Ultimate Guide on How to Write an Informative Essay (with Topics and Examples)

If you are reading this article, you need to write an informative essay. You might have written it before or this might be your first informative paper. The point is that you are looking for some tips and guides on how to write a really good informative essay.

That is for sure! Because you want a high grade. We know all the peculiarities of this essay type and will gladly share them with you. In this article, you will get pro writing tips, see great essay samples, and find answers to the questions:

1. What is the informative essay and its purpose?
2. How to choose a good topic for your paper?
3. What are some great informative essay topics?
4. What are the steps for writing a great paper?

Read on if you want to improve your writing skills and learn all the tricks of writing an informative essay. In case you are looking for a reliable service that can 'write an essay for me', look no further. Our professionals are here to help you make an informative essay stand out.

Informative Essay: Definition & Purpose

An informative essay is an academic paper usually written at high school and college levels. It aims to inform the reader about a particular object, person, event, or phenomenon. The main purpose is to respond to the set question by explaining the topic in detail. However, this essay type does not presuppose expressing your opinion or working with argumentative essay topics, like in a persuasive essay. You should simply present the facts. 

Keywords section might be a part of an informative paper, especially when discussing a difficult topic readers know a little about or nothing at all. If professional terms that can help to explain the topic deeper are needed, use them, but provide meaningful explanations.

For example, when you need to present to the audience a topic about marketing using such words such as brainstorming, A/B testing, target audience, customer research, copywriting, etc, provide clear definitions beforehand. It would also be helpful to give specific examples.

It is time to learn how to write an informative essay step by step based on 2 scenarios: when the topic is assigned and when a student should choose the informative essay topics on their own.

Informative Essay Outline

Every student should understand how to write an informative essay because it is one of the most typical and basic assignments. The first step is to learn about essay structure. An informative essay outline looks pretty much the same to most of the academic essays. It has 3 structural parts:

• Introduction
• Body paragraphs
• Conclusion

Do not forget to include a thesis statement in the end of the introductory part and a full list of references! Although the essay has 3 structural parts, most commonly, it consists of at least 5 paragraphs. The topic predetermines the number of body paragraphs. If the topic does not have many aspects like the process of hiring a registered nurse in the local hospital, 3 paragraphs would be enough. Thus, there should be at least 5 paragraphs in your informative essay. 

Example: Pretend that the topic of the informative essay is the efficiency of various food supplements in the treatment of cancer. The outline may look this way:

• Introductory paragraph.
• Origins & history of the research. Explain the root of the problem focusing on the methods people tried to treat cancer or the way supplements were introduced (depending on the focus of an essay).
• Process. Describe the ways doctors detect which food supplements will help the patients and how some of the popular food supplements work.
• Benefits. Talk about the advantages of taking food supplements on the example of success stories from real life (if you share your own, the essay will sound more persuasive and interesting).
• Conclusion.

Keep in mind, you always can look through an essay outline template that fits all essay types.

How to Write an Informative Essay

We will explain the peculiarities of each essay part in detail for you to have a better understanding of how to write an informative essay step-by-step.

Introduction: How to Start an Informative Essay

Introduction is the first part of an essay. It has 3 main components:

• Hook sentence
• Background information
• Thesis statement

The introduction has two main functions to trigger the reader’s attention and to give a general idea of what the essay is about. Thus, start your essay with a hook to grab the reader’s attention. It can be an example, a joke, a relevant quote, a provocative and rhetorical question, or an interesting fact. After this, introduce the topic and give some general information about it. Do not exaggerate, there should be one or a couple of sentences. Finish your first paragraph with a strong thesis.

How to Make up a Strong Thesis Statement

Thesis statement is one or a couple of sentences that are placed at the end of the introductory part and expresses the main idea of your paper. It should be clear, specific, and concise. It should also be debatable and express your opinion or viewpoint. Mind that each paper should have an original thesis. Thus, a thesis statement cannot:

• Be a quote
• Be a bare fact 
• Be a question
• Contain contradicting opinion

What to Write in the Main Body

The next part of your informative essay is the main body. In fact, it is the largest part. Present all your main points, arguments, and examples in the main body. This part usually consists of at least three paragraphs. Each paragraph should be balanced:

• Start with a topic sentence
• Have supporting and controlling ideas
• One paragraph expresses one idea
• Each idea presented in body paragraph related and develops thesis statement

How to Conclude an Informative Essay

Conclusion is the last part of any essay. It’s main purpose is to summarize the whole paper and bring a general conclusion. Conclusion should:

• Restate thesis 
• Summarize the main points discussed in paper
• Bring general conclusion
• Explain the importance of the topic
• Identify further areas for investigation
• Not include new information or ideas

Need conclusion examples? We have one blog that will help you find what you need.

Guidelines for Choosing a Powerful Topic

When a professor gives you a task to write an informative essay, there are two options possible. The first one is when the topic is assigned. The second one is when you have to choose it on your own. Students often get confused when they have to find some good informative topics ideas. However, choosing a topic is not as difficult as it might seem if you know how to do it. If you don’t, follow these simple steps.

