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College Essays

If you grow up to be a professional writer, everything you write will first go through an editor before being published. This is because the process of writing is really a process of re-writing —of rethinking and reexamining your work, usually with the help of someone else. So what does this mean for your student writing? And in particular, what does it mean for very important, but nonprofessional writing like your college essay? Should you ask your parents to look at your essay? Pay for an essay service?

If you are wondering what kind of help you can, and should, get with your personal statement, you've come to the right place! In this article, I'll talk about what kind of writing help is useful, ethical, and even expected for your college admission essay . I'll also point out who would make a good editor, what the differences between editing and proofreading are, what to expect from a good editor, and how to spot and stay away from a bad one.

Table of Contents

What Kind of Help for Your Essay Can You Get?

What's Good Editing?

What should an editor do for you, what kind of editing should you avoid, proofreading, what's good proofreading, what kind of proofreading should you avoid.

What Do Colleges Think Of You Getting Help With Your Essay?

Who Can/Should Help You?

Advice for editors.

Should You Pay Money For Essay Editing?

The Bottom Line

What's next, what kind of help with your essay can you get.

Rather than talking in general terms about "help," let's first clarify the two different ways that someone else can improve your writing . There is editing, which is the more intensive kind of assistance that you can use throughout the whole process. And then there's proofreading, which is the last step of really polishing your final product.

Let me go into some more detail about editing and proofreading, and then explain how good editors and proofreaders can help you."

Editing is helping the author (in this case, you) go from a rough draft to a finished work . Editing is the process of asking questions about what you're saying, how you're saying it, and how you're organizing your ideas. But not all editing is good editing . In fact, it's very easy for an editor to cross the line from supportive to overbearing and over-involved.

Ability to clarify assignments. A good editor is usually a good writer, and certainly has to be a good reader. For example, in this case, a good editor should make sure you understand the actual essay prompt you're supposed to be answering.

Open-endedness. Good editing is all about asking questions about your ideas and work, but without providing answers. It's about letting you stick to your story and message, and doesn't alter your point of view.

Think of an editor as a great travel guide. It can show you the many different places your trip could take you. It should explain any parts of the trip that could derail your trip or confuse the traveler. But it never dictates your path, never forces you to go somewhere you don't want to go, and never ignores your interests so that the trip no longer seems like it's your own. So what should good editors do?

Help Brainstorm Topics

Sometimes it's easier to bounce thoughts off of someone else. This doesn't mean that your editor gets to come up with ideas, but they can certainly respond to the various topic options you've come up with. This way, you're less likely to write about the most boring of your ideas, or to write about something that isn't actually important to you.

If you're wondering how to come up with options for your editor to consider, check out our guide to brainstorming topics for your college essay .

Help Revise Your Drafts

Here, your editor can't upset the delicate balance of not intervening too much or too little. It's tricky, but a great way to think about it is to remember: editing is about asking questions, not giving answers .

Revision questions should point out:

• Places where more detail or more description would help the reader connect with your essay
• Places where structure and logic don't flow, losing the reader's attention
• Places where there aren't transitions between paragraphs, confusing the reader
• Moments where your narrative or the arguments you're making are unclear

But pointing to potential problems is not the same as actually rewriting—editors let authors fix the problems themselves.

Bad editing is usually very heavy-handed editing. Instead of helping you find your best voice and ideas, a bad editor changes your writing into their own vision.

You may be dealing with a bad editor if they:

• Add material (examples, descriptions) that doesn't come from you
• Use a thesaurus to make your college essay sound "more mature"
• Add meaning or insight to the essay that doesn't come from you
• Tell you what to say and how to say it
• Write sentences, phrases, and paragraphs for you
• Change your voice in the essay so it no longer sounds like it was written by a teenager

Colleges can tell the difference between a 17-year-old's writing and a 50-year-old's writing. Not only that, they have access to your SAT or ACT Writing section, so they can compare your essay to something else you wrote. Writing that's a little more polished is great and expected. But a totally different voice and style will raise questions.

Where's the Line Between Helpful Editing and Unethical Over-Editing?

Sometimes it's hard to tell whether your college essay editor is doing the right thing. Here are some guidelines for staying on the ethical side of the line.

• An editor should say that the opening paragraph is kind of boring, and explain what exactly is making it drag. But it's overstepping for an editor to tell you exactly how to change it.
• An editor should point out where your prose is unclear or vague. But it's completely inappropriate for the editor to rewrite that section of your essay.
• An editor should let you know that a section is light on detail or description. But giving you similes and metaphors to beef up that description is a no-go.

Proofreading (also called copy-editing) is checking for errors in the last draft of a written work. It happens at the end of the process and is meant as the final polishing touch. Proofreading is meticulous and detail-oriented, focusing on small corrections. It sands off all the surface rough spots that could alienate the reader.

Because proofreading is usually concerned with making fixes on the word or sentence level, this is the only process where someone else can actually add to or take away things from your essay . This is because what they are adding or taking away tends to be one or two misplaced letters.

Laser focus. Proofreading is all about the tiny details, so the ability to really concentrate on finding small slip-ups is a must.

Excellent grammar and spelling skills. Proofreaders need to dot every "i" and cross every "t." Good proofreaders should correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. They should put foreign words in italics and surround quotations with quotation marks. They should check that you used the correct college's name, and that you adhered to any formatting requirements (name and date at the top of the page, uniform font and size, uniform spacing).

Limited interference. A proofreader needs to make sure that you followed any word limits. But if cuts need to be made to shorten the essay, that's your job and not the proofreader's.

A bad proofreader either tries to turn into an editor, or just lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to do the job.

Some signs that you're working with a bad proofreader are:

• If they suggest making major changes to the final draft of your essay. Proofreading happens when editing is already finished.
• If they aren't particularly good at spelling, or don't know grammar, or aren't detail-oriented enough to find someone else's small mistakes.
• If they start swapping out your words for fancier-sounding synonyms, or changing the voice and sound of your essay in other ways. A proofreader is there to check for errors, not to take the 17-year-old out of your writing.

What Do Colleges Think of Your Getting Help With Your Essay?

Admissions officers agree: light editing and proofreading are good—even required ! But they also want to make sure you're the one doing the work on your essay. They want essays with stories, voice, and themes that come from you. They want to see work that reflects your actual writing ability, and that focuses on what you find important.

On the Importance of Editing

Get feedback. Have a fresh pair of eyes give you some feedback. Don't allow someone else to rewrite your essay, but do take advantage of others' edits and opinions when they seem helpful. ( Bates College )

Read your essay aloud to someone. Reading the essay out loud offers a chance to hear how your essay sounds outside your head. This exercise reveals flaws in the essay's flow, highlights grammatical errors and helps you ensure that you are communicating the exact message you intended. ( Dickinson College )

On the Value of Proofreading

Share your essays with at least one or two people who know you well—such as a parent, teacher, counselor, or friend—and ask for feedback. Remember that you ultimately have control over your essays, and your essays should retain your own voice, but others may be able to catch mistakes that you missed and help suggest areas to cut if you are over the word limit. ( Yale University )

Proofread and then ask someone else to proofread for you. Although we want substance, we also want to be able to see that you can write a paper for our professors and avoid careless mistakes that would drive them crazy. ( Oberlin College )

On Watching Out for Too Much Outside Influence

Limit the number of people who review your essay. Too much input usually means your voice is lost in the writing style. ( Carleton College )

Ask for input (but not too much). Your parents, friends, guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers are great people to bounce ideas off of for your essay. They know how unique and spectacular you are, and they can help you decide how to articulate it. Keep in mind, however, that a 45-year-old lawyer writes quite differently from an 18-year-old student, so if your dad ends up writing the bulk of your essay, we're probably going to notice. ( Vanderbilt University )

Now let's talk about some potential people to approach for your college essay editing and proofreading needs. It's best to start close to home and slowly expand outward. Not only are your family and friends more invested in your success than strangers, but they also have a better handle on your interests and personality. This knowledge is key for judging whether your essay is expressing your true self.

Parents or Close Relatives

Your family may be full of potentially excellent editors! Parents are deeply committed to your well-being, and family members know you and your life well enough to offer details or incidents that can be included in your essay. On the other hand, the rewriting process necessarily involves criticism, which is sometimes hard to hear from someone very close to you.

A parent or close family member is a great choice for an editor if you can answer "yes" to the following questions. Is your parent or close relative a good writer or reader? Do you have a relationship where editing your essay won't create conflict? Are you able to constructively listen to criticism and suggestion from the parent?

One suggestion for defusing face-to-face discussions is to try working on the essay over email. Send your parent a draft, have them write you back some comments, and then you can pick which of their suggestions you want to use and which to discard.

