How To Write an Informative Essay

By: Henrique Bertulino

9 min

0

10.04.2022

How To Write an Informative Essay

Before sitting down and typing away, there are a few items you should prepare for beforehand. If you have a set guideline, it will enable you to organize your essay effectively and speed up the entire process.

The first step towards writing an informative essay is to dedicate your time to brainstorm ideas. It would help if you chose a topic that interests you and has enough searchable content on the internet. Even if you have settled on a field of interest, you still need to narrow down the focus and identify an issue you will be willing to write an informative essay on. There is no compulsion in selecting a single topic right away. Shortlisting a few potential ones is the right way to begin.

Compare them, conduct an analysis, and choose the one that you find the most suitable. After selecting a topic, it is time for you to crank out informative research. You can utilize primary as well as secondary sources, for that matter. The former refers to physical evidence relevant to the topic at hand, whereas the latter sources comprise the papers and articles already written about the topic. However, one thing worthy of note is that these sources should be credible and reliable. Sites such as Wikipedia are usually frowned upon. Ensure to use multiple sources and all of them authentic.

Definition Of an Informative Essay

An informative essay is a written piece of text whose primary function is to educate the audience on a specific topic. It can be done by elaborating on a term or analyzing a data set. The purpose of this essay is not to put forward your opinions or persuade anybody about your viewpoint; it is merely to provide new information to the reader. It is an academic writing assignment that might be given to you at any level of education regardless of the field of study. It aims to provide essential information as well as in-depth knowledge about the topic of selection.

What Is the Difference Between an Informative Essay And an Expository Essay?

An informative essay is quite similar to an expository essay. Both of these often confuse the writers. Depending on the way an essay writer decides to define it, it can be contradictory at times.

The purpose of both types of essays is to educate and inform. An expository essay defines one side of an issue or argument. It makes up the first step while writing an argumentative essay by taking it to the next level. Informative essays, on the other hand, are less complicated. All they do is explain and inform. Usually, less research is required beforehand. It is only fair to say that the difference here is so subtle that the two terms can be used interchangeably.

Writing an Introduction For an Informative Essay

It would help if you aimed to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning. Start writing with a hook that is sure to engross the audience. You can use a few strategies by starting with a rhetorical question and writing an anecdote or maybe your own story, for that matter. You can also compliment the audience or quote shocking statistics to enhance the interest of the reader. Besides, sprinkling a little humor here and there is an effective way to capture interest as well.

Next, you have to reveal the background context in the introduction to set the entire essay stage. The reader needs to get an idea of what you will be trying to explain in the rest of your essay, which makes the introduction part quite essential for you. It should be clear and concise to pave the way for an enticing thesis statement.

The final element of an introduction is the thesis statement. It is the last sentence to be written in the introduction and has to be coherent and well-informed. For this statement to be effective, make sure you elaborate on the essay's purpose, free from personal biases and opinions. It should summarize and highlight all the key points. You have to write this in a fashion that makes it precise, accessible, and readable for everybody, and appealing. It is always worth taking inspiration from college essay examples to understand writing an informative essay.

Writing the Body of an Informative Essay

This section aims to defend the thesis statement you made in your introduction. Ensure that the content you write here is tip-top, accurate, authentic, and not gimmicky at all. First and foremost, start every paragraph in the body from a topic sentence. Also, create a smooth and coherent transition from the introduction by writing a topic sentence that should link the thesis statement to your first point.

Every paragraph must contain a target point, which should be supported by detail. A target point refers to the part of the statement you are trying to prove. The supporting detail means the validation acquired from outside sources to enrich your statement. After your topic sentence, you should follow the CCE format for crafting a crucial part of your informative essay.

Start by making a claim, which means the central argument in the body paragraph. Remember that your essay's quality depends on your ability to defend the thesis; hence, write an informative essay with three reliable claims. After you have defined the claim, it is time to introduce the evidence. This makes up the physical proof backing your claim. In informative essays, this is usually quoted from articles, journals, and bibliographies. Without this, your essay would be valueless.

To conclude this format, you must present a convincing explanation of your claims and display how your thesis statement can be regarded as a fact. For concluding the body paragraph, write an informative essay with a general synopsis of the presented argument. It is to display assertiveness and strengthen your argument. Ensure all the paragraphs are coherent and fall smoothly into the next one.

Writing a Conclusion For an Informative Essay

Now that you have portrayed three main arguments, you should be wrapping up your essay by getting a firm grip on concluding your essay efficiently. A conclusion aims to restate your thesis statement and provides you with the opportunity to offer your final thoughts on it.

