Smart Guide for Students: How to Write an Analytical Essay

Essay writing may be a tedious task even for seasoned academic professionals. If you feel that this challenge is too difficult to conquer, here are some simple recommendations that can get you on the right track.

1. Your essay should be a statement and not a summary.

While analytical works are based on specific sources and evidence, they should also demonstrate your unique and critical vision of the topic. Think about the ideas and arguments you will promote before you start writing to make your work more coherent. When at a loss for words, ask yourself “What am I trying to prove here?”. This will also allow you to maintain constant focus and reduce ‘descriptiveness’ in analysing the evidence.

2. Outline a structure.

You can start with the simple ‘Introduction – Text Body – Conclusion’ scheme and elaborate later on. The key concept is to have some primary foundation to which you can start adding details. This way, you can break your ‘paralysis by analysis’ stasis and start writing text. This plan will allow you to implement effective transitions and link evidence with specific claims in opening sentences.

3. Keep it relevant.

To construct a critical perspective on your subject matter, you need to start with evaluating traditional theories in the field and then reappraise their usefulness and relevance. It is more than likely that your ideas are not fully genuine and some researchers in the same field came to similar conclusions. The discussion of their contribution to this topic demonstrates your academic awareness and makes your arguments more valid. Remember to be critical and contrast the findings of different researchers with your own thoughts and practical evidence.

4. Use quotes and paraphrased parts.

If your analytical essay is based on a certain source, you need to constantly refer to it in your arguments. Sparks of inspiration frequently lure us in the wrong direction. Make it a point to support each of your ideas with an appropriate quote. This way, you will be sure that your arguments are substantiated and do not steer away from the analysed topic.

5. Use Your Time Wisely.

While it is feasible to write an essay in one day, it would be wise to plan more time for synthesising the ideas and analytical thinking process. Creative writing is non-linear. While the previous points suggested structuring as a method of overcoming initial stasis, the most interesting ideas frequently come to you when you revise the completing text or simply think about it during your leisure time. Make sure that you have sufficient time left to implement these insights into the written text to make your essay the best it can be.

These tips contain all the information necessary to get you started in the right direction. The key takeaway is to start right now! Simply have a sheet of paper and a pencil and start drafting your structure and planning your argument. You need to remember that the only way out is through!