Exploratory Essay

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What is an exploratory essay?

Writing an essay is something we’re all familiar with in one way, shape, or form. But what many don’t realize is the sheer number of types of essays that exist out there. Each type of essay has its own style, purpose, and set of expectations that accompany it. It’s important for students and writers who take their work seriously to understand the differences between these different types of essays to be sure their writing is as it should be.

If you find yourself tasked with writing an exploratory paper and are uncertain about how to approach this unique type of academic writing, StudyMoose's specialized services could be your saving grace. Known for offering a wide range of academic writing assistance, StudyMoose employs seasoned writers proficient in creating exploratory papers that effectively investigate an issue or question from multiple angles.

One of the most common forms of essay that students will encounter in high school, university, and beyond is the exploratory essay. An exploratory essay definition is a piece of writing in which the author details or describes an idea or experience without necessarily trying to make any particular point. In this sense, an exploratory essay differs from other forms of writing that seek to persuade an audience or guide them towards a particular conclusion.

For this reason, exploratory essays are most commonly encountered in the more creative subjects. Literature classes or courses in creative writing will often task their students with exploratory essay topics to write about, such as a personal experience or a day in somebody else’s life. This kind of writing is a great way to show off and develop your literary skills and descriptive prose.

How to write an exploratory essay?

There are several steps one can take to ensure a high-quality essay:

1.  Create an outline

Creating a focused outline is an all-important step in any writing process, regardless of the style. It’s crucial that before you sit down to write, you have a clear notion of the experience or idea that you wish your essay to explore. Any good exploratory essay outline will clearly state the central theme that is going to be handled by the essay to come.

2.  Work within a structure

A solid structure is another crucial element of how to write an exploratory essay. Some structures are so reliable that they can practically write the essay for you! We will dive deeper into the best structure for an exploratory essay further down.

3.  Consider different opinions and approaches

One of the most rewarding elements of writing in this style is the ability to consider a topic from multiple perspectives. The preparation phase of your paper should take into account the different angles from which your subject can be approached and include a multiplicity of considerations. This will leave your readers with the sense that the exploration you have provided is well-balanced and fair. A well-balanced paper will give greater weight to the conclusions you eventually guide your readers towards.

4.  Write freely!

The best part about good exploratory essay topics is that they don’t restrict their writers to having to focus on reaching a particular conclusion or back up a given thesis. Instead, writers have a certain degree of freedom to express themselves, and that’s exactly what an exploratory essay is good for.

Exploratory Essay Examples

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Marketing Exploratory Research

  • Career Exploration

Career Exploration

  • How to Write an Exploratory Essay?

How to Write an Exploratory Essay?

What is exploratory essay structure?

The best exploratory essay example will be notable for its structure. The structure should always clearly introduce the exploratory essay topics from the very beginning. This means having a very strong introduction section, in which the reader quickly gets a sense of the theme of the essay to come.

The introduction

A strong exploratory essay sample will avoid clichéd introductions that blatantly state “The purpose of this essay is to discuss...” This lacks the kind of style and prose that most readers will be expecting from a good sample exploratory essay. Instead, try to create a strong opening paragraph that is highly focused on your main theme so the audience knows what they’re dealing with.

The body paragraphs

As is the case with most forms of writing, a section of body paragraphs is key to what is an exploratory essay. These body paragraphs act as the meat of your writing and give the reader the full depth of experience that you are trying to communicate. Here is where you can really delve deep into your topic and explore your use of prose and form. Remember to keep in mind the flow of your essay as you write your body paragraphs.

Always think about what connects one paragraph to those that come before and after to ensure a logical progression to your writing. In the body paragraphs comes your opportunity to weigh in on your exploratory essay topics. Here you may go in-depth regarding your opinion on the given subject, or give a personal account of your own experience with it.

Structure-wise, the body paragraphs should never be too long, as this can cause your readers to feel lost or disengaged.

The conclusion

As always, a key factor in how to write exploratory essay conclusions is linking back to the theme you have established in your introduction paragraph. Linking the ideas that you end with to those you began with is the best way to give your writing a sense of purpose and finality. This is highly satisfying for your readers and will leave them with a much-needed sense of closure once they finish your piece.

Outline and format of exploratory essay

Exploratory essay topics often deal with a particular question, problem, or prompt and ask you to explore the topic in depth. Often, this is accompanied by the expectation that you might be able to offer preliminary solutions or comments on the matter by the end of the essay.

