Informative Essay: Example and Tips

Dear student, if you have got the task to write an informative essay, do not panic. The first thing you need to realize is that there is nothing to be afraid of. At some point of your studies, you have already accomplished such a task without even knowing it. In this article, looking at the given example, you are able to better understand the essence of the informative essay, its peculiarities and characteristics.

Defining an informative essay

First of all we need to fully understand the task given by the teacher. So, what is an informative essay? Like any other essay, informative one is a relatively short creative work. An informative essay informs the reader about the topic (main subject, issue, matter). The author should know a lot about the topic of the essay and be able to express his thoughts clearly and in an organized manner. Informative essay can be considered to be the simplest type of essay and it is usually the first one to be used as an assignment at school.

If at first the topic seems to you voluminous and incomprehensible, act step by step. Working this way, you can not only write a good informative essay, but even get pleasure from the process itself!

Examples of topics for informative essays

Topics for an informative essay are usually not given by the teacher, but selected by the student himself (most often from the list of topics). As examples, we can offer you the following topics for informative essay:

1. Importance of vaccinating kids
2. Sugar and its impact in obesity problem
3. Coal mining as a dying industry
4. The origin of the universe
5. Independence of the USA
6. What is encryption and where is it used?
7. Evolution of transgender rights in the UK
8. What is native marketing?
9. Why do people get addicted to drugs?
10. Chances to win in a lottery
11. Acute depression and how to fight it – topic used as an example

Structure of an informative essay

After you choose the topic for a future informative essay, you need to conduct analysis of literature and get as much information on the topic as you can. You need to clearly understand the essence of the topic and have a stable and reasonable point of view.

When starting the process of writing the text of informative essay, there are several possible ways to start:

• Start writing with the main body of the essay. Then move to conclusion and introduction. This method usually allows making less corrections and contributes to the quicker writing process.
• Start in an introduction, then proceed to the main part and finish with a conclusion. This method often suits well organized people with a technical mind. Use it when you have a whole picture of the future essay in your head.

As you can see, the structure of the informative essay remains the same: introduction, main body and conclusion. Even considering the fact that essay is a free and creative genre, you need to adhere to this particular structure.

Example of introduction of an informative essay

In the introduction, you must introduce the reader to the problem you are about to overview. Gently set the tone for the future narrative, determine for yourself the style of writing the essay. The volume of an introduction depends on the total volume of the essay, but usually it takes about 12-15% of the paper. Below, you can read the example of an introduction to the informative essay, written on the topic “Acute depression and how to fight it”.

Example: “Every year, depression becomes an increasingly common disease worldwide. According to WHO forecasts, in the next decade this mental disorder will outstrip cardiovascular diseases by prevalence.

Depression is accompanied by symptoms such as decreased mood, loss of ability to rejoice, impaired thinking, motor retardation. A person with depression loses interest in life, his usual activity and other people, his self-esteem is reduced. Some patients with depression start to abuse alcohol or drugs.

Depression is a serious but common disease: 1 in 10 people have signs of depression. This disease is the most common cause of disability in the United States. The risk of developing depression in an average person is about 17 percent, and in the majority of the first attack begins in late adolescence or in 20-25 years. The disease is somewhat more common among women, but some researchers suggest that this may be due to the fact that men are less likely to seek help or because their symptoms manifest more like anger than sadness.

Depression can occur as single episodes of a disease of varying severity, or be chronic. In some patients, prolonged depression does not reach significant severity, while in others it is repeated in a more acute form.”

Example of the main body of an informative essay

The main part (or the main body) of the informative essay is its more essential part, which contains all the information, theses on the topic. This part of the paper usually amounts about 70% of the total text. Carefully select the material to be included into the main body, make sure that the data you use is accurate and reliable.

In the main body, disclose the topic as fully as you can. Choose the most convincing facts and arguments to support your ideas. Continuing our example of informative essay about depression, start the first paragraph of the main body with telling about the symptoms of depression.

Example: “Depression has emotional, physiological, behavioral, and mental manifestations.

Emotionally, a sick person suffers from anguish, despair, oppressed and depressed mood, anxiety. He becomes irritable, constantly feels a sense of guilt. Depression is often accompanied by anxiety about the fate and health of loved ones. With deep depression, a person loses the ability to experience any feelings.

The physiology of depression includes sleep disorders, changes in appetite, constipation, decreased sexual desire, increased fatigue, pain and discomfort in the body.

A person suffering from depression is passive and avoids contact with other people, it is difficult for him to concentrate and make decisions. He sees future in black colors. He is troubled by thoughts of his own uselessness and helplessness, and in severe cases – by the thoughts of suicide.

Both environmental and physiological factors can cause depression. Most experts in the field of mental health agree that brain chemistry plays an important role. The level of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain, can affect the risk of developing depression. Nevertheless, life experience influences the chemical bonds of the brain, and some people fall into depression after experiencing trauma or full stress of change, such as separation or divorce, death of a spouse, dismissal from work, financial instability, moving or declining health. Daily stress factors, such as social isolation, domestic violence and other psychological conditions, can also contribute to depression. Sometimes depression arises as a protective mechanism, so as not to experience painful emotions. Women who have recently given birth can struggle with postpartum depression within days, weeks or months after giving birth.

Symptoms of depression differ from symptoms associated with grief, when the feeling of emotional overflow is normal and temporary. A sign of depression is when a sense of sadness and despair disrupts daily life and persists for more than two weeks.”

In the second paragraph of the main body of informative essay about acute depression, tell about what provokes an exacerbation of depression.

Example: “Exacerbations of depression can be seasonal. For example, the symptoms of the disease appear in the fall or spring. Climate change, “resetting” of biological clocks – other common causes of exacerbation of the disease. In patients with chronic depression, exacerbation is often triggered by premature discontinuation of medication.

