process of thinking closely about your essay topic is called

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7 The Writing Process

Kathy Boylan

Communication skills, including writing, are some of the most important soft skills (employable skills that have more to do with emotional IQ such as common sense, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration) that students learn when they are in college because most professions require high competency in written communication, which can be a chance for one to shine or to falter. With emails, memos, letters, texts, and even Tweets, most people spend a fair amount of time at work communicating via the written word. Whether you are messaging a colleague, writing to your manager, creating the company newsletter, or writing a press release to the media, your writing skills can boost or hinder your career easily, even if you do not have a “writing” profession. Basically, writing skills make a difference in how you are perceived in college and in the workplace.  That is the reason it is important to be sure you are following expected guidelines, always using the steps of the writing process, and making sure that all of your writing is coherent, concise, credible, and correct.

1.       What is the writing process?

2.       What is prewriting?

3.        What is a thesis statement?

4.        How to organize and arrange.

5.        How to write a rough draft.

6.        What is revising?

7.        What is done during editing & proofreading & formatting?

8.        What are other types of academic writing?

1.   What is the writing process?

No matter what type of writing you are doing, academic writing, professional writing, or personal writing, it can be made easier by using the writing process.  The writing process consists of the different stages that a writer follows to produce a good piece of writing.  Although different sources may label and group the stages in various ways, the stages of the writing process are essentially as follows:

Prewriting – Deciding what to write about (the topic) and gathering information to support or explain what you want to say about your subject, and planning how to organize your ideas in a way that effectively develops the topic.

Drafting -Writing the first copy of the piece (essay, article, etc.). This is often called the rough draft. Ultimately, you should have multiple copies or drafts of your work.

Revising -Reconsidering the ideas and content of the essay as well as refining the style and structure of the paper.

Editing/Proofreading – Correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics.

Publishing – Sharing the final draft with others.

Figure 4.1 The Writing Process

However, the writing process is not a series of neatly developed steps and may differ somewhat for everyone.  Sometimes ideas do not flow easily, and the essay that you originally start out to write is not the essay that you end up writing.  Often the stages proceed erratically and overlap; the important thing is to keep writing and improving until a final product is achieved.  The more that you write, the better you will become as a writer.

2.   What is prewriting?

Prewriting describes all of the thinking and planning that precedes the actual writing of a paper.

Much careful thought needs to be given to the assignment in general at the beginning of prewriting before focusing on your topic.

• First, understand the writing assignment and its limits.  Consider the assignment’s length.  Always know the expected length of a writing assignment.  A two-page paper has a much narrower topic than a ten-page paper would have.  If there is no page limit, consider the nature of the assignment to suggest its length .  A summary of a chapter will be much shorter than the original chapter.  An analysis of a poem may likely be longer than the poem itself.
• Expressive writing conveys personal feelings or impressions to the audience.
• Informative writing enlightens the audience about something.
• Persuasive writing attempts to convince the audience to think or act in a certain way.

Other more specific purposes can include entertaining, analyzing, hypothesizing, assessing, summarizing, questioning, reporting, recommending, suggesting, evaluating, describing, recounting, requesting, and instructing.

• Next, determine the assignment’s audience .  You must determine to whom you are writing.  An audience can be an individual or a group.  An audience can be general or specialized.  Once you define your audience, you must determine how much the audience already knows about the subject to know how much or little background information should be included. You should also determine how best to approach your audience in terms of language, rhetorical strategies, purposes for reading, and background knowledge.
• Then devise the assignment’s occasion .  The occasion for which you are writing will determine the formality and scope of a writing project.  An in-class writing assignment will differ from an out-of-class formal assignment.  A memo for fellow office workers will differ from a report written for the company’s president.  A letter to an aunt will differ from a letter written to a bank to request a personal loan.
• Finally, assess your own previous knowledge of the subject . Before writing, you need to determine what you already know about a subject, what you need to find out about the subject, and what you think about the subject.  Personal essays draw upon your own experiences and observations; research essays require you to gain new knowledge through research.

Topic Choice

The next step in prewriting, and often the hardest, is choosing a topic for an essay if one has not been assigned.  Choosing a viable general topic for an assignment is an essential step. Sometimes your instructor will give you an idea to begin an assignment, and other times your instructor will ask you to come up with a topic on your own. A captivating topic covers what an assignment will be about and fits the assignment’s purpose and its audience.  There are various methods you may use to discover an appropriate topic for your writing.

Using Experience and Observations

When selecting a topic, you may also want to consider something that interests you or something based on your own life and personal experiences. Even everyday observations can lead to interesting topics. After writers think about their experiences and observations, they often take notes on paper to better develop their thoughts. These notes help writers discover what they have to say about their topic.

Have you seen an attention-grabbing story on your local news channel? Many current issues appear on television, in magazines, and on the Internet. These can all provide inspiration for your writing. Our library’s database   (http://infoguides.virginiawestern.edu/az.php)  Issues and Controversies is a first-rate source.

Reading plays a vital role in all the stages of the writing process, but it first figures in the development of ideas and topics. Different kinds of documents can help you choose a topic and develop that topic. For example, a magazine advertising the latest research on the threat of global warming may catch your eye in the supermarket. This cover may interest you, and you may consider global warming as a topic, or maybe a novel’s courtroom drama sparks your curiosity of a particular lawsuit or legal controversy.  After you choose a topic, critical reading is essential to the development of a topic. While reading almost any document, you evaluate the author’s point of view by thinking about his main idea and his support. When you judge the author’s argument, you discover more about the author’s opinion as well as your own. If these steps already seem daunting, remember that even the best writers need to use prewriting strategies to generate ideas.

The steps in the writing process may seem time consuming at first, but following these steps will save you time in the future. The more you plan in the beginning by reading and using prewriting strategies, the less time you may spend writing and editing later because your ideas will develop more swiftly.  Prewriting strategies depend on your critical reading skills. Reading prewriting exercises (and outlines and drafts later in the writing process) will further develop your topic and ideas. As you continue to follow the writing process, you will see how to use critical reading skills to assess your own prewriting exercises.

Freewriting

Freewriting (also called brainstorming) is an exercise in which you write freely (jot, list, write paragraphs, dialog, take off on tangents: whatever “free” means to you) about a topic for a set amount of time (usually three to five minutes or until you run out of ideas or energy). Jot down any thoughts that come to your mind. Try not to worry about what you are saying, how it sounds, whether it is good or true, grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Instead, write as quickly as you can without stopping. If you are stuck, just copy the same word or phrase repeatedly until you come up with a new thought or write about why you cannot continue. Just keep writing; that is the power of this technique!

Writing often comes easier when you have a personal connection with the topic. Remember, to generate ideas in your freewriting, think about readings that you have enjoyed or that have challenged your thinking. Then write about it. Doing this may lead your thoughts in interesting directions.  Quickly recording your thoughts on paper will help you discover what you have to say about a topic. When writing quickly, try not to doubt or question your ideas, but if you do, write those, too. Allow yourself to write freely and unselfconsciously. Once you start writing with few limitations, you may find you have more to say than you first realized. Your flow of thoughts can lead you to discover more ideas about the topic as well as different perspectives on it. Freewriting may even lead you to discover another topic that excites you even more than your original idea.  Freewriting can also be used to narrow a topic and/or to develop supporting ideas once a broad topic has been chosen.

Journaling is another useful strategy for generating topic and content ideas. Journaling can be useful in exploring different topic ideas and serve as possible topic ideas for future papers.

Some prewriting strategies can be used together. For example, you could use experience and observations to come up with a topic related to your course studies. Then you could use freewriting to describe your topic in more detail and figure out what you have to say about it.

Focusing Topic

Once a general topic has been assigned to or chosen by you, then you must decide on the scope of the topic.  Broad topics always need to be narrowed down to topics that are more specific.  Then you need to determine what you are going to say about a subject.  Two ways to help narrow a general subject down to a narrower topic are probing and focused freewriting .

• Probing is asking a series of questions about the topic. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? As you choose your topic, answering these questions can help you revisit the ideas you already have and generate new ways to think about your topic. You may also discover aspects of the topic that are unfamiliar to you and that you would like to learn more about. All these idea-gathering techniques will help you plan for future work on your assignment.

For example, if you were writing about tattoos, then you might ask yourself the following questions:   Who do you know that has tattoos or who are some celebrities with memorable tattoos?   What kinds of tattoos do people usually get–what symbols and what words?   Where do people place tattoos on their bodies or where do people go to get tattoos–tattoo parlors?   When do people get tattoos–is it after some memorable event or life stage?   Why do people get tattoos? Finally, how do people get tattoos–what is the actual process?

