is a paper an essay

Difference Between an Essay & a Paper

Jennifer brozak.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school or toiling away at college, paper writing is a fundamental facet of schooling. While essays and other forms of creative writing are common in English classes, you’ll also need to understand how to write informative pieces, such as research or term papers. By understanding the difference between the various types of writing styles, you’ll be able to draft compelling prose that is appropriate for any given assignment.

Explore this article

What Is an Essay?
What Is a Research Paper?
What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and Term Paper?
Avoid Getting a Free Essay Writer

1 What Is an Essay?

One of the most common forms of writing is the essay. Starting in your later elementary school years and into middle school, you’ll likely be exposed to the five-paragraph essay, which is a fundamental starting point for creating longer-length writing assignments as you move upward through the higher grades. While they’re typically shorter pieces of writing (often under 1,000 words), they allow teachers to evaluate students on different writing, reading and analysis skills, including the art of persuasion and exposition.

Essays can take on many forms: They can be narrative, or tell a story; expository, or require investigation and evidential support; descriptive, in which a student is required to describe, creatively, a person, place or object; and finally, persuasive, in which a student is asked to argue a specific position on a particular topic.

As a whole, paper essay writing typically allows for more creativity than more formal writing styles, such as research papers.

2 What Is a Research Paper?

The phrase “research paper” can conjure anxiety in even the most adequate student writers. However, this need not be the case. In fact, it’s helpful to think of a research paper as an inflated essay. The structure will basically be the same, but you’ll need a thesis statement (which is not required in some forms of essay writing), significant research and evidence to support your ideas. You’ll also be required to include several credible sources in your paper, which will be listed on a reference page. And consider this: If you choose a subject you’re interested in researching, writing an informative paper can actually be quite a rewarding experience.

3 What Is the Difference Between a Research Paper and Term Paper?

Teachers, especially college professors, sometimes refer to longer research papers as “term papers,” which are similar in their structure and format. They’re expanded essays that will require evidence and credible sources to support your ideas. The difference lies in the subject matter. Research papers may allow you to cover a topic outside of the general subject matter (such as writing a persuasive research paper about global warming in an English class), while term papers will focus solely on the subject matter discussed in the course. High-quality research and term paper examples can be found on numerous sites, such as the Purdue University Online Writing Lab.

4 Avoid Getting a Free Essay Writer

A note of caution about submitting any writing assignment: While the Internet abounds with sources to help you in your quest to write the perfect paper, avoid using “essay generators” or hiring a free essay writer or buying papers from a database. Even if you’re procrastinating and panicking about finishing your assignment, it’s always better to turn in your own work. Not only do many teachers utilize online plagiarism checkers, but they also learn to recognize a student’s specific writing style over the course of an academic year. While it’s perfectly fine to use a term paper example as a guideline, it’s always better to submit your own paper or essay with minor errors than to attempt to pass off someone else’s writing as your own.

1 SUNY Empire State College: Research Writing: Elements and Steps
2 Enago Academy: How to Avoid Plagiarism in Research Papers (Part1 )

About the Author

Jennifer Brozak earned her state teaching certificate in Secondary English and Communications from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh. A former high school English teacher, Jennifer enjoys writing articles about parenting and education and has contributed to Reader's Digest, Mamapedia, Shmoop and more.

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What is an Essay?

10 May, 2020

11 minutes read

Author: Tomas White

Well, beyond a jumble of words usually around 2,000 words or so - what is an essay, exactly? Whether you’re taking English, sociology, history, biology, art, or a speech class, it’s likely you’ll have to write an essay or two. So how is an essay different than a research paper or a review? Let’s find out!

Defining the Term – What is an Essay?

The essay is a written piece that is designed to present an idea, propose an argument, express the emotion or initiate debate. It is a tool that is used to present writer’s ideas in a non-fictional way. Multiple applications of this type of writing go way beyond, providing political manifestos and art criticism as well as personal observations and reflections of the author.

An essay can be as short as 500 words, it can also be 5000 words or more. However, most essays fall somewhere around 1000 to 3000 words ; this word range provides the writer enough space to thoroughly develop an argument and work to convince the reader of the author’s perspective regarding a particular issue. The topics of essays are boundless: they can range from the best form of government to the benefits of eating peppermint leaves daily. As a professional provider of custom writing, our service has helped thousands of customers to turn in essays in various forms and disciplines.

