Let’s start with the basic definition. A thesis statement clearly and succinctly lays out what your paper will discuss. Thesis statements are usually a sentence or two and are at the end of the opening paragraph. No matter what your thesis statement is when you start writing, there’s a good chance that by the time you’re done with your paper, you’ll need to adjust, if not completely change, your thesis statement. For that reason, you may want to consider writing your thesis statement last or at least after you’ve gotten a good feel for where your paper is going. When you write your thesis statement depends on you as some writers write that first and some start writing the body of the paper first.

Your thesis statement will be different depending on the kind of paper you’re writing. An analytical essay dissects and explains an issue or topic from all different perspectives to the audience. An argumentative essay argues your stance on a specific issue using evidence to support your claim (or the thesis). An expository essay explains an issue or idea to your audience. The only one of these that aims to prove anything is an argumentative essay so your thesis statement would be crafted around what you’re arguing and be the very last line of your opening paragraph. In the other two, your thesis statement will outline what you plan to discuss in the paper and what your conclusions are based on research and will be within the last couple sentences of your opening paragraph.

Your thesis statement needs to outline a focused topic to avoid having a topic too big to discuss within your paper. If your thesis is too vague, you’re setting yourself up for an unfocused and rambling paper. If your thesis statement is too specific, however, you might run out of things too quickly. This is why picking a paper topic that isn’t too vague or specific should be your first step before writing a single word of the paper. Then writing your thesis can help you organize your thoughts and test your paper topic.

Thesis statements announce to your audience what your paper will discuss and set the tone for the rest of the paper which is why you should make sure you know what kind of essay you’re writing and where you plan to go with it. A strong thesis statement is one that is focused.

Here’s an example of a thesis from what would be an argumentative essay:

Weak: America’s food industry is to blame for a lot of our country’s issues

Strong: By promoting eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat in the American diet, we would also reduce our need for healthcare, reduce the amount of fatal diseases, reduce our carbon footprint as a nation, and create a healthier environment all around.

A weak statement will merely state a fact or create a yes/no situation. A strong one explains the paper’s stance with specificity.

Regardless of the structure you choose, the first paragraph always serves as the introduction. You should begin the introductory paragraph with some sort of general statement. An appropriate anecdote or quotation that relates to your subject matter will fit perfectly. Once you’ve set the tone for the essay, you’ll lead into your thesis statement. In a comparison essay, the thesis will cover the topic or topics you are going to compare and why.

At this point, you can choose one of two structures for the rest of the essay. In one, you will split your topics. In that case, the paragraphs following the introduction will discuss your first topic. Cover that topic completely without going into your second topic. After that point, turn your attention over the next couple paragraphs to your second essay topic. Again, don’t go back to discuss the first topic, but do a detailed analysis of the second topic. Once you feel you’ve got that covered, you’ll bring your two topics together. Again, this could happen over one or several paragraphs depending on the length of your essay. But try to have each of these sections stick to roughly the same length. So if you cover topic one in two paragraphs, do the same for topic two and the same for the section where you bring them both together. Finally, you’ll wrap up your essay with a conclusion paragraph. That should generally stay at one paragraph and point back to your thesis, discussing how your topics prove out your point. You can reiterate your thesis exactly, or put it into new words, but it should come together neatly.

Your second structural option will begin the same, with your introduction paragraph. But after that your approach will be much different. The next section in this case will cover all the comparisons for both of your topics. Try and come up with three comparisons to draw them together, and each one can be its own paragraph. Once you’ve gotten that down, you’ll follow it with a section contrasting all of your topics. Again, try to keep the length consistent with your comparison section. Make sure you have a unique example of each contrast to play off of the comparisons. At this point you’ll tie it up with a conclusion, structured similarly in either case.

Practice either structure until you are comfortable using both. Whether you’re studying for a social work degree or your high school diploma, you’ll need to have this common essay structure down pat.

First, it is important to understand how these formats are the same. And you may have guessed that they both center on a personal memory. But the way in which you express these memories is what will separate one essay type from another. For example, a memoir is generally considered to be a strict recounting of events from your life. You can discuss events that happened in any format you like (chronologically, by order of importance, with flashbacks and flash-forwards, etc.) and you can impart the thoughts and feelings that occurred at the time. You are even allowed some amount of latitude with exact details since memories are prone to fading; you may, for example, guess at what you were thinking at the time of an event, or slightly embellish in order to convey the gravity of a situation or the depth of your emotion. However, as anyone who watched author James Frey’s public emasculation at the hands of Oprah Winfrey following the outing of his memoir “A Million Little Pieces” as largely fictional, the extent to which one may exaggerate the events in a memoir is extremely limited.

