Informative essay guide + 45 outstanding informative essay topic ideas from Tutors at Nerdify. Improve your academic excellence with Nerdify.
This is the flow of our guide:
- How to write an informative essay
- Informative essay structure
- Do your research
- Outline your points
- Writing your paper
- Informative Essay Topics for High School
- Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
- Informative Essay Topics for College
- Informative Essay about Stress
- Informative Essay on Procrastination
- Informative Essay on Tattoos
An informative essay is an arbitrary formal essay written with the goal of informing or educating the intended audience.
The writer should not express his or her opinion in this type of paper but should present information supported by evidence from the reliable sources. Use these concise instructions and topic examples to come up with the perfect informative essay for your high school or college.
How to write an informative essay
What you hope to teach your reader will determine the type of your essay. Each of the following types of paper belongs to the category of informative essay:
- Compare/Contrast essays discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things.
- Some informative essays relate data about just one topic. This type of essay might discuss current research or describe the prominent features of an object or animal.
- Cause and Effect essays describe a cause (such as litter in the ocean) and its effect (hazards to sea life).
- Opposing viewpoint essays explain two or more perspectives of one topic.
Informative essay structure
Regardless of the topic, your paper must follow a standardized format. The basic parts of any essay are introduction, body and conclusion.
Introduction
The first paragraph of your essay is an introduction. Here you should introduce your topic, tell the reader what they should expect to learn, and hook the reader with a great thesis line. For instance, “Write a great informative essay with these simple essay hacks.”
Body
This is the main part of your essay, it usually consists of three to four paragraphs. These paragraphs should expand the topic, explaining what you want to teach the reader. In each paragraph offer information and supporting evidence.
Conclusion
Your conclusion should briefly summarize your points and end with a sentence that completes your work nicely. One example is “Using these hacks makes writing your next informative essay simple and easy.”
Do your research
Support your information with reliable resources. Be sure to use both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are first-hand accounts of a topic from people who had a direct connection to it. For example, if you are writing a paper about WWII, primary sources might be government records or a personal diary written during the war period. A secondary source is any work written about the topic that uses primary source as information. An encyclopedia and a textbook are both examples of secondary sources.
Outline your points
Creating an outline is an important part of writing. One effective way to outline is to use a graphic organizer to help you write your introduction, your body paragraphs and conclusion. Use this simple graphic organizer to visualize your informative essay.
Writing your paper
After you finish your research notes you can start writing with confidence that you have all the pieces you need to create a great essay. Follow your outline, state your thesis clearly, and support your information with your research. Finish with a strong conclusion that brings the paper together.
Following are some ideas and examples of thoughtful informative essay topics:
Informative Essay Topics for High School
- How are high school students affected by reality television shows like “Teen Mom”?
- Should circuses and theme parks use animals in displays or performances? Why or why not?
- Is there too much emphasis placed on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects in high school education?
- Discuss the opiate addiction situation in the United States.
- Write about domestic violence and your communities’ resources for victims of domestic violence.
- Is censorship of music, art, or literature ever acceptable? Why or why not
- Write a brief biography of your favorite author and discuss why the author is your favorite.
- Discuss Manga and/or Anime.
- What is Freedom of Speech according to the US Constitution’s first amendment? Are there restrictions on freedom of speech in America
- Discuss the origin and history of the Olympics.
Compare and Contrast Essay Topics
- Compare and contrast two protagonists (or antagonists) from books by the same author (some examples of prolific authors are Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King).
- Discuss the likenesses and differences between two popular films of the same genre (like Science Fiction, Drama, Comedy, etc.)
- What are the differences and similarities between drug addiction and alcoholism?
- How is life different for people who live in rural areas and those who live in large cities? How is life the same?
- Many students choose to attend either a technical/vocational school or a college after high school. How do these education options differ and how are they similar?
- Choose two ancient civilizations. To what extent do their governments and societies similar/different?
- Write about differences and similarities of two music types.
- Discuss women’s rights in two very different cultures.
- Consider differences and similarities in architectural style of Europe and Asia.
- Write about two religious leaders, for instance, Pope Francis and the 14th Dalai Lama. Are they different/similar?
Informative Essay Topics for College
- Since President Trump occupied the White House, there has been a controversy over whether his tweets should be considered the official stance of the government. Discuss the controversy.
- Discuss both sides of the controversy of gun control legislation.
- Is the technological revolution having similar economic and social effects as the industrial revolution? Explain.
- How has the development of social media platforms like Facebook changed the way we relate to one another?
- Write about any mental illness and its available treatments.
- Discuss the elements of religious cults and/or the reasons people are attracted to them.
- Consider the role of libraries in the digital age.
- How does the electoral college work? In the case of the electoral college, is representative democracy effective?
- In 2016 Oxford Dictionary chose “post-truth” as its Word of the Year. What does “post-truth” mean and why is it indicative of our times?
- Read and write about a dystopian novel, such as 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale.
Informative Essay about Stress
- In what ways does stress affect job or school performance?
- Rank the most stressful situations in life from 1–10 and discuss each occasion.
- Discuss effective stress relief techniques.
- Explain how mindfulness and meditation can decrease stress.
- How do physical exercises and diet choices affect stress levels?
Informative Essay on Procrastination
- Why do people procrastinate? Is there a potential benefit from procrastination?
- How does procrastination affect the quality and quantity of one’s work
- What are the benefits of avoiding procrastination?
- Do some people work better when they perform tasks at the last minute?
- How can someone overcome the tendency to procrastinate? Offer specific tips.
Informative Essay on Tattoos
- Discuss the history of tattoos.
- Tattoos mean different things to different people. Discuss the reasons people get tattoos.
- Write about how tattoos are created.
- Tattoo is a form of art created by the qualified artists. Think and write about a tattoo artist.
- Consider the meaning of tattoos in different parts of the world. How does culture affect the choice of body art?
These thoughtful topics and instructions will help you to create an excellent informative essay to impress your professor.
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