Analytical Insights: Techniques for Successful Exploratory Essays

Young people are expected to create numerous essays while studying at the educational establishment, and an exploratory essay is one of them. The process of writing an essay may be fascinating if you have the right idea of what to write about, what topic to choose, and have no doubts about other related issues. Here you should understand one significant thing. You must not aim to persuade the readers in something. Instead, your task is to look at the issue from different angles, discuss the results, and summarize the entire work. It is also great to use quotes from other resources to better understand the subject. Once you understand how to create an exploratory essay, the process will be smooth and simple.

The Parts of Exploratory Essay

In terms of structure, an exploratory essay doesn’t differ from other types of essays. If you have already written at least one academic assignment, you are acquainted with the main paper. The elements of every exploratory essay are:

1. A popular problem and a clear argument. (Introduction)
2. Research analysis of the discussed issue with relevant readers, texts, authors, and so on. (Body 1)
3. Summary of at least three key positions on the issue. (Body 2)
4. Introducing the author’s personal position. (Conclusion)
5. At least a few visual aids for supporting material.

Each part has certain requirements, and it is recommended to learn and practice efficient tips to make every part perfect.

Introduction

The first part of an exploratory essay is called Introduction, and it has the most responsible task – to grab the readers’ attention. The introduction must present a few key terms of a selected topic, and also describe them. As a result, the readers should get an understanding of the research problem, as well as reasons why the paper is worth reading further. Here are some efficient tips:

• The first sentence should be short and clear
• Put “You” at the beginning where it is possible
• Use hooks to grab the readers’ attention
• Prove that your essay is significant to read
• Put a focus on the issue relevance
• Avoid writing a too-long introduction

• Include at least one quote from a reliable source

Main body

The main part will include different points of view and present crucial information to create a strong background. The body section must mention all pros and cons and provide examples, statistics, and facts. A successful exploratory essay has two parts. The first body part is expected to give the data about rhetorical issue background. Make sure that you have included people, time, and the process of development of the issue.  

The second body part is usually bigger than the first one. It is expected to research the topic and the ways in which individuals discuss it. Investigate various positions of people who are related to the issue, and arrange all ideas in a logical order, remembering to provide the best reasons.

Conclusion

The last part must return the readers to the very beginning of the essay. For this, you can:

• Restate the major problem of the research issue
• Outline some crucial points of view
• Summarize causes
• Present various approaches

You may encourage the readers to state their conclusion and ask whether your essay has changed their point of view. Add important statistics and persuasive facts. Talk about the actions that can be taken to solve the discussed problem.

Steps in Writing Exploratory Essay

To avoid feeling confused, you should mind the main steps in writing a successful exploratory essay:

1. Create a brief outline for the main arguments.
2. Study and research all used articles carefully, and decide how each one may contribute to your project. Make sure that you know the rules of the required style (MLA, for example).
3. Discuss your paper with a friend or partner. Look through the outline a few times to ensure that target readers will understand your idea. Consider adding hooks to make the project more intriguing.
4. It would be great if you find some visuals to support the arguments and make the overall paper more convincing. For instance, pie charts, graphs, etc.).
5. Prepare the first draft based on your research. Consider good transitions while going from one paragraph to another one. Remember to specify the author’s name in case you are using the information from definite research or articles.
6. Ask somebody to edit your paper. Another person can offer you a fresh view of the essay. As a result, you may get some great recommendations on how to boost its quality.
7. Write the final draft after your research is done. Enhance all weak points, and come up with the final version of the paper. Use online tools to make sure it doesn’t contain any grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes. View all requirements once again and check whether you implemented them in your exploratory essay.

How to Select a Good Topic to Explore?

The exploratory paper must consider a few points of view on the chosen topic. Hence, you should make sure that it is actual and interesting for people. While selecting the topic for your future project, try to answer the following research questions:

1. What type of question does it belong to? Choose among fact, policy question, definition question, value question, cause/effect.
2. Is the topic contradictory? You should make sure that the topic you will choose is discussed by people and is interesting for them.
3. Is the theme concerned by people? A successful topic is related to education, social problems, health issues, peace in the world, government issues, work, etc.

A List of Interesting Topics for Exploratory Essay

The success of the entire research paper is determined by choosing a proper topic. First of all, it should be interesting for you. Otherwise, the whole creation process will be torture. It should also appeal to your target readers as your main purpose is to connect with them and introduce a selected theme from different angles. Here are a few ideas of exploratory essay topics that are worth your attention:

1. Should kids be allowed to use smartphones during classes?
2. Drinking coffee: common advantages and disadvantages
3. How does religion influence people’s lives?
4. The best age for first sexual experience
5. Why are some people so addicted to sugar?
6. How is it possible to diminish the crime rate?
7. The impact of same-sex parenting on kids
8. Is eating meat necessary for humans?
9. Why do girls wear high-heels?
10.   The connection between playing video games and physical violence

Exploratory Essay: Example

It is possible to discuss a perfect exploratory essay for a long time, but you will never catch the idea completely until you look at a good example. So read an extract from the exploratory essay on the theme “Cyberbullying: causes and effects,” and discover the appropriate tone and research paper organization:

“A fast incorporation of innovative technologies in all spheres of a person’s life doesn’t sound surprising at present. They come up with numerous benefits, but at the same time cause plenty of problems. The major related threat is cyberbullying. What is it? It is a form of bullying that presupposes writing negative words with the purpose to embarrass other people on social networking platforms. The problem of cyberbullying is getting more serious now as young people spend a lot of time online.  

Actually, numerous risks are associated with these websites. There were many situations when teenagers were affected by online traps and an anonymous environment in the form of humiliation. The primary cause of cyberbullying is Internet anonymity…”

As you can see, the author just presents the subject and discusses it without attempting to persuade the readers in some definite position.

For a more comprehensive approach to writing improvement, we encourage you to peruse ‘Writing Conventions’ and ‘Creative Writing Prompts‘ among our other resources.

Summing-up

Writing a good exploratory essay is not challenging, but of course, it requires time and effort. First of all, you should choose the topic and perform deep research to find out something new without the teacher’s assistance. Next, you should follow all mentioned tips and avoid trying to persuade readers in something. They want to look at the subject from different sides and make their own conclusions. That’s why you should create gripping content that will catch their attention and encourage them to read the research paper till the end.

But if you have not enough time to create a winning research paper on your own or feel a lack of inspiration, do not hesitate to approach a professional writing company. There you can deal with skilled authors who will not only create unique content but will deliver an error-free research paper on a necessary day, without any delays. Professional writing service is a great solution for young people who value their own time and reputation.