A reflective essay, on the other hand, gives you a lot more leeway to expand the narrative. This is not to say that you should tell outright lies as a way to make your story more exciting. And in fact the scope of where you can go with your writing is still somewhat limited. But the directive is right in the description: this type of essay is reflective. It means that you examine events in your life through your writing in order to discuss how they have shaped you as a person, how they might have gone differently, or even how you wish things might have been. In short, they greatly expand your ability to branch out within the essay while still confining you to personal subject matter. As long as your narrative relates back to your experience in some way it is permissible.

For writing students both types of essay are probably old hat. But for the student seeking a less creative degree, such as a bachelor’s of science in nursing or an online MBA in finance, for example, these types of essays could prove extremely difficult. And while they will certainly provide an opportunity for creative expression and self-reflection, still it helps to know the difference between the reflective essay and the memoir since the one you choose could have a marked effect on your grade.

When it comes to the structure of an essay, the focus in entirely different. In high school, your teacher’s goal was to help you understand and then master the basic essay structure. You were guided to come up with a thesis statement, and then make that fit into the traditional introduction paragraph, three-paragraph body, and one paragraph conclusion. Now that you’re in college, structure takes a back seat to content. You will be expected to understand structure, but put it to use around your topic, rather than making your topic fit the structure.

Any strong essay contains an argument, where the writer takes a side. In high school, this argument can be as one-sided as you want, where you make your case through a series of examples or evidence. Your conclusion will basically mirror your introduction, so there is no second voice. In college, you are expected to understand the opposing argument and acknowledge it, and not pretend it doesn’t exist. The better you can embrace the opposite argument and still be able to present your case, the higher your essay will grade.

The audience you are writing for will be a bit different in college as well. Essays you’ve written in high school tend to focus on a general interest audience. They should be clean and clear, and easily understood without the need for a college education. In college, you are not writing for a general audience but for your professor’s grade. The assumptions you make are that your professor has an advanced understanding of the material, so you can go much further. You can forgo explaining any background information or concepts.

The length of the essay will certainly be very different in college. Essays in high school tend to top out at four pages maximum, and come in as short as two pages. In college, you will be expected to go much further in depth with your work. Freshman essays are often six to ten pages, and essays in more advanced classes can be far longer than that. Don’t overwrite, but expect that your research will have to be much more involved to carry that sort of length.

Rewriting is also something you’ll do with much more frequency in college. In the past, you probably just gave your essay a once over for grammar, spelling and punctuation issues. But in college, you’ll be expected to craft content, flow and pacing at a much more advanced level. You won’t need a master of strategic management to juggle this workload, but don’t forget to leave plenty of time for those rewrites.

Before you get down to all that, you will have to find yourself an interesting topic to research and write about. If you are not in love with your research topic, you will never take the trouble to research it thoroughly.

Most often, students are given a choice a topics from works of well-known authors, poets or dramatists, where you will be asked to analyze about a particular aspect or character. For example, the works of William Shakespeare have been subject to much research.

Here are some sample topics for research essays –

1. Love and Death in Shakespeare
2. How close to history was Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’?
3. Study in comparison of Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor in the play ‘Crucible’.
4. Comparison of John Proctor of ‘Crucible’ with Shakespeare’s Hamlet
5. Role of the Government in the play ‘Crucible’

If you were free to select any author or poet, it would be best to select any author or poet that you personally enjoyed or admired. Make a list of your favorite literary works and select a topic based on these works.

Here is a list of research essay topics you can try your hand on –

1. Similarities between Frodo Baggins of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Harry Potter
2. How strong are male characters in Chick Lit novels?
3. Sexuality in Jane Eyre
4. Does the prequel Wide Sargossa Sea do justice to Jane Eyre?
5. Why have the sequels of Pride and Prejudice failed so miserably?
6. Sexual imagery of D.H. Lawrence
7. Romance of Joseph Conrad’s ‘Lord Jim’
8. Norse Mythology and Lord of the Rings
9. Parallels of Second World War in ‘Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows’
10. Reflection of today’s era in ‘Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows’
11. True friendship in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Series
12. Homosexuality in Harry Potter Novels
13. Sexuality in ‘Pride and Prejudice’
14. How tragic are the great tragedies of Shakespeare from a modern reader’s perspective?
15. How true is Romeo’s love for Juliet?