Teachers or Tutors

A humanities teacher that you have a good relationship with is a great choice. I am purposefully saying humanities, and not just English, because teachers of Philosophy, History, Anthropology, and any other classes where you do a lot of writing, are all used to reviewing student work.

Moreover, any teacher or tutor that has been working with you for some time, knows you very well and can vet the essay to make sure it "sounds like you."

If your teacher or tutor has some experience with what college essays are supposed to be like, ask them to be your editor. If not, then ask whether they have time to proofread your final draft.

Guidance or College Counselor at Your School

The best thing about asking your counselor to edit your work is that this is their job. This means that they have a very good sense of what colleges are looking for in an application essay.

At the same time, school counselors tend to have relationships with admissions officers in many colleges, which again gives them insight into what works and which college is focused on what aspect of the application.

Unfortunately, in many schools the guidance counselor tends to be way overextended. If your ratio is 300 students to 1 college counselor, you're unlikely to get that person's undivided attention and focus. It is still useful to ask them for general advice about your potential topics, but don't expect them to be able to stay with your essay from first draft to final version.

Friends, Siblings, or Classmates

Although they most likely don't have much experience with what colleges are hoping to see, your peers are excellent sources for checking that your essay is you .

Friends and siblings are perfect for the read-aloud edit. Read your essay to them so they can listen for words and phrases that are stilted, pompous, or phrases that just don't sound like you.

You can even trade essays and give helpful advice on each other's work.

If your editor hasn't worked with college admissions essays very much, no worries! Any astute and attentive reader can still greatly help with your process. But, as in all things, beginners do better with some preparation.

First, your editor should read our advice about how to write a college essay introduction , how to spot and fix a bad college essay , and get a sense of what other students have written by going through some admissions essays that worked .

Then, as they read your essay, they can work through the following series of questions that will help them to guide you.

Introduction Questions

• Is the first sentence a killer opening line? Why or why not?
• Does the introduction hook the reader? Does it have a colorful, detailed, and interesting narrative? Or does it propose a compelling or surprising idea?
• Can you feel the author's voice in the introduction, or is the tone dry, dull, or overly formal? Show the places where the voice comes through.

Essay Body Questions

• Does the essay have a through-line? Is it built around a central argument, thought, idea, or focus? Can you put this idea into your own words?
• How is the essay organized? By logical progression? Chronologically? Do you feel order when you read it, or are there moments where you are confused or lose the thread of the essay?
• Does the essay have both narratives about the author's life and explanations and insight into what these stories reveal about the author's character, personality, goals, or dreams? If not, which is missing?
• Does the essay flow? Are there smooth transitions/clever links between paragraphs? Between the narrative and moments of insight?

Reader Response Questions

• Does the writer's personality come through? Do we know what the speaker cares about? Do we get a sense of "who he or she is"?
• Where did you feel most connected to the essay? Which parts of the essay gave you a "you are there" sensation by invoking your senses? What moments could you picture in your head well?
• Where are the details and examples vague and not specific enough?
• Did you get an "a-ha!" feeling anywhere in the essay? Is there a moment of insight that connected all the dots for you? Is there a good reveal or "twist" anywhere in the essay?
• What are the strengths of this essay? What needs the most improvement?

Should You Pay Money for Essay Editing?

One alternative to asking someone you know to help you with your college essay is the paid editor route. There are two different ways to pay for essay help: a private essay coach or a less personal editing service , like the many proliferating on the internet.

My advice is to think of these options as a last resort rather than your go-to first choice. I'll first go through the reasons why. Then, if you do decide to go with a paid editor, I'll help you decide between a coach and a service.

When to Consider a Paid Editor

In general, I think hiring someone to work on your essay makes a lot of sense if none of the people I discussed above are a possibility for you.

If you can't ask your parents. For example, if your parents aren't good writers, or if English isn't their first language. Or if you think getting your parents to help is going create unnecessary extra conflict in your relationship with them (applying to college is stressful as it is!)

If you can't ask your teacher or tutor. Maybe you don't have a trusted teacher or tutor that has time to look over your essay with focus. Or, for instance, your favorite humanities teacher has very limited experience with college essays and so won't know what admissions officers want to see.

If you can't ask your guidance counselor. This could be because your guidance counselor is way overwhelmed with other students.

If you can't share your essay with those who know you. It might be that your essay is on a very personal topic that you're unwilling to share with parents, teachers, or peers. Just make sure it doesn't fall into one of the bad-idea topics in our article on bad college essays .

If the cost isn't a consideration. Many of these services are quite expensive, and private coaches even more so. If you have finite resources, I'd say that hiring an SAT or ACT tutor (whether it's PrepScholar or someone else) is better way to spend your money . This is because there's no guarantee that a slightly better essay will sufficiently elevate the rest of your application, but a significantly higher SAT score will definitely raise your applicant profile much more.

Should You Hire an Essay Coach?

On the plus side, essay coaches have read dozens or even hundreds of college essays, so they have experience with the format. Also, because you'll be working closely with a specific person, it's more personal than sending your essay to a service, which will know even less about you.

But, on the minus side, you'll still be bouncing ideas off of someone who doesn't know that much about you . In general, if you can adequately get the help from someone you know, there is no advantage to paying someone to help you.

If you do decide to hire a coach, ask your school counselor, or older students that have used the service for recommendations. If you can't afford the coach's fees, ask whether they can work on a sliding scale —many do. And finally, beware those who guarantee admission to your school of choice—essay coaches don't have any special magic that can back up those promises.

Should You Send Your Essay to a Service?

On the plus side, essay editing services provide a similar product to essay coaches, and they cost significantly less . If you have some assurance that you'll be working with a good editor, the lack of face-to-face interaction won't prevent great results.

On the minus side, however, it can be difficult to gauge the quality of the service before working with them . If they are churning through many application essays without getting to know the students they are helping, you could end up with an over-edited essay that sounds just like everyone else's. In the worst case scenario, an unscrupulous service could send you back a plagiarized essay.

Getting recommendations from friends or a school counselor for reputable services is key to avoiding heavy-handed editing that writes essays for you or does too much to change your essay. Including a badly-edited essay like this in your application could cause problems if there are inconsistencies. For example, in interviews it might be clear you didn't write the essay, or the skill of the essay might not be reflected in your schoolwork and test scores.

Should You Buy an Essay Written by Someone Else?

Let me elaborate. There are super sketchy places on the internet where you can simply buy a pre-written essay. Don't do this!

For one thing, you'll be lying on an official, signed document. All college applications make you sign a statement saying something like this:

I certify that all information submitted in the admission process—including the application, the personal essay, any supplements, and any other supporting materials—is my own work, factually true, and honestly presented... I understand that I may be subject to a range of possible disciplinary actions, including admission revocation, expulsion, or revocation of course credit, grades, and degree, should the information I have certified be false. (From the Common Application )

For another thing, if your academic record doesn't match the essay's quality, the admissions officer will start thinking your whole application is riddled with lies.

Admission officers have full access to your writing portion of the SAT or ACT so that they can compare work that was done in proctored conditions with that done at home. They can tell if these were written by different people. Not only that, but there are now a number of search engines that faculty and admission officers can use to see if an essay contains strings of words that have appeared in other essays—you have no guarantee that the essay you bought wasn't also bought by 50 other students.

• You should get college essay help with both editing and proofreading
• A good editor will ask questions about your idea, logic, and structure, and will point out places where clarity is needed
• A good editor will absolutely not answer these questions, give you their own ideas, or write the essay or parts of the essay for you
• A good proofreader will find typos and check your formatting
• All of them agree that getting light editing and proofreading is necessary
• Parents, teachers, guidance or college counselor, and peers or siblings
• If you can't ask any of those, you can pay for college essay help, but watch out for services or coaches who over-edit you work
• Don't buy a pre-written essay! Colleges can tell, and it'll make your whole application sound false.

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications and then explore our step-by-step guide to writing a great college essay .

Using the Common Application for your college applications? We have an excellent guide to the Common App essay prompts and useful advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you . Wondering how other people tackled these prompts? Then work through our roundup of over 130 real college essay examples published by colleges .

Stressed about whether to take the SAT again before submitting your application? Let us help you decide how many times to take this test . If you choose to go for it, we have the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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Individual approach to every order is an EssayPro guarantee. You can trust us with the most ambiguous instructions, and we will still deliver a perfect paper.

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Our team of writers will help you with any task. Each one has at least three years of practice in academic writing and real-world experience in their field.

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Delivering unique papers is a must for us. Every paper goes through a Turnitin-based plagiarism checker. Claim your free originality report to confirm.

