Writing an informative essay can be daunting for students. There are many helpful resources available to guide students through the process. This article will outline some of the top resources students can utilize when tasked with writing an informative essay.
Library Databases
College and university libraries offer students access to a wide variety of academic databases. Databases contain scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers and other sources that can be invaluable for research. Some top database options for students include JSTOR, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. These database provide access to peer-reviewed and credible sources on virtually any topic. Students should get familiar with how to effectively search and limit results in databases relevant to their subject area. Many also allow saving, emailing, and printing of source citations right from the search results page.
Writing Center Consultations
On-campus writing centers offer individualized tutoring sessions to help students at any stage of the writing process. Writing center tutors are trained to provide feedback on assignments from any discipline. They can help students generate effective thesis statements, develop outlines, flesh out body paragraphs, strengthen introductions and conclusions, and identify areas needing revision or clarification. Many writing centers also offer group workshops covering common challenges like citation styles, grammar basics, and developing strong topic sentences. Meeting with a writing tutor is a great way for a student to get personalized guidance tailoring their paper to assignment requirements.
Sample Essays
Browsing sample informative essays is a handy way for students to see how others have effectively structured and presented information on a given topic. Looking over examples can spark new ideas and help identify effective approaches. Sources of sample papers include online essay databases, library archives of past student work in a subject area, and published articles/reports addressing informative topics in a manner suitable for academic audiences. Students should take care not to directly copy content and always cite properly if directly quoting short excerpts. The goal is to utilize examples as models rather than sources to plagiarize from.
Instructional Guides
Many colleges and universities provide informative guides, tip sheets and online tutorials about essay structure and composition available to all current students. Commonly addressed topics in these instructional materials include developing a strong introduction with a clear thesis, choosing a deliberate organizational framework, crafting coherent topic sentences, incorporating and citing sources properly, concluding effectively, using appropriate style manuals, and proofreading techniques. Some guides focus on strategies specifically for informative writing like defining terms and explaining complex ideas. These easy-to-access materials can be a great starting point before an individual tutoring appointment.
Citation Management Tools
Keeping track of sources in the research and writing process is crucial. Students should invest time learning how to use citation management tools like Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote or RefWorks. These programs help import source data from library databases, allow for in-text citations in different output styles, and quickly generate complete reference lists. They make including citations seamlessly in drafts simple. While familiar formats like MLA, APA or Chicago can be daunting at first, citation managers drastically reduce the work of source tracking throughout the process of working on a multi-sourced essay. Students who utilize these tools consistently find including citations intuitive.
Online Writing Labs
Many online writing labs produced by educational organizations can aid students writing informative assignments. The OWL at Purdue, for example, contains an abundance of guides on everything from formatting papers and writing learning summaries to crafting research questions and developing thesis statements for different paper types. Subject-specific resources are also available. The ASHRA+ OWL includes modules on writing lab reports or literature reviews. Consultation resources provide virtual assistance without requiring a campus visit. Interactive tutorials allow students to test comprehension. Subject guides pull together reliable resources. Online writing labs standardize useful advice available at a student’s convenience outside of class or appointment times.
Grammarly
While not a replacement for thorough proofreading, Grammarly can be a useful tool during the revision stage of writing for submitting assignments. The AI proofreading software checks for spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, formality and other style elements to identify issues students may miss. Grammarly should only be used as a supplemental aid and not completely relied on, as it is not flawless and focuses more on style versus content-level issues. If flagged for potential problems, students still need to carefully evaluate feedback in context of their own work. But in conjunction with other feedback and editing techniques, Grammarly offers an efficient second pass for superficial errors before submitting final drafts.
Instructor Office Hours
Meeting individually with the course instructor responsible for an assignment is incredibly beneficial. Students can get clarification on specific assignment requirements, provide a draft outline or introduction for early feedback, or ask focused questions about researching or structuring their paper. Instructors want students to succeed and know how to offer guidance tailored to their course framework. Setting aside dedicated time slots allows the instructor to focus fully without distractions. While some may be available via email as well, office hour meetings offer a more substantive dialogue that phone or written exchanges cannot match. In-person consultations help cement a student’s understanding before the assignment is due.
Peer Feedback Groups
Collaborating with classmates can augment feedback obtained through other resources. Students should consider joining an informal peer review group to trade drafts and offer suggestions prior to final revisions. Peers should focus discussion on global issues like effectiveness of thesis statement, flow and organization of ideas, clarity of explanations rather than editing for finer points of grammar which instructors are better equipped to address. Working collaboratively allows tapping into classmates’ varied viewpoints and catches aspects an individual may have overlooked. It is also a helpful learning experience to critically read others’ papers
These are some of the top resources available to aid students taking on informative writing assignments. Utilizing suggested methods and materials can strengthen research, organization and communication of facts while also receiving guidance tailored to specific course expectations. Students establishing familiarity with campus support systems and interactive learning tools will find the process less intimidating and have greater success communicating information clearly and effectively in their papers.
Andrew Stroud