Origins of the Essay

Over the course of more than six centuries essays were used to question assumptions, argue trivial opinions and to initiate global discussions. Let’s have a closer look into historical progress and various applications of this literary phenomenon to find out exactly what it is.

Today’s modern word “essay” can trace its roots back to the French “essayer” which translates closely to mean “to attempt” . This is an apt name for this writing form because the essay’s ultimate purpose is to attempt to convince the audience of something. An essay’s topic can range broadly and include everything from the best of Shakespeare’s plays to the joys of April.

The essay comes in many shapes and sizes; it can focus on a personal experience or a purely academic exploration of a topic. Essays are classified as a subjective writing form because while they include expository elements, they can rely on personal narratives to support the writer’s viewpoint. The essay genre includes a diverse array of academic writings ranging from literary criticism to meditations on the natural world. Most typically, the essay exists as a shorter writing form; essays are rarely the length of a novel. However, several historic examples, such as John Locke’s seminal work “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” just shows that a well-organized essay can be as long as a novel.

The Essay in Literature

The essay enjoys a long and renowned history in literature. They first began gaining in popularity in the early 16 th century, and their popularity has continued today both with original writers and ghost writers. Many readers prefer this short form in which the writer seems to speak directly to the reader, presenting a particular claim and working to defend it through a variety of means. Not sure if you’ve ever read a great essay? You wouldn’t believe how many pieces of literature are actually nothing less than essays, or evolved into more complex structures from the essay. Check out this list of literary favorites:

The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag
High-Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now and Never by Barbara Kingsolver
Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion
Naked by David Sedaris
Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

Pretty much as long as writers have had something to say, they’ve created essays to communicate their viewpoint on pretty much any topic you can think of!

The Essay in Academics

Not only are students required to read a variety of essays during their academic education, but they will likely be required to write several different kinds of essays throughout their scholastic career. Don’t love to write? Then consider working with a ghost essay writer ! While all essays require an introduction, body paragraphs in support of the argumentative thesis statement, and a conclusion, academic essays can take several different formats in the way they approach a topic. Common essays required in high school, college, and post-graduate classes include:

Five paragraph essay

This is the most common type of a formal essay. The type of paper that students are usually exposed to when they first hear about the concept of the essay itself. It follows easy outline structure – an opening introduction paragraph; three body paragraphs to expand the thesis; and conclusion to sum it up.

Argumentative essay

These essays are commonly assigned to explore a controversial issue. The goal is to identify the major positions on either side and work to support the side the writer agrees with while refuting the opposing side’s potential arguments.

Compare and Contrast essay

This essay compares two items, such as two poems, and works to identify similarities and differences, discussing the strength and weaknesses of each. This essay can focus on more than just two items, however. The point of this essay is to reveal new connections the reader may not have considered previously.

Definition essay

This essay has a sole purpose – defining a term or a concept in as much detail as possible. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not quite. The most important part of the process is picking up the word. Before zooming it up under the microscope, make sure to choose something roomy so you can define it under multiple angles. The definition essay outline will reflect those angles and scopes.

Descriptive essay

Perhaps the most fun to write, this essay focuses on describing its subject using all five of the senses. The writer aims to fully describe the topic; for example, a descriptive essay could aim to describe the ocean to someone who’s never seen it or the job of a teacher. Descriptive essays rely heavily on detail and the paragraphs can be organized by sense.

Illustration essay

The purpose of this essay is to describe an idea, occasion or a concept with the help of clear and vocal examples. “Illustration” itself is handled in the body paragraphs section. Each of the statements, presented in the essay needs to be supported with several examples. Illustration essay helps the author to connect with his audience by breaking the barriers with real-life examples – clear and indisputable.

Informative Essay

Being one the basic essay types, the informative essay is as easy as it sounds from a technical standpoint. High school is where students usually encounter with informative essay first time. The purpose of this paper is to describe an idea, concept or any other abstract subject with the help of proper research and a generous amount of storytelling.

