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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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!
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!