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You don’t have to give us any personal information except your email. Stay completely anonymous if you wish. No private data is shared with third parties.

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After receiving an email notification, read your paper and confirm receipt. Ask for revision if necessary

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Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to use academic writing services, do your academic writers provide original work, what exactly can you help me with, is there a way to talk to my writer, why is academic writing so hard.

Academic writing is the main way of assessing students’ comprehension, critical thinking and analysis skills. This is why it is not supposed to be easy. However, in the current landscape, it is arguably a lot harder than it used to be just ten years ago. Students truly have a lot on their plates, and getting a trusted service for academic writing help is a necessity rather than a luxury. But still, finding a reputable academic writing company that would not scam you out of your money and private data can be a struggle. We recommend always reading through the terms and conditions before giving an online service your money. Sure, reading through dozens of pages of legalese is not fun, but it’s a sure way to safeguard your funds and, most importantly, your privacy. An easier way to determine the trustworthiness of a company is by looking at the payment methods they offer. Always look for a padlock character at the beginning of the address bar in your browser, as this tells you the website is safe. The payment methods also have to be recognizable and trustworthy. If all those conditions are met, you know that the research papers writing help service is safe and can be trusted. But if it raises any suspicions, run away immediately!

Reasons to choose us for your writing needs

There are plenty of academic writing services to choose from these days, and feeling confused when you have to settle for one is natural. The reality is you don't have to settle for one! You can test different services, compare their professional academic writers, support teams and other aspects and then return to the one you liked best. The thing is, though, we are pretty sure EssayPro will be the one you settle for, regardless of how many different services you try out. We have some of the most affordable prices, a huge pool of writers who all have been excessively tested and trained, round-the-clock support, and many features that other services charge for are free at EssayPro. We are always willing to listen to feedback and learn from it. This is why even if you had a disappointing experience with us, we will give you free, unlimited revisions or even a refund. Our policy has you, our client, in the center. Your satisfaction, privacy, safety and happiness are important to us, and it's in our best interest to do everything possible to support these claims. So, hurry up, place your first order today, and claim your discounts!

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Choose the Best Paper Writing Service

PaperHelp : Top Pick, Best Value for Money (4.88/5)

BBQPapers : Best for Lengthy and Complex Assignments (4.86/5)

EssayPro : Best for Punctuality (4.82/5)

WritePaperForMe : Best for Affordability (4.80/5)

ExtraEssay : Best for Urgent Papers (4.77/5)

In-Depth Review of the Top Essay Writing Services

I didn't just sit back and read through reviews or take their claims at face value. Nope, I went full incognito mode and actually ordered custom essays from these services to see if they could deliver. It was all about seeing firsthand whether they truly lived up to their promises.

PaperHelp: Top Overall Pick

PaperHelp is a top paper writing service that offers a good bang for your buck with high-quality essays and research papers at prices that don't break the bank.

My experience with them was really positive. From the writing quality and the originality of the content to how qualified the paper writers are and their privacy policies, everything was top-notch.

Quality and Timeliness (4.8/5)

I had a chance to try out PaperHelp for a project I needed, and I went with their basic writer option to keep things budget-friendly.

Honestly, the quality blew me away. The essay was well put together, the points made sense, and it was pretty clear to me that whoever wrote it really understood the topic. It’s obvious they have a solid team who knows how to write well and make complex topics easy to understand.

My paper was nearly 100% original, which is impressive. If you're worried about plagiarism, they do offer checks for an extra fee.

One thing I really appreciated was how quickly they delivered my paper. It arrived six hours before the deadline, which gave me plenty of time to go over it and make sure everything was perfect.

Overall, I genuinely think that PaperHelp is the best essay writing service currently available, because it offers a good balance between quality, affordability, and reliability. From what I've seen, they consistently deliver great work without breaking the bank.

Cost (4.8/5)

Talking about cost, I found their prices really reasonable. I mean, starting around $13-14 for simpler papers and up to $23 for more advanced stuff like Master's and Ph.D. level work seems like a good deal to me, especially considering the quality you get.

A basic plagiarism check is $10, and a detailed Turnitin report is $30. I kind of wish these were included for free, but it seems to be a common practice to charge extra.

Confidentiality (5/5)

They only asked for my email to place the order, which is a big thumbs up from me. It's refreshing to see an essay writing website that takes privacy seriously.

Customer Support (5/5)

Their customer support was on point, too. Every time I reached out, I got a quick and helpful response. It’s comforting to know there’s someone ready to help 24/7, whether it’s over the phone, email, or live chat.

Revisions and Refunds (4.6/5)

Their policy on revisions and refunds is pretty straightforward. You get up to three free revisions within a week, which is generous. And if there’s a significant issue like a missed deadline, they offer a full refund, no questions asked. Though it seems getting a refund under other circumstances might be a bit of a hassle.

BBQPapers: Best for Lengthy and Complex Papers

I've used BBQPapers before, and honestly, it felt like a breath of fresh air in the crowded world of academic writing services.

Yes, their prices are a bit on the higher side, but you really get what you pay for here – outstanding service and top-notch quality that just takes the weight off your shoulders.

Quality and Timeliness (5/5)

The essay they delivered to me was nothing short of impressive. It was well-researched, beautifully crafted, and followed my instructions to the letter. The professional essay writers they have are clearly some of the best out there, with a real talent for digging deep into subjects and presenting ideas clearly and convincingly.

Unlike PaperHelp, they don't have different levels of writers to choose from. It's all about ensuring you get a paper written by someone who's either a native English speaker or perfectly fluent in it, without having to pay extra. That approach simplifies things a lot.

They've also been incredibly reliable in terms of turnaround times, even for urgent requests. It's like having a dependable buddy who's always there to help, ensuring you're never stuck without support.

Cost (4.7/5)

The prices start at $14.60 per page for high school essays, which is a bit steep. But considering the peace of mind and the quality you get, I found it worth the investment. Plus, their loyalty program is genuinely helpful, making future orders more budget-friendly. It feels like they're rewarding you for sticking with quality.

Every order comes with a free plagiarism report, which is a huge plus since most other services charge extra for this kind of assurance. It shows they're committed to maintaining high standards of originality.

Confidentiality (4.8/5)

They ask for just the basic details like email, name and phone and do an excellent job of protecting your information. Knowing that my details were secure and only accessible to customer service made me feel a lot more comfortable using their service.

Speaking of customer service, they're really easy to talk to. It never felt like I was just getting standard responses. Whenever I had a question or an issue, I was chatting with a real person who was there to help.

Revisions and Refunds (4.8/5)

Lastly, their revision and refund policy seemed fair to me. You get a chance to ask for revisions within ten days, which is reasonable. And their full refund promise if they ever miss a deadline or if the content isn't original speaks volumes about their confidence in what they offer.

EssayPro: Best for Punctuality

EssayPro isn't your typical college essay writing service. In fact, it's more like an auction where professional paper writers bid to work on your project. This setup really lets you pick someone who seems right for the job based on their proposal and price.

The essay I bought from EssayPro wes top-notch. It hit the mark on every level: well-structured, clear arguments, and the language was just right for a college assignment. Plus, chatting with the online paper writer was easy and convenient.

My essay landed in my inbox 3 hours ahead of the deadline. That level of punctuality is really something I value, and it's one of the reasons I'd say EssayPro is top-notch in this department.

My paper came back with only a 3% similarity score, and they even threw in an originality report for free just like BBQPapers did. This gave me peace of mind about the uniqueness of my essay.

Cost (4.9/5)

Pricing starts at $11.40 per page, which is reasonable and didn't hurt my wallet too much, even for a last-minute request. And speaking of last-minute, they got my essay done way ahead of schedule — three hours before it was due. Their punctuality is a real standout feature for me.

The process to order was straightforward and kept my details under wraps, asking just for an email.

Customer Support (4.6/5)

If there’s one thing that I don’t like about EssayPro is that there is no option to call them up directly. However, there is an email and live chat support that becomes available after you've placed an order.

Being able to ask for unlimited free revisions for up to 30 days after getting your order is a big plus. Additionally, knowing that you could get anywhere from a 50% to a 100% refund depending on your situation adds a lot of reassurance.

WritePaperForMe: Best for Affordability

In my opinion, WritePaperForMe is the best pick if you need help with a small request and don’t want to spend too much money on it.

They're pretty affordable and don't compromise too much on quality, which was exactly what I was looking for. Their team mainly consists of professional writers with advanced degrees, which gave me confidence in their ability to handle my paper.

Quality and Timeliness (4.7/5)

When I chose the "Best available" writer option, I was hoping for a good mix of affordability and expertise, and that's pretty much what I got. The essay I received was detailed and well-researched, really showing off the writer's knowledge on the topic.

