Explanatory Essay Writing Guide – An Introduction 

As a student, you are aware of the difficulties in writing an essay that will capture your readers’ attention from the outset. You must understand how to write an explanation essay from the ground up in order to describe the issue concisely and clearly, particularly if it is difficult. This blog will cover all aspects of writing and provide you with practical explanation essay guidelines as well as expert suggestions to help you write an engaging, well-informed, and effective essay for your audience. Let us begin!

An explanation essay is a common style of academic writing that explains a specific concept or topic. This sort of essay strives to provide readers with a clear and unbiased grasp of the topic, supported by logical reasoning and convincing evidence. Unlike persuasive or argumentative essays, explanatory essays focus solely on giving essential facts objectively, with no personal preferences, biases, or beliefs.

In addition to academics, explanatory writing is utilized in the professional world in the form of business proposals or scientific studies to provide data analysis or explain how a product or service is generated. Simply put, expository writing explains why things are the way they are. To support various explanations, you should present correct information, explain terminologies, and cite evidence from credible sources.

Now that you understand the meaning and goal of explanatory writing, let’s break down the essay outline before learning how to write an explanation essay. Like any other essay, explanatory essays, too, have an introduction, body, and conclusion.

• The introduction contains background information and the thesis statement.
• The body is broken into paragraphs, each concentrating on a distinct topic that supports the thesis, followed by evidence, an explanation of the evidence, and a conclusion.
• The conclusion summarizes the important ideas, restates the thesis, and contains a call to action or future action.

An explanatory essay introduction should include a hook, background information, and a thesis statement. It should be impactful, purposeful, and pique readers’ interest.

• Hook: An attention-grabbing starting line that might range from a thought-provoking query to a stunning fact or statement.

Example: “Ever wondered why the sky is blue?”

Tip: Use vivid imagery, strong verbs, or surprising elements to create a hook that urges your readers to proceed.

• Background Information:Background information is intended to provide useful context on the topic of discussion so that readers can grasp its significance. It should be concise and to the point.

Example: “To understand the scientific explanations behind the sky’s color, we must investigate the Earth’s atmosphere, light characteristics, and light scattering.”

Tip: A brief explanation of the essay’s background allows readers to predict what they will learn from the reading.

• Thesis Statement: The central idea or context of your essay should be clearly and precisely described. Additionally, ensure that the argument is debatable and open to interpretation.

Example: “The essay explains the science underlying the blue color of the sky.”

Tip: Remember, your thesis statement impacts the outcome of your essay. Make it strong, succinct, and effective.

Read about How to Format a College Essay

How to Write an Explanatory Essay – A Step-by-Step Guide

The most effective technique to learn how to write an explanatory essay and conquer common writing challenges is to practice. Practicing the procedures will help you master the foundations and acquire confidence in efficiently presenting data in an understandable manner. The following section will go over how to create an explanatory essay, including some effective explanatory essay guidelines and important factors for creating a high-quality write-up. Check out the specifics for each part below.

Step 1: Choose a Topic

To create an explanation essay, start by thinking themes that interest you. Writing on a topic you are enthusiastic about makes the writing process more enjoyable and pushes you to delve deeper to obtain a thorough understanding of the subject.

Also, consider your readers’ interests when choosing topics. Consider what they might be interested in reading about, and refine your search by combining current events and trending highlights. Here are some feasible explanation essay topics with enough information to write a full essay.

General Interest Topics:

Social Issues:

• The impact of social media on mental health
• The ethics of artificial intelligence
• The role of social justice movements in contemporary society

Science and Technology:

• The future of space exploration
• The potential benefits and risks of genetic engineering
• The environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining

Arts and Humanities:

• The influence of postmodernism on contemporary culture
• The representation of gender and sexuality in film and television
• The impact of globalization on traditional art forms

Specific Academic Topics (Depending on Your Field of Study):

Business:

• The impact of ESG investing on corporate performance
• The future of remote work and its implications for businesses
• The role of digital marketing in modern business

Engineering:

• The potential of renewable energy sources to address climate change
• The ethical implications of autonomous vehicles
• The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare

Computer Science:

• The future of cybersecurity
• The impact of quantum computing on technology
• The ethical considerations of developing AI

Tip: Always prioritize your passion and your audience’s interests in choosing a topic. The more interested you are in the subject, the easier it will be to conduct research and write an intriguing essay. Clarity and research are also important factors to consider when brainstorming.

Clarity: Focus on clear and specific topics. For example, instead of writing an expository essay on American history, focus on a specific topic, such as the American Civil War. Being more particular about your topic will allow you to perform concentrated research and streamline the writing process.

Research: Before diving into a topic, it’s important to conduct preliminary research to identify reliable sources such as journals, websites, books, and peer-reviewed publications.

Assume you are writing an expository essay on climate change. Here’s how to use reputable sources in your writing.

Topic Sentence: Rising global temperatures pose the biggest hazard to the planet’s ecosystems.

Supporting Detail: According to a poll in Nature Today, the average global temperature has increased by 1 degree Celsius from the pre-industrial era.

