Helpful Guidelines on How to Organize Your Analysis Essay

Writing an analysis essay may seem like a daunting task at first glance, but it really isn’t too difficult if you take the time to organize your writing. This is done primarily during the planning stages before you even start writing. With proper organization you’ll soon realize that your writing flows easier, allowing you more time to revise, proofread and edit, all of which are very important in writing an A+ quality paper. Here are some guidelines you want to follow when organizing your essay:

• Understand What You’re Asked to Do

  Analysis essays require you to provide an in-depth analysis of a particular topic within a larger subject. For instance, you may choose to analyze color and texture in a specific painting or choose to analyze the use of water and fire in an epic poem. Whatever the assignment make sure you fully understand what your reader expects for you to accomplish in your writing.

• Decide What You Want to Write About

  If you are assigned topics to choose from or are given the freedom to select one of your own, be sure to decide on what you want to write about early so that you don’t spend too much time reading content that you are uninterested in or doesn’t have anything to do with what you ultimately write about.

• Draft a Thesis Statement

  Your first draft doesn’t have to be entirely precise, nor does it have to appear exactly how it will in your final paper. But it’s a good idea to get a draft down early so that your research and first drafts are guided towards one argument or another. Your draft needs to simply summarize the claim you will be making in your paper and tells your reader succinctly what your paper will be about.

• Find Your Supporting Evidence

  Read through all of the material you are working with, no matter what it is – books, articles, web pages, etc. – and search for the evidence that supports your draft thesis statement. Take notes and make sure you write down all of the appropriate citation information. Taking down all of the necessary information now will save you the time you’d spend needing to locate the same pieces later on in the process.

• Develop an Outline

  Creating a good outline will help you structure your analysis essay and make writing your first draft much easier. Usually, analysis essays contain three distinct parts: an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. These three parts should be clearly separated in your outline so that you can keep your ideas grouped together and organized.