What Does an Introduction Have to Do? An essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an argument or narrative based on evidence, analysis and interpretation. The introduction is where you'll state your thesis, while the conclusion sums up your case. An introduction is the first paragraph in an essay. How to write an essay. An essay introduction should explain the context, provide the overall focus and describe how the paper will be organized. There are many types of essays you might write as a student. Just like essay introductions for other academic levels, writing an introduction for a university essay paper is not difficult. To write an introduction, you must: Only begin writing after you have completed your research. Think of the introduction and conclusion as the bun, with the "meat" of your argument in between. Both should be no more than a few sentences. Writing a short essay can often seem like a straightforward and deceptively quick process. Your font should be Times New Roman or Arial. Provide any brief relevant background information to the subject (optional). This article will explain what you need to do to follow those most commonly accepted guidelines. Knowing how to write an essay introduction for university requires you to first establish the basic elements of this section of the paper. Do write in your own voice. And note that admission officers will be able to tell if your essay was edited by an adult. Font. However, most academic essays share the same goal: They aim to persuade readers of … Clear and concise writing often takes more time, as you need to communicate your arguments effectively and in a compelling manner without fluff. Writing an essay is like making a hamburger. Don’t use anything fancy, and avoid Calibri and Cambria. Outline your essay body: write down a topic sentence for each paragraph, provide supporting evidence you’ll use when writing, and mention how they’ll relate to the topic and your thesis. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. For the above example, you could write about a real experience that you had and how it made you feel you had to take action. The more details you outline, the easier it will be to organize all the thoughts while writing. Ask a Teacher or Parent to Proofread This isn’t always true. Luckily, there is a standard way to format essays for university that is generally accepted across Australian and New Zealand universities. Answer the essay question with your thesis statement. Preview the topics you will discuss in the essay.