1. Brainstorm. Think of any topic you would like to write about, think of recent events, check the lists with topic ideas on the internet, consider the topic covered in class. Write down all the ideas and make the list.
2. Narrow down the list. Look through your list and leave only those ideas that seem the most interesting to you. There should remain about 3-5 topics.
3. Make sure you have something to say. Regardless of how interesting the topic is, you should have enough information to write about it. For this purpose, research your topic to ensure you have all the necessary information.
4. Narrow down or broaden your topic. Sometimes, the topic might seem interesting to you, but it might be too narrow for your essay. Thus, always consider the required word count. If the topic is too narrow, it’s better to choose another one. If it is too broad, you can discuss only some particular aspects of the issue.
5. Draft a thesis statement. Any topic can be discussed and presented from different perspectives. Thus, make up your mind and write down a thesis. To determine the main idea of your informative essay.
6. Create an outline. The final step is drafting an outline. Make it short; just one idea per each essay part to understand what you want to talk about in your work and to logically organize your ideas.

Informative Essay Topics

We have gathered some of the best informative essay topics for college students to let you choose the best idea for your informative essay. The ideas are fit for high school students, too. Just pick the one that fits you the most and off we go!

• Gun control. Explain the term, why this policy is implemented in many regions of the world, its effectiveness, and consequences of gun control.
• Marijuana legalization. Explain what marijuana is, how it affects the human body and mind, stress both pros and cons of using this drug, and provide some forecasts for the future.
• Bad language. The roots of the bad language, reasons people use many filthy words nowadays, the linguistic value of the bad words, examples, and meaning of some words of this type.
• The origin of the universe. A student can share all possible theories regarding the birth of the universe and our planet in particular.
• The causes of addiction. Discuss several types of addictions, explain what it is, provide some reasons people become addicted to something, share ideas on how to handle the problem.
• Prostitution. Raise a moral issue like this not just to explain the origins of the phenomenon, but provide the existing pros & cons of prostitution.
• e-Commerce. Explain the main difference from traditional commerce, list the main features, provide some forecasts for future development, etc.
• Is this list insufficient? To discover more brilliant ideas and even implement them, contact a professional writing team, which is ready to face any challenge related to academic homework. 

Informative Essay Examples

Theory is a good thing. However, sometimes it is not enough. We have prepared great samples for you to see how a compelling informative essay looks like.

Useful Tips to Improve Your Paper

 

After completing your paper, look through this informative essay checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Use these helpful tips to improve your paper.

• Do not select broad or abstract topics such as love or respect. A narrow topic such as the worst place to sit in the class will be a bad choice too. Try to achieve a happy medium by selecting, for example, an informative essay on the victories of Alexander or ways to cook Italian dishes.
• Avoid topics you have no interest or competence in. The author should sound professional and experienced when explaining how to do things/what they mean.
• Go through the assignment guidelines and informative essay examples before getting started. Even if a student is an expert in the selected field, they may still need to conduct in-depth research to discover the ways to cite and reference sources in academic writing (read more about MLA).
• Avoid using the pronoun “ I” in your essay. It should sound neutral and unbiased.
• Do not take a side on the issue. Unlike in a persuasive or argumentative essay, in an informative paper the author's opinion should not be stated. A paper should be neutral.
• Create an outline. Students often disregard creating an outline and start with the first draft. However, when you create an outline, you actually save your time, as you logically organize your ideas and then elaborate on them.
• Make sure you have an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Your essay will be incomplete if one of the parts is missing.
• Ensure you have covered the topic and developed your paper logically.
• Properly cite all the borrowed ideas and list all the sources in the reference list.
• Proofread your informative essay and check it for plagiarism before submitting.

Professional Advice:

“One more critical thing is checking vocabulary. Before writing, make a list of terms related to the topic and check their meaning not to get trapped in the middle of the writing process. The paper should be clear and logical. If the text is difficult to understand, such an informative essay cannot be considered a success.”

Angie Strawberry, business English teacher & academic writer at WriteMyEssay4Me.

Bottom Line

Now you know all the peculiarities of writing an informative essay. In general, this type of writing is easy, as you only have to explain some notions without expressing your opinion. It should be bias-free and logically developed.

If it is a challenging task for you, you are not good at essay writing, or simply have no time for completing it, you can try professional writing services. Skilled writers will gladly complete an engaging informative essay for you based on your instructions.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many paragraphs should an informative essay have?

There are no unique requirements for the informative essay length. It all depends on the instructions given to you. It can be either 500 or 5000 words. The most common requirement is 5 paragraphs. However, always check the instructions before you start writing.
 

2. What is the difference between an informative and expository essay?

These essay types are quite similar and often confused. However, they have differences. An informative essay presupposes informing and educating the reader regarding some particular notion, idea or fact by presenting facts. You should not express your opinion in an informative essay. An expository essay gives explanations, examples and shares ideas. However, it can include the writer's opinion.
 

3. What is the right format for an informative essay?

There is no right or wrong format for your essay. The answer is in the instructions given to you. That is the main requirement to follow. In general, informative essays should have at least 5 paragraphs, be informative, and logically structured. In terms of the formatting style, the most common are MLA, APA, and Harvard. However, always check the essay guidelines given to you before you start writing.
 

4. What is the difference between an informative and persuasive essay?

These are two absolutely different essay types. Thus, it is easy to differentiate between them. The purpose of an informative essay is to educate the reader without sharing personal opinion. In a persuasive essay, you take your stand on an issue and try to persuade the reader that this is the only right opinion.
 

5. What are the main points to consider when revising an informative essay? 

When you are done with the paper, first make sure that you have followed the instructions. After this, check whether you have an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Also, avoid using the personal pronoun “I” in your informative essay. Ensure that your ideas are expressed clearly and presented logically. The last but not the least point is to check the paper for originality to avoid unintentional plagiarism.