The is essential in any or for two main reasons:


Before you jot anything down into the body of your essay, make sure that the outline has enough information to back up whatever statement you choose to explore. Do not be afraid of letting creativity into your paper (within reason, of course) and explore the possibilities. Start with a standard 5 paragraph structure, and the content will come with time.


A chronological approach can be useful when your essay is about a series of events. Don’t rule out other approaches, though—even when the chronological approach is the obvious one, you might be able to bring out more with a different structure.

Uniformity and organization in writing is highly crucial when writers work towards getting their work published in academic articles, or when students are to submit assignments. It reflects integrity, professionalism, and having had taken pride in your work. While there are multiple schools of formatting styles, choosing the most appropriate school to adhere depends largely on your essay topic, essay style, and on your discretion.

First, second and Works Cited page of APA formatted essay.

Essays with two or more main subjects are often structured around . For example, a essay might compare two different texts, and an might compare the strengths of different arguments.

Before handing in the final draft, go over it at least one more time, focusing on smaller mistakes like grammar and punctuation. Make sure that what you wrote follows proper essay structure. Learn more about on our blog. If you need a second pair of eyes, get help from our service.

Essay format refers to the structure and layout guidelines for writing an essay. This typically includes elements such as font size and style, margins, spacing, indentation, and citation style. Essay format may vary depending on the specific requirements of the assignment or citation style (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago).

The sections below present several organizational templates for essays: the chronological approach, the compare-and-contrast approach, and the problems-methods-solutions approach.


Understad the formatting components of an essay

The tabs below show a general template for this structure, and a specific example for an essay comparing and contrasting distance learning with traditional classroom learning.

Understad how to go about writing a submisson essay for college

To write an essay in MLA format, start by setting your document to double-spacing, 1-inch margins, and a readable font such as Times New Roman, size 12. Include a header with your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Create a title page with your name, instructor's name, course title, and date (unless specified otherwise). Write an introduction that introduces the topic and states your thesis statement. Use parenthetical citations to acknowledge sources within the text, including the author's last name and page number. Format your Works Cited page with hanging indents and list your sources alphabetically by the author's last name. Follow MLA guidelines for formatting quotations, tables, figures, and citing electronic sources.

Abstract page for a student paper in APA 7 style.

The third principle is that everything in your essay should be relevant to the thesis. Ask yourself whether each piece of information advances your argument or provides necessary background. And make sure that the text clearly expresses each piece of information’s relevance.

This depends on the essay submission format.

MLA Style specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and citing research in writing. MLA Style also provides writers with a system for referencing their sources through parenthetical citation in their essays and Works Cited pages.

[PDF] Basic Essay and Paragraph Format

Note: APA 7 provides slightly different directions for formatting the title pages of professional papers (e.g., those intended for scholarly publication) and student papers (e.g., those turned in for credit in a high school or college course).

Following this format will help you write and organize an essay

You don’t need one. In the vast majority of cases, students we work with don’t use titles. The handful of times they have, they’ve done so because the title allows for a subtle play on words or reframing of the essay as a whole. So don’t feel any pressure to include one—they’re purely optional.