There were a few minor grammar mistakes, probably because the essay writer wasn’t a native speaker of English. However, it wasn't a big deal for me.

The fastest turnaround option here is 6 hours, so WritePaperForMe is not the quickest essay service out there. However, they always deliver on time, which is crucial during crunch time.

As for originality, my paper came back with only 3% plagiarism, which is totally fine for college standards.

WritePaperForMe is genuinely affordable, starting at just $6.99 per page for high school-level writing. That's perfect for students like me who are trying to keep expenses low. What I didn’t really like is that they charged an extra $10 for the plagiarism report, which was a bit too much.

I also really appreciated their approach to privacy, as they only needed my email to start processing my order.

Their customer support was another win. I called a couple of times for updates, and everyone I spoke to was super helpful and friendly.

Revisions and Refunds (4.5/5)

They offer three free revisions within a week after delivery, which is handy. The refund policy is a bit strict, but hopefully, you won't need to use it.

ExtraEssay: Best for Urgent Papers

ExtraEssay is probably the fastest essay writing service around. They offer a one-hour delivery for short tasks, which is a lifesaver for college students pressed for time.

Although there's some room for improvement, particularly regarding the cost of originality reports and additional features, it's a solid choice. If you're in need of dependable and quick academic writing assistance, ExtraEssay is a great option to consider based on my experience.

My essay arrived on time, was well-written, clear, and covered all the important points I needed them to cover. I did notice that if you're in a real rush and need something in just a few hours, the quality might dip a little.

From my experience, giving the writer a bit more time can really help make the essay better. In my case, the balance between how fast I got it and the quality was perfect. It seemed like the person writing it knew the topic really well and was good at writing graduate essays.

If you're running out of time, this service can save you a lot of trouble. They can get you an essay in just an hour, which is amazing for those moments when you've either forgotten about an assignment or just couldn't get to it. There's a limit of one page for these super quick orders, which makes sense but is good to keep in mind.

My essay was mostly unique, which is great, but I was a bit surprised to be charged $15 just to see the originality report. Again, the practice of charging extra for plagiarism reports isn't unique to ExtraEssay. However, even though it's important to know your work is original, that extra charge felt a bit much.

About the cost, it was a bit more than what I usually pay, but given how good the essay was and how fast I got it, I think it was worth it. The prices vary depending on what school level you need the paper for, with the prices starting at $9 per page for high school papers.

I also really appreciated how they handle their customers’ privacy. You only need to give them your email to place an order, and leaving a phone number is totally optional. It's great for keeping your information safe.

Their customer support is excellent, too. I reached out via live chat and got a response in just 20 seconds. The person I talked to (her name was Kathie) was really nice and answered all my questions, which made the whole process a lot smoother.

Revisions and Refunds (5/5)

If something isn't right with your essay, their revision and refund policy is very fair. You have 14 days to ask for revisions, which is plenty of time to make sure everything's just how you want it. They also look at refunds on a case-by-case basis, so it feels like they really care about making things right if you're not happy.

Why These Services?

Let me share why I settled on these particular services. It wasn't a random choice; it came from my personal experiences and a lot of research.

Firstly, reliability is key for me. It's comforting to have services that you can rely on time after time. The ones I've chosen have consistently proven themselves, backed by loads of positive reviews.

The quality of the academic papers is another major factor. The recommended services have incredibly skilled writers who don't just write; they craft well-thought-out, original, and engaging papers. You can tell they have a solid quality control process that ensures every paper is up to par.

As a student, I'm always trying to balance quality with affordability. The services I've picked do just that. They provide excellent work without draining your bank account, which I find pretty impressive.

And let's not forget about meeting deadlines. In school, deadlines are everything, and the services I recommend understand that. They've consistently shown they can handle tight deadlines without ever compromising the quality of their work.

Essay Writing Service FAQs

Are custom paper writing services worth it.

I've used online essay writing services before, and in my experience, they're definitely worth considering, especially if you find a reliable one. They're great for proofreading and editing. You don't just get your writing checked; you also receive valuable feedback and tips to improve.

And if you're looking for someone to write your essay, the benefits are clear. You save so much time that you would have spent on research, not to mention the stress relief from knowing your paper will be plagiarism-free and well-written in terms of formatting, spelling, and grammar.

What I appreciate about these services is the assurance that comes with them. For instance, if there's something about the research paper or a custom essay that's not up to par, you can usually get revisions made. And if things really don't pan out, there's often a money-back guarantee.

The cherry on top? Your essay is delivered on time, just the way you want it. But for me, the biggest perk is the free time you get back. Whether it's for work, spending time with family, taking care of yourself, or pursuing other interests, it's invaluable.

Are essay writing services legal?

There's a bit of a debate around the ethics of using these services, but the fact that there are so many reputable essay writing companies out there doing this work suggests that it's not against the law.

These services do more than just write essays; they also offer proofreading and editing. So, if you write something and want professional feedback, these services can be really helpful. I think it's a great way to get some insight into improving your work.

It's also worth mentioning that nearly every essay writing service guarantees their work will be plagiarism-free. If they don't make this promise, it's a red flag, and you should probably avoid them.

While plagiarism might not always lead to legal trouble, it's definitely something to avoid. So, in my experience, using these services isn't illegal, but it's crucial to choose a trustworthy provider.

Can Turnitin spot the essay that I bought online?

No, Turnitin can't really spot an essay if it's completely original, even if you got it online. It compares your essay against what's available on the internet and what's already in its database to look for any overlaps.

When you go for a legitimate essay writing service, they usually give you a report that shows your essay is original. If an essay makes it through this initial check, it's probably going to be okay on Turnitin too.

But if your essay doesn't pass this test of originality, it means there's a problem. You definitely shouldn't have ended up with that paper, and it might be time to ask for your money back.

Is it safe to use a professional paper writing service?

Yes, they are absolutely safe. But like anything online, you've got to be careful. Some essay writing websites let you see drafts or outlines before you commit, which is helpful because you get a sense of what your essay might look like and judge the writer's skills yourself.

I've learned that picking a website that offers a money-back guarantee is wise. Also, a free plagiarism report is something you should look for. Plagiarism is a big deal, and ensuring your essay is original is crucial.

Safety-wise, choosing a service that uses secure payment methods, including PayPal, is essential to protect your financial info from potential hackers. From my experience, if you stick with reputable sites, especially the ones I've checked out, you should be in good hands.

Side-by-side Comparison of the Paper Writing Websites

Each service has its unique strengths. Your choice will likely depend on what you value most: cost, quality, speed, or a mix of these factors.

PaperHelp is your go-to college paper writing service for getting a lot of quality without spending too much. Their essays come with a side of quick delivery, and you can even check for plagiarism if you're willing to pay a little extra.

Prices are starting from about $13, depending on the complexity of your paper. They keep it simple and secure with just an email needed to get started, and their customer service is always there to help. You'll find their approach to revisions and refunds straightforward and fair.

BBQPapers feels like a premium service without the sticker shock. Yes, their prices are a bit higher, starting at $14.60 per page, but they make it worth your while with top-notch essays and free plagiarism reports at no extra charge. They value your privacy and offer excellent customer support, making sure you feel taken care of. Their loyalty program is a nice touch, rewarding you for choosing quality.

EssayPro offers you to pick the best essay writer based on bids. This adds a personalized touch to the process, often at competitive prices starting at $11.40 per page. They're punctual, delivering essays hours before the deadline, and they include originality reports for free, which is a huge plus. The ordering process is privacy-friendly, requiring just an email, and while their customer support is solid, it's a bit of a bummer you can't call them directly.

WritePaperForMe is a cheap essay writing service and a perfect pick if you're trying to keep expenses low. Prices start at just $6.99 per page. Even though they do charge extra for plagiarism reports, the overall cost remains low. They deliver quality work on time but expect a few grammar hiccups if the writer isn't a native English speaker. The revisions and refunds policy is decent, though it sounds like you might not need to worry about it much.

ExtraEssay is capable of providing a one-hour turnaround for those really tight deadlines. The website requires minimal personal information, and their customer support responds swiftly, making the stress of last-minute assignments a bit more bearable. Prices start at $9 per page.

to submit an obituary

Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:00pm, Call 610-915-2226

(Proofs will be provided for accuracy only, they will not be styled/formatted like the finished product)

Obituaries submitted on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. by email only [email protected]

(No proofs will be furnished. Pricing will not be available until the next business day after 10:00am by calling Dianne at 610-915-2226)

Obituaries received after Deadline will not be published in the following edition of the paper.

