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How to Write an Essay in 8 Simple Steps (Examples Included)

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• Tags: Academic Writing , Essay , Essay Writing

Knowing how to write an essay can help you out significantly in both, your academic and professional life. An essay is a highly versatile nonfiction piece of writing that not only tests your knowledge of a topic but also your literary and argumentative skills.     

Each essay requires the same basic process of planning, writing, and editing. Naturally, we’ve used these stages to group our steps on how to write an essay. So w ithout further ado, let’s get into it! Here are the eight steps to write an essay:

Stage 1: Planning

1. Pick an appropriate research topic

In certain cases, your teacher or professor may assign you a topic. However, in many cases, students have the freedom to select a topic of their choice. Make sure you choose a topic that you’re well versed in and have significant knowledge of. 

Having prior knowledge of the topic will help you determine the subsequent steps to write an essay. It will also make your research process considerably easier.

2. Form an appropriate thesis statement

A thesis statement is the central idea or premise your essay is based on. It is usually a sentence or two long and is included in the introduction of the essay. The scope of your thesis statement depends on the type of your essay and its length.

For instance, the scope of the thesis statement for a 500–1000 word school essay will be narrower than a 1000–5000 word college essay. A rule of thumb is that your essay topic should be broad enough to gather enough information, but narrow enough to address specific points and not be vague. Here’s an example: 

The invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers in 1903 revolutionized transportation and paved the way for modern aviation. It represents a monumental achievement in human history that forever changed the course of human civilization.

3. Create an essay outline

Creating a well-organized essay outline not only gives structure and flow to your essay but also makes it more impactful and easy to understand. The idea is to collect the main points of information that support or elaborate on your thesis statement. You can also include references or examples under these main points. 

For example, if your thesis statement revolves around the invention of the airplane, your main points will include travel before the invention of the airplane, how it was invented, and its effects on modern-day travel. Take a look:

The Wright Brothers’ invention had a massive impact on modern-day travel. The subsequent growth of the aviation industry led to increased accessibility of air travel to the general public.

Stage 2: Writing

4. Write a comprehensive introduction

After creating the basic outline, it is important to know how to write an essay. Begin your essay by introducing your voice and point of view to the reader. An introduction is usually a paragraph or two long and consists of three main parts:

• Background information
• Thesis statement

Let’s better understand this with the help of an example:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Let’s understand how to construct each of these sections in more detail.

A. Construct an attractive hook

The opening sentence of an essay, also known as the hook, should include a powerful or startling statement that captures the reader’s attention. Depending on the type of your essay, it can be an interesting fact, a surprising statistic, or an engaging anecdote. 

B. Provide relevant background information

While writing the introduction, it’s important to provide context or background information before including the thesis statement. The background information may include the time before a groundbreaking invention, the pros and cons of a significant discovery, or the short- and long-term effects of an event.

C. Edit the thesis statement

If you’ve constructed your thesis statement during the outlining stage, it’s time to edit it based on the background information you’ve provided. Observe the slight changes we’ve made to the scope of the thesis statement in the example above. This accommodates the bits of information we’ve provided in the background history.

5. Form relevant body paragraphs

Body paragraphs play a crucial role in supporting and expanding the central argument presented in the thesis statement. The number of body paragraphs depends on the type of essay as well as the scope of the thesis statement.

Most school-level essays contain three body paragraphs while college-level essays can vary in length depending on the assignment.

A well-crafted body paragraph consists of the following parts:

• A topic sentence
• Supporting information
• An analysis of the information
• A smooth transition to the next paragraph

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. 

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

Here’s a detailed overview of how to construct each of these sections.

A. Construct appropriate topic sentences

A topic sentence is the title of the body paragraph that elaborates on the thesis statement. It is the main idea on which the body paragraph is developed. Ensure that each topic sentence is relevant to the thesis statement and makes the essay flow seamlessly. 

The order of topic sentences is key in creating an impactful essay. This order varies depending on the type of essay you choose to write. These sentences may be arranged chronologically, in the order of importance, or in a cause-and-effect format.

B. Provide supporting information

It is necessary to provide relevant supporting information and evidence to validate your topic statement. This may include examples, relevant statistics, history, or even personal anecdotes.

You should also remember to cite your sources wherever you use them to substantiate your arguments. Always give researchers and authors credit for their work!

C. Analyze the supporting information

After presenting the appropriate evidence, the next step is to conduct an in-depth analysis. Establish connections and provide additional details to strengthen the link between your topic sentence and the supporting information. 

Depending on the type of essay, this step may also involve sharing your subjective opinions and key takeaways.

D. Create a smooth transition

In case you plan to create multiple body paragraphs, it is crucial to create a seamless transition between them. Transitional statements not only make the essay less jarring to read but also guide the reader in the right direction.

However, these statements need not be too lengthy and complicated. Use words such as “however”, “in addition to”, and “therefore” to convey transitions.

6. Construct an impactful conclusion

An impactful conclusion creates a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Although it varies in length depending on the specific essay, the conclusion is typically a paragraph long.

It consists of

• A restated thesis statement
• Summary of the main points
• The broader implications of the thesis statement

Here’s an example of a well-structured conclusion:

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.  

Let’s take a closer look at how to construct each of these sections.

A. Restate the thesis statement

Your conclusion should call back to your original argument or thesis statement.

However, this does not mean repeating the thesis statement as is. The essence of your argument should remain the same, but it should also be modified and evolved as per the information presented in your essay.

B. Summarize important points

A powerful conclusion not only lingers in the reader’s mind but also provokes thought. You can create a strong impression on the reader by highlighting the most impactful points of your essay.

C. State the greater implications

End your essay with the most powerful and impactful part: the larger perspective. This can‌ include a question you’d like to leave the reader with, the broader implications and impact of your thesis statement, or the long-term, lingering effects of your experience. 

Make sure to include no new evidence or arguments, or to undermine your findings in any way. 

Stage 3: Editing

7. Review your essay

Knowing how to write an essay is just one part of essay writing. Properly reviewing and editing your essay is just as important. Make sure to spend enough time going over your essay and adding any bits of information that you’ve missed. 

This is also a good time to make minor structural changes in your essay.

8. Thoroughly proofread your essay

After making the necessary structural changes, recheck your essay word by word. It is important to not only correct major grammatical and spelling errors but also minor errors regarding the phrasing or tone of voice.

You can either choose to do this by yourself, ask a friend for assistance, or hire an essay proofreading service to go over your writing. To construct a fool-proof, error-free essay, it is helpful to have a trained pair of eyes go over it. Professional proofreaders can spot errors that are not visible to most people and set the right tone for your essay. 

Now that you know the basics of how to write an essay, it’s time to learn about the specifics. Feel free to dig into the articles below and keep reading!

• How to Write an Essay Header in 4 Steps
• How to Write an Essay Outline
• What is an Expository Essay?
• How to Start an Essay

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How to Write an Essay

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Essay Writing Fundamentals

How to prepare to write an essay, how to edit an essay, how to share and publish your essays, how to get essay writing help, how to find essay writing inspiration, resources for teaching essay writing.

Essays, short prose compositions on a particular theme or topic, are the bread and butter of academic life. You write them in class, for homework, and on standardized tests to show what you know. Unlike other kinds of academic writing (like the research paper) and creative writing (like short stories and poems), essays allow you to develop your original thoughts on a prompt or question. Essays come in many varieties: they can be expository (fleshing out an idea or claim), descriptive, (explaining a person, place, or thing), narrative (relating a personal experience), or persuasive (attempting to win over a reader). This guide is a collection of dozens of links about academic essay writing that we have researched, categorized, and annotated in order to help you improve your essay writing. 

Essays are different from other forms of writing; in turn, there are different kinds of essays. This section contains general resources for getting to know the essay and its variants. These resources introduce and define the essay as a genre, and will teach you what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab

One of the most trusted academic writing sites, Purdue OWL provides a concise introduction to the four most common types of academic essays.

"The Essay: History and Definition" (ThoughtCo)

This snappy article from ThoughtCo talks about the origins of the essay and different kinds of essays you might be asked to write. 

"What Is An Essay?" Video Lecture (Coursera)

The University of California at Irvine's free video lecture, available on Coursera, tells  you everything you need to know about the essay.

Wikipedia Article on the "Essay"

Wikipedia's article on the essay is comprehensive, providing both English-language and global perspectives on the essay form. Learn about the essay's history, forms, and styles.

"Understanding College and Academic Writing" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This list of common academic writing assignments (including types of essay prompts) will help you know what to expect from essay-based assessments.

Before you start writing your essay, you need to figure out who you're writing for (audience), what you're writing about (topic/theme), and what you're going to say (argument and thesis). This section contains links to handouts, chapters, videos and more to help you prepare to write an essay.

How to Identify Your Audience

"Audience" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This handout provides questions you can ask yourself to determine the audience for an academic writing assignment. It also suggests strategies for fitting your paper to your intended audience.

"Purpose, Audience, Tone, and Content" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

This extensive book chapter from Writing for Success , available online through Minnesota Libraries Publishing, is followed by exercises to try out your new pre-writing skills.

"Determining Audience" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This guide from a community college's writing center shows you how to know your audience, and how to incorporate that knowledge in your thesis statement.

"Know Your Audience" ( Paper Rater Blog)

This short blog post uses examples to show how implied audiences for essays differ. It reminds you to think of your instructor as an observer, who will know only the information you pass along.

How to Choose a Theme or Topic

"Research Tutorial: Developing Your Topic" (YouTube)

Take a look at this short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to understand the basics of developing a writing topic.

"How to Choose a Paper Topic" (WikiHow)

This simple, step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through choosing a paper topic. It starts with a detailed description of brainstorming and ends with strategies to refine your broad topic.

"How to Read an Assignment: Moving From Assignment to Topic" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Did your teacher give you a prompt or other instructions? This guide helps you understand the relationship between an essay assignment and your essay's topic.

"Guidelines for Choosing a Topic" (CliffsNotes)

This study guide from CliffsNotes both discusses how to choose a topic and makes a useful distinction between "topic" and "thesis."

