How to write an essay introduction, how to write a literature essay.

Without a clear thesis, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

More examples of essay introductions

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

1. An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
2. Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
3. A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction. It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

Without a clear thesis, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

More examples of essay introductions

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

1. An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
2. Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
3. A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction. It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

Some course instructors at times even totally refuse to mark work that has been submitted late and this can result in a student failing in the given course.

It is, however, worth to note that if you are required to come up with your own topic. You should look for a topic that interests you and the one that has sufficient sources of information. The selected topic must also be focused well-enough to enable the student to write a coherent essay.

You should then try as much as possible to adhere to such developed work plan. If you are a student and you feel that your essay is fast approaching then you do not have to panic. This is because you can always order for urgent essay writing services.

It is worth to note that there are online professional writers and editors who understand not only how to write an essay but also how to proofread it.

8. Proofread and Edit The Essay

In other words, you need to identify various points that can be included in your essay. One of the best ways of doing so is reading around your topic. This is what some students commonly refer to as researching an essay.

One of the common mistakes that students who do not really understand how to write an essay make is discussing new points in this section. You must never attempt to include ideas that are not present in the body in the conclusion of your essay.

Merely writing body paragraphs is not enough. You ought to go a step further and organize them in a manner that makes reading your work easy to understand. As a rule of thumb, strong points must be discussed first. This means that you should be sure to discuss the ideas that strongly support your thesis statement before discussing the weak ones or those that might counter your argument.

It is, however, good to note that doing so is more of reviewing the relevant literature than conducting research. It is very important to visit the library and read books that are relevant to your topic.

To avoid plagiarism, be sure to paraphrase any ideas you collect from your research instead of copying them word for word. If you do use them as is, put them in quotes.

Nothing is more daunting for a writer than staring at a blank page. This is why you need to have an action plan for starting your essay.

Next, use the proper citations. Plagiarism does not only constitute copying the idea verbatim, but you also have to reference the source of the idea itself, if possible. Depending on your teacher’s preferences, you can use the APA in-text citation style or the MLA style.

• Elaborate on each of your main ideas with at least one paragraph each. If your main ideas will require more than one paragraph each, feel free to write more.
• For anything point that takes up two paragraphs or more, it helps to have a brief introductory paragraph.
• Stay as concise as possible.
• Include anecdotal examples if it will help you make your point more clear.
• If you are writing a formal academic essay, avoid using first-person pronouns.

6. Pay attention to how you cite references.

• What is something I’m passionate about?
• What is one thought or idea I want to share?
• Is there any misconception I want to correct?
• What is the best way to present this topic of information (with regard to the types of essays)?

When you write your outline, make sure that each paragraph has only one main point. Jumbling too many points in one paragraph tends to confuse your reader. Also, make sure that your main points are all relevant to your thesis statement.

• Introduction with thesis statement
• Main Point #1
• Main Point #2
• Main Point #3
• Conclusion

Some questions you can ask yourself to find a good topic include:

Choose a title for your essay that expresses your primary idea. The strongest titles will include a verb. Take a look at any newspaper and you'll see that every title has a verb.

• America Needs Better Health Care Now
• The Use of the Mentor Archetype in _____
• Who Is the She-Conomy?
• Why DJ Is the Queen of Pedicures
• Melanoma: Is It or Isn't It?
• How to Achieve Natural Balance in Your Garden
• Expect to Be Changed by Reading _____

• Women are the chief buyers in 80 percent of America's households. If you're not marketing to them, you should be.
• Take another look at that spot on your arm. Is the shape irregular? Is it multicolored? You could have melanoma. Know the signs.
• Those tiny wasps flying around the blossoms in your garden can't sting you. Their stingers have evolved into egg-laying devices. The wasps, busying finding a place to lay their eggs, are participating in the balance of nature.

Your best essays will be about things that light your fire. What do you feel passionate about? What topics do you find yourself arguing for or against? Choose the side of the topic you are "for" rather than "against" and your essay will be stronger.

Title

• By observing the balance of nature in her gardens, listening to lectures, and reading everything she can get her hands on about insects and native plants, Lucinda has grown passionate about natural balance. "It's easy to get passionate if you just take time to look," she says.

Vincent Hazat / PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections / Getty Images

Put your idea into a single sentence. This is your thesis statement, your main idea.