According to this website https://www.stocktrades.ca/best-canadian-dividend-stocks/, insider trading describes any transactions in securities such as stocks and shares by persons having access to privileged information not available to the general investing public, and who stand a financial gain from this knowledge. Strictly speaking, the term insider refers to someone who owes a fiduciary duty to a corporation and its current and potential shareholders. To delve deeper into understanding insider trading and other key concepts in investing, consider exploring the Kiana Danial course for comprehensive insights and education.

This term, however, has occasionally been expanded to include a wide range of persons with informational advantages, such as third parties with trade relationships with a corporation (e.g. trade suppliers, subcontractors), security analysts to whom information has been disclosed selectively, and even persons who accidentally acquired a piece of non-public information. Yet, the latter view fails to incorporate the situation that the informational advantages can be properly obtained. This is particularly important as this setting may involve the securities analysts who are typically viewed as the key force i!

n keeping the market efficient. Nonetheless, the two contexts of insider trading and selective disclosure should be sharply distinguished and separately addressed by the law. For other trading options, consider reading this post about how to successfully trade forex online.

Traditionally, much of the regulation of insider trading has been based on the premise that it dishonours the fundamental fairness principle which requires a level playing field in which no investor can exploit improperly obtained informational advantages. This is the legal view of insider trading, which judges insider trading on the basis of trade on material information by a broad group of insiders or their tippees. More recently, however, the free-market approach has been developed as an alternative. The free-market approach is based primarily on the claim that insider trading enhances market efficiency by inducing secretive insiders to trade rather than requiring them to abstain, allowing in this way, markets to process new information.

This report is an attempt to address the main issues that arise in regulating trade based on privileged, non-public information, in the light of the Fairness vs. Efficiency debate. In doing so, we are going to distinguish between different forms of insider trading, emphasising on

The server places the ice cream in your hands … without a flipping cone. You fumble with the cold, sloppy mess as you try to contain it or shove it quickly into your mouth, but it’s pretty hopeless.

So, uh, what does melted ice cream have to do with a thesis statement?

Well—aside from our love of both snacks and food-based metaphors—an essay without a solid thesis is a lot like that sad wreck of a dessert. It’s messy, it’s all over the place, and it has no point (ha). Without some direction, your reader is a lot like you with your drippy, ice-cream-coated elbows—confused and frustrated.

Enter your thesis statement. Your thesis statement is more than the last sentence of your introduction. It’s the road map for your entire essay.

Your thesis statement isn’t just the end of your intro. It’s the road map for your entire essay.
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As we’ve mentioned again and again and again, your thesis statement is super important, and for that reason, writing it probably has you scared out of your wits—but fear not!

I’ve created a helpful infographic that will help teach you how to make a thesis statement the quick and easy way. This graphic provides step-by-step guidance on

• choosing a topic
• narrowing your focus
• creating an argument

…and more!

Once your feel like your thesis has a fighting chance, feel free to run it (or your entire essay) past a talented Kibin editor for some helpful feedback and polishing.

How to Make a Thesis Statement the Easy Way (Infographic)

Okay, most of the time.

At any rate, I know that you should read the instructions on tests. I learned this by accidentally skipping two pages of the math section on the SAT. Apparently, when they say “continue to the next page,” they mean that.

You should also read the instructions while assembling household goods. Who knew that you needed to pull upward on a lawnmower handle in order for the blade to move for the first time?

The manual, that’s who.

And most importantly, you should read the instructions for writing essays.

Knowing how to read and understand an essay assignment isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds. Subtle distinctions exist between words such as “analyze” and “describe,” for instance. And what does your teacher really mean when he or she says you need to “evaluate the literary significance of the long 18th century”?

This post will teach you how to unpack, decipher, and truly understand an essay assignment so that you can deliver exactly what your teacher is looking for.

Why Do You Need to Read Your Essay Assignment in the First Place?

Your teacher gave a quick rundown of the assignment in class, so you don’t really need to read it again, right?

Wrong. (Yeah, you knew I was going to say that.)

While your teacher was explaining the assignment at the end of class, you were doodling in your notebook and tapping your foot as you eyed the clock, anxiously awaiting the moment you could scurry home to your cat, couch, and/or Netflix.

Not that I’d, uh, know anything about that.

Even if you were paying attention, that’s a lot of information to absorb, especially if you’re not an auditory learner.

Besides that, you wouldn’t bake a cake without reading a recipe or take an eight-hour road trip without looking at a map, would you?

I mean, you could, but I’m not sure I want to be your taste-tester or your passenger.

Similarly, not reading your essay assignment is a good way to mess up the “ingredients” of your essay or cover a lot of unnecessary ground.

Your teacher knows all of this!

That’s why you have a written assignment: you can review the parameters of the essay, refer back to the assignment as you plan your essay, resituate yourself as you write, and check your final writing against the assignment.

But how do you understand exactly what your teacher is asking? 

How to Decode an Essay Assignment

Whether your essay assignment is a few short sentences or a full page, there’s a lot to unpack and decode in order to figure out exactly what your teacher is asking you to write. Let’s look at some of the words and phrases you’ll likely encounter in your assignment and what exactly they mean.

Verbs that denote purpose and form

The verbs your teacher uses in an essay assignment serve as important clues about the type of content you should write and the form your essay should take.

The following table features a list of verbs that often appear in essay assignments, along with their meanings and the types of essays that are often (but not always!) associated with them.

And don’t forget, you can also check out examples of all these essay types in !