Sending Procedure:

Email is the preferable method for receiving Obituaries (and the only method on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays), they can be sent to [email protected] (Feel free to call and confirm that we’ve received the email)

Formatting:

Obituaries will continue to visually look the same as they currently do, but you will no longer be restricted in what you can say (ex. As much Family can be listed as you’d like; Wording like “Went to rest with the Lord” is now permissible)

There is a cost for each obituary. Pricing and payments are only available Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. All weekend and holiday submissions will be provided a cost the next business day.

Exceptions:

All New accounts, Out of State Funeral Homes and Private Parties will require prepayment upon approval of the obituary. Weekend and Holiday staff are not authorized to set up a new account or process payments

Deadline for the above is before 4:00 PM Mon – Fri. only (Holiday schedules may vary).

Prepayment required submissions will be handled on the very first business day following the weekend and/or holiday schedule. A complete name, address and best contact phone number are required upon submittal of your obituary request to set up your account. A proof will then be emailed for review but placed on hold until payment is received.

Sponsored Content | The 7 Best Essay Writing Services in the U.S.

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We’ve identified the top seven online essay writing services, picking only the cream of the crop based on a multitude of genuine reviews and comprehensive research from our side..

PaperHelp has very high customer service ratings, with a 4.7 out of 5 rating according to more than a thousand reviews as of April 3, 2024. Ease of use, quality of custom papers, and value for money are the most-cited reasons for the high ratings given to the company by undergraduate students.

We consider PaperHelp to be the best essay writing service in the United States and beyond due to the consistently high quality, originality, and value for money it provides to its customers.

The company allows the customer to be involved in the paper-writing process from its very beginning. You can get updates from the writer, review the essay while in progress, and request free revisions if needed. You get three revisions for free, which is usually more than enough to get the required result.

PaperHelp offers a variety of writing services, including essay, research paper, thesis, and dissertation writing for every level of academia.

In addition, PaperHelp gives plenty of bonuses and discounts for both new and regular customers. There is also a great loyalty program that enables students to save money on future orders, making it a good choice for resellers.

• Great value for money, affordable
• Suitable for most academic assignments, including Ph.D. papers
• Papers are always plagiarism-free
• Great loyalty program for regular customers and resellers
• Most essential extras are paid and expensive
• It takes quite some time to find a suitable writer for Master’s degree assignments

No matter the level of academia you are working in, PaperHelp can provide high-quality, original, written-from-scratch, plagiarism-free essays at a great value. We highly recommend PaperHelp to students as the top college essay writing service in the United States.

    2. BBQPapers — The Best Essay Writers, Premium Service

BBQPapers offers high-quality research papers and essays, plagiarism-free, and a high level of customer service. In addition, the company claims to have professional-level editors in the top 2% of academic excellence write and review your essays.

BBQPapers have a process whereby each paper is checked against the web and its own database for originality. BBQPapers also offers free revisions within ten days, accurate citations, professional editing, and a 60-day money-back guarantee.

BBQPapers offers incentives in the form of loyalty program discounts and a “pay as you go” zero-interest plan option for projects priced over $500. The company also offers standalone editing and proofreading services and custom services for odd academic assignments.

This service guarantees security and confidentiality to its customers and guarantees the quality of the papers it produces for students.

Pricing is around $6 per 100 words, with editing and proofreading priced separately as standalone services. This is a bit pricey for writing services in the United States compared to the others we reviewed.

• The best quality among all essay services, writers are Ph.D. and M.A. degree holders
• Extra long money-back guarantee (60 days)
• Pay as you go option for expensive papers
• 99% of the writers are native speakers of English
• Essential add-ons are free
• Prices are above average
• Writing samples are not available

Customer satisfaction with BBQPapers is high. Students appreciate the quality and security this essay service offers to them and have been largely pleased with the final results, garnering good grades for their submissions.

   3. MyAdmissionsEssay — The Best Service for Application Essays

Even though the name suggests that this company specializes solely in admission essays, this website offers writing assistance with various academic tasks to all levels of academics, from high school to Ph.D.

In addition, this professional essay writing service boasts a pool of diverse writers with a variety of language skills. Your paper will be written from scratch by a well-educated writer in that particular field of interest. College papers are delivered quickly, as soon as 3 hours turnaround time.

Students may give specific instructions and have access to the writer during the process, as well as opportunities for revision to get the paper edited to their satisfaction.

This company guarantees confidentiality, safety, and plagiarism-free original content written according to scholars’ instructions.

MyAdmissionsEssay has some great reviews on the site, but there are not many available. Customers appreciate the quality of the writing and the quick delivery times.

The pricing of this essay writer service is competitive and affordable, and the service offers 24/7 online support to its customers. The company’s online pricing table is transparent and easy to navigate.

• Best and affordable option for personal statements
• Professional editing & proofreading service
• Quick turnaround
• Truly confidential service
• Limited payment options, the service doesn’t accept PayPal
• Minor typos and grammar errors found in final product

This service seems best for personal statements and simpler essays. Some customers complain of minor mistakes or formatting errors, and students dislike the limited payment options offered by MyAdmissionsEssay.

   4. WritePaperForMe — The Cheapest Paper Writing Service

WritePaperForMe made our list because of its reputation as a truly cheap essay writing service with good quality and customer support.

This service provides the best value for money. If you’re a student on a budget, this is a great service to consider for a simple and original essay with fast delivery at an affordable price.

WritePaperForMe promotes customer-centered service with round-the-clock support as well as free revisions to get your paper exactly where you want it before you submit it. This essay writing company also offers complete confidentiality to college students using its essay services.

Using WritePaperForMe is safe because it has been rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for customer satisfaction, according to hundreds of customer reviews on SiteJabber and other review platforms. In addition, most reviews state that students received good results. Generally, quality and efficiency were also highly rated, but mostly with simple requests.

WritePaperForMe is a place where you can hire a cheap essay writer who is knowledgeable enough to write a short, simple essay that you just don’t have enough time to write yourself.

This site has hundreds of writers online and takes pride in the speedy delivery of good-quality papers. The WritePaperForMe website also provides quite a few essay samples listed by category. Students have free access to these essays and excellent customer support for ordering the perfect paper to suit their needs, regardless of topic.

Some customers complained that some of the writers struggled with research-intensive assignments like research papers and dissertations, but the general response to this service was positive.

• Quick and truly affordable
• Great customer service
• Might not be the best option for anything but essays
• Plagiarism report is a paid add-on

We would advise hiring a more professional paper writing service for more in-depth and important papers. WritePaperForMe might not be ideal if you need someone truly knowledgeable to work on your STEM research/term paper, thesis, or dissertation.

   5. GradeMiners — The Fastest Writing Service

This college paper writing service has gone through some changes over the last couple of years. With time, customer reviews of this site are becoming better and better.

GradeMiners is striving to improve its quality, and it shows. This academic writing company is getting high ratings for speedy delivery, updated satisfaction guarantees, and incentives for return customers.

Those incentives are now present in the form of daily discounts and exclusive email offers for return customers who sign up for the newsletter, something that wasn’t available back in the day.

In addition to academic writing services, GradeMiners also offers homework help and problem-solving assistance for high school and college-level students.

This service has fewer professional college essay writers than other sites, and the company generally employs ESL writers. This service offers writing in everything from academic papers to thesis and dissertations.

GradeMiners offers a money-back guarantee as well as free revisions for up to 30 days. The company received a 4.6 out 5 customer rating and claimed to deliver 70% of its orders earlier than the specified deadline.

In spite of claims, discounts, and guarantees, reviews on some services are mixed. Pricing is of great concern because there is no dedicated pricing table for services.

• Great option for rush orders and last-minute papers
• Extra long revision period of 30 days
• Writers are professional enough to handle most papers
• The prices are somewhat high
• Mostly ESL writers

Overall, GradeMiners prices out as a more expensive option than other comparable services. For some students, the trade-off for fast delivery makes it worthwhile.

   6. EssayPro — One of the Most Popular and Reliable Services

EssayPro offers features and perks that other essay writing websites do not. For example, it allows you to browse its writing staff and choose your own writer based on their academic qualifications, areas of interest and expertise, as well as past customer ratings and reviews.

Once you’ve chosen your paper writer, you have access to free unlimited editing, a free title page, and around-the-clock customer support.

EssayPro is certainly a legit essay writing website that offers professional services and has the best reputation for quality, security, and customer satisfaction.

In addition, the company guarantees confidentiality and anonymity so that no one ever knows that you outsourced your essay.

Some customers complain that this service is overpriced, but we found EssayPro to be quite competitive in terms of price. Papers with a shorter return time will be more costly. The more lead time you give, the more writers will garner you a break on the price.

Access to the writer during the process and unlimited editing capability make EssayPro one of the most highly regarded and popular college essay writing services out there.

