Read the question, underlining the main sections that you are being asked to answer. Reread the question two or three times, ensuring that you understand what you are being asked. Alternatively, if no question is supplied by the instructor, formulate your own working thesis, your point-of-view that expresses your chosen topic for the essay.
Read the key text carefully that the question refers to, underlining relevant sections.
Formulate your argument or discussion. Write down your thought process in a list of bullet points.
Number the bullet points in a logical order to provide an organized flow to the main body of your essay.
Collect secondary sources that back each point in your argument, using the library and the Internet. Read what others have written about the subject if secondary research is required, and select quotations to use alongside your own work, engaging with the point that they make.
Write the main body of your essay, discussing each point with its own supporting details, in separate paragraphs. Use the MLA style guide or the style guide than your discipline requires to reference quotations and paraphrases from secondary sources within the text in the correct format.
Write the conclusion, which should summarize and bring to a close the points you have discussed in the main body of the essay. The conclusion should also restate your thesis statement that opens the essay in the introductory paragraph.
Write the introduction last. It should declare the thesis statement of the essay clearly and succinctly, preparing the reader for the argument you are about to develop. When the reader moves on to read the main body of the essay, they should be prepared for and familiar with the discussion from reading the introduction.
Check the finished essay for grammatical and spelling errors. Ensure that any secondary sources have been properly referenced using the MLA style guide. List these references in a Works Cited page at the end of the work.