic essays. So, you need to be very careful about the words you use in the essay. Having the outline with you helps you measure how many words to spare for each paragraph.
6. Use simple sentences to avoid mistakes:
Most writers leave error in their content when they try to write long sentences. Try to keep your sentences between 10–15 words at max. This will not only help keep the word count in check but also allow you to avoid grammatical mistakes.
7. Use transition words to break long paragraphs:
To improve the readability of the essay, you need to write shorter paragraphs. If you need to add more lines to the paragraph, try breaking the paragraph using transition words like furthermore, moreover, however, henceforth, therefore, nevertheless, etc.
8. Use bullet points to present the information:
It is easier for the readers to find major details in an essay if you present the information in a bulleted list. You need fewer words to deliver the information when you are using bullet points. Besides, a reader can simply skim through the paper and find the major points in that list.
9. Always proofread your content:
It goes without saying that proofreading is important for all sorts of academic writing. Spare time for the proofreading part and revise the content several times. This will allow you to look at the errors that you need to fix, and show you the areas where you can improve.
10. Cite your sources with accuracy:
If you are using information from a different source, you need to acknowledge it with the proper measure. There are several citation styles in academics that you need to get familiar with so that you can follow the instructed citation style while citing the source.
You can always rely on online tools like Grammarly, Duplichecker, Hemingway, etc. to make things easier on your part. But if you genuinely want to boost your skills, it is recommended to practice the tips mentioned above.
Ref: https://medium.com/@henryhowkins995/10-tips-to-success-for-academic-essay-writers-8e7ac8fa0dae