How to Come Up with an Argument

"Argument" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

Not sure what "argument" means in the context of academic writing? This page from the University of North Carolina is a good place to start.

"The Essay Guide: Finding an Argument" (Study Hub)

This handout explains why it's important to have an argument when beginning your essay, and provides tools to help you choose a viable argument.

"Writing a Thesis and Making an Argument" (University of Iowa)

This page from the University of Iowa's Writing Center contains exercises through which you can develop and refine your argument and thesis statement.

"Developing a Thesis" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page from Harvard's Writing Center collates some helpful dos and don'ts of argumentative writing, from steps in constructing a thesis to avoiding vague and confrontational thesis statements.

"Suggestions for Developing Argumentative Essays" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

This page offers concrete suggestions for each stage of the essay writing process, from topic selection to drafting and editing. 

How to Outline your Essay

"Outlines" (Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via YouTube)

This short video tutorial from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how to group your ideas into paragraphs or sections to begin the outlining process.

"Essay Outline" (Univ. of Washington Tacoma)

This two-page handout by a university professor simply defines the parts of an essay and then organizes them into an example outline.

"Types of Outlines and Samples" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL gives examples of diverse outline strategies on this page, including the alphanumeric, full sentence, and decimal styles. 

"Outlining" (Harvard College Writing Center)

Once you have an argument, according to this handout, there are only three steps in the outline process: generalizing, ordering, and putting it all together. Then you're ready to write!

"Writing Essays" (Plymouth Univ.)

This packet, part of Plymouth University's Learning Development series, contains descriptions and diagrams relating to the outlining process.

"How to Write A Good Argumentative Essay: Logical Structure" (Criticalthinkingtutorials.com via YouTube)

This longer video tutorial gives an overview of how to structure your essay in order to support your argument or thesis. It is part of a longer course on academic writing hosted on Udemy.

Now that you've chosen and refined your topic and created an outline, use these resources to complete the writing process. Most essays contain introductions (which articulate your thesis statement), body paragraphs, and conclusions. Transitions facilitate the flow from one paragraph to the next so that support for your thesis builds throughout the essay. Sources and citations show where you got the evidence to support your thesis, which ensures that you avoid plagiarism. 

How to Write an Introduction

"Introductions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page identifies the role of the introduction in any successful paper, suggests strategies for writing introductions, and warns against less effective introductions.

"How to Write A Good Introduction" (Michigan State Writing Center)

Beginning with the most common missteps in writing introductions, this guide condenses the essentials of introduction composition into seven points.

"The Introductory Paragraph" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming focuses on ways to grab your reader's attention at the beginning of your essay.

"Introductions and Conclusions" (Univ. of Toronto)

This guide from the University of Toronto gives advice that applies to writing both introductions and conclusions, including dos and don'ts.

"How to Write Better Essays: No One Does Introductions Properly" ( The Guardian )

This news article interviews UK professors on student essay writing; they point to introductions as the area that needs the most improvement.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

"Writing an Effective Thesis Statement" (YouTube)

This short, simple video tutorial from a college composition instructor at Tulsa Community College explains what a thesis statement is and what it does. 

"Thesis Statement: Four Steps to a Great Essay" (YouTube)

This fantastic tutorial walks you through drafting a thesis, using an essay prompt on Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter as an example.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) walks you through coming up with, writing, and editing a thesis statement. It invites you think of your statement as a "working thesis" that can change.

"How to Write a Thesis Statement" (Univ. of Indiana Bloomington)

Ask yourself the questions on this page, part of Indiana Bloomington's Writing Tutorial Services, when you're writing and refining your thesis statement.

"Writing Tips: Thesis Statements" (Univ. of Illinois Center for Writing Studies)

This page gives plentiful examples of good to great thesis statements, and offers questions to ask yourself when formulating a thesis statement.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

"Body Paragraph" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course introduces you to the components of a body paragraph. These include the topic sentence, information, evidence, and analysis.

"Strong Body Paragraphs" (Washington Univ.)

This handout from Washington's Writing and Research Center offers in-depth descriptions of the parts of a successful body paragraph.

"Guide to Paragraph Structure" (Deakin Univ.)

This handout is notable for color-coding example body paragraphs to help you identify the functions various sentences perform.

"Writing Body Paragraphs" (Univ. of Minnesota Libraries)

The exercises in this section of Writing for Success  will help you practice writing good body paragraphs. It includes guidance on selecting primary support for your thesis.

"The Writing Process—Body Paragraphs" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

The information and exercises on this page will familiarize you with outlining and writing body paragraphs, and includes links to more information on topic sentences and transitions.

"The Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post discusses body paragraphs in the context of one of the most common academic essay types in secondary schools.

How to Use Transitions

"Transitions" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains what a transition is, and how to know if you need to improve your transitions.

"Using Transitions Effectively" (Washington Univ.)

This handout defines transitions, offers tips for using them, and contains a useful list of common transitional words and phrases grouped by function.

"Transitions" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

This page compares paragraphs without transitions to paragraphs with transitions, and in doing so shows how important these connective words and phrases are.

"Transitions in Academic Essays" (Scribbr)

This page lists four techniques that will help you make sure your reader follows your train of thought, including grouping similar information and using transition words.

"Transitions" (El Paso Community College)

This handout shows example transitions within paragraphs for context, and explains how transitions improve your essay's flow and voice.

"Make Your Paragraphs Flow to Improve Writing" (ThoughtCo)

This blog post, another from academic advisor and college enrollment counselor Grace Fleming, talks about transitions and other strategies to improve your essay's overall flow.

"Transition Words" (smartwords.org)

This handy word bank will help you find transition words when you're feeling stuck. It's grouped by the transition's function, whether that is to show agreement, opposition, condition, or consequence.

How to Write a Conclusion

"Parts of An Essay: Conclusions" (Brightstorm)

This module of a free online course explains how to conclude an academic essay. It suggests thinking about the "3Rs": return to hook, restate your thesis, and relate to the reader.

"Essay Conclusions" (Univ. of Maryland University College)

This overview of the academic essay conclusion contains helpful examples and links to further resources for writing good conclusions.

"How to End An Essay" (WikiHow)

This step-by-step guide (with pictures!) by an English Ph.D. walks you through writing a conclusion, from brainstorming to ending with a flourish.

"Ending the Essay: Conclusions" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This page collates useful strategies for writing an effective conclusion, and reminds you to "close the discussion without closing it off" to further conversation.

How to Include Sources and Citations

"Research and Citation Resources" (Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab)

Purdue OWL streamlines information about the three most common referencing styles (MLA, Chicago, and APA) and provides examples of how to cite different resources in each system.

EasyBib: Free Bibliography Generator

This online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. Be sure to select your resource type before clicking the "cite it" button.

CitationMachine

Like EasyBib, this online tool allows you to input information about your source and automatically generate citations in any style. 

Modern Language Association Handbook (MLA)

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of MLA referencing rules. Order through the link above, or check to see if your library has a copy.

Chicago Manual of Style

Here, you'll find the definitive and up-to-date record of Chicago referencing rules. You can take a look at the table of contents, then choose to subscribe or start a free trial.

How to Avoid Plagiarism

"What is Plagiarism?" (plagiarism.org)

This nonprofit website contains numerous resources for identifying and avoiding plagiarism, and reminds you that even common activities like copying images from another website to your own site may constitute plagiarism.

"Plagiarism" (University of Oxford)

This interactive page from the University of Oxford helps you check for plagiarism in your work, making it clear how to avoid citing another person's work without full acknowledgement.

"Avoiding Plagiarism" (MIT Comparative Media Studies)

This quick guide explains what plagiarism is, what its consequences are, and how to avoid it. It starts by defining three words—quotation, paraphrase, and summary—that all constitute citation.

"Harvard Guide to Using Sources" (Harvard Extension School)

This comprehensive website from Harvard brings together articles, videos, and handouts about referencing, citation, and plagiarism. 

Grammarly contains tons of helpful grammar and writing resources, including a free tool to automatically scan your essay to check for close affinities to published work. 

Noplag is another popular online tool that automatically scans your essay to check for signs of plagiarism. Simply copy and paste your essay into the box and click "start checking."

Once you've written your essay, you'll want to edit (improve content), proofread (check for spelling and grammar mistakes), and finalize your work until you're ready to hand it in. This section brings together tips and resources for navigating the editing process. 

"Writing a First Draft" (Academic Help)

This is an introduction to the drafting process from the site Academic Help, with tips for getting your ideas on paper before editing begins.

"Editing and Proofreading" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page provides general strategies for revising your writing. They've intentionally left seven errors in the handout, to give you practice in spotting them.

"How to Proofread Effectively" (ThoughtCo)

This article from ThoughtCo, along with those linked at the bottom, help describe common mistakes to check for when proofreading.

"7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful" (SmartBlogger)

This blog post emphasizes the importance of powerful, concise language, and reminds you that even your personal writing heroes create clunky first drafts.

"Editing Tips for Effective Writing" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

On this page from Penn's International Relations department, you'll find tips for effective prose, errors to watch out for, and reminders about formatting.

"Editing the Essay" (Harvard College Writing Center)

This article, the first of two parts, gives you applicable strategies for the editing process. It suggests reading your essay aloud, removing any jargon, and being unafraid to remove even "dazzling" sentences that don't belong.

"Guide to Editing and Proofreading" (Oxford Learning Institute)

This handout from Oxford covers the basics of editing and proofreading, and reminds you that neither task should be rushed. 

In addition to plagiarism-checkers, Grammarly has a plug-in for your web browser that checks your writing for common mistakes.

After you've prepared, written, and edited your essay, you might want to share it outside the classroom. This section alerts you to print and web opportunities to share your essays with the wider world, from online writing communities and blogs to published journals geared toward young writers.

Sharing Your Essays Online

Go Teen Writers

Go Teen Writers is an online community for writers aged 13 - 19. It was founded by Stephanie Morrill, an author of contemporary young adult novels. 

Tumblr is a blogging website where you can share your writing and interact with other writers online. It's easy to add photos, links, audio, and video components.

Writersky provides an online platform for publishing and reading other youth writers' work. Its current content is mostly devoted to fiction.