This has nothing to do with fresh breath and everything to do with how deeply or shallowly you delve into your topic. It’s the difference between, say, a six-word story and a Ken Burns documentary.

The ideal scope means your essay’s focus is not too broad, and not too narrow: it’s just right.

The ideal scope means your essay’s focus is not too broad, not too narrow: it’s just right.
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Sometimes, your teacher may define scope using numbers:

• “Compare and contrast two authors” [This means exactly two.]
• “Providing at least three main ideas” [This could include three, four, or more main ideas.]
• “In no more than six pages” [This means probably at least four or five, but definitely not seven.]

These phrases give you an idea of the number of examples you should provide or how many main points your essay should cover. Watch out for phrases such as “at least,” “no more than,” and similar phrasing.

Your teacher may also set limitations using references to time:

• “Events during the early 17th century” [Not the middle 17th century or the late 16th.]
• “That have occurred in recent history” [You probably shouldn’t discuss a subject from the 1950s, then.]
• “Modern technology” [This is open to interpretation, but this probably doesn’t refer to technology from the 1980s.]
• “How it has changed in the past 10 years” [Not only in the past 5 years, and not in the past 15—just 10.]

Time references define the scope of your essay by specifying where your coverage should begin and end. This ensures that you aren’t covering a time period that is too broad, meaning that you can give only a minor overview of the subject, or a period that is too narrow, meaning that you don’t have enough to write about.

Words that define format/style

Last but not least, check your essay assignment for terms that dictate how your paper should look and how you should cite your sources.

Your instructor may provide explicit essay formatting requirements:

• “12-pt Times New Roman”
• “1-inch margins”
• “Include a cover page”

If you see specific instructions like these, then you should definitely use them as you format your paper! There is no easier way to rack up points toward a good grade.

Sometimes, however, your instructor will only specify a style guide:

• “Use MLA format”
• “Please adhere to APA guidelines”

These phrases indicate that you should use these style guides to cite any sources you consult for your essay.

But MLA and APA aren’t only systems for citing sources. These style guides also provide guidelines for formatting essays and reports, including guidance on fonts, margins, headers, and more. Often, they also tell you how to handle numbers, abbreviations, and other considerations.

In the absence of any other formatting guidelines in your essay assignment, it’s a good idea to consult the style guide.

Read How to Write MLA Citations Without Going Crazy or How to Write APA Citations in 4 Easy Steps for help with citing your sources, and check out the Purdue Owl’s MLA and APA pages for formatting guidelines.

You can also check out our Essay Formatting Survival Guide for other formatting tips.

If all else fails and you genuinely don’t understand what your instructor is asking for, take advantage of the instructor’s office hours. Schedule a meeting to discuss the essay assignment.

It’s always better to clear up your confusion before you start writing instead of after your essay is done. But it’s also a good idea to check your work and make sure that you’ve hit all of the important points of the assignment.

How to Make Sure Your Completed Essay Fits the Assignment

There are a few ways that you can check your completed essay against the assignment to ensure that you didn’t miss the mark completely or leave anything out.

One of my favorite strategies is to create a checklist from the essay assignment before I ever start writing. You could make such a checklist as detailed or as basic as you want, but you definitely should include all of the most important elements of the assignment.

If you don’t have time to create your own, this comprehensive essay editing checklist from the University of New South Wales should help ensure you covered all your bases.

If you’re lucky, your teacher will include a rubric with your essay assignment. A rubric generally breaks down the assignment into specific components, such as content, support, style, and mechanics/grammar.

It also generally tells you what you need to accomplish in each area to achieve the highest grade. This can actually serve as a checklist itself, saving you a bit of time and trouble.

Here’s an example of a rubric:

Another strategy for checking your essay against the prompt is creating a reverse outline. Reverse outlining is actually a great first step for revising any essay. It helps you identify holes in your argument, missing details, and other important elements you might have forgotten.

Check out this helpful handout from Duke University, or use this reverse outlining worksheet from the Berkeley Student Learning Center.

Finally, you can have your essay checked by a . Not only can we help you proofread your essay, but we can also help ensure your essay sticks to the assignment.

“Come here, Pet.”

“Hey, Maternal Grandmother, could I get your recipe for Casserole?”

“Book about a Long Journey is pretty much the best thing I’ve ever read.”

“I love shopping at Clothing Store at Mall—its Regular Jeans are to die for.”

Meh. Yawn. Zzzzzz.

Now you understand the crushing ennui your teacher feels flipping through a stack of essays entitled “Narrative Essay” or “Essay 4,” “Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry,” or worst of all, the dreaded “Untitled.”

Boring, right? No wonder it takes three weeks to get them graded and handed back!

So how do you make your essay the shining gem in the rough, the beacon that keeps your teacher from falling asleep in yet another puddle of coffee and tears during hours-long grading marathons?

We’ll get there. First, let’s discuss why essay titles matter in the first place.

Why Are Essay Titles Important?

The title of an essay occupies a pretty sweet spot: front and center, first page. This is a position of prestige and privilege. It just begs to be read.

Don’t waste this opportunity to make a good first impression!

Much like a hook sentence, a title should snag the attention of your readers and make them want to read more.

Like a hook sentence, a title should snag your readers’ attention and make them want to read more.
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Most importantly, the title—even a short one—can give readers a lot of context about an essay. Good essay titles not only identify the essay’s subject, but they can also give readers clues about important elements of the essay:

• tone (Is it serious or irreverent?)
• structure (Is it argumentative? Are you comparing and contrasting?)
• angle/stance (Are you in favor of something or against it?)