• Focused Freewriting is freewriting again and again with each freewriting cycle becoming more focused (also called looping ), and it can yield a great deal of useful material. Try this by taking the most compelling idea from one freewriting and starting the next with it.

Developing a Topic

The following checklist can help you decide if your narrowed topic is a possible topic for your assignment:

• Why am I interested in this topic?
• Would my audience be interested and why?
• Do I have prior knowledge or experience with this topic? If so, would I be comfortable exploring this topic and sharing my experiences?
• Why do I want to learn more about this topic?
• Is this topic specific? What specifics or details about this topic stand out to me?
• Does it fit the purpose of the assignment, and will it meet the required length of the assignment?

3. What is a thesis statement?

Once the topic has been narrowed to a workable subject, then determine what you are going to say about it; you need to come up with your controlling or main idea.  A thesis is the main idea of an essay.  It communicates the essay’s purpose with clear and concise wording and indicates the direction and scope of the essay.  It should not just be a statement of fact nor should it be an announcement of your intentions.  It should be an idea, an opinion of yours that needs to be explored, expanded, and developed into an argument .

A thesis statement:

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick ; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence somewhere in the introductory paragraph that presents the writer’s argument to the reader. However, as essays get longer, a sentence alone is usually not enough to contain a complex thesis.  The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the readers of the logic of their interpretation.

If an assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that the writer needs a thesis statement because the instructor may assume the writer will include one. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively.

How do I get a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. (See chapter on argument for more detailed information on building an argument.)   Once you have done this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you can support with evidence.  It is deemed a “working thesis” because it is a work in progress, and it is subject to change as you move through the writing process.  Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic to arrive at a thesis statement.

For example, there is the question strategy. One way to start identifying and narrowing a thesis idea is to form a question that you want to answer. For example, if the starting question was “Do cats have a positive effect on people with depression? If so, what are three effects? The question sends you off to explore for answers. You then begin developing support. The first answer you might find is that petting cats lowers blood pressure, and, further question how that works. From your findings (research, interviews, background reading, etc.), you might detail how that happens physically or you might describe historical evidence. You could explain medical research that illustrates the concept. Then you have your first supporting point — as well as the first prong of your thesis: Cats have a positive effect on people with depression because they can lower blood pressure . . . . When you start with a specific question and find the answers, the argument falls into place. The answer to the question becomes the thesis, and how the answer was conceived becomes the supporting points (and, usually, the topic sentences for each point).

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there is time, run it by the instructor or make an appointment at the Composition and Literature Center to get some feedback (https://www.howardcc.edu/programs-courses/academics/academic-divisions/english-world-languages/resources/). Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own.

When reviewing the first draft and its working thesis, ask the following:

• Is my thesis statement an opinion , and is it a complete thought?   Beware of posing a question as your thesis statement.  Your thesis should answer a question that the audience may have about your topic.  Also, be sure that your thesis statement is a complete sentence rather than just a phrase stating your topic.
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it is possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement provable ? Can I establish the validity of it through the evidence and explanation that I offer in my essay?
• Is my thesis statement specific ? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: W hy is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It is okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

To create a thesis statement simply follow this formula:

TOPIC  +  CLAIM  =  THESIS STATEMENT

• Animals + Dogs make better pets than cats. =When it comes to animals, dogs make better pets than cats because they are more trainable, more social, and more empathetic.
• Movies & Emotions + Titanic evoked many emotions. = The movie Titanic evoked many emotions from an audience.
• Arthur Miller & Death of a Salesman + Miller’s family inspired the Loman family. = Arthur Miller’s family and their experiences during the Great Depression inspired the creation of the Loman family in his play Death of a Salesman .

For more information on bad, good and better thesis statements from the writing center at the University of Evansville, go here (https://tinyurl.com/y8sfjale).

Exercise: Creating Effective Thesis Statements

Using the formula, create effective thesis statements for the following topics:

• Drone Technology
• Helicopter Parents

Then have a partner check your thesis statements to see if they pass the tests to be strong thesis statements.

Once a working thesis statement has been created, then it is time to begin building the body of the essay.  Get all of the key supporting ideas written down, and then you can begin to flesh out the body paragraphs by reading, asking, observing, researching, connecting personal experiences, etc. Use the information from below to maintain the internal integrity of the paragraphs and smooth the flow of your ideas.

4. How to organize and arrange?

Once you have generated supporting ideas for the main idea of your paper, you need to arrange those ideas in some type of order. Clustering and outlining can help organize the ideas.

Clustering (also called idea mapping) is a way of visually arranging ideas. Begin clustering by writing the topic in the center of a sheet of paper. Circle the topic, and then surround it with words and phrases that identify the major points to be discussed in the paper. Continue the process until all supporting details and secondary details have been listed. Many writers like this method because the shapes show how the ideas relate or connect, and writers can find a focused topic from the connections mapped. Using clustering, you might discover connections between topics that you had not thought of before.

Figure 4.2 Clustering

Outlining lists the major supporting details in a tentative order and includes secondary supporting details.

Figure 4.3 Traditional Formal Outline

Before you write, you need to decide how to organize your ideas.  You need to determine the rhetorical mode(s) that will be used and the order of the supporting ideas. Simplistically speaking, there are nine basic rhetorical modes .  They are as follows:   narration, description, exemplification, process, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, classification and division, definition, and argument.  However, most complex writing begins with an argument of some sort and then uses a combination of modes to relay one’s message.

Structure of a Paragraph and Essay

All formal paragraphs and essays have a title , a beginning or an introduction , a middle-a body of supporting paragraphs , and an end or conclusion .

A title is at the top of your paragraph or essay, but it is often the last thing that you create because until the paper is complete, you do not really know what your final product will be.  A good title makes people want to read your paper; it does not merely repeat the topic sentence or thesis statement; it hints at your main idea.  It is not a complete sentence, but it is a phrase or phrases that indicate your topic.

An effective introduction captures your readers’ attention and arouses their curiosity.  In a paragraph, it is often your topic sentence, and in an essay, it usually includes your thesis statement, which narrows your subject, claims something specific and significant, and conveys your purpose and often your form of organization.  You can include a question, tell a story, use a quotation, give interesting facts or statistics, give background information, or outline a problem and/or a solution.   Do not tell the reader what your topic is–show them.  Do not be vague and mysterious.  Do not refer back to your title.  Do not apologize for what you are about to say, and be original.  The important thing is that you hook your readers’ attention and motivate them to continue reading.

Your body of supporting evidence should be organized, unified and coherent.  The support can be organized using chronological order, spatial order, or emphatic order.  Each supporting detail should have its own topic sentence and be developed with valuable supporting details.  In an essay, the supporting ideas should support your thesis statement.   You should use transitional words or phrases to establish connections between paragraphs and different ideas.  You should use parallel structure   throughout your paper and use repetition sparingly and only when it is effective and necessary.  Be consistent in tense, number, and person throughout your paper as well.  The entire body of supporting evidence should be focused on supporting your main idea without straying off topic or including unrelated ideas.

Your conclusion should let the readers know that you are finished and not leave them with any unanswered questions.  It may recommend a call to action, or it may just summarize a long and complex paper.  The conclusion may repeat some of the ideas from the introduction, but it should not be a replica of that paragraph.  It may restate your main idea.  The conclusion can be either hopeful or hopeless depending on the mood of your paper.  You may leave your reader with some final important facts, or a compelling example, or a final visual image.   It is important that you do not go off in a new direction in your conclusion.  Do not make sweeping generalizations, and again do not apologize for any of your ideas.  Once these arrangements and ideas have been decided, then an outline should be constructed.