• Popular and trusted site
• There’s an option to choose your writer yourself
• Round-the-clock support
• No phone support
• Isn’t the best option for theses and dissertations

To make its services affordable, EssayPro mostly hires ESL writers with excellent academic credentials, giving customers a pool of talent to choose from and making the best fit possible for the subject matter being addressed.

   7. EssayNoDelay — Legit Writing Service for ESL Students

EssayNoDelay is a reputable college essay writing service that comes highly recommended. It is an international company based in Bulgaria that employs hundreds of writers, most of whom are ESL.

The company provides excellent customer service via live chat and email. Turnaround times are fast for delivery, but customer service response to student emails can take up to a week, even for emergent requests.

This service, out of all the ones we reviewed, has the deepest discount for first-time customers and returning requests, but you can expect to pay significantly more for subsequent orders.

This online paper writer service has decent pricing but could do better by adding loyalty programs or better discounts for returning customers.

The quality of work from EssayNoDelay is generally good, and reviews are positive. This service boasts that 91% percent of its clients have returned to place more than 5 orders. Most complaints are with regard to minor grammatical or formatting errors in the work.

This company guarantees to provide an original, plagiarism-free paper, with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee on its work.

• The best loyalty program among other sites
• Good quality
• Mostly caters towards ESL students, it’s hard to find a writer from the U.S., the UK or Canada
• While first order is cheap, repeat orders are way more expensive

EssayNoDelay has proven to be a cost-effective custom essay writing service that provides professional writing assistance to students at all levels of academia.

Paper Writing Services: Common Questions, Answered

How long does it take to have my essay written for me.

Depending on your chosen service, your essay can be written within hours, days, or weeks. The longer the lead time you allow for some services, the deeper the discounts. You can expect to pay more for rush orders.

The complexity of the paper you order can also impact the turnaround time. If you need to monitor the process, make suggestions to the writer, edit the work, or request revisions after the paper has been produced, it will add time to the process.

We suggest you don’t wait too long to place your order, there are sometimes unexpected issues that can delay the delivery of your paper, and since deadlines and due dates in academia are mostly fixed, it’s up to the scholar to make sure there is enough time for the professional writer to complete the order including proofreading, editing, and revisions if required.

It’s recommended that you keep in contact with the writing service and the hired writer, in particular, to make sure that everything is to your satisfaction to avoid delays.

The responsibility falls to the student or scholar to ensure that essays are submitted to teachers and professors on time with all requirements met regardless of academic level.

Will my essay be written by a professional essay writer?

Some of the reliable essay writing services we have listed hire professional writers at all levels of academia.

Most services will allow the customer to choose the writer based on their field of expertise, academic credentials, and customer reviews posted on the website.

In addition, most websites enable the customer to select either a Native English speaker/writer or an ESL expert.

Some colleges consistently check students’ writing styles, so if you’re an ESL student, it makes sense to hire an ESL writer so that your paper only stands out a little from your own writing.

The most popular sites profile the college essay writers who are the most requested and most highly reviewed to promote them to customers.

Other services will assign the best essay writer based on the type of paper, subject matter, and level of academia needed to complete the task.

All of the services we reviewed guarantee their results and hire experts who are true professionals in their fields or have the academic experience to write with authority on the subject they specialize in.

Most of the services allow you to monitor the process. If communication is an issue, or if you are unhappy with the results, their guarantees allow you to substitute another professional to satisfy your requirements.

How much does it cost to purchase an essay?

If we’re talking about undergraduate writing assignments, the typical price for a single page is about $11-20. It usually varies depending on how fast you need your essay written. On average, a typical three-page college essay written in three days will cost you $50-110.

We advise you to be wary of some cheap essay writing services selling papers for prices lower than $9. While the price may seem appealing, it’s best to steer clear of such sites because they hardly ever deliver papers of subpar quality, let alone high-quality, plagiarism-free essays.

Is it safe to buy essays online?

Yes, you can be reasonably certain that buying papers and essays online through any of the academic writing companies that we have reviewed here will be safe and secure. By using any of these sites, your personal data will be kept confidential and fully protected.

Your school should never learn that you hired an online essay writer to produce a paper for one of your classes. This is a valid concern when employing a writing service to write a paper for you. The possibility that your teacher or professor will learn that you bought your paper online is small.

Here’s the thing. The only way these college paper writing services can continue to thrive and stay in business is to keep student data confidential and safe. Most of them post a security and confidentiality guarantee on their websites. Some students opt to give a pseudonym or merely their initials to help guarantee themselves anonymity.

The companies we mentioned in this review keep their databases secure and do not sell or share student data. In most cases, they have a customer satisfaction guarantee which covers security and quality.

If a company is offering a 100% money-back guarantee, you can wager that they are doing their utmost to avoid giving any refunds.

Are online essay writing services legit?

As with any kind of service you employ, it’s always a case of “buyer beware.” The responsibility falls on the customer to do their due diligence in choosing a reputable and honest and online essay writing service from which to purchase papers.

However, be wary of basing your decisions solely on customer reviews, as many of these companies are plagued by scores of negative reviews from scam sites provided by rival essay writing companies.

Look for well-established websites with a large pool of writers, and be sure to utilize the live chat feature that is on most of the websites, to ask the questions that are pertinent to your situation.

You want to be sure that you employ a writing service with professional paper writers who specialize in your field of study. At the higher levels of academia, you need to be sure that the writers have the academic experience and credentials to produce the quality level required for a thesis or dissertation.

When special formatting and citations are required, you will need to do diligent interviewing of your essay writer to be assured that they are able to produce the quality of content that you require.

What if I am not satisfied with my paper?

The majority of the services you will consider have a process whereby you get edits and revisions for free within a specified period of time after the completion of the work.

In some cases, future edits and revisions will be charged a fee.

Many services also offer a customer satisfaction guarantee which means that the expert essay writer you engage (that the service contracts with) promises to revise the finished product to your satisfaction, or you are entitled to 100% of your money back.

We understand that it rarely goes to that extreme. Most of the time, you will be able to obtain a final product to your satisfaction on the first try, even without asking for a revision.

If you want to achieve that, please provide the most descriptive order instructions that you can. This way, you can avoid the revision process and save yourself and your writer some time.

Part of making sure that the best outcome is to choose a writing service that employs proficient and professional essay writers in your area of study and that you give clear and explicit instructions as to the formatting, citation, and style of essay you require.

We also recommend that you check in regularly with your writer throughout the process so that you may be able to catch any issues that may arise and be able to correct them right away.

What are the main drawbacks of essay writing services?

The main drawbacks of using companies that write essays for you are the expense and the risk of discovery. While most essay writing services online are not too costly, getting into larger projects with extensive proofing and editing can become expensive, especially on a student’s budget.

While these sites generally guarantee security and confidentiality, there is always the chance that your professors/teachers may notice a change in the quality or style of your essays and figure out that you purchased the work rather than producing it.

The other drawback of using the services of essay writing websites is that you don’t benefit from the work the same way you would have if you had done the work.

If you are doing the research and the citations, you will be enriched by the process and gain knowledge in the subject from doing the work.

Using a writing service only gives you the benefit of the result, the grade, or the points you gain, rather than a more profound knowledge of the subject matter.

This has the potential to trip you up later in life when you may be called upon for that knowledge in your field of study and lack the expertise because you paid someone else to do the work.

Professional essay writing services fill a need in providing writing assistance to students at all levels of academia, but they should only be used infrequently and in urgent or timely situations where the student or scholar is unable to provide a quality essay on the subject assigned.

We understand that there are circumstances where a writing service can be a real lifesaver. Still, we caution students not to abuse these services or use them as a replacement for acquiring knowledge in their chosen field of study. Instead, when the need arises, choose a reputable service that guarantees good quality work.

The news and editorial staff of the Delco Daily Times had no role in this post’s preparation.

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Essay services for your success

How to get help with essay.

No time for making a paper yourself? Forgot about the task? Get a professional help with essay, let other people do research and brainstorming for you! It's an actually useful service that allows you to live your life while your work is being done. Sounds fantastic, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the times when your parents or elder siblings could assist you in your homework have passed. Now you need to look for professional help. Luckily for thousands students struggling with the same issue, there are dozens of websites offering custom paper writing service. That's how you get all your academic papers done. The only question now is the price of such a service. We'll be comparing the features to find the best suitable option.

An affordable custom paper writing service

Prices always matter! No, you get it wrong! Quality of the work done actually matters. A good essay is not necessarily the one you have to pay $100 for. When choosing college essay help consider three essential moments: time, cost and reviews. Let's learn a bit more about each moment. That's how you succeed.

