14 Top Tips on Writing Essays1. Analyse the title make sure you really understand what it is asking you to do see table below on instruction words.2. Read around this is essential. Read the references plus others to supplement the list. Generate your own ideas from the reading.3. Draft introduction what do you aim to do in the essay?e.g. prove/disprove a theory etc4. Use subheadings this helps to distinguish sections.5. Save make sure you save your work on disk or USB stick just in case your computer crashes.6. Draft the main bones of the essay you can flesh it out later.7. Show draft to someone else it always helps having another opinion.8. Check your spelling and grammar.9. Vary sentence length in general dont use over long sentences, short sentences can be effective to. Try it.10. Use paragraphs Huge blocks of writing can be off putting read.11. Avoid clichs e.g. very interesting, boils down to, getting down to it, sort of and many others!12. Do not use abbreviations In formal work it is not professional to use abbreviations and slang e.g. dont, Ive, weve etc.13. Check your final version read it out loud.14. Save, file away and submit Make sure you have plenty of time to print it out and get it in before the deadline.Instruction words and their definitionsMake sure you understand what the essay title is asking you to do. The table below should be helpful; its taken from How to write essays & assignments (McMillan et al., 2007, p 33):INSTRUCTION WORDDEFINITION WHAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO

Account [give an]Describe

Account forGive reasons for

AnalyseGive an organised answer looking at all aspects

ApplyPut a theory into operation

AssessDecide on value/ importance

Brief account [give a]Describe in a concise way

Comment onGive your opinion

Compare [with]Discuss similarities; draw conclusions on common areas

CompileMake up (a list/ plan/ outline)

ConsiderDescribe/give your views on the subject

ContrastDiscuss differences/ draw own view

CriticisePoint out weak/ strong points, i.e. give a balanced answer

DefineGive the meaning of a term, concisely

DemonstrateShow by example/ evidence

DescribeNarrative on process/ appearance/ operation/ sequence...

DeviseMake up

DiscussGive own thoughts and support yor opinion or conclusion

EvaluateDecide on merit of situation/ argument

ExemplifyShow by giving examples

ExpandGive more information

ExplainGive reason for/ say why

Explain howDescribe how something works

IdentifyPinpoint/ list

IllustrateGive examples

IndicatePoint out, but not in great detail

JustifySupport the argument for...

ListMake an organised list, e.g. events, components, aspects

OutlineDescribe basic factors/ limited information

PlanThink how to organise something

ReportGive an account of the process or event

ReviewWrite a report/ give facts and views on facts

ShowDemonstrate with supporting evidence

SpecifyGive details of something

StateGive a clear account of...

SummariseBriefly give an account

TraceProvide a brief chronology of events/ process

Work outFind a solution, e.g. as in a maths problem

Scientific essays are challenging to write. While most essays are conversational and persuasive, a scientific essay is meant to inform. The structure and format of a scientific essay is different from other types of writing. Knowing these key differences is an important part of writing a well-written essay. Here is how to write a scientific essay.

Instructions1. 1Determine the purpose of your essay. Scientific essays can be written with different goals in mind. Your purpose may be to answer an essay question, explain the findings of a lab experiment or explore research and experiments conducted by others. 2Organize your writing with an outline. Scientific essays usually follow a different pattern than other essays. Sections to include are the title, list of authors, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and references. 3Include in the list of authors the names of everyone who contributed in some way to the experiments you performed in your research. Also include the names of anyone else who contributed to the drafting of your report. 4Save the writing of your abstract until the end. This is a short summary of about 250 words. 5Describe any experiments you conducted in your research in the materials and methods section of your essay. Do not include findings here. 6State the findings of your research in the results section. This is an objective review of what took place in the experiment. This does not include interpretation. 7Give your interpretation of the findings in the next section, the discussion, and communicate the meaning and significance of what happened in your research. 8Include only reputable sources in your references. Your research should consist of academic and scientific journals. Credible sources are vital to the credibility of your essay.Tips & Warnings Use the correct style in your writing. Scientific essays are not written to entertain or convince; they are purely informative. They are also more straightforward and to the point than other types of writing. Keep your statements brief and on topic.