So what goes into a mind-blowingly good essay title? Keep reading to find out!

What Are the Essential Elements of Good Essay Titles?

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to titling essays. While a one-word title might work for some essays, others practically beg for long, descriptive ones.

That said, there are a few qualities that most good essay titles share:.

1. A good essay title identifies the subject.

It probably seems obvious that a title should give the reader at least a hint about the essay’s subject, but you’d be surprised how often it doesn’t! I’ve edited plenty of essays with titles like “Analysis Essay,” “History,” or “Assignment 5.”

Not only are these boring, but they’re completely vague and nonspecific.

2. A great title establishes the tone of the essay.

In addition to telling readers what an essay is about, really great titles also help to set the tone or mood of the essay. A forceful, direct title is perfect for an angry rant or a somber piece of persuasion.

Titles with puns or other fun wordplay, on the other hand, suggest that the reader can take the piece a little less seriously.

3. Good essay titles are specific.

It’s possible for a title to establish both the tone and subject … but in a vague way. For instance, “A Scholarly Examination of Chinese Art” identifies a subject and a tone, but if the essay actually focuses on fifteenth-century Chinese pottery, specificity is lacking.

A more specific essay title would be “A Scholarly Examination of Fifteenth-Century Chinese Pottery.”

4. A great essay title is attractive to the intended audience.

Last but not least, a title should be attractive and interesting—but most importantly, it should be attractive and interesting to the audience for whom it was written.

For example, a playful and punny title might fall flat for a stodgy, humorless professor—you know the type.

In this case, it’s better to be straightforward and descriptive—but that doesn’t have to mean boring.

On the other hand, your creative writing instructor would probably appreciate a bit of clever wordplay.

This aspect of title-writing requires you to know your audience and make a judgment call regarding the type of title your readers will find engaging. But it’s totally worth it when you snag a big, fat ‘A,’ right?

Now that you know what goes into a good title, let’s look at some strategies for writing titles that meet these criteria.

Tips and Tricks for Writing Good Essay Titles

Now that you know the different components of a solid title, how do you actually write one?

Here are a few tips and tricks to help. For each of the following tips, I’ve also shared one or more relevant examples from the Kibin essay database.

Use subtitles to your advantage

Many essay titles have both a main title as well as a secondary title that elaborates a bit on the first part.

Consider the late David Foster Wallace’s essay Shipping Out: On the (nearly lethal) comforts of a luxury cruise. Alone, neither part of that title would meet all the criteria I listed earlier. Yet together, they create a title that’s almost irresistible. (What was “nearly lethal”? I have to know!)

Essay database example: Wrap It Up: An Ode to the Burrito

Sum it up

Another strategy for writing good essay titles is to choose two or three words that sum up the main ideas of the essay—bonus points if these words seem oddly juxtaposed as this creates interest and attraction. Just be sure that they’re relevant.

While they aren’t essays, Jared Diamond’s book Guns, Germs, and Steel and Chuck Klosterman’s essay collection Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs are both fantastic examples of this titling strategy in action. How could you pass those up?

Essay database example: Scalpel, Forceps, Empathy: How My College Experiences Are Preparing Me to Become a Competent Doctor

Take a page (well, a phrase) from someone else’s book

Sometimes, great titles are right under your nose—maybe even in the text you’re analyzing. An especially provocative or descriptive line can really set the tone for your essay and save you a bit of brainstorming.

And sometimes, you may find inspiration from a piece of writing that you aren’t writing about. Consider Joan Didion’s famous essay collection and the essay of the same name, Slouching Towards Bethlehem. The title of this work was inspired by the last line of William Butler Yeats’ poem The Second Coming.

One thing to remember, though: if your snippet is a direct quotation, be sure to place it in quotation marks, as in the example below.

Essay database example: “Dark of the Invisible Moon”: Imagery in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

Get punny (if appropriate)

Clever wordplay has its place, including in essay titles. That said, there’s a fine line between funny and corny. Not all topics or essays are suited for a funny title. Use your best judgment, and keep your audience in mind.

Consider Donovan Hohn’s Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them. The title is cheeky yet descriptive and suits the subject well.

You can also balance your wit with a more buttoned-up subtitle to ensure that your work is still taken seriously. For instance, consider David Walter Toews’ book titled The Origin of Feces: What Excrement Tells Us about Evolution, Ecology, and a Sustainable Society.

Essay database example: Secrets of the C.I.A.: America’s Premier Chef’s School

Be provocative

Sometimes, the best essay title is simply a provocative statement that makes the reader feel just a tiny bit defensive or that speaks to an opinion the reader also holds. This titling strategy works especially well for argumentative and persuasive essays, in which you simply state your argument in the title. Pamela Druckerman’s Why French Parents Are Superior is a good example of such a title.

However, other types of non-argumentative yet controversial statements can also work. Consider Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian, a title that would have been particularly controversial in 1927, when it was originally published, or Mathew Ingram’s Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Dumber? Yes.

Essay database example: Why Donald Trump Will Never Be President of the United States 

Bonus tip: Study great titles

If you really want to improve your title-writing game, figure out what makes you want to read an essay or article. Scroll through an online magazine that tickles your fancy—The New Yorker, the Opinion section of The Wall Street Journal, Rookie, and Rolling Stone all publish great essays—and figure out what makes you want to click on a title.

This I Believe is another great source of inspiration, especially for titling personal essays. Check out the titles of the most viewed essays, and consider which ones you want to read and why.

