When faced with the task of writing a cause and effect essay for your term paper or assignment you should simply keep in mind that you need to explain the reason and the result of a certain action or phenomena. Cause and effect essays are one of the most common ways of analyzing a particular topic, and are a favorite examination topic for many schools. They are concerned with why things happen, how they happen, and why they happen. They call for cognitive and analytical skills and the examiner wants to examine how keen your deductive skills are. This article will walk you through some of the common pitfalls to avoid.
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How you should write a cause and effect essay
When writing a cause and effect essay, the first step is to choose a topic of interest. Secondly, take some time and do research and analysis to ensure comprehension of the selected topic. Writing small research notes can be extremely helpful when working on the paper, especially if it is a long essay. Once done with the preliminary research, writing an outline and a thesis statement is paramount for the easy structuring of the essay. During the process, it is crucial to edit the draft carefully, and if necessary, call another person to help you go through it to ensure all is in place before you start working on the essay.
As soon as you complete the outline, it is important to revisit the essay requirements and rubric as provided by your
professor. Some of the key elements to observe during this phase include formatting, opening prompt, schedule, and essay length. Writing down such details in a separate piece of paper and regularly checking for compliance during the essay makes work easier and reduces the number of mistakes giving you a breathing room during proofreading.
Another vital aspect of a cause and effect essay is to understand the goals or purpose. In some cases, cause and effect papers do not cover both elements. It is important to go through the essay requirements and find out if the instruction require focus on either of the elements or a bit of both. Example: you might be asked to write the causes of the American Revolution, the effects of the American Revolution, or the cause and effects of the American Revolution. Understanding the required is key for a successful cause and effect paper. If you have to choose the topic of the essay yourself. It is a good idea to begin with a brainstorming session. Write down all the topics that come to mind, and select at least three, which you think are suitable. Go back to the instructions and note down the length of essay required. With that in mind, you can now choose a topic that has enough information to meet the required length of the paper.
Thesis statement, body, and conclusion of cause and effect essays
After conducting preliminary instructions and preparing the outline, you can begin the essay. It is important to come up with a thesis statement for the paper, which should be a part of the introductory paragraph. It is a crucial part of the paper as it helps a reader understand what the paper will cover in just one sentence. It also gives you guidance during the writing of the essay and ensures you do not stray away from the selected topic. The body of the paper is, undoubtedly, the most important part, the flesh of the essay. It is the stage for providing the analysis of your research on the selected topic. Each paragraph should be well organized and explain each argument in detail. In a cause and effect essay, it is important to explain the event in questions and make connections the cause and effects of the subject.
As you work on the body paragraphs, it is important to emphasize the cause and effect timeline. You must discuss the cause of the event before analyzing its effects. It is important to avoid situations where cause and effects are very intertwined. It may cause confusion, and the reader will have a difficult time mapping out a relationship between the elements. When breaking down your arguments, it is advantageous to acknowledge the opinions of others in form of alternative explanations. It is an indication of a well-researched paper.
The final phase of the paper is the conclusion. The concluding paragraph should be a summary of your theses in addition to the major supporting points. It is approximately the same length as the introductory paragraph. In this phase, you could also voice your own opinions about the topic, which could include future interpretation of findings you have discovered. Finally, proofread the paper and ensure that it meets all the requirements provided and is free of grammatical errors.
