Academic writing is a formal way of writing, mostly used in scholarly publications or universities. It is used in journal articles, books on academic topics, essays, assignments, admission essays, and research papers. The purpose of using academic writing is to display the results of research or critique.
How to write original essays
To start writing a more unique essay and to make it noticeable to readers, here are a few tips. Follow them to stand out from your peers and excel at academic writing.
1. Select an enigmatic topic
Select a topic that nobody else is going to select. You may not have the option to select the topic for your essay, but if you do, this is a great opportunity for you as a writer to select something different from others. Choose to write about something that is not well known that will make the essay unique for the reader and make your essay stand out from the rest.
2. Conduct comparisons
If you are working on a topic that has already been discussed prior to your discovery, it may be difficult to write something original as everyone will write something similar. To make your essay unique from others, you can do a comparison between the author or period based on the topic . For example, if you are told to write a piece for your admission to a business management degree program, don’t just be monotonous in your evaluation. Instead, provide different aspects, opinions, or options on the given topic for various circumstances and weigh their pros and cons.
3. Offer a unique perspective
If you can’t select an interesting topic, then the other option you have is to argue with a conventional notion. You can discuss a theory supported by adequate evidence to depict your understanding or reinforcement of it. You can also consider the qualitative approach of experts’ opinions. Before you consider using this method to make your essay distinctive, perform a full search analysis on the topic. Factor in all the possible approaches an essay can discuss, and in response, you must have an answer to support your essay.
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4. Use meticulous material
If you are reading the same material as everyone else, then there is a higher probability of you writing the same essay as everyone else. Just don’t be limited to the given source of information. You can read beyond the maxims of the specified literature. Then, you can impress the reader by sharing the additional information you have gained through your extensive and sophisticated acquisition of knowledge. If you don’t know what source to start with, then we have some suggestions for you:
- The most effortless way would be to reach out to your tutor or teacher. There is a high chance they could provide you with some extra reading material.
- Footnotes give additional information about the topic that may not be included in the given source of reading.
- You can ask for help from a librarian. Maybe they don’t know every piece of scholarly article available in the library, but they can guide you through the resources at hand to help you get some relevant extra knowledge.
- Google searches should be avoided for original essays. While reading scholarly articles, you can look at the footnotes. After clicking on them, you can gain access to extra details. If you’re lucky, you might even discover the author’s book is available in a digital format for you to explore.
5. Experiment with structure
If you are unable to make your essay outstanding and original, try experimenting with different structures by starting the essay with rhetorical or inquisitive questions and leading it to the main idea of the topic. Create a precise format in which the main theme of the essay suggests itself straightaway. With the help of a precise structure, you can grab the readers’ attention and maintain their interest.
6. Don’t only use text
Visual illustrations can be a great way to support the text by making the essay more understandable and original. Using the correct visuals for your essay makes it easy to interpret the topic, and the information conveyed in the essay. A visual representation in an essay is also a great way to make your essay stand out, but one needs to tread carefully when selecting those charts, diagrams, pictures, and graphs so that it would make the topic interesting rather than diverting the viewer’s attention.
7. Be eloquent and analogical
Using diverse vocabulary and advanced sentence structure are a few ways to enhance the originality of an essay. Rather than copying a pre-written text of any other scholar or author, try to write it in your own individual style. Your written tone must be confident and deliver the idea with appropriate syntax. You must leave a good impression on the reader. Another way to make your essay original is to explain a complex idea by comparing it with any other simpler example. This technique can’t be used in every essay, but it is the best way to make your essay original.
8. Don’t shy away from opinions
Now, many students are used to copying or writing the opinions of others. They either forget or don’t want to add their own opinions. Include your own opinion, but don’t use the “I” pronoun. Make an effort to include your original responses about the topic, especially if that opinion is stacked with evidence.
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Conclusion
It is easy to write a general essay like everyone else, but to make it original and distinctive, you can use these tips so your way of writing, thinking, and conveying information about a topic has a unique tone.
Author Bio
Alex Morgan is a digital marketer and community hero for Business School Hub. He loves writing about and giving advice on education, careers, and life on college campus. His pet cockatoo Mario is an enthusiastic prompter when he is writing. Reach out to him via email.