Publishing Your Essays Online

This teen literary journal publishes in print, on the web, and (more frequently), on a blog. It is committed to ensuring that "teens see their authentic experience reflected on its pages."

The Matador Review

This youth writing platform celebrates "alternative," unconventional writing. The link above will take you directly to the site's "submissions" page.

Teen Ink has a website, monthly newsprint magazine, and quarterly poetry magazine promoting the work of young writers.

The largest online reading platform, Wattpad enables you to publish your work and read others' work. Its inline commenting feature allows you to share thoughts as you read along.

Publishing Your Essays in Print

Canvas Teen Literary Journal

This quarterly literary magazine is published for young writers by young writers. They accept many kinds of writing, including essays.

The Claremont Review

This biannual international magazine, first published in 1992, publishes poetry, essays, and short stories from writers aged 13 - 19.

Skipping Stones

This young writers magazine, founded in 1988, celebrates themes relating to ecological and cultural diversity. It publishes poems, photos, articles, and stories.

The Telling Room

This nonprofit writing center based in Maine publishes children's work on their website and in book form. The link above directs you to the site's submissions page.

Essay Contests

Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards

This prestigious international writing contest for students in grades 7 - 12 has been committed to "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."

Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

An annual essay contest on the theme of journalism and media, the Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest awards scholarships up to $1,000.

National YoungArts Foundation

Here, you'll find information on a government-sponsored writing competition for writers aged 15 - 18. The foundation welcomes submissions of creative nonfiction, novels, scripts, poetry, short story and spoken word.

Signet Classics Student Scholarship Essay Contest

With prompts on a different literary work each year, this competition from Signet Classics awards college scholarships up to $1,000.

"The Ultimate Guide to High School Essay Contests" (CollegeVine)

See this handy guide from CollegeVine for a list of more competitions you can enter with your academic essay, from the National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Awards to the National High School Essay Contest by the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Whether you're struggling to write academic essays or you think you're a pro, there are workshops and online tools that can help you become an even better writer. Even the most seasoned writers encounter writer's block, so be proactive and look through our curated list of resources to combat this common frustration.

Online Essay-writing Classes and Workshops

"Getting Started with Essay Writing" (Coursera)

Coursera offers lots of free, high-quality online classes taught by college professors. Here's one example, taught by instructors from the University of California Irvine.

"Writing and English" (Brightstorm)

Brightstorm's free video lectures are easy to navigate by topic. This unit on the parts of an essay features content on the essay hook, thesis, supporting evidence, and more.

"How to Write an Essay" (EdX)

EdX is another open online university course website with several two- to five-week courses on the essay. This one is geared toward English language learners.

Writer's Digest University

This renowned writers' website offers online workshops and interactive tutorials. The courses offered cover everything from how to get started through how to get published.

Writing.com

Signing up for this online writer's community gives you access to helpful resources as well as an international community of writers.

How to Overcome Writer's Block

"Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block" (Purdue OWL)

Purdue OWL offers a list of signs you might have writer's block, along with ways to overcome it. Consider trying out some "invention strategies" or ways to curb writing anxiety.

"Overcoming Writer's Block: Three Tips" ( The Guardian )

These tips, geared toward academic writing specifically, are practical and effective. The authors advocate setting realistic goals, creating dedicated writing time, and participating in social writing.

"Writing Tips: Strategies for Overcoming Writer's Block" (Univ. of Illinois)

This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Center for Writing Studies acquaints you with strategies that do and do not work to overcome writer's block.

"Writer's Block" (Univ. of Toronto)

Ask yourself the questions on this page; if the answer is "yes," try out some of the article's strategies. Each question is accompanied by at least two possible solutions.

If you have essays to write but are short on ideas, this section's links to prompts, example student essays, and celebrated essays by professional writers might help. You'll find writing prompts from a variety of sources, student essays to inspire you, and a number of essay writing collections.

Essay Writing Prompts

"50 Argumentative Essay Topics" (ThoughtCo)

Take a look at this list and the others ThoughtCo has curated for different kinds of essays. As the author notes, "a number of these topics are controversial and that's the point."

"401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing" ( New York Times )

This list (and the linked lists to persuasive and narrative writing prompts), besides being impressive in length, is put together by actual high school English teachers.

"SAT Sample Essay Prompts" (College Board)

If you're a student in the U.S., your classroom essay prompts are likely modeled on the prompts in U.S. college entrance exams. Take a look at these official examples from the SAT.

"Popular College Application Essay Topics" (Princeton Review)

This page from the Princeton Review dissects recent Common Application essay topics and discusses strategies for answering them.

Example Student Essays

"501 Writing Prompts" (DePaul Univ.)

This nearly 200-page packet, compiled by the LearningExpress Skill Builder in Focus Writing Team, is stuffed with writing prompts, example essays, and commentary.

"Topics in English" (Kibin)

Kibin is a for-pay essay help website, but its example essays (organized by topic) are available for free. You'll find essays on everything from  A Christmas Carol  to perseverance.

"Student Writing Models" (Thoughtful Learning)

Thoughtful Learning, a website that offers a variety of teaching materials, provides sample student essays on various topics and organizes them by grade level.

"Five-Paragraph Essay" (ThoughtCo)

In this blog post by a former professor of English and rhetoric, ThoughtCo brings together examples of five-paragraph essays and commentary on the form.

The Best Essay Writing Collections

The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates (Amazon)

This collection of American essays spanning the twentieth century was compiled by award winning author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates.

The Best American Essays 2017 by Leslie Jamison (Amazon)

Leslie Jamison, the celebrated author of essay collection  The Empathy Exams , collects recent, high-profile essays into a single volume.

The Art of the Personal Essay by Phillip Lopate (Amazon)

Documentary writer Phillip Lopate curates this historical overview of the personal essay's development, from the classical era to the present.

The White Album by Joan Didion (Amazon)

This seminal essay collection was authored by one of the most acclaimed personal essayists of all time, American journalist Joan Didion.

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace (Amazon)

Read this famous essay collection by David Foster Wallace, who is known for his experimentation with the essay form. He pushed the boundaries of personal essay, reportage, and political polemic.

"50 Successful Harvard Application Essays" (Staff of the The Harvard Crimson )

If you're looking for examples of exceptional college application essays, this volume from Harvard's daily student newspaper is one of the best collections on the market.

Are you an instructor looking for the best resources for teaching essay writing? This section contains resources for developing in-class activities and student homework assignments. You'll find content from both well-known university writing centers and online writing labs.

Essay Writing Classroom Activities for Students

"In-class Writing Exercises" (Univ. of North Carolina Writing Center)

This page lists exercises related to brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and revising. It also contains suggestions for how to implement the suggested exercises.

"Teaching with Writing" (Univ. of Minnesota Center for Writing)

Instructions and encouragement for using "freewriting," one-minute papers, logbooks, and other write-to-learn activities in the classroom can be found here.

"Writing Worksheets" (Berkeley Student Learning Center)

Berkeley offers this bank of writing worksheets to use in class. They are nested under headings for "Prewriting," "Revision," "Research Papers" and more.

"Using Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (DePaul University)

Use these activities and worksheets from DePaul's Teaching Commons when instructing students on proper academic citation practices.

Essay Writing Homework Activities for Students

"Grammar and Punctuation Exercises" (Aims Online Writing Lab)

These five interactive online activities allow students to practice editing and proofreading. They'll hone their skills in correcting comma splices and run-ons, identifying fragments, using correct pronoun agreement, and comma usage.

"Student Interactives" (Read Write Think)

Read Write Think hosts interactive tools, games, and videos for developing writing skills. They can practice organizing and summarizing, writing poetry, and developing lines of inquiry and analysis.

This free website offers writing and grammar activities for all grade levels. The lessons are designed to be used both for large classes and smaller groups.

"Writing Activities and Lessons for Every Grade" (Education World)

Education World's page on writing activities and lessons links you to more free, online resources for learning how to "W.R.I.T.E.": write, revise, inform, think, and edit.

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Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

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Getting College Essay Help: Important Do's and Don’ts

College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

• Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
• Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
• Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
• Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

• Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
• Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
• Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
• Tell you what to say and how to say it
• Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
• Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

• An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
• An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
• An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

• If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
• If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
• If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

• Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
• Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
• Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

• Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
• How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
• Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
• Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

• Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
• Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
• Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
• Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
• What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

• You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
• A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
• A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
• A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
• All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
• Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
• If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
• Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

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Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Essay Writing

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This resource begins with a general description of essay writing and moves to a discussion of common essay genres students may encounter across the curriculum. The four genres of essays (description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres, also known as the modes of discourse, have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these genres and students’ need to understand and produce these types of essays. We hope these resources will help.

The essay is a commonly assigned form of writing that every student will encounter while in academia. Therefore, it is wise for the student to become capable and comfortable with this type of writing early on in her training.

Essays can be a rewarding and challenging type of writing and are often assigned either to be done in class, which requires previous planning and practice (and a bit of creativity) on the part of the student, or as homework, which likewise demands a certain amount of preparation. Many poorly crafted essays have been produced on account of a lack of preparation and confidence. However, students can avoid the discomfort often associated with essay writing by understanding some common genres.

Before delving into its various genres, let’s begin with a basic definition of the essay.

What is an essay?

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere , which means "to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out." Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.

The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from his or her purpose; the writing must be deliberate and interesting.

This handout should help students become familiar and comfortable with the process of essay composition through the introduction of some common essay genres.

This handout includes a brief introduction to the following genres of essay writing:

• Expository essays
• Descriptive essays
• Narrative essays
• Argumentative (Persuasive) essays

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How to Make AI Writing Sound More Human

Generative AI tools have revolutionized content creation, making the process faster and more efficient. However, AI-generated text often lacks the nuanced touch of human writing, which can lead to content that feels robotic, odd, or impersonal. In this article, we will explore various strategies you can apply to infuse AI writing with a natural touch. We'll begin by understanding the importance of humanizing AI text and then delve into practical techniques to make AI text more human.

From applying simple edits and varying sentence structures to using emotional language and cultural references, this article provides tips to transform your AI content. Additionally, we'll discuss enhancing specific document types and advanced techniques like storytelling and humor. Whether you're working on business documents or academic essays, this guide will help you make AI writing sound more human, engaging, and relatable.

