How to Write a Good Analysis Essay: Outline & Sample Topics
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An analysis essay is among the common college-level assignments many students struggle with. To help you overcome this challenge, we prepared a guide showing the format of an analysis essay. We will also highlight analysis essay topic ideas to help you brainstorm a topic for your paper.
What is an analysis essay?
An analysis essay is an academic paper where you present arguments and claims backed by empirical evidence. Unlike an argumentative essay, an analysis essay covers the positive and negative sides of the argument.
As such, the purpose of an analysis essay is to examine a topic critically and not to persuade the audience to support your claim.
Analysis essay outline
An analysis essay comprises an introduction, a conclusion, a thesis statement, and an analytical body related to your thesis.
Analysis essay introduction
The introduction should begin with a hook that evokes the reader's interest and primes them on what to expect in your paper. The introduction should include a hook background topic information and introduce your thesis statement.
The body
This section should include between three to four paragraphs covering points that support your thesis statement. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence, analyze the relevance of the claim with empirical evidence, and offer a conclusion regarding the thesis statement.
The paragraphs should be interlinked based on the ideas covered and may also be connected with a transitional sentence.
The conclusion
Here, restate your thesis and cover the main summary of your paper. It would help if you were keen to avoid introducing new ideas into your paper as you offer your concluding thoughts.
How to write an analysis essay
When preparing an analysis essay, these steps should guide you to make a detailed argument with a deep analysis of the question your tutor assigned you.
- Pick a topic
In many cases, the tutor assigns a general question, allowing you to select a specific idea to magnify on, thus defining the scope of your paper. Narrowing your paper to a specific idea makes it easy to research, reducing the loopholes that could weaken your claims.
It would be best to conduct thorough research before selecting your topic to ensure that you have material to cover it exhaustively.
- Writing a thesis statement for an analysis essay
When writing your thesis, ensure that it creates room for debate and covers a defined scope within the general topic. Before selecting your thesis, peruse the existing research in your field and steer clear from articles that have been covered exhaustively.
- Create an outline
After researching the ideas of your paper, organize your argument, starting with the strongest point to the weakest argument. This will help you gauge how to interconnect your ideas and identify sections that require further research to strengthen your argument.
You should gauge the quality of your outline by checking how various ideas interlink and adding more information in areas where the arguments do not connect.
- Write and edit your paper
After organizing your ideas, prepare your analysis essay and take some time off before editing. We recommend that you write your introduction after completing your body section, or buy college essays online and let the professionals do it for you.
This will allow you more clarity to understand the scope of your paper, thus ensuring the relevance of your introduction. It would also be great to use various tools, hastening the editing process and saving time for other assignments.
How to start an analysis essay
The introduction is your chance to make an impression on your reader and hook them into the essay. To achieve this:
- Begin with a hook. This may be a fact, a question, or a story that elaborates on the central idea of your paper.
- Set the basis of your paper and offer background information on your topic
- Touch on the purpose of the essay/ points you will be covering
- Reiterate the thesis statement
Analysis essay topic ideas
Here are some analysis essay topics to help you brainstorm a topic in your field.
Causal analysis essay topics
- Social media promotes cyberbullying
- Causes of social media addiction
- Impact of social media on politics
- The benefits and shortcomings of online learning
Good process analysis topics
- How to manage weight within a student budget
- How to overcome anxiety and increase your productivity
- How to select a career
- How to start and manage an online business
Literary analysis essay topic ideas
- A review of 'The Lord of Flies by William Golding
- The theme of witchcraft in Shakespeare's play, 'Hamlet.'
- Analyzing the role of women in society in Bernard Cornwell's 'The last kingdom.'
Rhetorical analysis essay topics
- 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller
- Analyzing various success strategies
- Role of symbolism in literature
Final Take
We hope that our guide has helped you in your writing process. Feel free to engage our experts for further assistance on various topics in your academic journey.