Parting Thoughts

Ultimately, writing good essay titles takes time and practice. In fact, some bloggers spend half the time it takes to create a piece of writing working on the title.

While this is definitely overkill for a school assignment—after all, you’re not necessarily competing for attention among thousands of other writers—it gives you an idea of just how important the title is.

But most importantly, you have the strategies you need to give your essay the name it deserves. And if you’re not sure if your title fits your paper or really reels the reader in, ask a Kibin editor for an honest opinion—we’re always happy to help!

Happy writing!

What if I told you that I can teach you how to write an essay about pretty much anything under the sun?

Even … hmm …wombats.

“What? Why wombats?” you wonder. Well, for one, just look how flipping CUTE the little guy is.

But also, I want to make a point about this random noun I literally plucked out of thin air: no essay topic is actually impossible, as you will see.

In this post, I’m going to teach you how to write an essay on just about anything under the sun, from brainstorming through proofreading.

First, we’ll review the essential elements of a good essay, and then I’ll detail a foolproof process that will lead you to a unique, interesting essay on just about anything you — or your teacher — can imagine.

What Are the 3 Essential Elements of a Great Essay?

There are three essential elements every essay needs to be, well, an essay. These include:

1. a thesis,
2. broad appeal, and
3. structure.

Let’s break these elements down a little bit.

1. Thesis Statement

The most essential ingredient of a great essay is a clear central idea. This is usually called a thesis statement.

The thesis statement makes your purpose for writing clear. Your readers will know whether they should prepare to be entertained, informed, or so moved they’ll need to bring Kleenex.

The thesis also lays out your claims or opinions about your topic. It means taking a stand for what you believe to be true about your topic or what you will prove through your writing.

2. Broad Appeal

The second element of a great essay is broad appeal. By that, I mean that your essay needs to have meaning to your audience — not just yourself. An informative essay, for instance, should teach your audience something they might feasibly want to know.

This applies to personal essays, too. Even though the essay is about you, it should serve a larger purpose or highlight some truth about the world or how things work. If you are literally the only person on earth who cares about your topic, you could certainly still write an essay about it.

But what’s the point?

Ultimately, a great essay has to pass the “So what?” test.

Ultimately, a great essay has to pass the “So what?” test.
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No one should read your thesis — let alone reach the end of your conclusion — and be able to reasonably ask, “So what?”

3. Structure

Lastly, every essay needs a structure. It could have as few as three paragraphs — introduction, body, conclusion — or go on for pages and pages and pages. Either way, there should be a logical framework that guides the reader through your writing.

No matter what you’re writing about, these three elements will put you on the road to a great essay.

Now, let’s look at a process that walks you through how to write an essay — about anything!

How to Write an Essay that Rocks — Every Time

No matter what type of essay you’re writing or how long it will be, there is a set of reproducible steps you can take to prepare for writing, to write your paper, and to revise your writing. Best of all, you can adapt these steps to fit essay assignments ranging from 1 page to 100.

Step 1: Research your topic

Research can mean many things. In an literary analysis essay, your research might entail a close reading of a specific text or reading literary journals to determine what other critics have said about your topic.

And if you’re feeling a bit smug because you’re writing a personal essay and think you get to skip this step, think again. Research can also mean talking to others who share your memories of an event, digging through old photos for inspiration, and so forth.

If having an item, a fact, a figure, a quote, or a recollection will help you write a stronger, richer essay, then now is the time to go look for it.

Keep your eyes open for what Joe Bunting of The Write Practice calls “the story of surprise.” Jot down things that are surprising, shocking, or interesting about your topic during the research phase — these often lead to the best essays.

Take that sweet, cuddly wombat I mentioned earlier, for instance. In doing a little research, I found out that wombats poop cubes and use their armored butts as weapons. Color me surprised!

Step 2: Mull it over

Professor Cal Newton recommends that you take an “idea vacation” — hey, it’s not Hawaii, but it is free. He says that after you’ve done some research, but before you’ve pinned down your main idea, you should walk away from the computer. Just go be with your ideas.

I’m inclined to agree with him. Some of my best ideas have struck when I was washing the dishes, taking a walk, driving, or otherwise not at the keyboard. (I’m not sure that pondering wombat poop ranks among my best ideas).

Nonetheless, I absolutely recommend that you leave yourself enough time to take such a brainstorming break when your research is done.

I also want you to ignore your first few ideas. No, I mean it — throw them out. Poof! They’re gone.

Before you get mad at me for wasting your time, though, let me explain: don’t go with the low-hanging fruit. Your first few ideas about your topic are probably obvious and easy.

Think about it this way: if they’re the first things you thought of when considering your topic, they’re probably the things your audience would have thought of, too. Bo-ring.

When you feel as though you have some solid ideas for what you want to say about your topic, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Narrow your focus and write your thesis

Vacation over!

Now that you’ve had a bit of respite, you probably have a pretty good overview of your topic and some interesting ideas about how you will approach it. But now is the point when you want to narrow your focus and hone in on a thesis statement.

You don’t want your topic to be so broad that you can barely touch on one subtopic before moving on to the next. At the same time, you don’t want a topic so specific that you can barely find anything to say about it, either.

So how do you find the middle ground?

Let’s revisit our wombat friends to see this idea in action. An informative essay describing why wombats are all-around bad*sses? Yup, totally doable. But what if you’re limited to two pages?

Covering every facet of this critter’s awesomeness in so few pages would hardly do it justice. Therefore, I decided to focus on just one element: its bum.

