12 Do’s and Don’ts of Good Essay Writing

6 Don’ts of Essay Writing

1. DON’T forget to look for formatting requirements

A good essay is not about style and formatting, of course, but style influences the first impression your paper makes.  Some essays and assignments will have font, spacing, and layout requirements.  It is important to make sure you follow those requirements, as they are easy points.  In many cases, the essay’s style is laid out in the directions or established beforehand.  You may quickly figure out the style based on the type of essay.  If the syllabus doesn’t have clear formatting requirements, you can always ask your instructor.

2. DON’T write too long sentences

Complicated sentences may be confusing, not only for the person reading and grading your essay but for the writers themselves.  Writing complicated sentences doesn’t indicate an elaborate writing style. Instead, it may show your inability to convey information in a readable and straightforward format or break the sentences logically.  What’re more, complicated sentences increase the risk of grammar errors and stylistic mistakes.  Like Hemingway or Fitzgerald, famous writers wrote simply, which didn’t make their writing any worse.

3. DON’T provide too much information or too many facts

Even though you were taught to create detailed and meaningful essays, this does not mean that you shouldn’t filter the information you provide.  Your aim is to present the topic to the reader while giving them sufficiently but narrowed information.  To avoid that, choose the most important and significant topic to write about and stick to it.  If it is complicated, you can analyze the final draft before you submit the writing.  Make sure to include the key information your essay needs and then exclude all unnecessary information and facts.

4. DON’T stray from the focus of the question (especially in the conclusion)

Students often think that a conclusion is where they discuss the broader ramifications of their position on the topic, branch out, and touch upon other aspects slightly related to the topic.  But it’s not true at all!  The job of a conclusion is to highlight the key ideas you have been arguing in response to the question (i.e., readdress the essay question in light of the discussion you have just provided).  You can then summarize each main point from the body of the essay in the logical order you presented them.

How do you know if something is off-topic?  Ask yourself whether your paragraph or sentence directly helps you to answer the essay question.  If not, it should be cut from the essay.  In conclusion, don’t just say that you have discussed what the problem has asked you to discuss. You must be specific and say what the key aspects were (and why).  The trick is to say what you have argued in a concise way that does not repeat what you have already said (don’t repeat your examples).

5. Don’t forget to proofread

Typos, spelling and grammatical errors can make an otherwise flawless essay look unprofessional and messy, and can be interpreted as carelessness or simply bad writing.  Teachers may mark your essay in red if you do not get rid of typos from your coursework.  You should carefully go through your thesis and eliminate typos.  Don’t rely on your computer’s spell check also.  Spell checker software may seem an excellent way to you to check spelling mistakes.  However, spell checker software cannot notice errors that human eyes can notice, so you should not depend on spell checker software.  A teacher, a parent and even a friend should read your work before sending it off.

6. Don’t be shy about asking for help

There are so many resources available when it comes to writing essays.  Your teachers, your friends, and the online community are always out there to help.  They can give advice, check for errors, and possibly help you find a direction.  Some teachers are willing to look over a rough draft provided you give them enough time.  There are also online resources where you can look up formatting guidelines for citations and bibliographies.  And of course, you can always find a friend to read your essay over and answer the question, “Does this make sense?”