In terms of time there can be hundreds of variations. When do you need your essay to get done? In a week? In a month? Tomorrow? Look for the service that offers adequate timing. And remember, the less time is required the more you have to pay. Sometimes several people would be working on one essay. Such term paper writing service will be priced higher, but still allows you to get the desired results and high grade from a professor.

Price is another important feature. Paying huge cost for an essay doesn't guarantee the proper work. There are multiple websites with affordable offers. What you should really check is the reviews of the clients. They make you understand whether you're dealing with good service or not. Ask questions before placing an order. The person or a group of people who are to write your paper should have experience and knowledge and have diploma themselves.

How to choose a service

Opening the Internet you see thousands of option for hiring a writer. How do you find the one that helps you in satisfying the professor and get an excellent grade for that?

First, pay attention to the education of the writers. Do they have degrees or diplomas? What are their main spheres and fields?

Second, consider the price you're going to pay. Spending hundreds of bucks on an essay won't make it a brilliant work. Third, evaluate the timing. Both yours and the writer's. Get ready to pay more for an urgent job. Find the balance between price and time, and you'll get the best paper on time

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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Amanda Hoover

Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI

Students have submitted more than 22 million papers that may have used generative AI in the past year, new data released by plagiarism detection company Turnitin shows.

A year ago, Turnitin rolled out an AI writing detection tool that was trained on its trove of papers written by students as well as other AI-generated texts. Since then, more than 200 million papers have been reviewed by the detector, predominantly written by high school and college students. Turnitin found that 11 percent may contain AI-written language in 20 percent of its content, with 3 percent of the total papers reviewed getting flagged for having 80 percent or more AI writing. (Turnitin is owned by Advance, which also owns Condé Nast, publisher of WIRED.) Turnitin says its detector has a false positive rate of less than 1 percent when analyzing full documents.

ChatGPT’s launch was met with knee-jerk fears that the English class essay would die . The chatbot can synthesize information and distill it near-instantly—but that doesn’t mean it always gets it right. Generative AI has been known to hallucinate , creating its own facts and citing academic references that don’t actually exist. Generative AI chatbots have also been caught spitting out biased text on gender and race . Despite those flaws, students have used chatbots for research, organizing ideas, and as a ghostwriter . Traces of chatbots have even been found in peer-reviewed, published academic writing .

Teachers understandably want to hold students accountable for using generative AI without permission or disclosure. But that requires a reliable way to prove AI was used in a given assignment. Instructors have tried at times to find their own solutions to detecting AI in writing, using messy, untested methods to enforce rules , and distressing students. Further complicating the issue, some teachers are even using generative AI in their grading processes.

Detecting the use of gen AI is tricky. It’s not as easy as flagging plagiarism, because generated text is still original text. Plus, there’s nuance to how students use gen AI; some may ask chatbots to write their papers for them in large chunks or in full, while others may use the tools as an aid or a brainstorm partner.

Students also aren't tempted by only ChatGPT and similar large language models. So-called word spinners are another type of AI software that rewrites text, and may make it less obvious to a teacher that work was plagiarized or generated by AI. Turnitin’s AI detector has also been updated to detect word spinners, says Annie Chechitelli, the company’s chief product officer. It can also flag work that was rewritten by services like spell checker Grammarly, which now has its own generative AI tool . As familiar software increasingly adds generative AI components, what students can and can’t use becomes more muddled.

Detection tools themselves have a risk of bias. English language learners may be more likely to set them off; a 2023 study found a 61.3 percent false positive rate when evaluating Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams with seven different AI detectors. The study did not examine Turnitin’s version. The company says it has trained its detector on writing from English language learners as well as native English speakers. A study published in October found that Turnitin was among the most accurate of 16 AI language detectors in a test that had the tool examine undergraduate papers and AI-generated papers.

Lauren Goode

Karen Williams

William Turton

Schools that use Turnitin had access to the AI detection software for a free pilot period, which ended at the start of this year. Chechitelli says a majority of the service’s clients have opted to purchase the AI detection. But the risks of false positives and bias against English learners have led some universities to ditch the tools for now. Montclair State University in New Jersey announced in November that it would pause use of Turnitin’s AI detector. Vanderbilt University and Northwestern University did the same last summer.

“This is hard. I understand why people want a tool,” says Emily Isaacs, executive director of the Office of Faculty Excellence at Montclair State. But Isaacs says the university is concerned about potentially biased results from AI detectors, as well as the fact that the tools can’t provide confirmation the way they can with plagiarism. Plus, Montclair State doesn’t want to put a blanket ban on AI, which will have some place in academia. With time and more trust in the tools, the policies could change. “It’s not a forever decision, it’s a now decision,” Isaacs says.

Chechitelli says the Turnitin tool shouldn’t be the only consideration in passing or failing a student. Instead, it’s a chance for teachers to start conversations with students that touch on all of the nuance in using generative AI. “People don’t really know where that line should be,” she says.

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Inviting Presences: Intratextual Subjectivities in Early Modern Women’s Writing

Surveying the absence on her shelf where Elizabethan women’s writing ought to be, Virginia Woolf (in)famously dismissed the possibility of Shakespeare’s sister ever finding “a room of her own” to develop her voice. Recent decades of literary scholarship have shown the invention with which early modern women built out their own textual “rooms,” finding voice in surprising places and forms (even in silence, as Christina Luckyj heard [2002]), in visions of new political subjectivities (in a radically equal imaginary, as seen by Mihiko Suzuki [2003]), and through networks of overlooked community (in coteries and in letters, as traced by James Daybell [2006]). Even more, we have become attuned to the way that early modern women’s texts are not merely “rooms,” blank potentials for an author to inscribe her subjectivity, but rich multivocal chambers whose voices rebound on their author.

We invite proposals for papers to be presented at the Sixteenth Century Society Conference in Toronto, ON, October 31 to November 2, 2024, which pursue questions concerning alternate textual presences in early modern European women’s writing. Often writing from the margins of political or social community, women writers play with absence and desire to invite presence, of all kinds. How do paradoxes of absence/presence and monologue/dialogue manifest in writing by early modern women? How do women writers craft texts which entreat, invite, or summon other presences – be they interlocutors or friends, human or divine?

Suitable topics will focus on early modern (c. 1500-1660) literary texts written by women and might include:

How presence is summoned/evoked, including in the substitution of objects for subjects

Substantiation of longing and desire

Intertextuality and authorial identity

Anonymity, paratext, and book material culture

Gaps in the archive

Please send paper abstracts (250w) and brief biographical notes (150w) to Dr. Jantina Ellens [email protected] and Dr. Joel Faber [email protected] by Friday, April 12, 2024.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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What Sandra Day O’Connor’s papers reveal about a landmark Supreme Court decision – and why it could be overturned soon

T he newly opened papers of the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor reveal the internal deliberations of a groundbreaking Supreme Court case that gave US regulators significant latitude to protect the environment and public health – and show how the ruling almost never happened.

The 40-year-old milestone, Chevron USA v. Natural Resources Defense Council , has become a target of the current Supreme Court and appears likely to be rolled back in a pair of pending cases this term.

“Chevron deference,” as it is commonly called, generally requires judges to accept federal agencies’ interpretations of open-ended or vaguely worded statutes regarding their mandates. Conservative critics, including Justice Neil Gorsuch, believe it has led to excessive regulation of American business by executive branch agencies. Defenders of regulatory power, including the court’s three liberals, counter that agencies – with their focused expertise – are needed to safeguard public health and welfare.

More broadly, O’Connor’s contemporaneous notes now open at the Library of Congress offer a view into how nine justices communicate in private, revealing personal predilections and some exasperation as they negotiate against looming deadlines.

In the Chevron case, testing the protections of the Clean Air Act, the papers reveal an overall tentativeness among justices as they struggled with statutory intricacies and worked toward compromise while teetering on the loss of a quorum (only six of the nine justices were on the final tally).

Yet Chevron v. NRDC became a seminal opinion, cited in lower court opinions and law review articles more than just about any other case.

O’Connor’s archive reveals its tenuous beginnings.

“It shows the case came very, very close to not being heard by the court at all,” said Columbia University professor Thomas Merrill, an administrative law expert who has written extensively about the influence of the Chevron decision. “That compounds the ‘accidental landmark’ aspect of the case. It almost didn’t exist.”

Merrill has used that phrase as he’s referred to the little notice Chevron received when it was decided and how its importance grew over the years. The principle of agency deference was fortified by subsequent decisions at the DC Circuit US Court of Appeals, which specializes in regulatory disputes, and then reinforced by the high court itself.

Chevron’s impact on the so-called administrative state has particularly spurred critics. During January oral arguments in the pair of cases that could lead to reversal of Chevron this year, justices on the right-wing majority criticized the deference to agencies.