I know, I know. But we’re all adults here, right? (Haha, wombat butts!) Thanks to my research, I now know that wombats have rather robust rumps that protect and serve them in a variety of ways. I could also feasibly cover that topic in detail in a short essay.

Therefore, I wrote the following thesis:

The wombat’s unique posterior sets the marsupial apart from other mammals and is key to its survival.

Okay, you try! Check out How to Write a Thesis Statement in 5 Simple Steps and What Twitter Can Teach You About Writing a Thesis Statement for some additional thesis statement tips and tricks.

Step 4: Outline your essay

Now that you have a main idea, it’s best to organize your ideas into an outline. In fact, by the time you’re done with this step, you’ll have the five most important sentences of your essay written.

Don’t feel as though you have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to your essay’s structure. Read How to Write a 5-Paragraph Essay Outline, How to Create a Powerful Argumentative Essay Outline, or Use this Expository Essay Outline to Stop Procrastinating for tips on outlining several different types of essays.

For my hypothetical essay outline, I’m using the basic 5-paragraph structure featuring an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your essay may have more or fewer paragraphs, but this is a great, basic structure to build upon.

You don’t have to write complete sentences to fill in an outline, but I recommend that you do. It’s just five sentences, after all: your thesis, a topic sentence for each paragraph, and a topic sentence for your conclusion that ties back to the thesis.

Check out my example below:

Step 5: Draft your essay

Phew, finally.

It probably seems like you’ve done a lot of work up to this point. (You have.) You might wonder whether all that was really necessary. (It was.)

But here’s the thing: by now, you know what you’re going to write about. You have sources to back up your claims. You know the structure your essay will take. And best of all, you already have the five most important sentences in your essay written.

All you have left to do is support the main ideas you’ve already written. You also need to lead into your thesis with a compelling hook.

And remember — just because your essay needs to have an introduction, body, and conclusion when you finish doesn’t mean you have to write them in that order.

Personally, I find it easiest to write the body first, then the introduction, and then the conclusion. This way, I can jump right into the meaty part of the essay without wasting a lot of time thinking about my hook, and I don’t have to try and introduce writing that doesn’t exist yet.

Lastly, to make the drafting process as painless as possible, just worry about getting words on the page at this point. Follow your outline, of course, but don’t worry too much about editing yourself or getting things ‘just so’ — the time will come for editing.

Step 6: Revise and proofread

If at all possible, wait a day, or at least a few hours, before moving on to this step. You’ll be more patient, less frustrated, and better able to spot issues in your writing.

Start the revision process by reading through your essay and looking for problems with flow, clarity, structure, and logic. It’s okay to fix grammar or punctuation errors at this point if you spot them, but don’t focus on surface-level issues until you’ve patched up the deeper problems first.

Once you’re feeling confident about your content, it’s time to proofread. Reading your essay out loud is one of the best ways to spot grammar and punctuation errors and issues with wording — give it a shot!

Running short on time or patience? Let us help with this step! A fresh set of eyes (from the pros, no less) can help you spot major issues with your organization or clarity, and we can ensure that your essay is in its best possible shape before you turn it in.

Final Thoughts on How to Write an Essay About Anything

The next time you’re assigned a groan-worthy essay topic, repeat after me: “At least it’s not wombat butts.”

Need more inspiration? Check out thousands of example essays written by students just like you.

And take heart — you not only know more about wombats’ rear-ends than you could ever want, but you also know exactly how to write an essay about pretty much anything your teacher can throw at you.

BRING IT.

I don’t have a hook problem, aside from the sick pleasure I glean from mangling popular song lyrics to suit my purpose, nor does Jay Z, if all those platinum albums are to be believed.

But if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you are struggling to write a hook sentence. Luckily, I’m here to help you solve your problem.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. First of all, what is a hook sentence, and why does a good hook sentence matter so much?

A hook sentence is a meaty opening line (or two) that grabs your reader’s attention and makes the rest of your essay (or article or letter or any piece of writing) irresistible.

Let’s try a thought experiment: Pretend you’re introducing a friend to your favorite restaurant. Now imagine that the cool fountain out front is gone, all the decor has been stripped from the interior, and there are no enticing smells to greet you at the front door.

The experience of eating there is totally different — and I dare say a little boring — when there’s nothing appealing about the first impression, right? Your friend would probably be baffled by the appeal and may not even want to sit down, even if the grub itself is fantastic.

An essay without a good hook sentence, no matter how well-written, is kind of like that drab restaurant. No matter how good the rest of the essay is, it’s essential that the first line whets the reader’s appetite.

It’s essential that the first sentence of your essay whets the reader’s appetite
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So to help you understand what a hook sentence is and how to write one, I’ve created an infographic that is all about hook sentences. This handy guide includes loads of helpful information:

• Questions to help you identify your audience. Do they have to read your writing, or do you have to work extra-hard to convince them to read it?

• Questions about your purpose for writing. Are you trying to inform, motivate, or entertain your reader?

• Hook writing tips and approaches. This includes several hook writing strategies, so you can pick the right one to suit your audience and purpose.

• Hook sentence examples. Each type of hook sentence is accompanied by an example so that you can see how these sentences might look at the beginning of a real-life essay.
  

So without further ado, check out the “What Is a Hook Sentence?” infographic, and be sure to read How to Write Good Hook Sentences for additional guidance.

What Is a Hook Sentence? (Infographic)

No no no, not that. They take notes!