Narrative essay

This type of essay focuses on describing a certain event or experience, most often chronologically. It could be a historic event or an ordinary day or month in a regular person’s life. Narrative essay proclaims a free approach to writing it, therefore it does not always require conventional attributes, like the outline. The narrative itself typically unfolds through a personal lens, and is thus considered to be a subjective form of writing.

Persuasive essay

The purpose of the persuasive essay is to provide the audience with a 360-view on the concept idea or certain topic – to persuade the reader to adopt a certain viewpoint. The viewpoints can range widely from why visiting the dentist is important to why dogs make the best pets to why blue is the best color. Strong, persuasive language is a defining characteristic of this essay type.

The Essay in Art

Several other artistic mediums have adopted the essay as a means of communicating with their audience. In the visual arts, such as painting or sculpting, the rough sketches of the final product are sometimes deemed essays. Likewise, directors may opt to create a film essay which is similar to a documentary in that it offers a personal reflection on a relevant issue. Finally, photographers often create photographic essays in which they use a series of photographs to tell a story, similar to a narrative or a descriptive essay.

Drawing the line – question answered

“What is an Essay?” is quite a polarizing question. On one hand, it can easily be answered in a couple of words. On the other, it is surely the most profound and self-established type of content there ever was. Going back through the history of the last five-six centuries helps us understand where did it come from and how it is being applied ever since.

If you must write an essay, follow these five important steps to works towards earning the “A” you want:

Understand and review the kind of essay you must write
Brainstorm your argument
Find research from reliable sources to support your perspective
Cite all sources parenthetically within the paper and on the Works Cited page
Follow all grammatical rules

Generally speaking, when you must write any type of essay, start sooner rather than later! Don’t procrastinate – give yourself time to develop your perspective and work on crafting a unique and original approach to the topic. Remember: it’s always a good idea to have another set of eyes (or three) look over your essay before handing in the final draft to your teacher or professor. Don’t trust your fellow classmates? Consider hiring an editor or a ghostwriter to help out!

If you are still unsure on whether you can cope with your task – you are in the right place to get help. HandMadeWriting is the perfect answer to the question “Who can write my essay?”

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What’s The Difference Between An Article, A Paper, And An Essay? (Detailed Analysis)

Categories Culture

School and college life revolves around different types of writing, including opinion articles, review articles, research papers, and essays. Each of these has a different length, structure, and level of research.

You can write articles on various topics and niches if you gather enough information. It is possible to format an interview into an article so that it can be published in a magazine or online publication.

A paper, on the other hand, is longer than an essay or article, and one must follow a specific sequence. There is an abstract at the beginning, followed by a paragraph, a conclusion, and citations at the end.

There are a few paragraphs in the essay, all of which should be transitioned smoothly. The purpose of the essay is to persuade the reader through your logic and ideas. Different types of essays require different thoughts and writing processes.

This article is all about differentiating between an article, paper, and essay, so if it interests you, stick around while we explore these topics. Let’s get into it .

Page Contents

What Is An Article?

Articles are read by thousands of people around the globe and are generally written to educate people about something they’re unaware of. They are either published on an online website, magazine, or newspaper.

In the article, the writer expresses his or her perspective on a certain topic. The articles, mainly, are written to make people aware of a particular topic.

What Is A Paper?

The purpose of writing a research paper is to fill the gaps other authors left while writing on a similar topic.

There’s a structure that one must follow while writing a paper . Before writing a paper, make sure you’ve read the relevant papers.

Another important step is knowing your audience. It’s worth noting that the papers have a different outline of the paper than the essay or article.

Structure of the Paper

Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
References

Steps To Write A Paper

First of all, you need to pick a topic that you’re interested in. Choosing a topic you’re not interested in is never a good idea.
Read at least five relevant papers. There’s no need to read the papers thoroughly; you should only go through the abstract part, the introduction paragraph, and the conclusion.
Write down the findings and gaps that you can work on. Most of your writing covers areas that other papers do not cover.
The paper always starts with an introduction. Your thesis statement also goes here.
Since the body part of a paper is almost 8 to 12 pages, you can add as many paragraphs as you want.
In the end, you conclude your findings and give references to the sources.

What Is An Essay?

The word essay originates from the Latin word ‘exagium’ which refers to the presentation of the case .

