information for essay writing

9 essay writing tips your uni teachers want you to know

October 29, 2024

Essay writing can feel overwhelming, but a few expert tips can make a world of difference. Your university teachers share their top academic writing tips, so you can plan, polish, and perfect your next assignment.

When assessment time looms, crafting an essay can feel a lot like looking up at Mount Everest with zero idea how you’ll ever reach the top. But with a few expert-backed tips and tricks, it’s possible to scale that mountain with ease—confidence even. 

Here, we share 9 valuable essay writing tips from university teaching staff to help you break down the process, overcome common challenges, and elevate your essay game. 

1. Plan before you write

Associate Professor Victoria Kuttainen from James Cook University  says planning your essay is just as important as writing it.

“Writing an essay is not like putting up a Christmas tree, where you pre-construct a formulaic set of ideas and then look for a few quotable soundbites to hang on it afterward.” Instead, start with what she calls “pre-search” where you gather general knowledge before diving deep into research. 

Once you have a foundation, you can create a roadmap for your essay by grouping ideas into themes, organising them logically, and outlining your main points.

2. Use diagrams to plot out your roadmap

Mapping out your essay with a simple diagram or an outline before writing it is a great way to break it down into those key points, says Dr Russell McPhee from Bond University .

“Finding the right way to express an idea in formal, academic language is tough enough on its own, without the added challenge of not having a clear plan,” he says. 

3. Build your content knowledge

A rich understanding of your topic will help strengthen your argument. “Engaging deeply with the subject matter is crucial,” says Dr Nathaniel Swain from La Trobe University .

This means doing a deep dive in your research phase, going beyond basic sources and taking time to summarise important points in your own words.

Not only will this reinforce comprehension, it will help prevent accidental plagiarism. 

4. Be strategic about reading and note-taking

Dr Jennifer Vaughan from the University of New England  says adopting an active reading approach can help keep your research phase on-track. 

She suggests asking questions as you read, such as, “Does this information answer the essay question?” 

Strategic note-taking—like jotting down keywords, main ideas, and referencing style—saves time and helps you retain critical details for your essay.

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5. Break down the writing process

Tackling a complex writing task like an essay can be easier if you break it down into three manageable stages: planning, drafting, and revising. 

Dr Swain says after starting with your structured outline, you should focus on crafting clear topic sentences for each paragraph. Then, during revision, review each section carefully to make sure it works as a whole. 

6. Kick writer’s block with the imperfect rough draft

One of the biggest hurdles in writing is the blank page.

A good way to overcome this is to embrace the ‘rough draft’ wholeheartedly, advises Dr Swain. Doing so will allow you to write freely without the constraints of overthinking.

It’s about putting ideas on paper, even if they’re imperfect. You’ll have plenty of time to refine your work and clarify your thoughts during later revisions. 

7. Master sentence structure 

According to Dr Swain, strong sentence structure is the bedrock of effective writing. 

He suggests simplifying complex sentences to make writing clearer. You can use a free editing tool like the Hemingway App to check if your sentences are too difficult to read. 

Adding an appositive (a noun or phrase that adds extra detail) can enrich your sentences, adds Dr Swain. For instance, instead of saying “The study involved 170 participants,” you could write, “The study, a comprehensive analysis of early childhood education, involved 170 participants.” Dr Swain explains that adding such descriptive phrases makes your writing more engaging and informative.

He also recommends connecting ideas with subordinating conjunctions, like ‘although’ or ‘while’, to add depth.

8. Write your introduction last

Dr McPhee suggests writing your introduction after you’ve developed the main body of your essay. “If you write the introduction before you’ve done your research or know what direction your argument will take, it will likely feel unfocused: you’re winging it and working things out as you go. This usually results in vague, unconvincing writing.”

Writing your introduction last means you'll have a firm understanding of your argument and can succinctly preview your main points with signposts, such as “There are three main points to consider. First…”, when it comes time to write it, he says.

9. Always make time to polish your essay

The power of revision cannot be overstated. “Essay writing takes time,” Associate Professor Kuttainen says, explaining students should always factor in time to reflect on and refine their essays.

Editing isn’t just about grammar; it’s about improving clarity, flow, and coherence. Each time you look over your essay is an opportunity to adjust structure, find the right words, and ensure it flows logically from point to point, she adds. 

Looking for a university tutor who can support you with your essay writing? Read our tips on choosing the right service . Or explore our hacks and guides  for even more study advice.

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Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

• Writing essays in science subjects
• Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
• Writing extended essays and dissertations
• Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

• Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

• Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
• References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

• Approaching different types of essay questions  
• Structuring your essay  
• Writing an introduction  
• Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
• Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

• The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
• Explanation of the focus of your work.
• Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
• List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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