Even the best of us have rather limited capacity for storing information in our brains, let alone knowing exactly where that information came from and being able to recall it when we need it for a specific purpose — like writing an essay. So we take notes to record said information.

Unfortunately, not all notes are equally useful. A handful of Post-Its and a crumpled pile of paper won’t be much help when you’re trying to outline your research essay.

So if you’re listening to lectures, reading books, and scouring the Web as part of the research process, why not make the most of your efforts by brushing up on some note taking strategies?

This blog post will give you 10 note taking strategies to write a better essay, but first let’s talk about why this strategy is important.

Why Take Notes Before Writing an Essay?

In my career as a student many, many, years ago, I would occasionally dive into drafting an essay or report without taking a single note on the topic. I’d sit down with a pile of books and my laptop and start writing, feeling rather smug.

And then I’d stop writing so that I could look something up.

And start again.

And stop. Wait, what page was that on?

And so it would continue until the wee hours of the morning, when I would kick myself pretty hard for trying to take the “easy” way out.

As you can imagine, this is a really inefficient way to write. It’s also a bit reckless, especially if you aren’t writing a reference list as you go. I can’t tell you how many times I thought, wait, did I think that…or did I read that…or did I hear that during class?

Eventually, I learned the value of taking good notes.

Note taking — which is any process that involves the recording of information from another source — eases the process of essay writing in a variety of ways. Note taking helps you

• identify what you already know,
• identify gaps in your knowledge,
• organize similar facts and bits of information,
• track and manage the sources you’ve consulted to prevent plagiarism, and
• recall relevant, essential facts and ideas as you write.

Oddly enough, even though note taking is an essential part of conducting research, chances are good that you’ve never been taught how to do it, or at least not how to do it effectively.

That’s why I’m going to share 10 note taking strategies for creating neat, orderly notes that not only keep your research organized, but that will also help you write your paper more efficiently.

10 Note Taking Strategies You Can Use for Your Next Assignment

While we often think of note taking as intuitive, it’s actually a skill that can be practiced and improved.

These 10 note taking strategies include a few unique note taking methods, tips for avoiding plagiarism, the pros and cons of digital note taking, and much more. Use them to help you devise your own note taking style to use as you prepare for your next essay.

Note Taking Methods

1. Try the Cornell method

Professor Walter Pauk of Cornell University devised this note taking strategy for college students in the 1950s, but it’s still relevant and useful today.

In this system, you divide a standard page into three areas: a narrow left column, a wide right column, and a box that spans the width of the page at the bottom. Each of the regions you create serves a specific purpose:

As you can see, the left column contains keywords, leading questions, or other “header” types of material to help you scan your notes quickly. The right column contains the more detailed information you wish to record. Then, you review and synthesize your notes after writing them, filling in the summary section at the bottom of the page.

You can draw the basic grid lines on any sheet of paper, or you can customize and print your own Cornell note taking sheets from WorksheetWorks.com.

2. Map your mind

If you’re the type of person who likes to visualize information or connections as you learn, graphic organizers are just the ticket. One of the most popular types of graphic organizer is known as a “mind map.” 

Mind mapping entails placing an idea (sometimes represented by an image) at the center of a page and then breaking the concept down into smaller parts via branching lines that extend in all directions.

Here’s a basic mind map about mind mapping (whoa…meta) I created with MindMup, a free mind-mapping tool:

(You can click to enlarge it.)

Because a mind map can incorporate different colors, fonts, images, and so forth, it’s a great note taking tool if you’re a visual learner.

Check out Lifehacker’s guide to creating mind maps, which includes loads of links to other mind-mapping tools and galleries of mind maps you can use for inspiration.

3. Make note cards

Using note cards is one of the most classic note taking strategies. Typically, each note card — index cards work perfectly for this — contains a single fact or quotation along with the source of the information.

Because each card contains only one piece of information, you can easily lay out your cards in front of you and categorize them by sub-topic, making it easy to see how the information will fit together in your paper.

For some examples of how you might organize your note cards, check out the note card system described by Gallaudet University’s English Center. Here’s an example of how the front and back of your note card might look:

Note Taking Mediums

4. Go digital

One of the best things about using digital note taking methods is that you can use your laptop or tablet to write and organize your notes. This can be an especially good note taking strategy if you have illegible handwriting, and it’s certainly better for the environment.

Apps such as Evernote, Microsoft’s OneNote, Simplenote, and others make it easy to jot down ideas while reading or listening to a lecture and store them on your device or in the cloud.

5. …or stay analog

If you prefer taking notes by hand, you’re in good company: a 2014 survey by Campusbooks.com revealed that 91% of college students prefer writing notes by hand.

Hand cramps aside, handwritten notes may be better for learning the material, too: according to Scientific American, writing notes by hand — which is slower than typing — improves comprehension by forcing you to summarize the material rather than recording it verbatim, leading to a deeper understanding of the topic.

Some professors are banning laptops in the classroom, too, making it even more important to have some old-school note taking skills.

Physical notes can be arranged and rearranged in front of you, making it easier to organize your information and outline your essay. If you use a mind map or another graphic organizer, you can also jazz it up with colored pencils, markers, or highlighters.

And when’s the last time your paper notebook crashed?

Keeping Your Sources Straight

6. Track your sources

Every time you record a fact, figure, or idea from a source in your notes, be sure that you record the bibliographic information for the source, too.