Figure 4.4 The Essay Structure

Using a Clear Organizational Pattern

Depending on your topic, you might find it beneficial to use one of these common organizational patterns, either within individual paragraphs or within the entire essay:

5. How to Write a Rough Draft.

Make the Writing Process Work for You! What makes the writing process beneficial to writers is that it encourages alternatives to standard practices and motivates you to develop your best ideas. For instance, the following approaches, done alone or in combination with others, may improve your writing and help you move forward in the writing process:

• Begin writing with the part you know the most about. The purpose of a first draft is to get ideas down on paper that can then be revised.  Consider beginning with the body paragraphs and drafting the introduction and conclusion later. You can start with the third point in your outline if ideas come easily to mind, or you can start with the first or second point   Although paragraphs may vary in length, keep in mind that short paragraphs may contain insufficient support. Readers may also think the writing is abrupt. Long paragraphs may be wordy and may lose your reader’s interest. As a guideline, try to write paragraphs longer than one sentence but shorter than the length of an entire double-spaced page.
• Write one supporting point at a time and then stop. As long as you complete the assignment on time, you may choose how many paragraphs you complete in one sitting. Pace yourself. On the other hand, try not to procrastinate. Writers should always meet their deadlines.
• Take short breaks to refresh your mind. This tip might be most useful if you are writing a multipage report or essay. Still, if you are antsy or cannot concentrate, take a break to let your mind rest, but do not let breaks extend too long. If you spend too much time away from your essay, you may have trouble starting again. You may forget key points or lose momentum. Try setting an alarm to limit your break, and when the time is up, return to your desk to write.
• Be reasonable with your goals. If you decide to take ten-minute breaks, try to stick to that goal. If you told yourself that you need more facts, then commit to finding them. Holding yourself to your own goals will create successful writing assignments.
• Keep your audience and purpose in mind as you write. These aspects of writing are just as important when you are writing a single paragraph for your essay as when you are considering the direction of the entire essay.
• Of all of these considerations, keeping your purpose and your audience at the front of your mind is key to writing success. If your purpose is to persuade, for example, you will present your facts and details in the most logical and convincing way you can for the particular audience you have in mind. If your audience dwells on logic, for example, points that use reason, facts, documented information, and the like, will provide the persuasion to which those readers best respond. Some writers find it useful to keep the purpose and audience at the top of every page, highlighted in some way, as a reminder of the targets of each point.
• Your purpose will guide your mind as you compose your sentences. Your audience will guide word choice. Are you writing for experts, for a general audience, for other college students, or for people who know very little about your topic? Keep asking yourself what your readers, with their background and experience, need to know to understand your ideas. How can you best express your ideas, so they are meaningful and memorable and your communication is effective?
• Write knowing that the revision and editing processes lie ahead, so leave plenty of time for those stages.

You may want to identify your purpose and audience on an index card that you clip to your paper (or keep next to your computer). On that card, you may want to write notes to yourself—perhaps about what that audience might not know or what it needs to know—so that you will be sure to address those issues when you write. It may be a good idea to state exactly what you want to explain to that audience, or the subject about which you want to inform them or persuade them.

Writing at Work

Many of the documents you produce at work target a particular audience for a particular purpose. You may find that it is highly advantageous to know as much as you can about your target audience and to prepare your message to reach that audience, even if the audience is a coworker or your boss. Menu language is a common example. Descriptions like “organic romaine” and “free-range chicken” are intended to appeal to a certain type of customer though perhaps not to the same customer who craves a thick steak. Similarly, mail-order companies research the demographics of the people who buy their merchandise. Successful vendors customize product descriptions in catalogs to appeal to their buyers’ tastes. For example, the product descriptions in a skateboarder catalog will differ from the descriptions in a clothing catalog for mature adults.

Tips to Avoid Writer’s Block

Set up scheduled times to write and set deadlines to accomplish different parts of your essay, and avoid perfectionism–that comes later in the writing process.

Maintaining Internal Integrity of Paragraphs

A paragraph needs to provide links between the ideas, and here are techniques that you can put into practice.

Using Transitions

Transitions within paragraphs are words that connect one sentence to another so that readers can follow the intended meanings of sentences and relationships between sentences. Transitions may also smooth the flow between body paragraphs.  The following table shows some commonly used transition words:

6.   What Is revising?

Once a rough draft is created, take some time to step away from the essay to get a newer and better perspective.  Then begin revising.  Revising means reexamining and rethinking the first draft, adding and deleting ideas extensively; rearranging any of the ideas, sentences, or paragraphs in the first draft; rewriting sentences and paragraphs for more variety, better flow, and more precise word choices.  Often times, you may have three or four drafts before you are finally satisfied with a final draft.  For easier revision, follow the following tips:

• Take time between the first draft and the later revisions to approach it more objectively.
• Revise on hard copy rather than on the computer screen.  Do not delete any drafts!  Do label each successive one. Allow yourself and others to annotate (comment on and give suggestions to improve) your draft.
• Read the draft aloud.  Better yet, have someone else read it aloud.
• Take advantage of opportunities to get feedback; however, do not become overwhelmed by feedback.
• Do not allow ego to get in the way of a successful paper.
• Revise for overall meaning and structure. Does the essay develop a central point clearly and logically and are the purpose, tone, and point-of-view suited for the audience of the essay?
• Revise for paragraph development. Check that your paragraphs are logically ordered, unified, and specific.
• Revise sentence structure. Make your sentences consistent with your overall tone, varied in type and length, emphatic, and economical.
• Finally, revise for word choices. Aim for an appropriate level of diction, word choices that do not overstate or understate, specific rather than general terms, strong verbs, only necessary modifiers, and original and nonsexist language.
• When you get your essays back, read the essay and heed your instructor’s comments.  They can help improve your future essays.  If you do not understand your grade or the instructor’s comments, schedule a conference to discuss them with her.  As you revise your future essays, revisit the mistakes made before and be sure you avoid repeating them.

7.   What is done during editing & proofreading & formatting?

• To edit , search for grammatical errors, check punctuation, check spelling, and look over sentence style and word choices one last time. See chapters 8 , 9 , and 10 for additional help.
• To proofread , look for surface errors, such as typos, incorrect spacing, or formatting problems.
• To format , be sure that you are following the formatting style your instructor requires whether it is Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), etc. For more information, see the Brown Library Citation Styles Guide (http://infoguides.virginiawestern.edu/citations).
• Overall, look carefully for any error, large or small, that may weaken the essay’s message or undermine its credibility.

8. What are other types of academic writing?

There are many different types of writing that you will be asked to create during your academic and professional careers.  Always be clear what your boss or professor expects in an assignment before you begin writing.  Below is just a sample of the various assignments you may be given:

Personal/reflective writing assig nment–personal expression about an experience, event, situation, or information.

Expository writing assignment –writing that explains, describes, or informs.

Case study –a written report about a situation, group, or person that one has studied.

Review –summarizing as well as analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a piece of writing, a show, or an event.

Technical report –clear, detailed report of the procedures undertaken and the results obtained during a scientific or technical procedure.

Lab report –writing that details the steps taken and the results of a scientific experiment.

Book report –writing that summarizes the contents of a book as well as some commentary concerning the writer’s opinion of the book.

Critical analysis/critique –writing an informed review and an analysis of the significance of a piece of writing or an event.

Bibliography –writing a full list of all resources consulted during a research project.

Annotated bibliography –writing not only a list of all resources consulted for a research project, but also including a summary and analysis of each resource.

Literature review –writing that focuses on a specific research topic and the critical aspects of the literature consulted during the research process.

Research paper –the final product following an extended period of research, critical thinking, and composition that encompasses the writer’s own ideas supported by a combination of primary and secondary sources.

E-mail –writing in electronic mail

Web writing –writing web content, which needs to be direct, concise, and credible.

Oral presentation of written report –developing an effective summary of a project to be delivered in front of an audience; may include visual aids.

Midterm/final exam essay –exams often include short essay questions that need to be written in a short amount of time.

Resume & other ‘business’ writing –writing that must communicate pertinent information in a concise, easy-to-read format.

Key Takeaways

• All writers rely on steps and strategies to begin the writing process.
• The steps in the writing process are prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing.
• Prewriting is the transfer of ideas from abstract thoughts into words, phrases, and sentences on paper.
• A good topic interests the writer, appeals to the audience, and fits the purpose of the assignment.  Writers often choose a general topic first and then narrow the focus to a more specific topic.
• A strong thesis statement is key to having a focused and unified essay.
• Rough drafts are opportunities to get ideas down onto paper to get a first look at how your ideas will work together.
• Revising improves your writing as far as supporting ideas, organization, sentence flow, and word choices.
• Editing spots and corrects any errors in grammar, mechanics, spelling, and formatting.
• Regardless of the type of assignment you may be given in college or in work, it benefits you to follow a writing process, to put in the work necessary to understand your subject and audience, and to communicate your ideas confidently and coherently.

CC Licensed Content, Shared Previously

English Composition I , Lumen Learning, CC-BY 4.0.

Rhetoric and Composition , John Barrett, et al., CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Writing for Success , CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.

Image Credits

Figure 4.1 “The Writing Proces,” Kalyca Schultz, Virginia Western Community College, CC-0, .

Figure 4.2 “Clustering,” Kalyca Schultz, Virginia Western Community College, CC-0.

Figure 4.3 “Traditional Formal Outline,” Kalyca Schultz, Virginia Western Community College, CC-0.

Figure 4.4 “The Essay Structure,” Kalyca Schultz, Virginia Western Community College, CC-0.

Figure 4.5 “Point of View,” Kalyca Schultz, Virginia Western Community College, CC-0.

The Writing Process Copyright © 2021 by Kathy Boylan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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75 Critical Thinking Essay Topics

Critical thinking requires students to think for themselves, question everything, and look at both sides of an issue before coming to a conclusion. In critical thinking essay writing, these same skills are applied to examine a topic more closely. In this type of essay, the writer must not only present their own opinion on the subject but must also back it up with evidence and reasoning.