Understanding the Importance of Humanizing AI Text

Humanizing AI text is crucial for creating content that resonates with readers. While AI can generate text almost instantly, it tends to lack the emotional depth and personal touch that a human writer can portray. This can result in content that feels sterile and unengaging. Additionally, AI-written text can be identified up by some best AI detectors that discern between text written by a human and that written by an AI tool.

By changing AI writing to human, you enhance its relatability and effectiveness, making it more likely to connect with your audience. This is important in marketing, customer service, and similar customer-facing content, where it is crucial to build an authentic connection with the reader. However, it is also critical to make text sound more human when writing a research paper, essay, or other academic document, as the use of AI writing tools to compose is often prohibited at colleges and universities. Overall humanizing AI text can improve reader trust, drive engagement, and ultimately achieve better results for any kind of writing.

Techniques to Make AI Text More Human

Apply a combination of the following techniques to make AI sound more human when writing your important documents. Some of these suggested methods may be more suitable for specific types of writing, but using multiple techniques will ensure that you thoroughly make it sound human.

How to make AI writing sound more human

To make text sound more human after using AI, apply a more conversational language and tone. Incorporate personal anecdotes and experiences to add authenticity and a personal touch.

For example, if the AI text output reads, "The company's revenue increased by 20% last year," add personal pronouns and qualitative adjectives:

"Last year, we saw our revenue grow by an impressive 20%, which was a huge milestone for us."

This not only provides factual information but also conveys that the author is proud of this achievement, making the content more compelling and human-like.

Make AI text sound human with contextual adjustments

Add context-specific details to make the content more relatable. Tailoring the message to the reader's own situation can significantly improve engagement.

If the output text flatly states, "It is important to exercise regularly," you could instead write, "For those of us working long hours at a desk, fitting in regular exercise is crucial to staying healthy." This adjustment not only provides needed information but also connects with the reader's daily life, making the advice come across as more relevant and impactful.

Grammatical ways to make AI sound more human

To make AI-generated text more human, focus on the grammatical aspects. Start by applying synonyms and expressions that people use in everyday conversation. For instance, replace "commence" with "start" and "purchase" with "buy."

Use contractions and informal constructions

Using contractions can also make the text sound more natural. Instead of "do not," use "don't," and replace "will not" with "won't."

Avoid overly formal or technical jargon unless necessary. For example, instead of saying "utilize," simply use "use," and instead of "assistance," opt for "help."

By incorporating these grammatical adjustments, you can significantly enhance the relatability and readability of AI-generated content, making it sound more human.

Apply synonyms and expressions

Incorporate synonyms and expressions that are common in everyday language. Use contractions to create a conversational tone. For example, instead of "cannot," use "can't," and replace "you will" with "you'll." This makes the text sound more natural and relatable.

Avoid overly formal or technical jargon unless it's essential to the context. Instead of saying "facilitate," use "help," and swap "purchase" for "buy." These changes ensure clarity and make the text more accessible to a wider audience.

By applying these strategies, you can enhance the readability and relatability of AI-generated content, making it feel more like it was written by a human.

Make AI sound human by varying sentence structure

Another way AI-generated text sounds a but “inhuman” is in the way it often uses a similar cadence of sentences. To make your AI text more human, vary the sentence structure by mixing short and long sentences. This creates a natural rhythm and keeps readers engaged.

For example, instead of writing only long sentences, combine them with shorter ones:

"The project was challenging. We overcame obstacles through teamwork and determination."

Using active voice instead of passive voice can also make sentences more direct and engaging.

For instance, change "Mistakes were made by the team" to "The team made mistakes." Similarly, replace "The proposal was approved by the committee" with "The committee approved the proposal." These adjustments make the writing clearer and more dynamic, enhancing the human-like quality of the text.

Additional Ways to Rewrite AI Content to Human

Humanize ai text with emotional language.

Humanizing AI text involves infusing it with emotional language and personal touches. Adding emotions and opinions can transform dry, factual text into engaging and relatable content.

For instance, instead of writing "The product launch was successful," you could say, "We were ecstatic about the incredible success of our product launch."

Incorporating opinions can also make content more human-like.

For example, change "The book received positive reviews" to "Readers loved the book, praising its compelling narrative and vivid characters."

To further humanize AI text, include sensory details and personal reflections. Instead of "The event was well-attended," try "We were delighted to see a full house, with guests buzzing with excitement throughout the event."

These strategies add depth and personality to AI-generated content, making it resonate more with readers on a personal level.

Use cultural references to make AI text more human

Incorporating cultural references, idioms, and slang can make AI-generated text feel more warmer and more personal. By using language that is familiar to your audience, you can create a stronger connection with the reader.

For example, whereas an AI writer might say "The project is difficult," add an idiom such as "The project is no walk in the park."

Replace somewhat stiff language like "The deadline is approaching" with the idiom "The clock is ticking on our deadline." This adds urgency and a sense of familiarity to your writing.

Using idioms and cultural phrases that resonate with your audience not only enhances readability but also helps convey complex ideas in a way that feels natural and engaging. These small adjustments can significantly humanize AI text, making it more appealing and effective for your readers.

Enhancing Specific Document Types

The following will illustrate how to make AI writing more human in two different types of documents: academic essays and admissions essays.

AI academic essay example

Ai-written academic essay passage.

The Weimar Republic was in Germany after World War I and was known for its culture and art. Even though there were political and economic problems, art culture grew a lot. This time was important for modern art because new movements started. Artists and intellectuals tried new things and did not follow old ways. This led to styles like Expressionism and Bauhaus. Berlin was a place where many artists, writers, and musicians came together. They created a lot, even though the times were hard. Art during this time was not just about creating but also commenting on politics and society. It showed the changes and challenges after the war.

Academic essay made more natural and human with revisions

The Weimar Republic was the German national government that formed following World War I. It represented a time of historic dynamism and cultural creativity. Although the period was economically and politically turbulent, artistic movements flourished, birthing innovations that permanently changed the course of modern art. Both intellectuals and artists experimented in many ways and interrogated social norms of traditional Germany, resulting in the groundbreaking Expressionism and Bauhaus styles. Berlin was an especially lively hub for these avant-garde writers, artists, thinkers, and musicians, and a spirit of creative and defiant flame was sparked in sharp relief to the turbulent times. This “cultural renaissance” could be identified by its nonconformity to conventions and the desire of its purveyors to explore the nuances of modern life. The art captured the chaotic-yet-hopeful zeitgeist of the Weimar Republic. Art became a means of political and social commentary, underlying the difficulties and optimism of post-war Europe.

Explanation of revisions

More natural phrases and idioms applied: The human-altered passage uses phrases like "giving birth to innovative movements" and "spirit of creativity," which are more vivid and expressive compared to the basic passage's simpler descriptions.

More emotional language used: Emotional language is applied with words like "remarkable cultural dynamism" and "bold defiance of conventions," which convey a stronger emotional impact than the straightforward statements in the basic passage.

Sentence length and structure varied: The altered passage varies sentence lengths and structures to create a more engaging rhythm, while the basic passage uses mostly short, simple sentences.

Contractions introduced: The altered passage includes contractions like "wasn't just a form of expression" to mimic natural speech, enhancing readability and making the tone more conversational.

Synonyms and expressions applied: Synonyms like "flourished" and "fostering" replace repetitive words in the basic passage, enriching the text and avoiding monotony.

See more tips on how to write an academic essay , including examples, best practices, and academic editing services

AI college admissions essay example (Common App Essay)

Ai-written admissions essay passage.

Growing up in a small town, I always found solace in the pages of books. Stories became my escape, offering endless worlds to explore and characters to meet. It was during a summer of volunteering at my local library that I realized the profound impact literature could have on a community. Watching children light up with curiosity and imagination as they discovered new stories inspired me to pursue a career in education. I want to create a classroom environment where students feel the same excitement and wonder about learning that I felt. My passion for teaching is fueled by a desire to empower young minds, encouraging them to ask questions and embrace creativity. I believe education is the key to unlocking potential and that, as a teacher, I can inspire the next generation to dream big and aim high.

Admissions essay made more natural and human with revisions

When I was growing up in my smal town, I absolutely adored reading novels. Reading was a way for me to escape to new fantastic worlds. While volunteering at my local library in summers, I came to understand just how crucial books are to enriching someone’s life. I watched young children’s eye light up while reading short stories. These experiences were the catalyst that made me want to become a teacher. Now that I am pursuing education, my goal is to make my classroom into a place where students are excited about learning. My goal is to help students think deeper about ideas and to express their creativity in their own ways. I believe education is a prerequisite for anyone who wants to reach their goals. When I finally achieve my education degree, acquire my license, and become a teacher, my primary mission will be to help students dream and achieve their own goals through reading.

More natural phrases and idioms included: The human-altered passage uses idiomatic expressions like "find solace in the pages of books" and "unlocking potential," which are more vivid and compelling compared to the plain statements of the AI-written passage.

Some emotional language applied: Emotional language such as "stories became my escape" and "lit up with curiosity and imagination" conveys a stronger emotional connection and passion.

Sentence length and structure varied: The revised passage includes a mix of longer and shorter sentences, creating a more dynamic and engaging flow. The basic passage uses simple, uniform sentence structures.

Contractions introduced: Contractions like "can't" and "it's" are used in the altered passage to create a more conversational and relatable tone.

Synonyms and expressions applied: The altered passage employs synonyms and expressive language, like "profound impact" instead of "important," to enrich the narrative and convey a deeper meaning.

Read more tips on how to write a college admissions essay , including how to write the Common App Essay , Common App Essay prompts , college personal statement examples , and essay editing services .

Use an AI proofreader or grammar checker before submitting your document

If you’ve made if this far, congratulations! You now know there are many ways to make your AI writing sound more natural and human. Of course, one sure-fire way is to write all of the text yourself, without the aid of an AI writer. But if you do use an AI tool to draft your document , make sure to apply careful revision and use the methods surveyed in this article and you are sure to make the text sound more human.