Once you select the topic, you will have to read the literature in question, from the perspective of your research. As far as possible, select a topic that has a specific perspective or argument. This will help you to narrow down the points and arguments, that you wish to present in your essay.

You can also try to do a research paper on writers, poets or dramatists who are relatively new. There may not be many reference works for this type of research but then, when you successfully complete; your essay will become a reference work for other students. Students also have an advantage where new writers or poets are concerned since they are easily accessible. You can easily learn their views about the subject in hand also quote them if they agree.

One common blunder that is made with this type of essay is giving excessive number of categories. Each category or sub-title should have at least about one paragraph of content. Too many categories will confuse the reader and your essay will look more like definitions compiled together.

Some find it difficult to identify categories for their essay. It can be done easily by putting your points to paper. After you pen down all your main points, you can classify them into appropriate categories.

• Introduction: You can provide your thesis statement in the introduction. Your thesis statement should reveal the topic and its subsequent classification
• Body: The body of the essay should be classified into different categories. Classification of categories can be from most important category to least important one – Category 1, Category 2, Category 3…
• Conclusion: In the concluding paragraph, reiterate your thesis statement and summarize your essay.

You can structure a classification essay like this –

Here are a few sample topics to write a classification essay –

1. My Roommates
2. My Neighbors
3. Hobbies
4. My Teachers
5. Different types of bathrooms
6. Sitcoms
7. Favorite reality shows
8. How to classify books for your library?
9. How to classify movies for your library?
10. How to arrange your clothes in the closet?
11. Types of Cutlery
12. Types of paintings
13. Types of greeting cards
14. Different types of essays
15. Sexual perverts
16. Winter and Summer Sports
17. Different ways to save money
18. Different types of investment
19. Different types of car
20. Classification of weather conditions
21. Categorize your favorite food
22. Categorize the footwear that you wear
23. Categorize your friends
24. Categorize your relatives
25. Categorize your wine
26. Categorize your boyfriends
27. Categorize your girlfriends
28. Categorize the types of vacation you would take with each of your friends
29. How to study for exams?
30. Categorize different types of Volcano?
31. Categorize the Christmas gifts that you have got
32. Different types of diets
33. Categorizing different types of music
34. Categorizing different types of dance forms
35. Categorizing your favorite pizzas
36. Categorizing different types of dramas
37. Categorize and classify different types of vegetables
38. Categorize and classify different types of fruits
39. Classify different types of wars that were fought in the history
40. Classify different methods of telling the future
41. Categorize different types of chocolate
42. Classify countries as per their population
43. Classify USA as per the races living there
44. Classify different types of languages
45. Classify different types of races
46. Classify different types of railways
47. Classify different types of airplanes
48. Classify and categorize different types of trees
49. Classify and categorize different types of herbs
50. Classify and categorize different types of make-up
51. Classify and categorize different types of hairstyles
52. Classify and categorize different types of jewelry
53. Categorize your teachers from kindergarten to college
54. Categorize the different types of vacation you have taken so far
55. Categorize different countries according to their attitude towards war
56. Categorize countries according to their economic conditions

You can write a descriptive essay only when you select a topic that gives you scope to describe – a person, an event, an experience or a memory. You can create pictures with your words and give your readers a vivid experience.

For example, you can convert an ordinary line such as –

I had to retire early because I had a headache

and convert it into a descriptive one.

My head was pounding away to glory. It felt as if hundred drummers were playing up there and if I didn’t lie down the concert finale might end with me fainting.

The difference between both these sentences is quite obvious. The first sentence is more of a statement while second one provides you enough description to empathize with the writer. In other words, you have made the readers experience a part of what you wrote.

Many writers who begin descriptive essays, end up providing more definitions than descriptions. Always remember that you will be describing your personal thoughts or memories in this type of essay so you don’t have to sound impersonal or objective.