Critical thinking essays can be challenging to write depending on the topic, course, and length of the assignment. However, there are some tips and tricks that can make the process a little bit easier. Take a look at our detailed guide breaking down the components of an excellent critical thinking essay, and consider using any of our 75 critical thinking essay topics at the end to get started.

Essential Things to Consider When Writing a Critical Thinking Essay

When writing a critical thinking essay, students must look past surface-level information and delve deeper into the subject matter. This requires a lot of research and analysis, which can be tough for some students. However, if you take the time to plan your essay and follow these tips, you should be able to write a great critical thinking essay that will impress your instructor.

1. Do Your Research

Before you can start writing your essay, you need to make sure that you have enough evidence to support your claims. This means doing a lot of research on your topic. Try to find reliable sources from experts in the field that you can use to back up your points. Once you have gathered all of your evidence, you can plan out your essay.

2. Create An Outline

An outline will help keep your thoughts organized and ensure that you don’t forget any vital information. Your outline should include a thesis, an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each part of your outline should also have a few key details that you want to discuss to help make the writing process go smoothly.

3. Write A Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement is the most essential part of your essay. It should be a clear and concise statement that presents your argument. Your thesis statement should be included in your introduction and reaffirmed in your conclusion.

It is important to note that because this is a critical thinking essay, your thesis should be more than just a statement of fact. Instead, it should be an arguable claim that you will be defending throughout your essay.

For example, if you are writing about the death penalty, your thesis statement needs to be more than, “The death penalty is wrong.” This thesis doesn’t leave room for discussion or debate. A better thesis statement would be, “The death penalty is a violation of human rights and it should be abolished.” This thesis statement presents an argument that can be debated and discussed.

4. Write The Introduction

Your introduction should start with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. You can use a surprising statistic, a quote, or a rhetorical question. After the hook, you should provide some background information on your topic. This will help orient the reader and give them context for your argument. Finally, you should end your introduction with your thesis statement.

5. Write The Body Paragraphs

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the paragraph’s main point. The rest of the paragraph should be used to support this point with evidence and reasoning. You should have at least three body paragraphs in your essay, but you can have more if needed.

Pro Tip: Critical thinking essays examine and analyze – they don’t just restate facts. When presenting your evidence, be sure to discuss it critically. What are the implications of this evidence? How does it support your argument?

6. Write The Conclusion

The conclusion of a critical thinking essay should be just as strong as the introduction. You should start by restating your thesis statement. Then, you should provide a brief summary of the main points of your essay. Finally, you should end with a strong closing statement that leaves the reader thinking about your argument long after they finish reading, such as a call to action or a final thought-provoking question.

Citing Sources in a Critical Thinking Essay

Since this type of essay will rely on evidence and reasoning, it is important to use credible sources. Be sure to only use reliable sources from experts in the field. When you do use sources, be sure to cite them properly. This will show that you are using other people’s work ethically, and it will also help strengthen your argument by showing that you have looked at the issue from multiple perspectives.

Citing sources has many different rules that you will need to follow depending on the formatting style that you are using. The most common formatting styles are MLA, APA, and Chicago. Be sure to check with your professor to see which style they prefer before you start writing your essay.

When citing in MLA format, you’ll need to use in-text citations. These are brief citations included in the body of your essay whenever you use a source. The full citation for each source is listed in the Works Cited section at the end of your paper.

When citing in APA format, you’ll need to use in-text citations and a reference list. The in-text citations are brief citations included in the body of your essay whenever you use a source. The reference list is a list of all the sources that you used – usually included at the end of your paper.

When citing in Chicago style, you’ll need to use footnotes or endnotes. These are brief citations at the bottom of each page (footnotes) or the end of your paper (endnotes).

Any of these 75 critical thinking essay topics will help students struggling to find an arguable and interesting topic.

Critical Thinking Essay Topics About Social Issues

• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is capitalism good or bad?
• Is socialism a viable alternative to capitalism?
• Does religion do more harm than good?
• Should creationism be taught in schools?
• Is the death penalty ethical?
• Are zoos cruel?
• Is it ethical to eat meat?
• Is climate change real?
• Who is responsible for climate change?
• Should wealthy nations do more to help developing nations?
• Is immigration a good or bad thing?
• What are the root causes of terrorism?
• Is terrorism ever justified?
• Are gun laws too strict or not strict enough?
• Is healthcare a human right?
• Should abortion be legal?
• What are the ethical implications of stem cell research?
• What should be done about the global water crisis?
• How can we best help refugees?

Critical Thinking Essay Topics About General Issues

• Should people be judged by their looks?
• Is it better to be single or in a relationship?
• Are men and women equal?
• Should parents be held responsible for their children’s actions?
• Is it better to grow up with siblings or as an only child?
• Should the drinking age be lowered?
• Is drug legalization a good or bad idea?
• What are the best ways to deal with stress?
• How can we prevent bullying?
• Are social media and technology making us more or less connected?
• Should parents monitor their children’s internet use?
• Should schools ban cell phones?
• How can we reduce the number of teenage pregnancies?
• What is the best way to deal with teenage rebellion?
• Is homeschooling a good or bad idea?
• Should all students be required to learn a foreign language?
• Should schools start later in the morning?
• Are there better alternatives to traditional schooling?
• Is college tuition too high?
• Should student loans be forgiven?
• Should colleges be free to attend?
• What are the best ways to prepare for a job interview?
• How can we better retain employees?
• What are the best ways to motivate employees?
• How can we reduce workplace stress?
• Should remote working be encouraged?
• What are the pros and cons of globalization?
• Is consumerism a good or bad thing?
• How can we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels?

Critical Thinking Essay Topics About The Environment and Conservation

• What are the best ways to reduce pollution?
• Should we be doing more to conserve water?
• How can we reduce food waste?
• Is nuclear energy a good or bad thing?
• What are the best ways to deal with climate change?
• Is overpopulation a real problem?
• What can we do to reduce our reliance on plastic?
• Should we be doing more to protect endangered species?
• How can we best preserve our natural resources?
• What is the best way to deal with hazardous waste?
• What are the best ways to reduce deforestation?

Critical Thinking Essay Topics About Technology

• Should we be doing more to regulate the internet?
• How can we best protect our privacy online?
• What are the best ways to deal with cyberbullying?
• Is social media a good or bad thing?
• Are we too reliant on technology?
• What are the best ways to deal with data breaches?
• Should we be worried about artificial intelligence?
• What are the best ways to deal with tech monopolies?

Critical Thinking Essay Topics About American Classics

• Explore the theme of capitalism in Fight Club.
• What is the significance of the title The Great Gatsby?
• Is Atticus Finch a good father?
• What is the significance of the title To Kill a Mockingbird?
• Is Holden Caulfield a sympathetic character?
• How does Steinbeck portray the American dream in The Grapes of Wrath?
• How does Fitzgerald use symbolism in The Great Gatsby?

When writing on any of these 75 critical thinking essay topics, be sure to support your position with solid reasoning, examples, and evidence.

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• The Writing Process
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• Unity and Coherence in Essays
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• Paragraphs and Essays

What is an outline?

An outline of an academic essay contains the thesis and brief information about the proof paragraphs. .

The  proof paragraphs  are the paragraphs between the introduction paragraph and the concluding paragraph.  Proof paragraphs contain evidence, also called supporting details, that the thesis is accurate.

An outline  is like a skeleton of the essay.  Outlines for academic essays and research papers that are not reports on research or other specialized report have a very specific organization.  Here is a sample for a 500-word essay.  The number of body paragraphs will vary, generally from two to four, for a 500-word essay.

Thesis and Supporting Details (Body Paragraphs)

Thesis : A one-sentence answer taking a position on the research question or, if assigned a topic and not a question, the thesis is a one-sentence statement taking a position on a controversial aspect of the topic.  The thesis must be a statement, not a question.  The thesis must be a sentence, not a topic.  See Thesis in Related Links on the right sidebar..

I. One reason why your thesis is accurate.

A.  Supporting detail

B.  Supporting detail

II. Second reason why your thesis is accurate.

III.  Third reason why your thesis is accurate.

A. Supporting detail

B. Supporting detail

Concluding paragraph

  sums up proof and restates thesis and/or draws an implication from the information presented as to significance depending upon instructions..

For a shorter essay, possibly only two body paragraphs will be needed.  For a longer essay, you may need more proof paragraphs.  

Note that the outline begins with the thesis statement.  What you intend to put into the introduction paragraph as background information leading up the thesis is not part of the outline.

Note that I, II, and III represent what will go into the body (proof paragraphs).

Note that the outline does not ordinarily include a reference to the concluding paragraph even though we have listed it above, but all essays must have a concluding paragraph.