Before submitting any important document, you might also want to run your work through an AI proofreader or AI grammar checker to ensure that there are no objective language errors. For other AI revision needs, use the Wordvice AI Writing Assistant , a suite of revision tools that includes an AI translator , AI paraphraser , AI summarizer , AI spell checker , AI plagiarism detector , AI content detector , and more!

Best of luck writing your next paper. But remember: always use AI writing tools responsibly and ethically.

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The best ai essay writing tools for students in 2024.

In academia, essay writing often feels like an impossible challenge for students grappling with organizing and articulating their thoughts effectively. Fortunately, the best AI essay writing tools can significantly ease this process. These innovative tools assist in brainstorming ideas and crafting detailed outlines, making the task more manageable.

Selecting the right tool is crucial, as each student has distinct needs. The best AI essay writing options for students provide tailored solutions to address various challenges. Finding a tool that aligns with your style and requirements can transform your writing experience and achieve greater success.

1. Grammarly

Grammarly is a popular tool among students seeking to improve their writing skills. The platform offers several features that enhance the writing process.

Grammar and punctuation error detection

Grammarly provides real-time grammar and punctuation checks. The tool highlights mistakes and suggests corrections. This feature helps you catch errors that might slip through manual proofreading.

Style and tone suggestions

Grammarly also analyzes your writing style and tone. The tool offers suggestions to make your writing more engaging and appropriate for your audience. You can adjust your tone to suit academic or casual settings.

Enhances writing accuracy

Grammarly improves writing accuracy by identifying errors and offering corrections. You gain confidence in your writing when you know your work is error-free. The tool helps you produce polished essays.

Improves readability

Grammarly’s suggestions help you create clear and concise sentences. Improved readability makes your essays more enjoyable to read. Your ideas become easier for others to understand.

Limited free version

The free version of Grammarly offers basic features. Advanced features require a subscription. Some students might find the cost prohibitive.

Grammarly remains a valuable resource for students. The tool ranks among the best AI essay writing options available. You can enhance your writing with Grammarly’s features while examining its limitations.

2. EssayGenius

EssayGenius offers a unique approach to essay writing . This tool helps students tackle the challenge of generating ideas and organizing thoughts.

Autonomous topic research

EssayGenius performs autonomous topic research. You enter a topic, and EssayGenius provides relevant information. This feature saves time and effort in the research phase.

Detailed outline generation

EssayGenius generates detailed outlines. The tool structures your essay with subheadings and key points. This feature helps you maintain focus and coherence in your writing.

Helps in idea generation

EssayGenius assists in idea generation. The tool suggests topics and angles you might not consider. This feature sparks creativity and broadens your perspective.

Organizes thoughts effectively

EssayGenius organizes your thoughts effectively. The tool creates a logical flow for your essay. This feature ensures clarity and enhances the overall quality of your work.

It may require manual adjustments.

EssayGenius may require manual adjustments. The tool provides a framework, but you refine it. Personal input ensures the essay reflects your voice and style.

Limited to certain topics

EssayGenius has limitations on certain topics. The tool excels in popular subjects but struggles with niche areas. You might need additional resources for specialized topics.

EssayGenius is one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The features and benefits make it a valuable asset. Consider using EssayGenius to enhance your writing process.

JotBot offers a unique approach to essay writing . This tool helps you maintain your writing style while enhancing content quality.

Personalized content generation

JotBot generates content that matches your writing style. You provide sample writings, and JotBot analyzes them. The tool then creates content that feels like your own work. This feature ensures your essays retain a personal touch.

Style analysis based on previous writing

JotBot examines your past writing to understand your style. The tool identifies patterns and preferences in your work. This analysis allows JotBot to produce content that aligns with your voice. You get assistance without losing your unique style.

Maintains unique writing voice

JotBot helps you keep your distinct writing voice. The tool’s personalized content generation supports your style. You can confidently submit essays that reflect your individuality.

Seamless integration of generated content

JotBot makes it easy to integrate generated content into your essays. The tool’s output blends smoothly with your existing work. You save time and effort when incorporating new ideas.

Requires sample writings for analysis

JotBot needs sample writings to analyze your style. You must provide enough material for accurate results. This requirement may pose a challenge if you lack previous work.

It may not suit all writing styles.

JotBot may not fit every writing style. The tool excels with certain patterns but struggles with others. It would be best if you evaluated whether JotBot complements your approach.

JotBot is one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The tool’s ability to preserve your voice makes it a valuable asset. Consider JotBot to enhance your writing while staying true to yourself.

4. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor helps you create clear and concise writing. The tool focuses on readability and sentence structure. You can improve your essays with its suggestions.

Readability analysis

Hemingway Editor analyzes your text for readability. The tool highlights complex sentences and difficult words. You can see which parts need simplification. This feature helps you make your writing more accessible.

Sentence structure suggestions

Hemingway Editor offers suggestions for sentence structure. The tool identifies passive voice and long sentences. You can use these insights to improve clarity. Your writing becomes more direct and engaging.

Simplifies complex sentences

The tool simplifies complex sentences. You can break down long sentences into shorter ones. This process makes your writing easier to understand. Readers will appreciate the clarity.

Enhances clarity

Hemingway Editor enhances clarity in your essays. The tool’s suggestions help you remove unnecessary words. You can focus on delivering your message effectively. Clear writing improves communication .

Limited to style suggestions

Hemingway Editor provides style suggestions only. The tool does not check grammar or punctuation. It would be best if you had another tool for those aspects. Consider using it alongside other resources.

No grammar check

The tool lacks a grammar check feature. You must review your work for grammatical errors. Relying solely on Hemingway Editor may leave mistakes unnoticed. A comprehensive approach ensures accuracy.

Hemingway Editor ranks among the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The tool’s focus on readability and clarity makes it valuable. You can enhance your writing by incorporating its features.

5. Writesonic

Writesonic offers a dynamic approach to essay writing. You can explore its features to enhance your writing process.

AI-generated content

Writesonic uses AI to generate content quickly. You input a topic, and Writesonic produces relevant text. This feature helps you overcome writer’s block by providing a starting point.

Multiple writing templates

Writesonic provides various writing templates. You choose a template that fits your essay type. These templates guide your structure and style, making the writing process smoother.

Versatile content creation

Writesonic supports versatile content creation. You can write essays, reports, or creative pieces. This flexibility makes Writesonic one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students.

Time-saving

Writesonic saves time by generating content swiftly. You spend less time brainstorming and more time refining. This efficiency allows you to meet deadlines with ease.

Requires editing for accuracy

Writesonic-generated content may need editing for accuracy. You review and refine the text to ensure precision. This step ensures your work meets academic standards.

It may not suit the academic tone.

Writesonic might not always match an academic tone. You adjust the language to fit formal requirements. This adjustment ensures your essay maintains a scholarly voice.

Writesonic stands out as a valuable tool in the realm of best AI essay writing for students. Its features can streamline your writing process and achieve better results.

6. AI Writer

AI Writer is a powerful tool for students who want to improve their essay writing skills. It provides features that can transform their writing process.

High-output content generation

AI Writer excels in generating large volumes of content quickly. You input a topic, and the tool produces comprehensive text. This feature helps you tackle lengthy essays without feeling overwhelmed.

SEO optimization

AI Writer includes built-in SEO optimization. The tool ensures your content ranks well on search engines. This feature enhances the visibility of your essays if you publish them online.

Efficient content production

AI Writer streamlines content production. You spend less time writing and more time refining ideas. This efficiency allows you to focus on quality over quantity.

Enhances online visibility

AI Writer boosts your work’s online presence. The tool’s SEO features attract more readers to your essays. Increased visibility can lead to greater recognition and opportunities.

May require fact-checking

AI Writer-generated content might need fact-checking. You verify the information to ensure accuracy. This step is crucial for maintaining credibility in your essays.

Limited to online content

AI Writer focuses on online content. The tool may not suit offline assignments or printed essays. Consider whether your needs align with this limitation.

AI Writer is one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The tool’s features cater to those seeking efficient and visible content creation. Explore what AI Writer offers to enhance your writing experience.

Cramly is a fantastic tool for students who need help with essay writing. Its features make the writing process smoother and more enjoyable.

Essay structuring

Cramly helps you structure essays effectively. The tool organizes your ideas into a clear format. This feature ensures your essay flows logically from start to finish.

Topic brainstorming

Cramly assists with brainstorming topics. The tool suggests various angles for your essay, allowing you to explore new ideas and expand your perspective.

Streamlines writing process

Cramly streamlines the writing process. The tool reduces the time spent on planning, so you can focus more on writing and less on organizing.

Encourages creativity

Cramly encourages creativity in your writing. The tool inspires you to think outside the box. You can develop unique ideas and express them confidently.

Limited to essay writing

Cramly focuses on essay writing only. The tool may not support other writing tasks. Consider whether your needs align with this limitation.

It may require additional research.

Cramly might require additional research. The tool provides a framework, but you gather more information. This step ensures your essay is well-informed and accurate.

Cramly stands out as one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The features and benefits make it a valuable resource. You can enhance your writing experience by exploring what Cramly offers.

8. MyEssayWriter.ai

MyEssayWriter.ai is a handy tool for students to enhance their essay-writing skills. Explore its features to see how they fit your needs.

Comprehensive AI tools

MyEssayWriter.ai offers a suite of comprehensive AI tools. These tools help you with various aspects of essay writing. You can generate ideas, structure essays, and refine content with ease.

Free trial available

MyEssayWriter.ai offers a free trial that allows you to test the features without cost and explore the tool’s capabilities before committing to a subscription.

Cost-effective

MyEssayWriter.ai is cost-effective. The tool offers valuable features at an affordable price, allowing you to enhance your writing without breaking the bank.

Wide range of tools

MyEssayWriter.ai includes a wide range of tools that cover different writing needs. You can find solutions for brainstorming, editing, and formatting.

Limited trial period

The free trial period for MyEssayWriter.ai is limited. You need to decide quickly if the tool meets your needs, and this limitation might not give you enough time to explore all its features.

May require subscription

MyEssayWriter.ai may require a subscription for full access. Consider whether the cost fits your budget. A subscription ensures you get the most out of the tool.

