How to Avoid Common Essay Mistakes

No matter what field you're in, you will need to write an essay at some point in your life. Essays can be written in a variety of fields of study, styles, and genres. The amount of time dedicated to constructing an essay varies greatly from one assignment to the next. However, one of the ways that you can cut down on the amount of time spent writing an essay is to avoid common essay mistakes by learning how to compose an essay properly.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Pre-Writing

1
Choose a topic with appropriate scope. Sometimes a topic will be assigned to you, but if that is not the case, you must select your own topic for the essay. You might be inclined to choose a topic that is overly broad or too narrow, which is a common pitfall. Instead, try to choose a topic that is both focused and will also allow you to compose an essay in its entirety. ^{[1]XResearch source}
- For example, you do not want to compare all of Africa to all of Asia because that topic would be too broad or too general. Instead, you might write an essay that compares the Great Wall of China and the Great Pyramids of Giza, which is focused and specific topic, and which would provide you with enough information to craft an essay that is an appropriate length.
Your research will provide you with examples, statistics, quotes, and evidence that will back-up the argument(s) you are making within your essay.^{[2]XResearch source} Don’t wait until the last minute to begin researching your topic. Research takes a while to complete properly and it is one of the most important components of creating a well-crafted essay.^{[3]XExpert SourceJake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep SpecialistExpert Interview. 20 May 2020.}
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3
Use credible sources with verifiable information in your research. Academic essays should provide citations from credible sources. Consider:
- Reading books on your selected topic.
- Browsing scholarly peer-reviewed articles on your topic. These articles can be found through your school’s library online databases and through search engines like Google Scholar.
- Reading magazine and news articles on your topic.
- Listening to radio interviews or podcasts about your topic.
4
Avoid using sources that aren’t reputable. While an Internet search might offer reputable sources, it will inevitably offer sources that are not worthy of inclusion in your essay. You should consider avoiding:
- Wikipedia^{[4]XResearch source}
- Personal Blogs
- Vlogs or video blogs
- Satirical websites
- If you do read an article from a site like Wikipedia, check out the citations provided at the end of the article. Use those sources, rather than the Wikipedia article, in your essay.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Writing

Many people are unaware that there is a page layout for an essay. Most essays, regardless of genre and style guide, use the same page layout. Generally, an essay should be typed with 12 point Time New Roman font, double spaced, with one inch margins on the top, bottom, left, and right of the page.^{[5]XResearch source}
2
Structure your essay properly. If an essay is missing one of its main components, it will not be as effective as an essay that is structured properly. Your essay should include:
- An introduction
- A thesis (your main argument or the main point of your essay)
- Supporting examples
- A conclusion
3
Make sure your thesis statement is arguable.^{[6]XExpert SourceJake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep SpecialistExpert Interview. 20 May 2020.} You don’t want to have a wandering or non-existent thesis statement. You also want to avoid having a thesis statement that is pure speculation. Your thesis statement should make an argument, which is often based in opinion, but which you can support with facts, statistics, and other evidence.^{[7]XResearch source}
- An example of an arguable thesis would be: The government should decriminalize all drug use and rather than implementing punishment for people caught using drugs, a drug rehabilitation program should be put into place.
^{[8]XResearch source} When you use a source and do not acknowledge that the ideas or text belong to someone else, you’ve plagiarized, or stolen the intellectual property of another person(s). This is a grave offense in colleges and universities. When you borrow another person’s work, be sure to properly credit them in your References or Works Cited page and through internal citations. Check your style guide to know how to reference another person’s work.^{[9]XResearch source}
When you are assigned an essay that requires research, you will be expected to write in a certain format, which will be determined by a style guide. In the humanities, most essays are written in APA Style, MLA Style, or Chicago Manual of Style.^{[10]XResearch source} These style guides are comprehensive in explaining how to set up your essay, how to gather sources, what sources are acceptable for citation, and how to cite sources. Further, these style guides can be found at: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/.
6
Choose your words carefully. The words that you use will determine the effectiveness of your essay. Additionally, your words will demonstrate your intelligence to your audience and will also communicate your respect for them as intelligent readers. When writing try to:
- Avoid ambiguous words, or words that shift in meaning depending on context.^{[11]XTrustworthy SourceUS Department of Health and Human ServicesFederal department responsible for improving the health and well-being of AmericansGo to source}
- Use words that have force or urgency by using active voice and avoiding passive voice.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Avoid professional jargon, highly technical terminology, or overly specialized terms, unless the audience has background knowledge on the subject. If you end up using a technical term or jargon for an article intended to be understood by anyone, be sure to define and explain it in simple terms.
- Utilize words that are understandable to a wide range of readers to avoid creating a document with an exclusionary readership, which will alienate all other readers.
- Avoid clichés. ^{[13]XResearch source} You might like the idea of a cliché because it is easy to use, but clichés are frowned upon in essays. Clichés are old and overused turns of phrase.^{[14]XResearch source} Rather than using a cliché, you should be inventive and consider a new way to say what you might have otherwise communicated as a cliché. Consider avoiding the following:
7
Keep your audience in mind. Who is your readership for this essay? Are you writing for your peers? Are you writing for a professor? Are you writing for a fifth grade science class? When you know who your readership is, you are better able to tailor your language and essay content to meet the needs of your audience.
- For example, if you are writing an essay on why the sky is blue, your essay would read very differently depending upon whether you are writing it for a college professor or for a class of elementary school children. Despite the fact that the reason for the sky being blue remains the same, your writing style and the included content (technical information, citations, explanation, and examples) should differ between the two audiences.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Revising