An essay is all about giving a verdict on the issue after looking at all sides of the topic with an open mind. However, you need to consider all the evidence .

Essay writing comes with tremendous benefits. It builds a habit of looking at topics from various angles. Additionally, you get an opportunity to express your opinion after thorough research.

There are three parts to the essay: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

Introduction

One has to catch the reader’s attention from the first line of the introduction. The purpose of this is to arouse curiosity, which then leads your readers to read more.

In the introduction section, you give a little bit of an overview of the topic you’re writing about. It gives readers an insight into what’s coming next .

This would prevent most people from reading the bottom of your essay. Therefore, it’s really important to keep your audience hooked and curious.

Starting the introduction with some statistics or research findings is the best way to accomplish this. The most important thing to write in the introduction is the thesis statement.

When writing a paragraph in the body section, it’s important to keep sentences linked with each other. They must be coherent.

There should also be backing to your ideas from some relevant studies or sources. The best way to do this is by citing quotations, statistics, and research papers.

Additionally, you should never include irrelevant data in your essay.

The conclusion part includes a summary of the whole essay. You also write your findings or main points in this section of the essay.

Is the Article Different From The Essay?

There is always a thesis statement in an essay, along with reliable sources supporting the argument whereas an article solely represents your idea or opinion.

You’ll see very few articles that are written to persuade someone, while essays are only meant to persuade the readers.

The tone and the structure of the article are indeed different from the essay. The articles are written in simple English, so users of all ages will be able to understand them.

The length of both pieces of writing also differs. There is no limit to the word count when writing an article. An essay can be as long as a page or as short as a paragraph.

It is recommended that an essay be between 1500 and 2000 words in length.

Articles, Papers, and Essays: Differences and Similarities

Articles, papers, and essays have different purposes in academic and professional writing.
Articles inform readers on diverse topics. They engagingly present the author’s viewpoint. They’re often found in magazines or online platforms.
Research papers have sections like abstracts, introductions, reviews, methodologies, findings, and conclusions. They aim to fill gaps in the literature .
Essays look at different sides of a topic. They give a conclusion backed by facts and careful thinking.
Articles can be long or short and can be written in many different ways. Papers need a lot of research and must sound serious and smart. Essays use smart arguments to convince people.
These are different types of writing with different lengths, tones, and reasons for writing. Essays try to convince people of something. Papers are written to share information. Articles give people information that’s easy to understand.
Knowing these differences is crucial. It helps you communicate well especially when you’re doing school or college work.
There are different types of academic writing. Each type has its purpose. They each have different ways to make things easy to understand.
When you get the little details of these types of writing, it makes it easier to understand how they work. This helps both in school and at work.

What’s The Difference Between An Article A Paper And An Essay

Table of Contents

When it comes to writing, you may wonder what the difference is between an essay, article, and paper. Even the most experienced writers sometimes confuse these terms, but once you understand what they represent, you’ll be able to choose which kind of writing suits your purposes best. With a little help from an essay writer service, you can be certain that each one of your pieces of writing will be polished and ready to impress upon completion.

Introduction

There are three main types of academic writing: essays, articles, and papers. While these categories are similar, there are some major differences. This post will help you identify what separates these terms from one another. Here’s a quick breakdown of each type of academic writing.

Essay vs. Article vs. Paper

Why are they different? What’s in a title? We hear them used all of the time interchangeably in different contexts, but what makes these three so different from one another? To understand how essay writing differs from articles and papers, we need to look at how each differs from another. So let’s get started by exploring some of their main differences: Essay vs. Article vs. Paper – Key Differences 1. Length 2. Subject Matter 3. Author 4. Purpose 5. Audience.

Essays are typically 1–3 pages long. Articles vary in length but run longer than essays. Papers typically range from 10 to 15 pages or more. It’s important to note that essay writer services have very different writing styles. Some writers write with a conversational tone, while others use a formal style for essays and articles. The best way to figure out which type of writing fits your needs is by looking at samples of their work or asking them about their process.

The three types of writing are intended for different purposes. The purpose is often reflected in both length and tone. For example, a paper is generally longer than an essay or an article because it must be more comprehensive. It also tends to be more formal because it’s intended to be read by experts in a particular field (e.g., doctors reading a medical journal). On the other hand, an essay is usually shorter than a paper because it doesn’t have to cover as much ground and can take a more casual tone since it’s not necessarily directed at experts. Finally, articles tend to fall between essays and papers in terms of length, formality, and audience (i.e., they’re generally shorter than papers but longer than essays).