With this in mind, it’s important to enter the writing process with a strong outline of both the topic you’re about to explore and the conclusions you want to leave your reader with. The essay must be formatted as outlined above — introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion — in order to make it as clear as possible to your reader a) what the topic is, b) your exploration of said topic, and c) the solutions you wish your audience to consider.

What’s also key to remember throughout your essay’s writing and formatting is to mark the sources you have referenced throughout your exploration.

Think about Statement

Arguable thesis means that it can be argued. It must either state or refute an argument about your topic. To be debateable, a thesis must have some possibility of being true. However, the thesis should not be universally accepted as true. Instead, it should be something that people can disagree with. A thesis can be both an observation or an opinion.

observation + opinion (the "why") = thesis

Seeing if your thesis creates a powerful antithesis is an excellent approach to determine how strong it is.

Common thesis pitfalls:

  • A thesis in the form of a fragment.
  • A thesis that is overly broad.
  • A thesis that is phrased as a question. (The thesis is usually derived from the solution to the question.)
  • Extraneous information is included in a thesis.
  • A thesis that begins with the words "I believe" or "In my opinion."

Do you need an exploratory essay sample? You’re at the right place.

Cut down on time you spend researching by accessing one of many handy exploratory essay samples. These samples provide clear and easy-to-follow outlines to writing in this style. With our examples, getting an idea of the best approach, structure, and format for this kind of essay becomes a breeze. A quick perusal is all it takes to have you writing top essays in no time!

Also, check out the exploratory essay topics

The list of topics for exploratory essay writing is truly endless, but some surely provide more inspiration than others. The absolute best exploratory essay examples free their writers from the burden of having to produce an overly-considered conclusion or prove a thesis. For that reason, the kind of topics that work really well for this kind of writing are the ones that open up a lot of space for discussion and consideration from different angles.

When choosing, picking one that allows for a set of arguments and counter-arguments offers an opportunity to fully explore your subject in a way that does not become biased or narrow in its scope. Here you can find a collection of essay topics that allow for balanced consideration and provide some essay-writing inspiration!

  • Should children have access to mobile phones?
  • Should everyone be vegan?
  • Is marriage still relevant?
  • To what extent should governments be expected to take responsibility for the welfare of our environment?
  • What are the benefits of decriminalizing drugs?
  • Is gender important in the present day?
  • Should the death penalty ever be an option?
  • What role will religion play in the future of our society?
  • Does violence in the media cause violent behaviour in real life?
  • What are the possible consequences of genetic engineering?
  • Should we get rid of borders?
  • To what extent do we bear responsibility for the welfare of other groups of people around the world?
  • What actions should be taken in order to reduce crime and criminality?
  • Where should we draw the line between healthcare and the criminal justice system?
  • Single parents should be given more support
  • Children with one parent are at disadvantage to two-parent families
  • Two working parents can cause a strain on families
  • How do relationships work between younger or older siblings?
  • What are parent’s most important duties?
  • Games consoles are limiting our children’s social skills and development
  • Television contributes to reduction in mental capacity
  • Why are certain sports more popular in certain regions and countries?
  • What psychological factors are involved in professional sports
  • Which is more important in sport – training or natural talent?
  • How can sport improve our physical fitness and well-being?
  • How does creating music stimulate our brain?
  • How do we communicate through music?
  • What is the link between music and emotions?
  • Music as the means of socialization
  • The benefits of going to college
  • Does a college degree today have the same merit as it did before?
  • The true value of college and the experience of going to college
  • College experience beyond academia
  • What is charisma? How to identify a person with the charisma?
  • What defines the right person: psychological and social aspects?
  • Tolerance and religion: the main issues of our time.
  • Computer games: harm or benefit?
  • Music is a psychotherapeutic tool.
  • Cinema in a movie or at home through a computer: what is common and what are the differences?
  • Comics: yesterday, today, tomorrow.
  • Why does an online translator make mistakes?
  • Why is popularity not equivalent to happiness?
  • Boomers and zoomers: myths and real differences.
  • Reasons why millennials are alone and depressed.

All of these essay topics make for a wonderful starting point when it comes to writing a fascinating yet balanced exploratory essay. A well-written paper will make sure to take into account a multiplicity of approaches to the subject. This includes considering your subject from a range of perspectives and taking into account the social, personal, historical, or psychological implications. Once this has been done, any solutions or conclusions you offer will take on a new degree of validity.

The exploratory essay is one of the most thought-provoking forms of writing out there and using a guide such as this, you can expect to see yourself producing top-notch papers that are sure to hook your audience in no time!

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