MyEssayWriter.ai is one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The features and benefits make it a valuable resource. You can improve your writing experience by giving MyEssayWriter.ai a try.

Yomu AI offers students a fantastic tool to enhance their essay-writing skills. The tool provides features that make the writing process more efficient and enjoyable.

Writing suggestions

Yomu AI delivers helpful writing suggestions. The tool analyzes your text and offers improvements. These suggestions help you refine your ideas and structure. You can create essays that flow smoothly and engage readers.

Content generation

Yomu AI excels in content generation. The tool generates relevant content based on your input. This feature helps you overcome writer’s block by providing a starting point. You can expand on these ideas to develop comprehensive essays.

Improves essay quality

Yomu AI significantly improves essay quality. The tool’s suggestions enhance clarity and coherence. You can produce polished essays that impress your audience. Improved quality leads to better grades and academic success.

User-friendly interface

Yomu AI boasts a user-friendly interface. The tool is easy to navigate, making it accessible to all users. You can focus on writing without struggling with complex software. A simple interface streamlines the writing process.

Yomu AI may not fit every writing style. The tool excels with certain patterns but struggles with others. It would be best if you evaluated whether Yomu AI complements your approach. Consider testing the tool to see if it aligns with your needs.

Requires internet connection

Yomu AI requires an internet connection. The tool operates online, so connectivity is essential. A stable internet connection is best for accessing its features. This requirement may limit usage in areas with poor connectivity.

Yomu AI stands out as one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The features and benefits make it a valuable resource. You can enhance your writing experience by exploring what Yomu AI offers.

10. Jasper AI

Jasper AI offers a powerful tool for students looking to enhance their essay-writing skills. The tool provides features that make the writing process more efficient and enjoyable.

High-quality content generation

Jasper AI excels in generating high-quality content. You input a topic, and Jasper AI produces comprehensive text. This feature helps you tackle essays with ease. The generated content maintains a professional tone suitable for academic work.

Versatile writing formats

Jasper AI supports various writing formats. You choose a format that fits your essay type. These formats guide your structure and style, making the writing process smoother. The versatility makes Jasper AI one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students.

Produces diverse content

Jasper AI produces diverse content. You can write essays, reports, or creative pieces. This flexibility allows you to explore different writing styles. The tool adapts to your needs, enhancing your writing experience.

User-friendly

Jasper AI boasts a user-friendly interface. The tool is easy to navigate, making it accessible to all users. You can focus on writing without struggling with complex software. A simple interface streamlines the writing process.

Requires subscription

Jasper AI requires a subscription for full access. Consider whether the cost fits your budget. A subscription ensures you get the most out of the tool, but some students might find the cost prohibitive.

It may need editing for accuracy.

Jasper AI-generated content may need editing for accuracy. You review and refine the text to ensure precision. This step ensures your work meets academic standards. Relying solely on the tool might lead to overlooked errors.

Jasper AI is one of the best AI essay-writing tools for students. The features and benefits make it a valuable resource. You can enhance your writing experience by exploring what Jasper AI offers.

AI essay writing tools offer a bunch of benefits. You can improve your writing skills and save time. These tools help you brainstorm ideas and structure essays. Choose the right tool for your style and needs. Personal preferences matter a lot. The academic writing world keeps changing. Embrace these tools to stay ahead. You’ll find writing less stressful and more enjoyable.

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A new ‘AI scientist’ can write science papers without any human input. Here’s why that’s a problem

Dean, School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University, RMIT University

Disclosure statement

Karin Verspoor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and Elsevier BV. She is affiliated with BioGrid Australia and is a co-founder of the Australian Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

RMIT University provides funding as a strategic partner of The Conversation AU.

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Scientific discovery is one of the most sophisticated human activities. First, scientists must understand the existing knowledge and identify a significant gap. Next, they must formulate a research question and design and conduct an experiment in pursuit of an answer. Then, they must analyse and interpret the results of the experiment, which may raise yet another research question.

Can a process this complex be automated? Last week, Sakana AI Labs announced the creation of an “AI scientist” – an artificial intelligence system they claim can make scientific discoveries in the area of machine learning in a fully automated way.

Using generative large language models (LLMs) like those behind ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, the system can brainstorm, select a promising idea, code new algorithms, plot results, and write a paper summarising the experiment and its findings, complete with references. Sakana claims the AI tool can undertake the complete lifecycle of a scientific experiment at a cost of just US$15 per paper – less than the cost of a scientist’s lunch.

These are some big claims. Do they stack up? And even if they do, would an army of AI scientists churning out research papers with inhuman speed really be good news for science?

How a computer can ‘do science’

A lot of science is done in the open, and almost all scientific knowledge has been written down somewhere (or we wouldn’t have a way to “know” it). Millions of scientific papers are freely available online in repositories such as arXiv and PubMed .

LLMs trained with this data capture the language of science and its patterns. It is therefore perhaps not at all surprising that a generative LLM can produce something that looks like a good scientific paper – it has ingested many examples that it can copy.

What is less clear is whether an AI system can produce an interesting scientific paper. Crucially, good science requires novelty.

But is it interesting?

Scientists don’t want to be told about things that are already known. Rather, they want to learn new things, especially new things that are significantly different from what is already known. This requires judgement about the scope and value of a contribution.

The Sakana system tries to address interestingness in two ways. First, it “scores” new paper ideas for similarity to existing research (indexed in the Semantic Scholar repository). Anything too similar is discarded.

Second, Sakana’s system introduces a “peer review” step – using another LLM to judge the quality and novelty of the generated paper. Here again, there are plenty of examples of peer review online on sites such as openreview.net that can guide how to critique a paper. LLMs have ingested these, too.

AI may be a poor judge of AI output

Feedback is mixed on Sakana AI’s output. Some have described it as producing “ endless scientific slop ”.

Even the system’s own review of its outputs judges the papers weak at best. This is likely to improve as the technology evolves, but the question of whether automated scientific papers are valuable remains.

The ability of LLMs to judge the quality of research is also an open question. My own work (soon to be published in Research Synthesis Methods ) shows LLMs are not great at judging the risk of bias in medical research studies, though this too may improve over time.

Sakana’s system automates discoveries in computational research, which is much easier than in other types of science that require physical experiments. Sakana’s experiments are done with code, which is also structured text that LLMs can be trained to generate.

AI tools to support scientists, not replace them

AI researchers have been developing systems to support science for decades. Given the huge volumes of published research, even finding publications relevant to a specific scientific question can be challenging.

Specialised search tools make use of AI to help scientists find and synthesise existing work. These include the above-mentioned Semantic Scholar, but also newer systems such as Elicit , Research Rabbit , scite and Consensus .

Text mining tools such as PubTator dig deeper into papers to identify key points of focus, such as specific genetic mutations and diseases, and their established relationships. This is especially useful for curating and organising scientific information.

Machine learning has also been used to support the synthesis and analysis of medical evidence, in tools such as Robot Reviewer . Summaries that compare and contrast claims in papers from Scholarcy help to perform literature reviews.

All these tools aim to help scientists do their jobs more effectively, not to replace them.

AI research may exacerbate existing problems

While Sakana AI states it doesn’t see the role of human scientists diminishing, the company’s vision of “a fully AI-driven scientific ecosystem” would have major implications for science.

One concern is that, if AI-generated papers flood the scientific literature, future AI systems may be trained on AI output and undergo model collapse . This means they may become increasingly ineffectual at innovating.

However, the implications for science go well beyond impacts on AI science systems themselves.

There are already bad actors in science, including “paper mills” churning out fake papers . This problem will only get worse when a scientific paper can be produced with US$15 and a vague initial prompt.

The need to check for errors in a mountain of automatically generated research could rapidly overwhelm the capacity of actual scientists. The peer review system is arguably already broken , and dumping more research of questionable quality into the system won’t fix it.

Science is fundamentally based on trust. Scientists emphasise the integrity of the scientific process so we can be confident our understanding of the world (and now, the world’s machines) is valid and improving.

A scientific ecosystem where AI systems are key players raises fundamental questions about the meaning and value of this process, and what level of trust we should have in AI scientists. Is this the kind of scientific ecosystem we want?

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MIT study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style

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Legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, even for lawyers. This raises the question: Why are these documents written in a style that makes them so impenetrable?

MIT cognitive scientists believe they have uncovered the answer to that question. Just as “magic spells” use special rhymes and archaic terms to signal their power, the convoluted language of legalese acts to convey a sense of authority, they conclude.

In a study appearing this week in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the researchers found that even non-lawyers use this type of language when asked to write laws.

“People seem to understand that there’s an implicit rule that this is how laws should sound, and they write them that way,” says Edward Gibson, an MIT professor of brain and cognitive sciences and the senior author of the study.

Eric Martinez PhD ’24 is the lead author of the study. Francis Mollica, a lecturer at the University of Melbourne, is also an author of the paper .

Casting a legal spell

Gibson’s research group has been studying the unique characteristics of legalese since 2020, when Martinez came to MIT after earning a law degree from Harvard Law School. In a 2022 study , Gibson, Martinez, and Mollica analyzed legal contracts totaling about 3.5 million words, comparing them with other types of writing, including movie scripts, newspaper articles, and academic papers.

That analysis revealed that legal documents frequently have long definitions inserted in the middle of sentences — a feature known as “center-embedding.” Linguists have previously found that this kind of structure can make text much more difficult to understand.

“Legalese somehow has developed this tendency to put structures inside other structures, in a way which is not typical of human languages,” Gibson says.

In a follow-up study published in 2023, the researchers found that legalese also makes documents more difficult for lawyers to understand. Lawyers tended to prefer plain English versions of documents, and they rated those versions to be just as enforceable as traditional legal documents.

“Lawyers also find legalese to be unwieldy and complicated,” Gibson says. “Lawyers don’t like it, laypeople don’t like it, so the point of this current paper was to try and figure out why they write documents this way.”

The researchers had a couple of hypotheses for why legalese is so prevalent. One was the “copy and edit hypothesis,” which suggests that legal documents begin with a simple premise, and then additional information and definitions are inserted into already existing sentences, creating complex center-embedded clauses.