Step 2: Conduct Thorough Research

Detailed study on each explanatory essay topic is required to obtain relevant facts. So, before you start researching, choose the issue you want to concentrate on and narrow your focus to establish what types of sources you’ll need and where to get them.

Investigate diverse sources, such as library catalogs, online databases, and search engines, and assess their authenticity. Verify the author’s qualifications, publisher, and publication date. Make a note of each source to keep all of your important information in one location. Here are three critical elements to consider while researching:

Reliable sources:  include books, respectable databases, journals, and websites. Avoid untrustworthy open sources such as Wikipedia. For example, when writing an explanatory essay on a scientific issue, you can cite NASA articles.
Note-Taking:  Outline or use Cornell Notes to organize your study findings. You don’t want to miss out on vital data and findings at the last minute. Well-organized notes will help you stay focused and efficient.
Fact-Checking: To increase the trustworthiness of your essay, verify every information is accurate. The best approach to verify information is to consult several sources. If similar information appears in a few authoritative sources, it is apparent that the information is true.

Step 3 : Write Clear and Concise Body Paragraphs

The primary purpose of your essay is to present your thoughts on the subject through relevant evidence from credible sources. The body paragraphs of your explanation essay include evidence to support the thesis statement. Evidence, such as examples, opinions, facts, and data, are derived from relevant and accurate study to demonstrate a full comprehension of the subject. Consider the following crucial aspects of the explanation essay body:

Topic Sentence: The first sentence of each body section explains the essential context of the paragraph.

Example: “Rayleigh scattering is the phenomenon behind the blue color of the sky.”

Tip: A solid topic sentence should clearly state what the paragraph is about.

Supporting Details: Support your assertions with expert opinions, evidence, and examples to build trustworthiness.

Example: “Rayleigh scattering is the outcome of light waves colliding with particles in the atmosphere, causing the light to scatter in different directions.”

Tip: Use precise and relevant details to support your point.

Analysis: Highlight the shared evidence’s relevance to your thesis statement.

Example:“The shorter wavelengths of blue light are scattered more easily than longer wavelengths, which makes the sky blue.”

Tip: Evaluate your evidence to demonstrate your comprehension of the topic.

Transition: Using transition phrases and words effectively helps preserve the flow of writing and connect ideas between paragraphs.

Example: including this one: “In addition to the Rayleigh scattering phenomena, factors like the atmosphere’s bulk attenuation, the sunlight spectrum, and the human eye and brain also contribute to the sky’s blue color.”

Smooth transitions enhance writing quality and increase reader enjoyment and engagement.

Step 4: Write a Strong Conclusion

Coming to the final element of your explanation essay: the conclusion. It is basically a summary of the evidence you presented to support your thesis statement. The conclusion paragraph summarizes the thesis statement and other key points mentioned throughout the work. It connects the important concepts to form a link between the thesis statement and the primary points.

Also, in this section, you must give your opinion in relation to the evidence presented in the body sections. You can agree or disagree with the thesis statement as long as you have enough credible sources to back up your argument. Furthermore, the conclusion offers opportunities for action or future recommendations. Remember to consider these three aspects when writing the conclusion paragraph.

Restate Thesis: Summarize the key point in various language for a lasting impact on readers.

Example: “As we have understood, the blue color of the sky occurs due to the scattering of light by particles in the atmosphere.”

Recap Key Points: Review the main points from the debate.

Example: Rayleigh scattering, light characteristics, and Earth’s atmosphere all contribute to the sky’s blue color.

Tip: Keep your conclusion concise to strengthen your argument.

Final Thought: Write a compelling ending line that will leave readers pondering.

Example: “Next time you look up at the sky, remember the complex scientific processes that create its beautiful color.”

Tip: Write a thought-provoking final sentence that will wow the reader.

Read about Essay Structure

Additional Explanatory Essay Tips:

Here are some more tricks on how to write an explanatory essay that you should keep in mind while writing explanatory essays to elevate its quality from “meh” to “yay:”

1. Avoid weak verbs to create a greater impact on your writing.
2. Use strong hooks like the following in introductions:

• A powerful quote or proverb
• A colorful description
• A controversial opinion
• A shocking statistic
• An unpopular opinion
• A thought-provoking question
• Use diverse sources like interviews, definitions, personal stories, numbers, and statistical data to explain the topic from multiple perspectives
• Write smooth transitions to avoid jumping from one idea to another and create a logical flow of information. Some effective transitional phrases you can use:
• To begin with
• At this point
• Next
• For example /instance
• Finally
• For this reason
• As a result
• Mind the way you end your essay. Aim to create something lasting and impressive.
• No matter how strongly you believe in a topic or idea, avoid stating your personal opinion. Stick to recording official facts and data and let them speak for themselves.
• Provide counterarguments to show readers you have done your research. Every story has another side. Provide both arguments and counterarguments and let the readers decide which one is correct over others.
• Finally, do not forget to proofread and edit your essay. Take time and review your essay and make corrections wherever necessary to elevate the overall quality.