If you’re writing traditional notes or using note cards, you can easily record the source material at the top of each card or page or beneath each note. If you’re using a mind map or another graphic organizer to take your notes, consider keeping a running list of sources and assigning each a number. Then, record the associated number next to each fact or idea to save space.

7. Use the correct citation format

To save yourself even more time while writing your essay, record the source information in the citation format you will use in your essay. For example, if you know you will need to write APA citations in your essay, write down the information in the proper order now.

This way, you don’t have to hunt down an obscure book’s publishing information two hours before your paper is due.

Not that I’ve, uh, ever had to do that.

Miscellaneous Note Taking Strategies

8. Use your own words

Writing your notes in your own words is one of the best ways to avoid unintentional plagiarism. Check out the University of Wisconsin Writing Center’s guide to avoiding plagiarism for tips on paraphrasing effectively. Also read 10 Examples of Paraphrasing for a Smarter, Better Essay.

If you know that you want to quote a source verbatim, make sure that you record the quotation accurately and place it in quotation marks in your notes so that you know to quote it in your paper.

9. Keep it short and sweet

Note taking is not the time to write complete sentences, let alone paragraphs, unless you are quoting material. This is especially true if you’re taking notes during a film or lecture and are trying to divide your attention between writing and listening.

Instead, use short phrases and keywords in your notes, writing down just enough to jog your memory or convey a fact.

10. Use shortcuts

Symbols and abbreviations can help you record ideas more quickly, and they can also be helpful when you’re organizing your notes.

While you can come up with your own system of symbols and abbreviations, this handy list from the EAP Foundation should save you some time (and hand cramps).

The Takeaway

Taking notes is a fantastic way to compile information in preparation for writing an essay. At the very least, it frees up space in your head for more important knowledge, like the Konami Code or digits of pi.

With the note taking strategies, tips, and techniques I’ve described in this post, you can take great notes while researching your next essay topic. When you sit down to write, most of the work will already be done — what a nice gift for Future You!

Happy writing!

And while there are probably topics you could write about forever — an ode to your pillow or your deep, unabashed love for nineties sitcoms, for instance — there will be times when you simply run out of things to say before you reach your target word count.

So what do you do when you feel as though you’ve squeezed out every last word you can say about your topic, but your essay falls short of your goal?

This post will help you learn how to make an essay longer without resorting to useless fluff, purple prose, or 6 silly things the reader will totally notice (so don’t even bother).

How to Make an Essay Longer: Before You Write

Don’t underestimate the value of planning ahead. When you’re staring down a hefty page requirement, there are a few things you can do before you ever start writing to set yourself up for success.

1. Do lots of research. The more information you have about your topic from the get-go, the easier it is to write (and write, and write, and write some more).
2. Create a thorough outline. Planning what you will write in advance helps you organize your ideas and spot weaknesses in your arguments and ideas that you can elaborate on. Plus, it helps you write more quickly. (Need some help? Check out these posts on the expository essay outline or 5-paragraph essay outline for strategies you can use for papers of any length).
3. Broaden your topic (if necessary). Sometimes, after researching or thinking about your topic and creating an outline, you realize that you still don’t know enough about your topic to draft a complete essay. This doesn’t mean that your approach is wrong; sometimes the information simply isn’t there.

This is a good time to consider broadening the scope of your essay by…

…discussing a wider range of perspectives,

…examining a larger population,

…looking at a larger geographic area,

…considering a broader time span,

…etc.

And of course all of this planning works best when you start your essay well in advance of the deadline, so don’t procrastinate.

What happens if you use these strategies and still come up short?

How to Make an Essay Longer (the Obnoxious, Lazy Way)

Let me preface this section by acknowledging that you, dear reader, are a smart cookie. So I know that you would never resort to cheap padding strategies, right?

But just in case you’re tempted to quote like crazy or tweak the formatting to make an essay look longer and need a reminder of why that’s a bad idea, remember that it will be totally obvious (and super annoying) if you…

….increase the page margins.

….increase the font size (even if it’s just the periods — don’t!).

….choose an odd-looking font because it’s larger than average.

….add extra spaces after periods.

….add extra spaces between paragraphs.

….add long but ill-placed or irrelevant quotations to your essay.

People (ahem, your instructors) who read essays for a good chunk of the day are on to these tricks. In a stack of 20 or more essays, the one with the subtly larger font and and slightly wider margins will stick out!

Don’t believe me? Have a look at these two essays:

Adding a quarter inch to the margins and using a larger font does make the essay longer. But it creates a pretty obvious difference!

Furthermore if you turn your paper in electronically, your teacher might adjust the font/margin by default…then you’re totally busted, and your efforts were a total waste.

One more thing: don’t assume that an assignment with a required number of pages rather than words is a green light to go nuts with formatting.

This simply means that your instructor trusts that you are mature enough to hand in a paper with reasonable margins, a normal-sized font, and so forth.

Don’t abuse that trust!

Ultimately, the effort you put into adjusting the formatting or hunting for quotes could be better spent writing more content.

But as you will see in the next section, the kind of content you write matters.

How to Make an Essay Longer (and Ruin It in the Process)

Before you can make your essay longer the honest way — by adding more actual words — you need to know the difference between substance and, well, everything else.

Take fluff, for instance.

Fluff is awesome on chicks and bunnies, but it’s less awesome in writing. So what is fluff anyway?

Fluff is clutter, plain and simple. It’s writing that takes too many words to get to the point. And while it is a tempting means by which to lengthen your essay, it annoys your readers…and it’s easy to spot.