“We thought it was plausible that what happens is you start with an initial draft that’s simple, and then later you think of all these other conditions that you want to include. And the idea is that once you’ve started, it’s much easier to center-embed that into the existing provision,” says Martinez, who is now a fellow and instructor at the University of Chicago Law School.

However, the findings ended up pointing toward a different hypothesis, the so-called “magic spell hypothesis.” Just as magic spells are written with a distinctive style that sets them apart from everyday language, the convoluted style of legal language appears to signal a special kind of authority, the researchers say.

“In English culture, if you want to write something that’s a magic spell, people know that the way to do that is you put a lot of old-fashioned rhymes in there. We think maybe center-embedding is signaling legalese in the same way,” Gibson says.

In this study, the researchers asked about 200 non-lawyers (native speakers of English living in the United States, who were recruited through a crowdsourcing site called Prolific), to write two types of texts. In the first task, people were told to write laws prohibiting crimes such as drunk driving, burglary, arson, and drug trafficking. In the second task, they were asked to write stories about those crimes.

To test the copy and edit hypothesis, half of the participants were asked to add additional information after they wrote their initial law or story. The researchers found that all of the subjects wrote laws with center-embedded clauses, regardless of whether they wrote the law all at once or were told to write a draft and then add to it later. And, when they wrote stories related to those laws, they wrote in much plainer English, regardless of whether they had to add information later.

“When writing laws, they did a lot of center-embedding regardless of whether or not they had to edit it or write it from scratch. And in that narrative text, they did not use center-embedding in either case,” Martinez says.

In another set of experiments, about 80 participants were asked to write laws, as well as descriptions that would explain those laws to visitors from another country. In these experiments, participants again used center-embedding for their laws, but not for the descriptions of those laws.

The origins of legalese

Gibson’s lab is now investigating the origins of center-embedding in legal documents. Early American laws were based on British law, so the researchers plan to analyze British laws to see if they feature the same kind of grammatical construction. And going back much farther, they plan to analyze whether center-embedding is found in the Hammurabi Code, the earliest known set of laws, which dates to around 1750 BC.

“There may be just a stylistic way of writing from back then, and if it was seen as successful, people would use that style in other languages,” Gibson says. “I would guess that it’s an accidental property of how the laws were written the first time, but we don’t know that yet.”

The researchers hope that their work, which has identified specific aspects of legal language that make it more difficult to understand, will motivate lawmakers to try to make laws more comprehensible. Efforts to write legal documents in plainer language date to at least the 1970s, when President Richard Nixon declared that federal regulations should be written in “layman’s terms.” However, legal language has changed very little since that time.

“We have learned only very recently what it is that makes legal language so complicated, and therefore I am optimistic about being able to change it,” Gibson says. 

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Researchers at MIT have found that the use of legalese in writing “to assert authority over those less versed in such language,” reports Noor Al-Sibai for Futurism . “By studying this cryptic take on the English language, the researchers are hoping to make legal documents much easier to read in the future,” explains Al-Sibai.

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• How to Write a White Paper Using AI

White papers may seem like extremely effort-intensive marketing assets to create, but they are crucial nonetheless. According to CMI’s B2B Content Marketing Report 2023 , 59% of marketers still create white papers and 43% believe white papers produced the best results for them. But what if you could simplify the process, ensuring high-quality content that perfectly aligns with your business objectives? That’s where the power of AI white paper generators can be game-changing for business owners and marketers. AI can transform the way you write white papers, turning it from a time-intensive task to a mere 15-minute activity.

With effective white papers in your arsenal, you can not only establish thought leadership but also generate leads and inform decision-makers about your product’s competence. But how exactly can you use AI to revolutionize white paper production? This blog will guide you through the innovative approaches and best practices for drafting compelling white papers using artificial intelligence.

What is a white paper?

Foundations of a good white paper, how ai can streamline white paper creation, how to create white papers using ai, how to ensure ethical use of ai in white paper writing.

White papers are authoritative reports or guides primarily used to inform readers deeply about a complex issue and present a persuasive argument using facts and research to implement solutions. As a crucial tool in content marketing, whitepapers serve the dual purpose of educating and subtly promoting products and services, or even demonstrating thought leadership and expertise. A white paper is detailed, data-driven, and meticulously researched, intended for an audience looking for in-depth information on particular topics or issues.

An effective white paper involves some key components, including –

Clarity of purpose – Before you begin, precisely define the white paper’s goals. Are you aiming to inform, persuade, or generate leads? Your objective will determine the content’s tone and structure.

Deep research – A white paper’s strength and authority lie in the depth of research you conduct. Dive deep into documents, studies, and data to provide a solid basis for the arguments you want to present.

Professional tone – Maintain a professional, authoritative tone that reflects your expertise in the subject, fostering trust and respect with readers.

Logical structure – Organize information in a clear and logical flow, using sections and headers to guide readers smoothly through the content.

Engagement – While the tone is professional, the content should still engage readers. Use real-world examples, stories, and case studies to illustrate points and keep the reader hooked.

Visually appealing layout – Include charts, graphs, and other visual aids to break up text, illustrate key points, and make complex information easier to understand.

From research and writing to editing and designing, AI tools offer unparalleled efficiencies in the process of creating impactful whitepapers. Here are some areas where AI can help with white paper creation.

Automated research and data gathering

AI can quickly scan a vast array of sources to compile relevant data and trends. This capability allows you to stay up-to-date with the latest research, ensuring your white paper reflects current information. AI tools can also identify patterns and data gaps that might not be immediately apparent with manual research, providing a deeper understanding of the subject at hand.

Tools like the search and repurpose news content template on Narrato can help you curate industry news articles and summarize them for use in your whitepapers, for instance.

Enhancing white paper content quality with AI tools

AI white paper generator tools can assist in improving the quality of content in several ways. For instance, AI can help refine the tone of the document, ensuring it maintains the balance between being authoritative and accessible. It can suggest different ways to improve readability and help explain complex concepts clearly and concisely. AI can also generate ideas for headlines or subheadings that are eye-catching while also precisely reflecting the content’s focus.

All of these features are offered on Narrato AI, for example. The AI brand voice feature allows you to save and apply your own brand voices to AI-generated content. There is also a readability checker that suggests improvements for your content, helping you simplify it for a wider audience.

Tools like the AI blog outline generator or the AI headline generator can help you get ideas for meaningful and catchy headlines and subheadings for your whitepapers. All you have to do is provide a topic or a search term and the AI does the rest.

And that’s not all, AI tools like AI content repurposing or AI blog introduction generators and conclusion generators can also help you create high-quality sectional content effortlessly for your white paper.

AI-assisted editing and proofreading

Editing and proofreading are crucial for maintaining the quality and accuracy of a white paper. AI tools can quickly identify grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, and improve sentence structure. Beyond basic grammar and spelling checks, AI white paper generator tools can also suggest style improvements and ensure consistency in tone and terminology throughout the document.

The style guide automation feature on Narrato, for instance, lets you save your own brand and writing style guidelines to follow, related to the use of certain terms and phrases, punctuation, numbers, currencies, etc. You can run automated checks on the content and apply these style guide rules with a single click on the content editor.

This level of automated scrutiny helps in polishing the white paper to a standard that resonates with discerning professional audiences.

Now that the tremendous benefits of using AI for white paper writing have got your attention, let’s dive straight into the process. Here’s a guide to help you understand how to use AI to produce high-quality, informative, and engaging white papers.

1. Define your goals and audience

Before you begin the writing process, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of the purpose of your white paper and who your target audience is. Are you looking to inform stakeholders, persuade potential clients, or simply share your research findings? Knowing your audience helps in tailoring the content to meet their needs and expectations.

2. Research and gather data

AI can be incredibly useful in gathering relevant data and research materials. Tools like AI-powered search engines, data analytics platforms, and content aggregators can help you compile the necessary information quickly and efficiently. This way, you can ensure that your white paper is backed by credible and up-to-date data.

There are several ways AI can help with research, from formulating a topic for your whitepaper to gathering and summarizing information. A tool like Narrato’s AI content ideas generator , for instance, can give you tons of topic ideas for any theme. Semrush also has a topic discovery tool that you might find useful.

For collating and summarizing your research, you can use tools like ChatGPT or Narrato’s AI chat. Just ask a question related to your white paper topic and the AI chat bounces back concise and comprehensive answers with seconds, making research a breeze.

A similar use case on Narrato is the AI content repurposing tool that can help you summarize your research with a click. You can repurpose any document or article into a summary with AI repurposing, and even summarize videos, podcasts, and images if you need to.

Search and repurpose news content template on Narrato is another tool that can help you find and summarize news articles to gather data for your whitepapers.

3. Outline your white paper

Creating an outline is a crucial step in organizing your thoughts and ensuring a logical flow of information. AI tools can assist you in drafting an outline for your white paper based on the topic and data you’ve gathered. These tools can suggest headings, subheadings, and even key points to cover in each section, saving you valuable time.

You can use the AI blog outline generator on Narrato to create outlines for your whitepapers too. All it needs is your whitepaper topic and desired tone of voice to generate a detailed outline to write white papers that are structured and detailed.

4. Write the white paper draft

With the outline in place, you can begin writing the draft. AI writing assistants can help you craft well-structured and coherent content. AI white paper generators will take your gathered data as input and generate high-quality first drafts that might only need minor edits before publishing.

If your AI content platform does not have a white paper generation template, you can still put together a well-written white paper using other AI templates.

On Narrato, you can either generate long-form content based on the outline created and expand on it, or generate content for each section of your white paper using AI.

Generating long-form content with AI for whitepapers

To generate a long article on the topic, you can use the AI blog article from outline template. This template allows you to generate long-form content up to 1200 words. You just need to provide the topic of your article, copy and paste the outline, choose the number of words and the desired tone of the output content, and generate.

However, whitepapers need to be much longer, which is why they will need expanding. AI can be of help here as well. To expand your content easily and quickly, you can use the in-line AI assistant that offers use cases like improve text, expand text, rewrite text, and more. Simply select the text you want to expand, click on the AI Writer pop-up assistant, and select the action you want to take. You can use the Ask AI option to make custom changes to the text as well.

