How to Write an Analytical Essay Step-by-Step – [7 Expert Tips]

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Date: May 30, 2023

Writing an essay isn’t easy for students, as this process involves several intricacies. It becomes more intimidating for students when they are asked to write analytical essays. In academia, analytical essays are common assignments that require students to analyze, interpret, and evaluate a specific concept related to topics like literature, science, history, etc. 

The complexity of this task can easily make students feel lost and need clarification. Therefore, it is essential to follow a proper plan of action while writing an analytical essay. You might wonder where to start writing an analytical essay and how to make your arguments clear and compelling. If you take things step by step, this task can become more manageable and easier to execute than you can imagine. 

In this blog post, we’ll share expert tips for writing an analysis essay. These actionable tips can help you succeed in analytical writing and secure A-grade in your course. 

So let’s dive into it and overcome the difficulties you might have been suffering in writing an analysis essay. 

What is an Analytical Essay?

Before proceeding with the steps involved in writing an analytical essay, let’s provide a quick overview of what it actually is. This essay focuses on deeply examining a topic to shed light on specific arguments. Analytical essays are typically used to analyze creative works such as art, film, and music, but they are also helpful in discussing political, historical, and scientific issues.

An analytical essay is similar to an expository essay So, don’t put biased arguments or showcase opinions or persuasions while writing it. Moreover, the personal feelings of an author shouldn’t be expressed, and all the information should be solely based on facts and logic.

How to Write an Analytical Essay: 7 Steps to Follow 

1. Choose a Topic

Most of the analytical essay assignments come with a prompt that indicates the topic to students on which it needs to be written. If you haven’t received a topic, you need to select a topic for your analytical paper cautiously. While choosing a topic for your analytical essay, it is advisable to be specific, as this will make the process easier for you. 

For instance, if you choose a broader topic, it won’t allow you to cover everything about it within the given limit for an essay by your instructor. As a result, you might lose marks due to exceeding the word limit or being unable to discuss all the details. 

2. Conduct Thorough Research

Once your topic is finalized, it’s time to dig deeper into it and collect information to discuss. Is your analytical essay about creative work? If yes, then you’ll need to dig deeper into analyzing it. 

While conducting research, you have two options. One is to go through the original work on your own and evaluate each aspect. Another option is to read the critiques of the work written by other people. This option can be useful for you to come across insights into the work that you couldn’t discover on your own.

While researching any work, it’s essential to note down the sources from where you have read the information. When writing an analytical essay, students must include citations for the sources they used to gather information. So, if you don’t make notes of references while conducting research, you may have to do it all over again, which will waste your time and effort. 

3. Create a Thesis Statement

You must ensure to come up with a strong thesis statement after completing the topic research. The entire analytical essay should revolve around a single thesis statement; therefore, it’s essential to come up with a strong one that will aid your point of view for the essay. 

In addition, your analytical essay must include a thesis statement, which should be presented in the introduction of your analysis paper. This statement is crucial to the overall success of your essay.

Finalizing the thesis statement should be done once the research is completed. It’s because when you start researching a topic, you might think that your current thesis statement is weak. You can perceive it as the foundation of your analytical essay, as it’s recommended to conclude its introduction with a thesis statement that helps you elaborate your point of view in the body.

4. Write the Body Content with Proper Evidence

After writing the introduction and thesis statement in your analytical essay, it’s time to start working on its body with proper evidence. As earlier mentioned, analysis papers are all about evidence, so portraying opinions and the author’s feelings won’t help. 

Therefore, you need to start writing the essay’s body by dividing it into multiple paragraphs. It’s essential to make sure that all paragraphs in the body are interlinked, and they contain factual information that supports your thesis statement.

It’s also crucial to spend a considerable amount of time in creating your analytical essay structure. A proper structure in the body of your essay will help you keep things aligned and discuss the important aspects of your topic vividly. 

You should understand that without solid evidence, the statements you make in the essay won’t contain any worth. Therefore, whatever information you discuss in the analytical essay should be backed up with proper evidence acquired from primary and secondary sources. 

5. Acknowledge Others’ Viewpoints

A great way to make your analysis essay stand out is by making use of contrasting viewpoints. You can strengthen your own point of view by acknowledging the opinions of others in a specific body paragraph.

If you don’t agree with someone’s argument and you have proper evidence and reasoning to support your point, then you must include it in your essay. By incorporating this information, you can enhance its value and credibility to leave a strong impression on your audience. 

6. Review Your First Draft

Once you have completed the first draft, it’s time to review it carefully. In the reviewing phase, you should deeply analyze the evidence you’ve jotted down in your analytical essay. In addition, while reviewing your first draft, you may also come across several sentences that aren’t properly connected. 

Once you have figured out such instances, you can add or remove phrases to create better linkage in your analytical essay. It’s essential to take a break before reviewing your first draft, and when you get started, you must go through it from a reader’s perspective. This practive will help you to see the areas that can be improved. 

7. Proofread Thoroughly

The final step in writing an analysis essay is proofreading your content thoroughly. In this step, you need to look out for possible grammar and structural mistakes in your essay. It’s essential to fix all of them before submitting your essay, as without their rectification, your essay won’t have the same worth. It is suggested to proofread your document efficiently to eliminate all kinds of mistakes.

Final Words:

Writing an analytical essay can seem a daunting task. Still, if you formulate the right strategy and follow the steps discussed above, you can complete this assignment like nobody else. It will allow you to impress your teachers and improve your grade in a particular course.