How outlining helps in writing an essay

There are three ways that an outline can help you in writing your essay..

It helps to organize your thought or research, if you are writing a research paper, into a writing plan.

It can also help you decide what information should be included and which information is not really needed.

Finally, it can also help you manage the large amount of information you need to sort in order to write a well supported paper.

Once you have an outline, you can actually write the essay from the outline.  Just open the file, delete the word Thesis and the paragraph numbering, add background information before the thesis, develop details for each proof paragraph, and write the concluding paragraph.

How to create an outline

An outline must start with a thesis statement: a one-sentence statement (not a question) taking a position answering a research question (if given a research question to answer) or taking a position on a controversial aspect of a topic (if given a topic on which to write a paper).

Sometimes, you know your position and can easily start with a thesis. If you also know your reasons why you are taking that position, you can simply list your reasons (I, II, …).

At other times, you may not be sure and have to do some thinking or research on the issue.   Let’s take the question “Why don’t some Americans vote?” If this is not a research paper, you might have to do some brainstorming before you can come up with a thesis: a one-sentence answer to the question.  If this is a research essay (research paper), you will do some research. Creating a working bibliography (a list of sources) or doing a synthesis activity can be very helpful for gathering ideas.

Whether you are required to do research or not, the first step is determining a thesis statement.   From brainstorming and/or research, you may have identified the several reasons some people don’t vote as follows:

Age restrictions

Believe that the system is fixed

Believe nothing will ever change

Don’t know where to go to vote

Physically disabled

Don’t know where to register

Happy with the status quo

Believe their vote doesn’t count

Can’t vote because of incarceration

Don’t know when to vote

Not an important part of upbringing/culture

Felony conviction

Don’t know what identification is needed

Illegal status

Receiving false information about where to vote

Now, we have to cluster these points into categories so that they can be discussed in an organized way in the essay.  We can see that there are some general reasons such as legal barriers, confusion about how to register or where to vote, and lack of concern or interest where people just don’t think voting would change anything.

I.   Lack of concern or interest

II.  Confusion

III. Legal barriers

Looking over the notes that you made from your brainstorming or research, the next step is to eliminate duplications and group ideas under the categories.  Depending on the assignment length, you don’t necessarily have to include everything you find.

For example:

Age restrictions - proof paragraph   III

Believe that the system is fixed - proof paragraph I

Believe nothing will ever change - proof paragraph I

Don’t know where to go to vote - proof paragraph  II

Physically disabled - proof paragraph II

Don’t know where to register - proof paragraph  II

Happy with the status quo - proof paragraph I

Too young - proof paragraph - proof paragraph III

Believe their vote doesn’t count - proof paragraph  I

Can’t vote because of incarceration - proof paragraph III

Don’t know when to vote - proof paragraph II

Not an important part of upbringing/culture - proof paragraph I

Felony conviction - proof paragraph III

Don’t know what identification is needed - proof paragraph   II

Illegal status - proof paragraph III

Receiving false information about where to vote - proof paragraph II

Now you have a rough outline. You have your three major causes and some details that support each. The next step is to make a solid thesis.

The most important part of your paper is the thesis. A good thesis clearly answers your research question and will provide guidance to the reader about the direction and scope of your paper. Make sure that your thesis is a defensible point that others could reasonably disagree. For this paper a reasonable thesis could be: Three major reasons that Americans do not vote are apathy, confusion, and legal barriers.

Next it is time to think about the body of your essay. Since the thesis very clearly shows the three main points, you can use these along with the grouped details you sorted earlier. As you are making your outline you may discover that you have more ideas than you can fit into your paper’s length or that you have gone beyond the scope of your topic. If so, feel free to remove some ideas. For example, because you have many different types of ideas listed under legal barriers, you may wish to remove the weakest or least supported detail.

Some instructors also require that you include a concluding statement. Remember that this statement should simply be a restatement of your thesis and should never introduce new ideas or begin a new discussion. 

This is an acceptable outline to the research questions we’ve developed here:

Your Instructor’s Name

Course Title

Day Month Year

Thesis: Three major reasons that Americans do not vote are apathy, confusion, and legal barriers.

I.  Lack of concern or interest

A.  Disbelief in the system

1.  One vote doesn’t matter

2.  Voting is tampered with

B.  Social/culturally not valued

C.  Satisfaction with the status quo

A.  Location

1.  Where to register

2.  Where to vote

B.  When to vote

C.  What documents are needed

III.  Legal barriers

A.  Incarceration

B.   Conviction of a felony

C.  Immigration status

Concluding paragraph:  Sum up proof and restate thesis and/or draw an implication from the information presented showing the significance depending upon your instructions.

Note that this outline has three support details for each reason your thesis is right (each proof point – I, II, III).  Sections I, II, and III each represent one body (proof) paragraph.  Each body paragraph in the essay must begin with a topic sentence that is a reason your thesis is accurate.  This may vary from essay to essay.  What is described here is more like a scratch outline or topic outline which gives just the general ideas.  A formal outline would include detailed sentences and subsections. These are called  sentence outlines.   In a sentence outline, the sentence next to each I, II, and III must be a topic sentence which clearly expresses what point that shows the thesis is right will be shown in the paragraph.  

See Related Pages on the right sidebar for more information.

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Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

We are a team specializing in writing essays and other assignments for college students and all other types of customers who need a helping hand in its making. We cover a great range of topics, offer perfect quality work, always deliver on time and aim to leave our customers completely satisfied with what they ordered.

The ordering process is fully online, and it goes as follows:

• Select the topic and the deadline of your essay.
• Provide us with any details, requirements, statements that should be emphasized or particular parts of the essay writing process you struggle with.
• Leave the email address, where your completed order will be sent to.
• Select your prefered payment type, sit back and relax!

With lots of experience on the market, professionally degreed essay writers , online 24/7 customer support and incredibly low prices, you won't find a service offering a better deal than ours.

How to Write a Process Essay?

18 June, 2020

14 minutes read

Author:  Tomas White

What is a “process essay”? What makes it different from dozens of other papers you create on a daily basis? What are its main components and what the main goal of this type of writing you need to bear in mind? If you're looking for answers to these questions, you're in luck! You can get them all from our academic guide on how to write a process essay.

Composing a process essay can be rather complicated especially if you are not familiar with this type of writing and do not know what pitfalls and specifications to pay attention to.

That is why our custom essay writing service has created this guide to help you tackle this task. We will answer all these questions in our article below and even provide you with great process essay examples and topics you can write on to stand out. So, if that sounds like something you need right now, read on: we are here to help and equip you with knowledge!

But first things first. Since it is impossible to create an excellent process essay without crystal clear understanding of the term, we will start with the definition. So, let’s dive in!

What is a process essay?

A process essay is commonly written either to explain how something works or to guide a reader through the process of completing a particular task, states the process essay definition.

Process essays also go under the “How-to articles” title and aim to teach the target audience how to achieve certain goals or complete specific assignments.

So, look at it like this. In case of “How to quit smoking” process essay, your primary goal is to provide several helpful ways of quitting this habit. These might be evidence-based recommendations if you have experience in this area, or simply common sense ideas you found while conducting your research.

Now that you realize what you will be working with, let’s look into different types of process essays and practical ways to compose them. Our essay writing guide will walk you through the process essay writing step by step.

Types of process essays

There are two main types of such papers: the ones that explain how something works , and those that show you how to complete a particular task .

1. How to do something.

Though it sounds quite self-explanatory, we’d like to emphasize the importance of clear instructions in case you are writing a process essay.

Your readers must be able to follow your guidance and complete each step successfully. So, split the process into small steps, keep it short and to the point at each stage of crafting a process essay.

For instance, in a “How to quit smoking” process essay , you can split the whole process into seven steps:

• Choose a date for a quit day;
• Imagine life without cigarettes and expect it;
• Have one last cigarette as a “Goodbye!”;
• Be among people to support you;
• Keep your goal in perspective not to give up;
• Don’t fall for substitutes;
• Be accountable.

2. How something works.

By contrast, this is an informative type of writing that aims to achieve one goal – explain the principle of work behind some process. Unlike the mentioned above type, this process essay type does not encourage a reader to take an action and do something step by step.

However, you must make sure that by the end of your essay, the audience will know for sure how something functions.

As an example of this type of a process essay, let’s see how an earthquake happens .

• First, the energy within the earth core builds up due to various moves in the earth crust;
• The energy level grows up and causes tension in the tectonic plates;
• After some time, the pressure radiates outwards by moving the plates from each other;
• The seismic waves shake the earth as they get from the core of the earth to the surface;
• That is when the earthquake takes place.