It would help if you rephrased it to give more room for a leveled transition.

It is significant because you are required to state the impact and effect of your arguments individually but briefly. If you do it correctly, the argument and restatement relay should mix well.

To finish the essay effectively, you need to come up with a concluding statement. This should serve as a justification for the importance of your argument. To put it in other words, you need to explain why and how your crafted informative essay adds value to the subject and its practical application in real life.

Topics for Informative Essay

If you are looking for a way of writing an excellent informative essay, look for these qualities; depth and breadth in the topic. Simultaneously, the informative speech topics should be interesting enough to grasp the author's attention and the audience. You might be interested in skateboarding, but writing an essay on it might be of no value if the audience's engagement is shallow. Consider the requirements and the preferences of your potential readers before selecting the topic. If you are still confused about the selection process, do not worry, we have got you covered!

How to Choose a Topic?

These types of essays are generally on how things work and how to’s. You are expected to dive into the intricacies of the chosen subject. It would help if you explored it to the fullest. Hence the reason why you should select a topic of your interest. Selecting a topic might not be the easiest of tasks, but it is not rocket science either. It would help if you went with a topic that is not so broad in focus and not as narrow. For example, if you decide to write an informative essay on health issues, you can spend an eternity and still not include everything.

On the other hand, if you choose back pain issues, you will have little content to work with.

Read below for a few safe bets while selecting a topic idea for writing informative essays for different academic levels. However, you are not restricted to these; you can explore numerous other topics on the internet as well.

Topics For Middle School Informative Essay

Here are a few good topics you can choose from if you need to write an informative essay on a middle school level:

  • Ways to save our environment;
  • Bad habits you should get rid of immediately;
  • My favorite influencer;
  • Changing the relationship between parents and children;
  • Influential inventions;
  • The effects of the internet on today’s generation.

Topics For College Students Informative Essay

Take a look at a few candidates for your informative essay on a college level.

  • Ways to protect yourself from CoronaVirus;
  • Ecological problems faced by humanity today;
  • Effective measures to destress yourself;
  • Depression and its impact;
  • The taboo around cosmetology;
  • How to make your metabolism fast;
  • Benefits of the keto diet.

Informative Essay Themes For High School

You can choose your high school informative essay topics from the list below or you can come up with your own.

  • Effects of Domestic violence on children;
  • Causes of alcohol addiction;
  • How to reduce poverty?
  • Effects of prostitution on society;
  • The origin of Corona;
  • Reasons for increasing child obesity.

Easy Informative Essay Topics

Are you looking for easier topics to begin writing these essays? Here is a solution to your problem. The list below highlights some of the commonly debatable and popular topics:

  • How to build a wooden cabin;
  • Obligation to wearing Hijab in an educational institution;
  • Difference between flu and fever;
  • The significance of reading;
  • Cybersecurity;
  • The scope of artificial intelligence;
  • Apple vs. Android.

Mistakes To Avoid

You might think writing an informative essay is not as complicated, which might be valid to some extent. However, there are certain mistakes writers are usually observed to repeat. Before you start writing, consider these potential issues to avoid them in the future.

Firstly, refrain from using personal pronouns. The aim of your essay should be to inform and not express your viewpoint and attitude. A trick to not fall into this trap is by keeping yourself in the shoes of an author working on an Encyclopedia article. You should be providing concrete facts and evidence, not your opinions and thoughts. Secondly, you do not need to analyze. Stay far away from providing an analysis of your selected topic. A portrayal of emotions can be misleading for the audience.

Do not show only one side of the picture to prove your point. Practice transparency and include all the relevant data. Your audience should have complete knowledge of the topic before deciding for themselves. Providing only the information that supports your stance is considered highly unethical. Also, use logic and rationale. Writing fact after the fact is not an effective way to write an informative essay. Ensure the consistency of the work along with smooth transitions. Furthermore, submitting your work without proofreading should be considered a sin while writing.

User ratings:

User ratings is 4.8 stars.

4.8/5 (15 Votes)

Henrique Bertulino

Head of Customer Success

I'm a medical doctor and brand manager. The process of getting into Med school and studying at it made me learn and apply many strategies to keep my productivity high while spending less time and effort. As a working student, I had to figure out how to study smarter, not harder. During this period, my interest in neurology and psychiatry, as well as my aspiration to help others, intensified. At Studybay, I use my knowledge, skills, and experience to develop helpful solutions for students and make their study paths more productive and fun.

Add Your Comment

We are very interested to know your opinion

Comment
Name Email
Get Help