Generating sectional content using AI

The other option is to generate content for each section of your white paper separately using AI. Narrato has a solution for that too. The “blog sectional content from topic” AI template comes to your rescue in this case. This template needs the white paper topic and section heading as inputs, based on which it can generate content for that section. In the screenshot below, the highlighted content is generated by AI for the section titled “content creation and curation”.

Creating custom AI templates for generating white papers

The third option for creating white papers in a snap using Narrato AI is creating a custom AI template. Custom AI templates let you save your own prompts for content generation as reusable forms. You can add the variable inputs in your prompts, such as topic, keywords, length, etc. within brackets to create input fields on the template. This gives you a lot more flexibility regarding what you want to include in your whitepapers. You can create custom AI templates to generate whitepapers from outlines, documents and URLs, or just a topic.

You could also use the AI content repurposing template to turn your research documents or articles into whitepapers. Simply select the input content type from the dropdown list on the template, and choose “Other” as the output format. This allows you to define your own output type, which in this case would be whitepapers.

5. Incorporate visuals

Visuals such as charts, graphs, and infographics can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your white paper. AI tools can help generate these visuals based on the data you’ve collected. Tools like Canva have tons of AI features to help you create stunning visuals to add to your whitepapers.

Other tools that you might useful in this regard include Graph Maker, Venngage, and AppyPie to name a few.

6. Review and edit

Once your draft is complete, it’s extremely crucial to review and edit the content to ensure accuracy and clarity. Whitepapers are all about facts, figures, and data. That is why manually reviewing and fact-checking are imperative to the process. To make this process faster, AI tools equipped with natural language processing capabilities can assist in proofreading, checking for inconsistencies, and suggesting improvements.

Narrato has a host of tools to help you with reviewing and editing, such as the plagiarism checker and grammar checker. The in-line AI assistant helps with editing content too.

AI tools can also help in ensuring that the tone and style of the white paper are aligned with your brand’s voice. Tools like Narrato’s AI brand voices and style guide automation can help you ensure that your whitepaper is consistent and on-brand.

7. Distribute and promote

Finally, once your white paper is drafted, reviewed, and finalized, it’s time to distribute and promote it. Once you have identified the right channels for distribution, such as websites, email newsletters, and social media platforms, AI can assist in crafting compelling promotional content to attract readers and drive engagement.

For instance, if you want to create a landing page on your website where readers can download your whitepaper, Narrato’s AI landing page generator can help you create an impressive copy in your desired format.

Or if you want to promote your white paper on social media, all you have to do is select a template on Narrato’s AI social media post generator , like “social media post with URL” or “social media post from notes”. Then let AI craft engaging, attention-grabbing content within seconds

The application of an AI white paper generator or other AI tools in creating white papers does significantly enhance productivity. However, your approach must adhere to a clear ethical framework to maintain high standards of integrity and responsibility. This section will explore crucial practices for preserving authenticity, ensuring data protection, and addressing other ethical considerations when writing white papers using AI.

Maintaining authenticity and credibility

Ensuring the authenticity and credibility of a white paper produced with the assistance of AI begins with transparency. It is essential to disclose the use of AI tools in your research and content creation processes when appropriate, or if it is mandated by the platform where you publish your whitepaper. Here are some strategies to maintain authenticity:

• Source verification – Always verify the information generated by AI. Use AI tools to gather data and insights but always cross-reference these with credible sources.
• Human oversight – Involve subject matter experts in the review process to ensure that the final content accurately reflects the intended message and industry standards.
• Consistent voice and style – Use AI to maintain a consistent voice that aligns with your brand, but also manually review and adjust the content to ensure it meets your standards for engagement and professionalism.

Maintaining human involvement in AI-assisted tasks ensures that the output is not just technically accurate but also contextually relevant and ethically sound.

Ensuring data privacy and security

When using AI for generating white papers, particularly those involving sensitive industry data or proprietary insights, prioritizing data privacy and security is paramount. Implement these practices to safeguard information:

• Secure AI tools – Ensure that the AI platforms and tools you use comply with global privacy standards and regulations such as GDPR.
• Controlled data access – Restrict AI tool’s access to data strictly to what is necessary for creating the content. Monitor and control what data is fed into AI systems.
• Anonymous data handling – Where possible, use anonymized data during the AI content generation process to prevent any unauthorized access to personal or sensitive information.

This proactive approach to data privacy not only protects sensitive information but also builds trust with your audience, who may be concerned about the ethical use of their data.

Ethical considerations in AI use

The ethical implications of AI in content creation also include preventing bias and gauging impact. To responsibly use AI in writing white papers, consider the following:

• Mitigate bias – Keep an eye out for any inherent biases in AI-generated content and actively work to reduce them by training AI systems with diverse data sets and varied prompts.
• Accuracy and accountability – Regularly test AI outputs for accuracy and reliability. Establish a system for accountability to correct any misinformation promptly.
• Social responsibility – Consider the broader social implications of the content generated through AI tools. Ensure that the white paper fosters a positive societal impact and does not inadvertently propagate stereotypes or misinformation.

By integrating these ethical guidelines into your white paper production process, you not only enhance the quality and reliability of the content but also contribute to more responsible and sustainable AI usage practices in the industry.

White paper writing is evolving, catalyzed by emerging technologies like AI white paper generators, that tackle time-intensive tasks, simplify complex content creation processes, and enhance the reader’s engagement. So, why not seize the opportunity to create better content faster with minimal effort?

AI tools not only draft content but also provide critical insights into the effectiveness of your white papers, ensuring your content marketing efforts are not in vain. By generating, summarizing, and refining complex informational assets efficiently, AI is setting the new standard for white paper creation. Embracing AI in white paper creation is not just about keeping up with technology—it’s about setting new benchmarks in quality, engagement, and business intelligence.

Neelam Goswami is an engineer turned writer, currently working as a Content Specialist. She has always had an affinity to writing and loves creating simple-to-read pieces for everyone to enjoy.

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Generate accurate APA citations for free

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APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual provides guidelines for clear communication , citing sources , and formatting documents. This article focuses on paper formatting.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:

• Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.
• Double-space all text, including headings.
• Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
• Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
• Include a page number on every page.

Let an expert format your paper

Our APA formatting experts can help you to format your paper according to APA guidelines. They can help you with:

• Margins, line spacing, and indentation
• Font and headings
• Running head and page numbering

Table of contents

How to set up apa format (with template), apa alphabetization guidelines, apa format template [free download], page header, headings and subheadings, reference page, tables and figures, frequently asked questions about apa format.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).

Why set up APA format from scratch if you can download Scribbr’s template for free?

Student papers and professional papers have slightly different guidelines regarding the title page, abstract, and running head. Our template is available in Word and Google Docs format for both versions.

• Student paper: Word | Google Docs
• Professional paper: Word | Google Docs

In an APA Style paper, every page has a page header. For student papers, the page header usually consists of just a page number in the page’s top-right corner. For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head .

A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length. Longer titles are abbreviated .

APA headings have five possible levels. Heading level 1 is used for main sections such as “ Methods ” or “ Results ”. Heading levels 2 to 5 are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently.

Want to know how many heading levels you should use, when to use which heading level, and how to set up heading styles in Word or Google Docs? Then check out our in-depth article on APA headings .

The title page is the first page of an APA Style paper. There are different guidelines for student and professional papers.

Both versions include the paper title and author’s name and affiliation. The student version includes the course number and name, instructor name, and due date of the assignment. The professional version includes an author note and running head .

For more information on writing a striking title, crediting multiple authors (with different affiliations), and writing the author note, check out our in-depth article on the APA title page .

The abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper. An abstract is usually required in professional papers, but it’s rare to include one in student papers (except for longer texts like theses and dissertations).

The abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page . At the top of the page, write the section label “Abstract” (bold and centered). The contents of the abstract appear directly under the label. Unlike regular paragraphs, the first line is not indented. Abstracts are usually written as a single paragraph without headings or blank lines.

Directly below the abstract, you may list three to five relevant keywords . On a new line, write the label “Keywords:” (italicized and indented), followed by the keywords in lowercase letters, separated by commas.

APA Style does not provide guidelines for formatting the table of contents . It’s also not a required paper element in either professional or student papers. If your instructor wants you to include a table of contents, it’s best to follow the general guidelines.

Place the table of contents on a separate page between the abstract and introduction. Write the section label “Contents” at the top (bold and centered), press “Enter” once, and list the important headings with corresponding page numbers.

The APA reference page is placed after the main body of your paper but before any appendices . Here you list all sources that you’ve cited in your paper (through APA in-text citations ). APA provides guidelines for formatting the references as well as the page itself.

Creating APA Style references

Play around with the Scribbr Citation Example Generator below to learn about the APA reference format of the most common source types or generate APA citations for free with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator .

Formatting the reference page

Write the section label “References” at the top of a new page (bold and centered). Place the reference entries directly under the label in alphabetical order.

Finally, apply a hanging indent , meaning the first line of each reference is left-aligned, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

Tables and figures are presented in a similar format. They’re preceded by a number and title and followed by explanatory notes (if necessary).

Use bold styling for the word “Table” or “Figure” and the number, and place the title on a separate line directly below it (in italics and title case). Try to keep tables clean; don’t use any vertical lines, use as few horizontal lines as possible, and keep row and column labels concise.

Keep the design of figures as simple as possible. Include labels and a legend if needed, and only use color when necessary (not to make it look more appealing).

Check out our in-depth article about table and figure notes to learn when to use notes and how to format them.

The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers.

Alternatively, you can watch Scribbr’s 5-minute step-by-step tutorial or check out our APA format guide with examples.

APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example:

• Times New Roman (12pt.)
• Arial (11pt.)
• Calibri (11pt.)
• Georgia (11pt.)

The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head , page numbers, headings , and the reference page . Text in footnotes and figure images may be smaller and use single line spacing.

You need an APA in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is different from a book citation .

Use Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator to generate flawless citations in seconds or take a look at our APA citation examples .

Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-aligned in the page header.

To insert page numbers in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, click ‘Insert’ and then ‘Page number’.

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/format/

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