Exacerbation of the disease in the off-season is associated with a lack of sunlight, a lack of vitamins, sedentary lifestyle. Climate change also contributes to the deterioration of the state: changes in atmospheric pressure, sudden changes in air temperature, natural phenomena increase anxiety and fear.

The transition from one season of the year to another is accompanied by hormonal reorganization, and a change in the hormonal background is reflected in the mood.

In women, exacerbation of depression can be associated with the reproductive cycle. So, some women suffer from a monthly exacerbation of premenstrual depressive syndrome, which corresponds to the menstrual cycle. Postpartum depression and depression on the background of menopause may last several weeks or months.

The likelihood of exacerbation of depression due to premature discontinuation of antidepressants is 80%. In this case, the disease becomes more difficult to treat.

Other mental health problems, such as anxiety, are often associated with depression. Depression is also a major characteristic of schizophrenia, bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depression is also associated with the abuse of psychoactive substances, especially with alcohol and other substances depressing the central nervous system. In addition, people can independently be treated with alcohol or other substances to cope with depression, which can in turn worsen their symptoms in the long term.”

In the third paragraph of the main part of informative essay about depression, you might tell about prevention and treatment of acute depression.

Example: “After passing the basic course of therapy for treating depression, the patient should undergo a supportive course after normalizing the condition. This stage can last 4-6 months or more.

As shown by the results of an experiment conducted by psychiatrists from the United States, patients with depression are able to control the manifestation of the disease themselves, having learned to self-comprehend signs of exacerbation. Participants in the experiment who underwent a course of cognitive therapy and learned to determine the signs predicting exacerbation and relapse could independently take measures to prevent another episode of depression.

Prevention of exacerbations of depression contributes to the rejection of bad habits, physical activity, rational nutrition, communication with family and friends.

Treatment of acute depression should be under the supervision of a doctor. Only the doctor selects the drug for treatment, antidepressants and their dosage taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.

The doctor chooses the method of treatment of seasonal depression depending on the form of the disease. Most doctors recommend that patients walk a lot in the morning to get more sunlight. You may also need to take antidepressants or light therapy (phototherapy). During this procedure, the patient is exposed to bright light.

Psychotherapy is an important addition to the treatment of depression. With its help, the patient develops the skills of emotional self-regulation, which will help him in future to cope with crisis situations. To overcome depression, support of close people is important.

Medications are often used in the treatment of depression, especially when the symptoms are severe. Several classes of drugs have been developed to improve mood. All antidepressants have certain side effects that can improve over time. Often side effects are seen as a necessary compromise, especially when the depression is serious enough and includes thoughts of suicide or harm. While antidepressants alone can not cope with the emotional and psychological causes of depression, they can help improve the outcome of psychotherapeutic treatment.

Other treatments and lifestyle changes can alleviate the symptoms of depression, especially when used in combination with psychotherapy or medications. They include various additional and alternative therapies, such as acupuncture, herbal remedies and supplements, as well as aerobic exercises that enhance the production of endorphins, which increase mood and relieve stress.”

Example of conclusion of an informative essay

In the conclusion section of the informative essay, the author needs to sum up the facts and arguments given in the main body of the essay. The volume of the conclusion usually equals 15 percent of the total volume of the paper.

Experienced author knows that he is not supposed to give new arguments in the conclusion. He is expected to repeat his thoughts once again briefly in different words. Do not copy and paste parts of the text, find new ones.

Example: “Disorder of a person’s mental health, when the patient has a loss of ability to experience emotions, a reduced mood and a disorder of thinking is a depression. Depression can occur in people of different sex, age and social status. The causes of depression can be heredity, endocrine disorders, severe emotional stress – loss of loved ones and so on.

The manifestations of depression can be diverse, in someone it flows less noticeably or vice versa with pronounced symptoms. In a state of depression, the patient becomes aggravated by a feeling of anxiety, apathy, constant fatigue, unwillingness to do anything and communicate with other people. Things that used to interest and cause joy become indifferent. The functions of memory and attention are broken, the behavioral forms of the patient change. Not infrequently, against the background of depression, addiction develops. The patient is noted for fixation on all negative. To somatic manifestation belong – insomnia, constipation, overeating or vice versa refusal of food, pain in the heart and stomach, disorder of the sexual sphere.

The diagnosis is made by a doctor-psychiatrist, after collecting an anamnesis and monitoring the patient. When diagnosing depression, the manifestation of key symptoms should be present for at least two weeks.

Treatment of depression must be carried out in complex, under the guidance of a psychiatrist. Along with medicamental treatment, the method of psychotherapy is effectively used. For drug treatment of depression, antidepressants are used.

In order to prevent the emergence of depression, it is recommended to lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly, eat well and balanced, and observe the regime of the day. Very important is the balance of activity and rest, a sufficient amount of night sleep, walking in the fresh air is also beneficial to the mental state of a person. It is necessary to refrain from smoking, drugs and alcohol, not to abuse medical drugs. Avoid stress and limit emotional distress.”

Post-writing stage of writing informative essays

When the text of the informative essay seems ready, it is time to proceed to the post-writing stage. It is perfect if you have enough time not to be in a hurry. In this case, leave the paper for a day or two and get back to it with a fresh head.

Correct the final version, if required. The author needs to read it a few more times and check for all kinds of errors. Pay attention not only to grammar but also to the style of writing and the words and phrases you use.  Sometimes it is very difficult to find errors when you simply look through the text. Here is a tip for you: reading aloud will help find some grammatical and speech errors. It might also help if you give someone your essay for proofreading. Let them read and express their impression. Edit the paper yourself, considering the notes of the reviewer.