Before we go any further, let’s look at another example. In case of “How to prepare for a vacation” process essay, your task is to compose a few steps that your readers can take when getting ready for their vacation. In other words, you are describing how to do something.

Meanwhile, “What happens to your brain when you sleep” process essay is merely an explanation of the principle. In it, you are not encouraging readers to take any actions whatsoever. So, here is the fundamental difference.

How to write a process essay?

Getting started with process essay writing

When developing a process essay outline, take some time to answer the following questions:

• Who is your target audience? How deep is their knowledge of the subject? The complexity of your essay depends on their skills level. Thus, for instance, when explaining to your peers how to stretch a dollar to see the world, you can use basic terminology and examples they can relate to. However, your vocabulary should be way more sophisticated if you are writing a process essay on how to improve the overall quality of higher education in your state to the City Council.
• How can you divide the process into small steps? You do not want to bore your audience to death with unnecessary details in a process essay. Yet, you cannot afford to skip valuable steps if they are crucial to the overall understanding of the subject of your process essay. So, try to find the golden cut and figure out the most suitable amount of steps.
• What sources will you use for the task? It goes without saying that you can only use reliable sources to support your argument in a process essay. These sources should be all mentioned in the end of your essay. And remember about proper in-text citation styles. Read the materials carefully and take only the information that will add value to your essay and helps make it shine.

How to write a process essay outline

Finally, let’s look into the process essay structure. Needless to say that you must start with something that will grab readers’ attention, or in other words, “a hook.”

It is true for any essay, and process essay writing is not an exception.

The structure of your essay regardless of the process essay topics should consist of:

• A powerful introduction.
• Main body paragraphs.
• An interesting conclusion.

Related Post: Essay outline | Research Paper outline

Sounds simple, yet there are several things you should not forget about process essay writing.

How to write an introduction to a process essay

Once you compose a hook, mention why you believe that readers should use your approach to solve a problem even though there are dozens of other ones. We know two effective ways to achieve this in your process essay:

• Show how much time this task will take . People don’t have all the time in the world to tackle just this one task. So, you’ll really help them by stating how much time completing something using your approach will take and underline that with your approach described in a process essay it will take less time than if they opt for a different one. “Writing can be tough, especially if you always felt that it is not exactly your suit. However, Michael D. Pollock, a credible expert in this area, has recently presented 10 effective tips that will help you learn writing fast and make you able to craft a 1000-word article in 30 minutes. So, keep reading to find out how you can write this fast too.”
• Introduce your audience to the historical background of the approach (if any) you’re using in a process essay. Let them see the roots of your solution. Here is what a good introduction of a process essay should look like: “Giving a speech with lots of eyes concentrated on you is not an easy task. No wonder so many students dread this task. However, speech can be a powerful tool, and we can teach you how to give them right. Steve Jobs is known as one of the best public speakers of our time. People were sitting on the edge of their seats when he spoke. And we’ll teach you how to grab attention like he did using just five simple tricks he applied.”

At last, compose an engaging thesis of a process essay. Many students consider it a scary part. But it all goes down to this.

Your thesis statement should reason why your way is the best and why readers looking for answers should search no more and give your solution a chance.

It’s easier than you think. Here is a good thesis statement example:

“With more than 580 million tons of household waste produced all over the world, Every tiny effort you make to become eco-friendly counts. And if you don’t want to spend extra money on sustainable products but want to save the environment, use our guide on ten simple eco-friendly steps you can do daily without even noticing it!”

This is what a thesis statement for a process essay on how to be eco-friendly would look like. Yours can be different, but you get the idea!

How to plan main body paragraphs

• Dedicate one body paragraph to one point you want to bring to light.
• Provide enough details on each step including the ultimate goal of this step and reasons why this method was chosen for its achievement.
• Keep it short and to the point.

How to write a conclusion

Now is that time you reminded the readers about the purpose of a process essay, reasons why you chose this particular approach, and briefly mentioned steps needed to accomplish the task.

Besides, you can call your audience to action but only in case you are writing an essay that shows how to do something. Otherwise, it will be inapplicable.

Finally, help them set their expectations right: what results can they count on in the end? How long will it take them to achieve those results after reading your process essay and applying its tips?

How to use transition words in a process essay

Transition words can help you create a seamless reading experience. You can take readers smoothly from one step to another. And what is more you can help them immerse into the process!

Therefore, begin each new paragraph with a transition word, add one in between examples you provide, and summarize your instructions with them, too.

Think of transition words as of bridges that connect paragraphs and sentences. They make smooth communication between the two possible. And with them in your process essay, no reader feels irritated or frustrated with your writing style, as they have to stumble upon every other sentence in your piece.

Good process essay topics

It is not enough to just know the theory to create a good process essay. One should also come up with a topic that will be both interesting and useful to his readers. Here’s a list of our suggestions on process essay ideas:

• How to choose a perfect future career.
• How to survive college and stay sane.
• How to eat healthy on campus.
• How to balance your social and academic life.
• How to pay out a student loan while still at college.
• How to improve your public speaking skills.
• How to see the world with only $100 in your pocket.
• How to learn a foreign language.
• How to renovate your apartment and not go bankrupt.
• How to start your own business.
• How to prepare for your first interview.
• How to get volunteers to help you clean the neighborhood.
• How to write a life list.
• How to set boundaries in the relationship.
• How to study overseas for free.

Related Posts: Argumentative essay topics | Compare&Contrast essay topics

Process essay writing tips

Wrapping up, we would like to introduce you to a couple of vital recommendations on process essay writing:

• Your process essay subject cannot be too broad or too narrow. Look out for the golden cut!
• Introduce your readers to possible complications of the process. After all, forewarned is forearmed.
• Create a short vocabulary your audience can use in case they are not familiar with the terminology essential to the general understanding of the process essay in question.
• Develop a list of resources your readers will need as they deal with certain tasks. This way you will have them prepared to put your recommendations to action right away.
• Always write a process essay using Active Voice!

Need help with your process essay writing? Handmadewriting is here for you to help. Drop us a line to get our professional essay writers to develop an excellent piece for you!

A life lesson in Romeo and Juliet taught by death

Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]

Ethical Research Paper Topics

Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]

Art Research Paper Topics

Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]

73 Thought Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best thought topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on thought.

• Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament Both critics and defenders of the Bible have been using comparative studies to understand the culture presented in the Bible and what was practiced in the regions mentioned in the Bible.
• Historical Schools of Thought They are sure that it is impossible to describe truth with the help of language, which presupposes that historical facts can also be questioned. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Thought Response: The Saints and the Roughnecks The society’s view of the Saints and the Roughnecks is quite different. The basis for individual participation in criminal groups and the crime committed is a product of a learning environment.
• Kant’s Third Antinomy in Philosophical Thought The first proposition deals with definiteness of the beginning and the end of the world in comparison to the infiniteness of the world.
• Ancient Greek Philosophers: A Critical Evaluation of Their Impact on Modern Thought However, according to the article, it is imperative to note that neither reason nor the quest for evidence started with the ancient Greeks, but the pre-Socratic philosophers endeavored to identify a single underlying standard that […]
• Challenges of Life and Thought-Provoking Questions in Rudyard Kipling’s “If” His poem “If” which was first published in 1910 remains one of the most expressive pieces written in a specific didactic manner which attracts the readers’ attention by the currency of the depicted ideas.”If” is […]
• The Classical School of Thought and Strain Theory in Criminology The second pinnacle to the classical theory also advances the fact that people have the will to control the variables that characterize their personality. The strain theory advances the fact that social structures in society […]
• The Ship of Theseus Thought Experiment and Solution The puzzle is complicated by the later addition of a replica ship being built out of the original parts in the warehouse.
• Shafi’i School of Thought This school is based on principles of rationality and, hence, Muslims states are more adjustable to the changes taking place in the world.
• The Messiah and Messianic Prophesy in Jewish and Christian Thought In this regard, the equation relating the calculation of this period prophesized by Daniel on the coming of a Messiah disregards Jesus as the expected Messiah on the basis of His time of birth.
• Modern Political Thought As the sense of independent and development sunk in peoples mind, the aspect of communism disintegrated and in its place individualism and the sense of “I” was adopted that is embraced world-wide.
• Associationist Theories of Thought The first doctrine is that the more recondite phenomena of the mind are formed out of simple parts. Associationism is the theory of psychology explaining the connection between thoughts and past experiences.
• Islamic Thought: Women in Islamic Perspective Non-equality of rights exists, but feminism is not the solution, for in its simplest form feminism is even destructive for the status of women and the idea is contrary to the natural human values of […]
• Psychological Perspectives and Schools of Thought Among the contemporary perspectives, the neuroscience point of view sees people as organisms with their physiological processes and connects the brain and the nervous system to the behavioral responses.
• Japanese Psychology as World-Renowned School of Thought The worldview of people living in the land of the rising sun is often the subject of study and comparison with Western cultures.
• Positivist School of Criminology Siegel states that: “Cesare Lombroso, an Italian prison doctor working in the late 19th century and sometimes regarded as the “father” of criminology, was one of the largest contributors to biological positivism and founder of […]
• Process and Secular Theological Schools of Thought Additionally, the paper will discuss secular theology and the relation it has with the philosophy of Bonhoeffer. Finally, the paper will discuss the validity of the views on God as presented in process theology and […]
• Social Thought: ”The Future of an Illusion” by Freud Commencing with an overview of the material conditions of society, The Future of an Illusion proclaims that these conditions result from two processes: the technological processes that control the forces of nature and extract its […]
• St. Thomas Aquinas’ Influence on Western Thought Interest in the teachings of Aristotle contributed to the unification of many philosophers, which happened in the case of Thomas Aquinas. The main achievement of Thomas is that he is considered the founder of the […]
• De Bono’s Hats: Consciousness and Mode of Thought The idea of lateral thinking and the Six Hats method based on it provided the means for planning a detailed, consistent, and more influential group thought process.
• Analysis of Schools of Thought in China The impact of Legalism united the country, contributed to the power of the Qin dynasty, and supported the reign of the first emperor.
• American Political Thought in the Pre-Revolutionary Period Hence, the Enlightenment and Great Awakening played a central role in shaping the colonists’ ways of thinking, which significantly changed the way that the residents of North American colonies regarded the authorities.
• The Development of Economic Thought The economic model has undergone a radical metamorphosis since the eighteenth century, many inspired by the work of John Maynard Keynes, who described the possibilities of using fiscal and monetary policies of the state to […]
• Mother Earth, a Thought-Provoking Piece of Art The wide use of blue color is especially remarkable because it is a great method by the author of the painting to attract the viewers’ attention to the theme of the painting the Planet Earth […]
• Intro to Linguistics: Language as the Declaration of Thought First of all, it can be said that everything that happens to achieve something in the world is a kind of situation that may be described as ‘case’ in the universe.
• Professional Learning Communities: Schools of Thought The overall outcome of the analysis will be used as the proper meaning and purpose of professional learning communities. According to them, professional learning communities comprise a group of individuals who possess the same career […]
• The Ship of Theseus: An Ancient Thought Experiment The ship begins a voyage around the world and in the course of this voyage some of the parts of the ship inevitably break. The entire framework of the ship that left the port has […]
• Critical Thinking: Thought and Intellectual Standard Elements of thoughts and intellectual standards are very vital parts of the critical thinking process and this essay will look at some of the elements of thoughts and intellectual standards in details.
• A Philosophical Thought on Modern Political Environment In his literature titled ‘the prince’, Machiavelli points out some of the things that a prospective leader needs to do for them to occupy the bigger seat.
• American Monetary Thought, 1920-1970 by Perry Mehrling It is important to note at this point that the book took a biographical view on how the three mentioned economists looked at the situations that faced them at the time they gave their views […]
• Extending Thought in Young Children This project was carried out to illustrate the importance of family participation in the proper upbringing of children as well as the importance of team work between child minders and children in an effort to […]
• Various Limitations Upon Clear Thinking in the Halpern “Thought and Knowledge” It is due to the issue of critical empowerment, that the ability of individuals escorts them to withdraw themselves from the understood assumptions of theoretical practices and power relations with the subject.
• Classical Political Thought. Democracy in Plato’s Republic During Plato’s life, the democratic constitution set the seal on the work of the tyranny, for it ensured the exclusion of the large landowner from a predominating influence on politics, and it put effective power […]
• Philosophical Thought by Nietzsche He is examining the notion of autonomy and what truly constitutes an autonomous act and arrives at the understanding that what is important in the question of free will is the rationale behind the choice […]
• Classical Utopian Thought: “Utopia” by Thomas More In addition, the paper will try to understand the relationship of Utopia with the development of Classical Utopian thought, as well as, with the Christian Idealism that are some of the major themes of More’s […]
• “A History of Chinese Political Thought” by Y. Kim According to the author, the Qing dynasty was one of the key points that marked the end of one era and the beginning of the other one.
• Epilogue of “A History of Chinese Political Thought” by Kim It is devoted to China’s identity and its relation to political thought within the three periods of China’s contested centrality: in early modern East Asia, in modern East Asia, and in contemporary East Asia. In […]
• “A History of Chinese Political Thought” by Kim To become the strong Republic of China, the Qing dynasty had to contribute to the foundation of collective identity and establish its operational power in a large context.
• Sweet Silent Thought: Alliteration and Poetry In the research article “Sweet silent thought: alliteration and resonance in poetry comprehension,” the researchers were mainly interested in scrutinizing alliteration and how it generally functions as a memory cue during the process of poetry […]
• Frantz Fanon’s Philosophy: Africana Critical Thought First of all, the existential component of Fanon’s philosophy was expressed in the attempt to analyze the essential aspects of existence from the perspective of human beings as not only thinking subjects but also subjects […]
• Readings on Catholic Social Thought While most Mass-attending devout Catholic worshippers would flinch at the mere hint of violence, the purpose of this essay is to give an understanding of what conditions can a war be imposed upon aggressors.
• Heliocentric Thought in the Middle Ages: Lesson Plan The students will learn basic information about the development of heliocentric thought in the Middle Ages and its significance on the later development of science and culture.
• The Key Features of Buddhist Thought and Practice These three characteristics are always connected with existence as they tend to illuminate the nature of existence as well as helping the faithful to have knowledge of what to do with existence.
• Perception, Thought Process and Attention They tend to understand that the world has its dangers and as a result, they are in a position to perceive the world’s opportunities and beauty and consequently think positively.
• Thought Traps as the Cause of Bad Decisions in Human Life Thinking traps or cognitive bias are one of the most widespread causes of incorrect or bad decisions that affect the life of the individual and the lives of people surrounding him or her.
• Thought Processes and Perception Influences These are some of the factors that lead to the features, which affect the process of thinking and making decisions. There is a relationship between logic and perception, in that the meaning of logic and […]
• Linking Schools of Thought to General Psychology The use of scientific method in this school of thought is one of its core values. The questions therefore tend to focus on in-depth accounts of mental conditions.
• The Concept of Labor in Political Thought In the most basic terms, the concept of labor according to Marx is based on the process of objectifying the materials.
• Environment, Thought Process and Perception However, the perception of the world depends on the environment in which one lives in. The other form of perception is environmental perception that is formed basing on the manner in which one receives information.
• Effects of Thought Suppression on Smoking Behavior In the article under analysis called I suppress, Therefore I smoke: Effects of Thought Suppression on Smoking Behavior, the authors dedicate their study to the evaluation of human behavior as well as the influence of […]
• Organ Donation Myths: Critical Thought This essay is aimed at subverting three of the most common myths about the subject matter by considering the facts closely, relating them to the values concerning the organ donation, and isolating the issues related […]
• The History of Economic Thought Jeremy Bentham is one of the most influential philosophers of the 18th and the early 19th centuries, he propounded many significant insights that sought to determine t role of the state in economics and among […]
• Scientific Thought Through the History In France, Voltaire and colleagues struggled to enlighten the society that strongly held the culture of church and monarchy.d’Alembert, Montesquieu, and Pierre were some of the arebellious’ who supported Voltaire in the campaign for freedom […]
• Management Article: I Thought I Knew What Good Management Was From the essay we realize how important it is for the managers to deploy the services of external consultants in the course of harmonizing the system and ironing out any internal wrangles and disputes. Another […]
• An Exploration of the Application of Environmental Ethical Thought to Animal Rights A good example to illustrate the scope of hunting as an environmental problem that is associated with the polar bear is to look at its nature in Canada and the United States of America.
• Foucault on the Rise of Critical Thought Foucault thus clarified that the rise of critical thought was not coincidental to the occurrence of the Reformation and the Renaissance.
• Fables and Ethics: Applying Principles in Ethical Thought through the Analysis of Narratives The right thing to do in this case is not to achieve perfection in terms of following the guidelines set by the National Museum but to involve the members of the community so that they […]
• Thought Leaders and Organizational Change The thought leader should be aware of the goals of the change and all the details related to it. The leader should be consistent and persistent while outlining peculiarities of the change to the group […]
• Hobbes’ School of Thought Hobbes’ school of thought believes that the political authority is sovereign to the populations, thus should remain obedient and fearful to the authority in order to enjoy the services of the ruling class.
• Connections Between Students’ Prior Experiences, Interests, and Thought Processes Students’ prior experience, interest, and process of thinking can influence learning due to the fact that learning is the dynamic process of shaping and reshaping thoughts based on new knowledge.
• History of Economic Thought Mercantilists consider the advancement of foreign trade to be a key to the attainment of state security and prosperity of a country.
• Effects of Classical Body to Environmental Thought The study emphasizes on the negative effects of this features to the environment and methods of stopping them from harming the environment.
• Schools of economic thought Of all the schools of thought, the neoclassical school of thought has had the most influence in my way of thinking.
• Towards Understanding the History of Psychology through Philosophical Thought Many civilizations throughout the course of history have offered speculative ideas about the nature of thought, soul, and spirit, a focal point that is mainly perceived as the precursor to the field and discipline of […]
• The Impact of Racial Thought on the Aboriginal People in Relation to Australian History To this effect, Anderson and Perrin vocalize the concerns of most researchers at that time by saying that: The Aborigines’ utter lack of development posed a fundamental challenge to the assumption of human unity.”In so […]
• History of Management Thought The main purpose of the experiment was to improve the overall experience of work of the employees to increase the productivity of the workers.
• SmallBizMaster Classes you never thought would help in an online business Did you wonder why you had to suffer through most of the courses you took from kindergarten to the completion of your education?
• Autism and Visual Thought Suprisingly the quality of visual thinking according to Bogdashina is dependent on other factors like time and the state the autistic person is in.
• Relationship Between Language and Thought As for Tyler, it is certain that theories have said that language and thought are similar, such that language is used to express thoughts of a person.
• The Effects of the Internet on People’s Ability for Deep Thought and Extended Contemplation The critics and technology stakeholders chosen as the respondents to the survey provided their take on the issue of the effects of the internet.
• The Concept of the Lie in Political Thought: “Nietzsche and Rousseau” In the realm of political thought, there exists a troubling paradox: how is it that the political elite can continue to lie to the populace with impunity, particularly when the populace is well aware of […]
• Analysis of Jill Bolte Tailor’s Experience Through the Religious Prism In order not to be misled, I would like to offer to your attention the exact definition of the word “nirvana” in the Webster’s Dictionary, which states: “Nirvana is the final beatitude that transcends suffering, […]
• Critical Thinking Method vs. The Elements of Thought Questions: Finding Out Which Method Is More Effective For example from Asking the Right Questions the first two questions: 1) What are the issues and conclusions? and 2) What are the reasons; are similar to Elements of Thought’s first two questions: 1) What […]
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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When you think carefully and closely about your essay topic you are engaging in the very important process of?