Gorsuch said the principle favors government over businesses as well as individuals challenging government policy. He referred to “the immigrant, the veteran seeking his benefits, the Social Security Disability applicant, who have no power to influence agencies” and contended in such instances, “ Chevron is exploited against the individual and in favor of the government.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, focused on the tension between judges and agencies to interpret statutory meaning, suggesting that the judiciary should not be in the position of effectively writing federal regulations.

“I see Chevron as doing the very important work of helping courts stay away from policymaking,” the liberal justice said. “I’m worried about the courts becoming uber-legislators.”

That sentiment echoed a concern of the late Justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote the Chevron opinion. “Judges are not experts in the field,” Stevens wrote in the 1984 case, adding, “The responsibilities for assessing the wisdom of such policy choices and resolving the struggle between competing views of the public interest are not judicial ones: Our Constitution vests such responsibilities in the political branches.”

The core Chevron principle now hanging in the balance holds that judges should defer to the agency’s construction of the statute if it is “reasonable,” and even if it differs from how judges might interpret the vague wording.

A case few wanted

The Chevron dispute began when the Reagan administration retrenched on standards for air quality and loosened state permitting requirements for new and expanded factories and power plants.

The legal question for the Supreme Court in 1984 was whether the permit process for a new “stationary source” – the phrase used in the amended Clean Air Act – required a plant-wide assessment or allowed each new pollution-emitting device to be treated separately. The Environmental Protection Agency, then run by Anne Gorsuch (the justice’s mother),  said states were allowed to define “source” as meaning the entire plant, so any increase in pollution from one part of a plant, or device, could be offset by a decrease elsewhere in the plant.

After the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups sued, the DC Circuit US Court of Appeals agreed with environmentalists that the regulation conflicted with the statute and set it aside.

When the justices first looked at the Chevron appeal in spring 1983, they hesitated to get involved, according to the O’Connor papers, which enhance prior accounts in the papers of late justices. It took a while to muster the requisite four votes to even hear the case, and the number of justices who would be part of the ultimate resolution – a bare six justices – was in flux from the start.

Justice Lewis Powell thought his interest in one electric power company might require him to recuse himself. But after troubleshooting the matter, Powell found no reason to sit the case out, and on May 17, 1983, he sent a note to the clerk of the court, with copies to then-Chief Justice Warren Burger and O’Connor saying he’d be in.

Powell’s own archive at Washington and Lee University holds a note he wrote memorializing his recusal consideration: “As these cases involve an environmental law issue of some importance, and the parties probably number well into the hundreds, I have been concerned about a possible need to disqualify … I find that we already have carefully checked out this litigation, and I do not have to disqualify.”

Once Powell decided he could participate, however, he separately noted in his Chevron file that he was inclined to reject the industries’ appeal. Most of his colleagues were also ready to reject it.

According to O’Connor’s note from the first vote in the justices’ private conference in mid-May, only Justices Byron White and William Rehnquist wanted to grant the case. O’Connor offered a “join 3,” meaning she would provide the requisite fourth vote if three others wanted to hear the case. But there was no third vote at that point.

Powell asked that they all wait at least another week so he could continue mulling the dispute, and when the nine again voted at the end of the month, he was ready to provide a third vote. So, with O’Connor’s “join three” the case was accepted.

On the day of oral arguments, February 29, 1984, two justices happened to be out ill (Rehnquist and Thurgood Marshall). They both declined to participate in further deliberations on the case.

Writing the opinion

A decision in any case begins with a private vote in a justices-only session held in a small room off the chambers of the chief justice. Then the drafting begins, as an individual justice is designated to author the opinion for the court, fielding requested changes from colleagues and working to ensure that a majority holds.

The conversation typically plays out by memos circulated among the nine but sometimes a justice writing the main opinion makes a more personal appeal with a phone call or visit to another justice’s chambers.

In the justices-only conference after the Chevron oral arguments, the vote among the seven participating justices was a close 4-3. O’Connor recorded most of the justices as being tentative or “very shaky.”

She also appeared mildly irritated with Rehnquist’s withdrawal. He had been one of the bare-minimum votes to grant the case. O’Connor wrote on her tally sheet next to Rehnquist’s name: “out of case tho was one of 4 to grant!”

Differences over how to resolve the case did not fall along ideological lines, a contrast to the current polarization. Burger, a conservative, and Justice William Brennan, a liberal, were among the initial three dissenters, along with O’Connor, who disapproved of the EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Air Act.

Burger believed, according to O’Connor’s notes, that EPA had exceeded its authority in its new interpretation of anti-pollution coverage. “EPA construc goes pretty far,” she wrote as she captured his sentiment, short-handing the word “construction.”

Brennan, meanwhile, was irritated by the inconsistencies in statutory interpretation from the Jimmy Carter administration to Ronald Reagan administrations.

“EPA has changed directions, so not entitled to deference,” he said in the private session, according to O’Connor’s record. Her notes also suggest he wanted the court to tell EPA to pick a direction and be consistent.

The four justices who wanted to reverse the DC Circuit were White, Powell, Stevens and Harry Blackmun.

White, as the most senior justice of the four, asked Stevens to write the court’s opinion. Burger asked Brennan to write for the three dissenters.

The correspondence reveals Brennan’s reluctance to pen the dissenting opinion – and the overall lukewarm views of that side of the case.

“Dear Chief,” Brennan wrote Burger, with a copy to O’Connor, “I am willing to take on the dissent in this case but, particularly because we were all somewhat tentative in our votes at Conference, I hold out some hope that John will write an opinion for the court that will bring us together. I am presently in the process of drafting a letter to him on the matter. I would prefer, therefore, to take the assignment on a tentative basis and await John’s response before going forward with a dissent.”

Stevens’ files, opened last year at the Library of Congress, show that he resisted Brennan’s effort to bring more scrutiny to the EPA’s interpretation. In response to a March 6 letter from Brennan, Stevens said he had yet to draft the opinion but that he had tentatively concluded the statutory definition was sufficiently flexible to allow the EPA to take the plant-wide approach.

A few weeks later, Stevens warned Brennan that he was sure where he was headed and said it was likely Brennan would have to write a dissent.

“At long last I have found the time to get back into these cases and to begin work on a draft opinion,” Stevens wrote on May 23. “Since you wrote to me on March 6, in the hope that you might be able to escape the chore of writing a dissenting opinion if I could see my way clear to accepting your approach to the case, I thought I should let you know that I am now quite firmly persuaded that the Government is correct in arguing that the EPA’s interpretation of the term ‘source’ is permissible.”

“… In all events, I thought I should let you know that you probably will have to be writing a dissent in this fascinating case unless what I put on paper is more persuasive than my threat to make you undergo the punishment of the hurdle.”

Justices White, Blackmun and Powell remained with Stevens in the majority.

Brennan eventually had a change of heart. He asked for a relatively modest addition to Stevens’ opinion then signed on to his full reasoning and bottom-line favoring the EPA. (Stevens, writing in a 2019 memoir published shortly before his death, attributed Brennan’s switch to a personal visit Stevens made to Brennan’s chambers.)

That shift, which Brennan revealed in a note to O’Connor and all other colleagues on June 14, left O’Connor and Burger as the only dissenters in the Chevron case.

A surprise recusal

That very same day, June 14, O’Connor revealed a potential conflict of interest.

The justices decide on their own whether to recuse themselves from a case. Some recusal choices have become controversial, such as Justice Antonin Scalia’s 2004 decision to sit on a case involving then-Vice President Dick Cheney after going duck hunting with him.

A continuing point of controversy is Justice Clarence Thomas’ participation in cases related to Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 presidential election results and his supporters’ January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Thomas’ wife, Virginia, an ardent backer of the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election, attended his rally on January 6 but did not march to the Capitol with other protesters.

Back in 1984, O’Connor’s recusal reasoning was kept private, although at the end of the decision it noted that she, Marshall and Rehnquist took no part in the decision. According to her June 14 once-confidential note to colleagues, she appears to have erred on the cautious side.

“I have reviewed the petitions for certiorari in these cases and discovered that I should be recused. Since the arguments were heard, my father died,” she wrote of her father, Harry Day, who ran the family’s Lazy B ranch in Arizona.

“His estate is still unsettled, but I will have a remainder interest in a trust to be established. His estate holds stock in at least one of the parties to this action and until it is settled, I think it best that I not participate,” she added.

That would have left Burger to dissent alone. But on June 18 he wrote a note to Stevens, with copies to the group.

“Dear John,” the chief wrote, “With others, I am now persuaded you have the correct answer to this case.”

The final June 25 decision was decided by a bare six-justice quorum. And unanimously.

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