Here are some sample topics to write descriptive essays on –

1. Your first memory
2. The most frightening man of your childhood
3. Your first best friend
4. The woman who spoilt you silly during your childhood
5. First fishing trip with your grandfather
6. The first romance novel you read
7. The first A movie that you watched stealthily
8. The day you lost your virginity
9. Your first attempt at cooking
10. Describe your grandmother
11. The most influential person of your adolescence
12. Babysitters that you loved and hated
13. Your first job as a babysitter
14. The first funeral that you attended
15. The first christening ceremony that you attended
16. First marriage in your family
17. Your sister’s boyfriend
18. Your brother’s girlfriend
19. Your father’s boss
20. Your partners in crime
21. Your nerd friend
22. Your first girlfriend
23. Your first kiss
24. The first time you drove the car
25. Your first accident
26. The first time you brought your girlfriend home
27. The first time you got drunk
28. How I changed a diaper for the first time?
29. Shopping for the first prom date.
30. The first time I got my periods
31. The first time I waxed my legs
32. If by some magic, I become a boy…
33. Three things that I would change in my life
34. The first sitcom that I enjoyed
35. My first crush
36. The woman who had my hormones raging
37. My idea of a romantic date
38. If I win a lottery…
39. If I were to marry Prince William…
40. If I were fairy Godmother what wishes would I grant …
41. If I were a millionaire what would I do?
42. How I became hot from a nerd?
43. If I were to get amnesia, things that I would like to forget
44. Given a chance, what would I undo in my life?
45. If I became God, what would I do?
46. My first speech
47. My first movie date
48. How I practiced kissing to impress my girlfriend?

Though the essay is pretty straightforward to write, you will have to select your topics carefully. Problem Solution essays will make sense only when the problem is more specific in nature. For example, you cannot take up world peace or global warming as a topic for a Problem Solution Essay. Broad based topics become too generalized and no specific solution can be put forward in such essays.

To begin with first describe the nature of problem and then analyze what has led to this problem or who caused it. Next explain, why it is necessary that it should be solved immediately and then offer solutions as to how to solve the problem. Try to anticipate counter arguments that are likely to crop up and address them at the end of the solutions. Provide alternative solutions as well but put your best one first and convince your readers to accept it.

The conclusion of this essay should not only summarize the solution but should also call for action. You will have to ask your readers to not only to accept your solution as the best but also adopt the same to solve similar problems.

Here are some topics for your Problem Solution essays –

1. How to wean your baby from breast milk?
2. How to potty train your toddler?
3. How to green clean your house using natural products?
4. How to popularize your blog?
5. How to save money every month?
6. How to make the School campus more environmental friendly?
7. How to make your child more independent?
8. How to quit smoking?
9. How to make your home child safe?
10. How to help an abused child?
11. Ways to cure your children of TV addiction
12. How to protect your children from child molesters?
13. How to improve the parking facilities in your University?
14. Say no plastic! How to persuade your friends from using plastic covers?
15. How to make your child aware of drug abuse?
16. How to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
17. How to avoid the temptation of fatty foods?
18. How to avoid spending money unnecessarily?
19. How to train your dog?
20. How to overcome habits such as drug or alcohol successfully?
21. How to become a vegetarian?
22. How to make your child aware of his or her responsibilities?
23. How to teach your child the importance of hygiene?
24. How to start a “No Plastics” campaign in the school campus?
25. How to make your child eat healthy snacks?
26. How to conserve energy in your home?
27. How to create AIDs awareness in your school or college?
28. How to create awareness against teenage pregnancy in your school?
29. How to convince your mother to borrow her car for a date?
30. How to convince your parents that you are old enough to move out of the house?
31. How to get your first job?
32. How to search for part-times jobs on the Internet?
33. How to arrange for a surprise party at home?
34. How to convince your Dad to quit smoking?
35. How to make-up with your girlfriend after a fight?
36. How to convince your father to buy you a car?

One common mistake that almost everybody makes while writing informative essays is to assume that your readers know about the subject. Informative essays are supposed to provide information and knowledge hence your essays should always begin with an introduction that will introduce the topic to the readers and provide basic knowledge about the topic in hand.

Following the basic principles of essay writing will help you here. First decide on the topic for your informative essay. Next you will have to decide what your thesis statement is going to be. For example, if your essay is about the Nuclear Meltdown and its Effects, then you should decide whether your thesis should be about the immediate effects or long-term effects. By deciding a thesis statement, you will be giving a definite direction to your essay.

For the rest of the essay, you can follow the basic guidelines of essay writing. Give an interesting introduction and provide information with sub-headings in the body of the essay and summarize your findings in the conclusion.

