We’ve looked at some of the essay writing style rules that you need to handle with care: libellous statements, exaggeration, conversational writing and pronoun genders. Here are a few more style tips that can help you write your essays in a scholarly way.
Essay topics: Humour
Avoid making jokes in your essay. This really isn’t the place for humour. You need to keep the focus on the strength of your argument at all times.
Choosing words: repetition
Using the same word over and over makes you look like a bad writer. When you proofread your essays highlight any repetition. If you can change the words by relying on your imagination, that’s great. If you need help with thinking of a different way to write the more obscure words or terms, refer to a thesaurus.
Essay writing mistakes: It’s all about me!
Don’t talk about yourself in your essay. The reader doesn’t need to know anything about your private life. Of course, the essay is a record of your thoughts and research, but try to keep yourself out of the text completely. Don’t write “My research shows…”, write “The research shows”. Avoid “I think that the data displays…”. Instead write “The data displays…”. Keeping yourself out of the writing makes your argument look stronger.
The essay’s bibliography
Don’t pad your bibliography with titles of books and journals that you have never read. Of course you want to produce a full reading list, but not at the expense of reality. If you haven’t read a particular title, how can you be sure that it really has relevance to this essay? Read widely during your essay preparation so that you can reference and record books you really did read.
Are there any other parts of your essay writing that are causing you trouble? Do you need other essay help? Please let us know. Post a comment below.