Fluff includes:

1. Stating the obvious
2. Saying rather than showing
3. Redundancy/repeating yourself
4. Using overly complex words/sentence structures
5. Overusing words like “very,” “really,” “rather,” etc.

“Purple prose” is another kind of fluff. This refers to flowery, over-the-top writing that is way too heavy with adverbs and adjectives.

Let’s look at a fluffy, purple example from a narrative or personal statement:

“It was in the great, shining city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that I instinctively drew my first breath.”

That’s a terribly dramatic and wordy way to say, “I was born in Philadelphia.”

Here’s another over-the-top example focused on a piece of literature. I’ll bold the fluff so you can follow along:

“The Great Gatsby is a very interesting novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author of the book uses many symbols that are utilized to symbolize certain things. The mysterious green light on Daisy’s dock is a symbol that the author uses to show the reader something.This rather important symbol represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of the future. Scholar T. Smith also states that this symbol is important in the book because it “reflects Gatsby’s future ambitions.”

Well, that says a whole lot of nothing. It’s repetitive, it’s wordy, it contains an unnecessary quotation, and reading it is not unlike wading through mud. Look how much that idea can be condensed when I take out the fluff:

“In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald includes a number of symbols, including the green light on Daisy’s dock that represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of the future.”

Much better.

Still not sure what constitutes fluff? Check out Stephanie Orges’ 47 words and phrases that slow your reader down for some great examples of fluffy constructions to avoid.

Also read How to Avoid Sticky Sentences and Be a Better Writer.

Now that you know how not to make your essay longer, let’s look at some legit strategies for bulking up your writing so that you end up with an essay that’s all killer, no filler.

Write an essay that’s all killer, no filler.
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How to Make an Essay Longer…and Better than Ever

There are plenty of ways to make an essay longer without sacrificing its readability or your reader’s sanity. Assuming that you already have your essay drafted, you can use one or more of the following strategies to generate real, substantial content.

1. Let someone else read your essay. Sure, you think that your essay is clear, persuasive, entertaining, and thorough, but sometimes we make silly leaps in logic that don’t work as well for our audience. Ask a trusted friend or a Kibin editor to look over your paper and make suggestions about where to add more details or support.

(Pro tip: For this reason, a lot of writers specifically request that I ask questions while I edit their papers. Don’t be afraid to ask!)

2. Look at your topic from a new angle. If you’re writing a persuasive or argumentative essay, consider counterarguments or alternate views. Addressing these arguments (and taking them down point by point) not only adds length to your essay, but it strengthens your own argument, too.

3. Think outside the box. The five-paragraph essay has its place when you are learning to compose an essay. Unless stated otherwise in an assignment, though, an essay can have 4 or 7 or 20 paragraphs! If you have a solid structure (a good outline helps), then don’t hem yourself in with arbitrary notions of what constitutes an essay.

4. Add more support. Depending on the type of essay you’re writing, “support” may include quotations and paraphrased information from research or anecdotes and examples from your own experience. Be sure that any support that you add actually strengthens the point you’re trying to make. Here are some of the most common types of support for different types of essays: 

5. Walk away for a while. Sometimes, all you need to renew your inspiration is to step away from your writing for a bit. This is a time-tested cure for writer’s block and is an important reason to start drafting your essay early — not, say, the night before it’s due.

If you can spare the time, set your essay aside for a couple days. If you’re staring down a deadline, even an hour or two away from your writing will help you revisit it with a fresh perspective and — hopefully — some new ideas.

Further Reading

Armed with the pre-writing and revising strategies outlined in this post, you now know how to make an essay longer and stronger without resorting to fluff, filler, or formatting ‘solutions’ that only waste your time and frustrate your reader.

If you’re new to writing essays longer than a few pages, check out Shawn Doyle’s post The Five-Paragraph Fix — How to Write Longer Essays for advice on tackling longer essays and why writing ten pages can eventually become easier than writing just 2.

Also, read these tips for writing longer papers from Hamilton College. This resource provides some great advice for organizing, researching, drafting and revising long essays and research papers so you don’t get stumped in the first place.

Happy writing!

D’oh!

Writing a research paper without providing appropriate citations is pretty similar, actually. Just as directions or an address would help your friends find the restaurant so that they can check it out, citations help your readers find the sources you consulted so that they can read them, too.

But citations serve one more important purpose, and that’s giving credit where credit is due. When you borrow an idea from someone else, you should always provide an appropriate citation to show that the idea is not your own.

There are lots of ways to cite sources, and how you handle it depends on your discipline — not your behavior, but your field of study. If you’re reading this post, your instructor has probably asked you to use the MLA citation format, and my crystal ball says that you’re probably writing a paper for English class — a literary analysis essay, perhaps? — or an essay for another course in the humanities.

Okay, okay, so I don’t have a crystal ball. But I do know that MLA, which stands for Modern Language Association, is the preferred citation format for papers related to language, literature, and related disciplines.

If you’ve never written MLA citations before, you’re probably feeling a little lost. Never fear! Like anything new, MLA citation format can be intimidating until you understand the system.

That’s why I’ve created this handy infographic to help you learn not only why MLA citation format matters, but also how to create MLA citations and where to put them. Best of all, it helps you knock out both parts of the citation — the Works Cited entry and the in-text citation — in just 4 quick steps.

Are you feeling ex-cited about MLA citation format? Well, probably not. But if you’re excited to cite your sources quickly and correctly so that you can get that paper off your plate and go hang out with your friends, then read on!

MLA Citation Format Made Easy (infographic)