Here are some original topics for you to write Informative Essays –

1. Causes of Nuclear Meltdown
2. What happens during a Nuclear Meltdown?
3. Effects of Nuclear Meltdown
4. Threats posed by Nuclear Meltdown
5. Types of Nuclear Reactors
6. Causes for Chernobyl Disaster
7. Meltdown of Fukushima Reactors
8. How did the worst Nuclear Disasters happen in history?
9. What were the disastrous effects of Chernobyl Reactors?
10. High-Level Waste Management Process
11. Effects of Nuclear Meltdown in Fukushima
12. How to contain a Nuclear Meltdown?
13. Precautions to be taken during a Nuclear Meltdown
14. How to implement emergency plans during a Nuclear Meltdown?
15. Precautions that a common man must take in case of a nuclear meltdown
16. Radiation exposure through Nuclear Reactors
17. Security Protocols for Nuclear Reactors
18. Nuclear Weapons and their dangers
19. Catastrophic effects of Nuclear Weapon
20. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the World War II
21. Causalities of Atomic Bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
22. Aftereffects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing
23. Nuclear Energy is a boon or bane
24. Dangers of Radiation Exposure
25. Radiation exposure and its effects on the future generation of survivors
26. Radiation exposure and food contamination
27. Nuclear Disasters and their effects on the environment
28. Implementing effective Nuclear Disaster Management Plans
29. How to avert Nuclear Meltdowns
30. Physical effects of Radiation exposure
31. Long-term health problems posed by radiation exposure
32. Surviving radiation exposure
33. Radiation exposure and its effects on human DNA
34. Advantages of Nuclear energy
35. Disadvantages of Nuclear energy
36. Dangers of Nuclear energy
37. Overview of Nuclear reactors around the world
38. Functions of Nuclear reactors
39. History of Nuclear reactors
40. First nuclear reactor and its functions
41. Scientists behind the building of the first Nuclear reactor
42. How safe are the Nuclear reactors of today?
43. Nuclear waste and their effects on the environment
44. How to dispose Nuclear waste without any damage to the environment?
45. Protocols of working in a Nuclear Reactor
46. What are the dangers of Nuclear power in hands of despotic government?
47. Safety measures that people should adopt during a nuclear meltdown.

One common mistake that almost everybody makes while writing informative essays is to assume that your readers know about the subject. Informative essays are supposed to provide information and knowledge hence your essays should always begin with an introduction that will introduce the topic to the readers and provide basic knowledge about the topic in hand.

Following the basic principles of essay writing will help you here. First decide on the topic for your informative essay. Next you will have to decide what your thesis statement is going to be. For example, if your essay is about the Nuclear Meltdown and its Effects, then you should decide whether your thesis should be about the immediate effects or long-term effects. By deciding a thesis statement, you will be giving a definite direction to your essay.

For the rest of the essay, you can follow the basic guidelines of essay writing. Give an interesting introduction and provide information with sub-headings in the body of the essay and summarize your findings in the conclusion.

Here are some original topics for you to write Informative Essays -

1. Causes of Nuclear Meltdown
2. What happens during a Nuclear Meltdown?
3. Effects of Nuclear Meltdown
4. Threats posed by Nuclear Meltdown
5. Types of Nuclear Reactors
6. Causes for Chernobyl Disaster
7. Meltdown of Fukushima Reactors
8. How did the worst Nuclear Disasters happen in history?
9. What were the disastrous effects of Chernobyl Reactors?
10. High-Level Waste Management Process
11. Effects of Nuclear Meltdown in Fukushima
12. How to contain a Nuclear Meltdown?
13. Precautions to be taken during a Nuclear Meltdown
14. How to implement emergency plans during a Nuclear Meltdown?
15. Precautions that a common man must take in case of a nuclear meltdown
16. Radiation exposure through Nuclear Reactors
17. Security Protocols for Nuclear Reactors
18. Nuclear Weapons and their dangers
19. Catastrophic effects of Nuclear Weapon
20. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the World War II
21. Causalities of Atomic Bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
22. Aftereffects of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing
23. Nuclear Energy is a boon or bane
24. Dangers of Radiation Exposure
25. Radiation exposure and its effects on the future generation of survivors
26. Radiation exposure and food contamination
27. Nuclear Disasters and their effects on the environment
28. Implementing effective Nuclear Disaster Management Plans
29. How to avert Nuclear Meltdowns
30. Physical effects of Radiation exposure
31. Long-term health problems posed by radiation exposure
32. Surviving radiation exposure
33. Radiation exposure and its effects on human DNA
34. Advantages of Nuclear energy
35. Disadvantages of Nuclear energy
36. Dangers of Nuclear energy
37. Overview of Nuclear reactors around the world
38. Functions of Nuclear reactors
39. History of Nuclear reactors
40. First nuclear reactor and its functions
41. Scientists behind the building of the first Nuclear reactor
42. How safe are the Nuclear reactors of today?
43. Nuclear waste and their effects on the environment
44. How to dispose Nuclear waste without any damage to the environment?
45. Protocols of working in a Nuclear Reactor