Writing Guides

A writing guide is a document that helps teach you how to write a particular type of document. It can also be called a style guide. These guides enable you to format, design, and write documents. They also show you how to correctly cite sources, both in the text of your paper and in your works cited or bibliography. Whatever academic writing you are doing, your professor has already told you what style to use. MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian are the most common style guides. However, some colleges and universities may also have their own writing guides. You want…

Whatever academic writing you are doing, your professor has already told you what style to use. MLA, APA, Chicago, and Turabian are the most common style guides. However, some colleges and universities may also have their own writing guides. You want to adhere to all the rules outlined in that style guide. Our writing guides do not replace those style guides.

Instead, our writing guides provide a good list of instructions to write specific types of academic papers. They define the type of paper and outline the steps you should take to write that type of paper. They can be helpful, especially for students writing an unfamiliar kind of paper.

According to our customers, the most helpful parts of the writing guides are the outlines and examples. Each writing guide contains an outline. The outline is for a five-paragraph essay but can be expanded for a longer paper. The outline shows how you want to structure your introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. You can use the outline to structure your essay.

We also include examples of how to write parts of the paper. You can use the samples to see how to translate the structure of the outline into an actual paper. You can use the writing guides alone. However, they are even better when you pair them with one of the thousands of available example papers. The example papers can help you see how someone would suggest tackling a similar writing project.

Reasoning for Argumentative Paper

Providing Adequate Reasoning for an Argumentative Paper

Arguing – especially in the context of an academic paper – isn’t the same thing as fighting. You can’t just say you’re right and tell the reader why you think that. Hint: “Because I said so” isn’t a good reason. Instead, you have…

How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay (Updated in 2021)

“For every action, there is a reaction.” Newton’s Third Law is a natural law applies within and without the domain of physics. In history, we can identify causes of events, and also the effects of those events. Similarly, it is possible to identify the causes and effects…

How to Write an Essay (and earn higher grades)

No doubt about it, writing essays for class can be daunting. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid writing essays in school. Even if you are a strong math and science student, eventually you will be expected to write an essay for a class. Essays are assigned from grade…

How to Write an Evaluation Essay

The evaluation essay is one of the more common types of advanced academic writing. While a basic research paper or essay asks a student to gather and present information, the evaluation essay goes a step further by asking students to draw conclusions from the information they have researched and…

How to Write an Analytical Essay

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A relatively advanced type of expository essay, an analytical essay is in-depth, asking you to pick apart, dissect, and discuss anything from a work of art or literature to a public policy initiative or a historical event.

Analytical essays ask you to put your thinking caps on. The…

How to Write a Descriptive Essay (2021 Edition)

A descriptive essay is both expository and creative. When you write a descriptive essay, you use rich diction to make your chosen subject come alive. Your job is to describe in detail a person, place, or thing.

You describe things every day of your life. Just think: you tell…

How to Complete an Informative Essay Outline

Essay outlines are the natural beginnings to every piece of writing, and especially for formal academic papers like informative essays.

Have you been requested to write an informative essay? From middle school onward, instructors will be asking that you write informative essays. Most instructors will also request that you…

Harvard Referencing and Citing Guide

Is Harvard Citation a Myth?

Contrary to popular belief, Harvard citation style is not actually that common at Harvard University. According to Harvard University, the Harvard citation style is “something of a misnomer,” because it has no official connection with the esteemed institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This article published…

Managing Time Effectively

Even if you're very dedicated to your studies, smart, and committed to doing well in college, you can run into problems if you're not good with time management. It's one of the most important parts of getting an education, especially if you're taking a heavy class load or if…