Anonymous ∙

Add your answer:

Which aspect of the writing process is most important?

All aspects of the writing process are equally important.

What is an acronym for listen?

for texting, it's lisn LISTEN - Listen - Interpret - Solve - Test - Engage - Nurture - a systematic process for engaging in social media marketing.

What step in the writing process is the most important?

The writing.

Is the noun process an abstract noun?

Yes, the noun 'process' is an abstract noun as a word for a continuing action or series of actions or changes; a word for the carrying out of a legal action; a word for a concept.The noun 'process' is a concrete noun as a word for an appendage or outgrowth or protuberance on or in an organism; a word for a physical thing.The word 'process' is also a verb: process, processes, processing, processed.

What is acculturation and why is it important?

the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure.

When you think carefully and closely about your essay topic you are engaging in the very important process of .?

How use scrutinize means to look at something carefully order to understand it better in a sentence.

The detective scrutinized the evidence for any clues that could help solve the case.

What process are you engaging in when you ask yourself what happens if?

What process are you engaging in when you ask yourself what would happen if, carefully looking at an object or process, why were the bantu migration important in african history.

The Bantu migrations were closely related to agriculture and iron-working in a continuous reciprocal process.

When people engage in communication about their communication they are engaging in a process called?

meta-communication

When considering the process of corrosion why is it important to carefully select metals that are to be placed together in an assembly?

When 'dissimilar' metals touch, they can create one of the prerequisites for galvanic corrosion.

Which of these is most closely associated with the process of electron transport?

According to experts, the statement that is most closely associated with the process of electron transport is the pigment complex in the membranes of the thylakoids.

What is impreachment?

Do you mean 'impeachment'? Impeachment is the process in which an elected official is accused of engaging in a crime.

What is the six step process for cat process?

The six step process for cat process include providing a description, explanation, constructing a symbol, model and engaging the students. The evaluation process is also one of the cat process.

What latin root most closely mean the process of knowing?

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Psychology Discussion

Essay on thinking: (it’s types and forms).

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Essay on Thinking:  (it’s Types and Forms)!

Meaning of Thinking:

Human being is considered as a rational being because he/she is capable of thinking and reasoning. His superiority over other animals in learning and adjustment lies in his/her capacity for better thinking.

In a broad sense, thinking includes all forms of cognitions, perceptions, imagination, memory and conception. Sometimes the term thinking is used to mean the process of problem solving.

Generally thinking occurs when we are confronted with a problem which demands solution or it occurs when something goes wrong with or around us. When everything is smooth the chances of thinking are rare.

Whittakar defines that “thinking is a complex cognitive forms of behaviour which occurs only at relatively advanced stage of development when simpler and more direct methods of dealing with the environment have proved ineffective”.

In simple terms thinking may be defined as a ‘sequential arousal of symbols’, i.e. the symbols of objects, words or concepts flow in the mind in an order, one after another. Thinking consists of the cognitive rearrangement or manipulation of both information from the environment and the symbols stored in long-term memory.

A symbol represents or stands for some event or item in the world. Generally images and language symbols are used in much of our thinking. Hence, it may be stated that thinking is an organised, systematic, and purposeful and goal oriented activity.

Types of Thinking :

There are two types of thinking:

I. Autistic thinking:

This is otherwise called free-floating thinking. This is more common among children. It is away from reality. There are no restrictions of reality or of time and space. It is not goal oriented or problem oriented.

Generally such thinking will be highly private and the individual may use symbols with very personal meanings. Individual’s personal wants are involved in this kind of thinking and he tries to fulfill them.

Autistic thinking will be in many forms:

a. Fantasy:

It is otherwise called day dreaming, i.e. dreaming in an awaken state. It is like building castles in the air. In such dreaming we imagine things or situations as we want, not as they are. That is how we will be able to fulfill those wants which cannot be fulfilled in reality.

Even the impossible things become possible. For example, a cattle boy grazing cattle in a field may dream as though he is travelling in an aero plane. A young adult may dream to become a famous hero, etc.

The individual may find some pleasure or relief from tension temporarily by fantasy. But too much of day dreaming may make him incapable of facing reality.

b. Dreaming:

Sigmund Freud has stated that the dreams are wish fulfillments. Our desires which are not fulfilled in reality appear in the form of dreams and get fulfilled. There are no restrictions for ideas appearing in the dreams. They may appear directly or in disguise form.

c. Imagination:

Imagination is a mental activity in which we make use of images. In the process of imagination we will not be having sense perception. We will not be in touch with reality; we will have only mental images. Hence, we may go wrong in our thinking.

d. Reverie:

This is also like fantasy. In fantasy we will have some ideas and goals, but in reverie, there will be no ideas at all. Mind will be floating freely and any and everything may come to mind and go away.

II. Controlled thinking:

It is otherwise called directed thinking. It is aimed at solving problems or creating something new. Here we regulate the process of thinking. Our thoughts will be in touch with reality and the thinking will be goal directed.

Forms of Controlled Thinking :

This is also a kind of thinking. It is defined as a “process of arriving at a new judgement on the basis of one or more judgments as premises”. In reasoning there will be checking and rechecking of the conclusions arrived at, based on certain facts or data.

Reasoning is of two types:

i. Inductive reasoning:

In this kind of reasoning there is a shift from individual to the universal; in the sense that, generalization is made on the basis of a series of individual experiences regarding a particular thing. So the conclusion drawn is wider than premises. For example, we arrive at a conclusion that all politicians are selfish after seeing many politicians.

ii. Deductive reasoning:

In deductive reasoning we shift from universal to the particular and the conclusion drawn is narrower than the premises. For example, all actresses are beautiful. So the actress that I see also must be beautiful.

Generally in reasoning logical principles are applied to our thinking. It will be most directed towards getting at certain conclusions and inferences.

Problem solving:

A problem is any conflict or difference between one situation and another situation we wish to produce our goal. The thinking that we do in problem solving is thus goal directed and motivated by the need to reduce the discrepancy between one state of affair and another. In trying to reach the goal of problem solution, we use information available to us from long-term memory.

Problem solving can be done by trial and error or by insight.

John Deway has suggested a scientific method of problem solving which follows the following procedure:

(a) Identification of the problem,

(b) Defining the problem,

(c) Collection of relevant data,

(d) Formulation of hypothesis,

(e) Evaluation of hypothesis,

(f) Verification of derived conclusions.

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