As you are reading through your essay, you might notice that you have gone off on a tangent, or that you’ve written in extraneous details, or that you’ve added fluff to your essay. Now is the time to remove any unnecessary information to help focus and improve the flow of your essay. Unnecessary extra information can confuse your reader, and you want to make sure that your essay is clear and concise.
While you are reading through your essay aloud, you may notice holes in your argument, or places where your ideas benefit from a detailed explanation of what you mean, and perhaps also an example of this. Be sure to add this information to make sure that your reader has a clear sense of what you mean to say.^{[15]XResearch source}
3
Make sure your writing accomplishes the goals of your essay. Try to avoid summarizing when you should be analyzing, or using a direct quote where you would do better to paraphrase. And make sure that your essay is focused on the topic you have chosen. Ask yourself:
- Do I follow the appropriate structure?
- Do I have a strong thesis statement/main argument at the end of my introduction paragraph?
- Does everything that follows my thesis statement work to support it?
- Have I used enough outside sources?
- Have I properly incorporated my sources into my work?
- Have I properly cited my sources?
- Is my essay specific in its argumentation and logic?
- Is my writing clear and concise enough for a reader to follow without issue?
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Editing and Proofreading

Edit your essay for grammar. Look for one type of grammatical issue at a time.^{[16]XTrustworthy SourceUniversity of North Carolina Writing CenterUNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing processGo to source} While this may take you a bit of time, only looking for one type of grammatical issue at a time ensures that you won’t miss any glaring errors.
Avoid repetition of words in your essay whenever possible, and instead try to introduce some variation into your writing. One of the ways you can do this is to utilize a thesaurus to learn new ways to say words you tend to use often. Another way to do this is to avoid vague words such as “stuff” or “things.”^{[17]XResearch source} You want your words to evoke for your reader a clear picture of what you mean to say.
Proofread your work.^{[18]XExpert SourceJake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep SpecialistExpert Interview. 20 May 2020.} One of the easiest ways to do this is to use the spell check feature in your word processor. Spell check in Microsoft Word, for example, will catch all blatant misspellings and incorrect punctuation. When homophones are concerned, spell check often fails and careful attention by the author or an editor is needed. For instance, if you write “their,” but you meant to write “there,” Microsoft Word may not catch the error.^{[19]XTrustworthy SourceUniversity of North Carolina Writing CenterUNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing processGo to source}
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Expert Q&A

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Question
How do you figure out your essay's structure?
Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist
Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.
Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist
Expert Answer
While in the pre-writing stage, consider making an outline to organize your ideas and map out your essay's structure.
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Question
What are some tips for writing a good introduction for an essay?
Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist
Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University.
Jake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist
Expert Answer
You want to start with a hook that gets the reader's attention. Once you have their attention, you need to give the reader context about what you're going to talk about and how you’re going to talk about it. At the end, you want to state the claim that you're going to prove. If you're writing a persuasive essay, you have to commit to a particular side of an argument. If you're doing research, then make it clear what you're setting out to prove.
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Tips

Set aside enough time to complete your essay without feeling rushed.^{[20]XExpert SourceJake Adams
Academic Tutor & Test Prep SpecialistExpert Interview. 20 May 2020.}
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Avoid clichés.
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Avoid generalizations.
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Warnings

Procrastination will result in stress and frustration when you have a looming deadline.
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Make sure that you understand the assignment before you begin working on it to avoid confusion.
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Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be a great essay writer immediately. Success comes with practice.
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Never hand in your first draft as a completed essay.
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