What Is An Informative Essay?
Wondering what is an informative essay and how do I write an informative essay? An informative essay is actually the same as an expository essay. The main difference is that "an informative essay" describes what the essay does (it informs) while "an expository essay" describes how to do an essay (though expounding). In academic settings, informative essays are formal and written in academic style that presents information and arguments objectively and that is without contractions, colloquialism, or personalization.
Some common patterns for informative essays are:
- Cause and effect
- Definition
- Sequence of steps or events
- Comparison and contrast
- Descriptive
- Problem and solution
What is the outline for an informative essay?
Ø Decide on a topic, that you think is important and that your readers could benefit from knowing more about. For example, eating disorders is both topical and expansive enough to allow for an in-depth essay.
Ø Write down a tentative thesis statement. What is it that you want to share with your readers? Do not obsess about it too much at this stage, as you will likely have to revise your thesis somewhat as you conduct your research and write the actual essay. For example, "Eating disorders lead to a large number of preventable deaths."
Ø Draft an outline listing all the questions you have about your topic, all the things you think you know about it, and any personal experiences or observations you may have. For instance, how many people suffer from eating disorders? How many are men and how many are women? What age group suffers from them the most? What is the most common eating disorder?
Ø Research your topic online and in the library. Find authoritative, credible sources. To learn more about eating disorders, you could go to the National Health Information Centre and National Eating Disorders Association. You could also interview doctors and people who have personally suffered from these disorders.
Ø Write your essay. Begin the opening paragraph with a hook to lure the reader's interest. Use this paragraph to provide a lead-in to the topic and some general context for the issue on discussion. One possible hook that might work for the eating disorder example: "Anorexia is the leading killer of teenage girls."
Ø Use the body of your essay to inform your reader about the specifics of your topic. Provide interesting details that they likely do not already know, or present common knowledge in a new light.
Ø Conclude your essays by summarizing the knowledge you have shared. Do not bring up any new information or raise too many questions. This paragraph brings closure to the essay while maintaining your reader's interest in the topic.