How To Write A Process Essay: A Comprehensive Guide

WHAT IS A PROCESS ESSAY?

The core feature of a process essay is a description of how you accomplish a given task. A process essay can be written on subjects running the gamut from brewing beer to writing business memos. The common denominator which exists across all process essays is that they document the process that one needs to follow so as to do a given thing or accomplish a given function. Writing a process essay is thus like writing an instruction manual for using a product or a guide for accomplishing a task through the provision of step-by-step instructions.

Writing a process essay is thus focused on a target audience and providing the list of materials needed and the steps that must be taken to produce the end-product of the process. Similar to a cause and effect essay, writing a process essay involves describing the steps that must be taken to achieve a given end-state. The steps are similar to the causes that one uses to bring about an effect when writing a cause and effect essay. When writing a process essay, you should thus be methodical in describing both what is needed to achieve the desired end state of the process, and the specific steps which must be taken so as to achieve the end goal of this process.

In writing a process essay, your professor will either provide you with a target audience or ask you to choose one. One of the keys to writing a process essay is to use a level of explanation that is appropriate to the level of understanding and knowledge held by your target audience. If you write a process essay on building a fence, you would not write it the same way for a carpenter as you would a person who has never swung a hammer in their life. Knowing your target audience and writing a process essay at the appropriate level is key to achieving the best possible grade. This is something that you will be grade on in an explicit manner when writing a process essay.

Ultimately, writing a process essay is common in an English class but can be assigned in most of the scientific disciplines as well. In an English class, writing a process essay is done to ensure that you can properly give directions regarding a given task in a clear and efficient manner. In a science class, writing a process essay is done to ensure that you can accomplish a key task, for example using a centrifuge, that is common in your discipline. The manner by which your process essay is graded will vary heavily on the basis of the type of course it is assigned for. You must thus take the type of course you are writing a process essay for seriously to get the best grade possible.

HOW TO WRITE A PROCESS ESSAY

The first step in writing a process essay is to determine what process you want to write about. It is best that you write about a process that you are familiar with. If the process you are assigned to is not familiar to you, you will want to research it extensively before you begin writing so that you can provide detailed instructions on how to achieve the end state of the process. The thesis of a process essay is unique in that it will be made up of a summary of the steps that must be undertaken to complete the process. Writing a process essay is thus different from writing most other types of essays because of how your thesis will directly repeat the core elements of the process rather than alluding to different types of supporting evidence as would be the case with a traditional academic essay.

Once you have chosen your process and researched it extensively, you must first determine your target audience. Once you have done so, make sure that you write your process essay at a linguistic level that is appropriate for your target audience both in terms of vocabulary and sophistication. Your next step is to elaborate a complete list of materials that will be needed to complete the process that you are writing a process essay about. After this, the body paragraphs of your process essay will provide a step-by-step description of all of the steps that are needed to carry out the process from beginning to end. As you list all of these steps in writing your process essay, make sure that you refer back to all of the items in the list of materials, and that all of the materials listed are used, and that all material used are listed.

Finally, providing an example of a process essay, one could write about the thesis that brewing beer requires extracting sugars from grain and using these sugars to produce alcohol through fermentation. Subsequent to providing a list of the materials needed to accomplish the process, the first body paragraph of such a process essay would describe the process of how a beer’s worth is created so as to release sugars into water. The second body paragraph could discuss how the beer is flavored through the use of hops and other additives. The third body paragraph could then discuss how the process of fermentation works and the steps that should be taken to ferment the wort into beer, and then bottle the beer to ensure carbonation. The conclusion would then summarize the process in line with the original thesis. While this is a simple example, it provides a cohesive demonstration of the logic associated with writing a process essay.

HOW TO FORMAT A PROCESS ESSAY

When writing a process essay, formatting requirements can differ significantly. In many English classes, you will be asked to observe MLA style but will not be asked to use references in writing a process essay. In some cases, you may be asked to use APA, Chicago or Turabian style and to provide references. Regardless of which approach is used, it is important that you ensure that you are respecting the style guide and citation style that has been imposed upon you for writing your process essay. Failing to do so or failing to cite sources if your professor requires it could lead you to lose points for formatting or even to be accused of plagiarism if you are missing citations.

Once you have formatted and referenced your process essay in line with a style guide and/or referencing style if appropriate, there are several ways to format the actual process essay. When writing a process essay, some professors will ask that you write a process essay using paragraphs as you would any other traditional academic essay. Other professors will however ask that you write a process essay using an unorthodox style like bullet points. Make sure you know what style your professor wants before you begin writing your process essay to ensure that you get the best grade possible.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PROCESS ESSAY AND A TRADITIONAL ESSAY?

The main difference between writing a process essay and writing a traditional essay is tied to style. A process essay is essentially a set of directions. As such, your thesis will be a summary of the main steps that must be taken to achieve the end state of your process. This is very different from the thesis used when writing a standard academic essay as it is more direct and repeats much of what will be written in the body in an explicit manner. Moreover, the presence of a list of materials is atypical for an essay and is one of the key elements of writing a process essay. Finally, the purely descriptive nature of writing a process essay is very different from the analytical or critical approach used in most traditional academic essays.