The difference between essays, articles, and papers can be found in the audience. In other words, you will write them for different people and in different situations. If you need to explain something (from a textbook or another piece of writing) or if you are explaining a procedure to someone new to that topic, then your best bet would be to write an essay. Alternatively, if your purpose is simply to inform someone about something they might find interesting, articles would do just fine. Finally, if you want to share some information with a large group of people with similar interests, then a paper would be your choice. So which one should you choose? It depends on what exactly it is that you want to achieve with your writing.

Subject Matter

There are a few distinct differences in subject matter for these different types of written work. Essays should be focused and concise; articles cover a broader scope. For example, if you were writing about gun control in America from a historical standpoint, your essay would focus on one distinct period throughout American history (likely before modern times), while your articles could each look at a different time during which gun laws were passed, enacted or changed. Papers are similar to essays in that they have a narrow focus, but papers typically take on more of an academic tone than essays do. Papers may also have footnotes, bibliographies, and other citations within them. It’s important to note that there isn’t always a clear distinction between essay and paper; some papers can even read like essays!

Unlike essays and articles, papers do not focus on a single topic. Papers are meant to convey complex information that may have been derived from numerous sources of information. Papers are also typically longer than essays or articles, ranging from five to more than 20 pages in length. This makes papers a relatively demanding form of academic writing. While essays often focus on personal reflections or observations, papers delve into specific topics with objective research findings drawn from secondary sources such as newspapers, journals, or books. An essay writer can be anyone who writes essays for money. An essay writer can be someone who has experience working with students in high school, college, or university-level institutions.

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The Difference Between a Research Paper and an Essay

This article will explore the key differences between a research paper and an essay. The main distinction lies in their purpose: a research paper is intended to add knowledge to existing literature, while an essay generally aims to present a viewpoint on the subject being discussed. Additionally, different approaches are used when constructing each type of writing; for example, essays focus heavily on personal opinion whereas research papers use data collected from sources such as interviews or experiments. Finally, we’ll discuss how these two forms of writing differ in terms of structure and language usage. By exploring these distinctions more closely, readers will gain insight into which form best suits their needs depending upon their goals and context.

I. Introduction

II. Definition of a Research Paper

III. Definition of an Essay

Iv. differences in structure and formatting, v. differences in content and purpose.

VI. Considerations for Completing the Assignment Successfully

VII. Conclusion

Learning the Difference In academia, it is essential for students to understand that there are different types of writing. Research papers and essays both have their place in higher education, yet they serve very distinct purposes. When tasked with any type of assignment, students must ask themselves what kind of paper will best answer the question or achieve the goal set out by their professor.

Essays provide a greater opportunity for creativity as well as expression than research papers do. They require careful planning and organization to establish an argument which can be easily followed through evidence provided within the text body itself – no external resources needed! Essays also tend to focus more on personal opinions rather than facts derived from outside sources making them ideal when working on literary analysis topics like Hamlet’s soliloquies or interpreting MacBeth’s inner monologues.

On contrast, research papers consist primarily of synthesizing information found externally (in books, databases etc.) while using your own critical thinking skillset to draw meaningful conclusions about thematic elements throughout those works. Unlike essay-writing assignments where you can use some creative license when crafting arguments/theories; this type requires meticulous citation work due its reliance on referencing previously established material from other scholars – failure adhere strictly here would result in accusations plagiarism being levied against one’s academic integrity!

An essay is a written work which gives the author’s own argument on an individual subject. It can range from formal to informal, and its primary purpose is to express the opinion of the writer. The structure of an essay usually consists of introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

When discussing essays it is important not to confuse them with research papers or other forms of academic writing. While there are similarities between both styles they do have some key differences in terms of style and content.

Research Papers: are typically much longer than essays as they go into great detail about their topic; while generally having one main focus for exploration.
Essays: are shorter pieces that explore multiple topics at once rather than going deep into one specific area.

In general, essays tend to be more creative in nature whereas research papers are seen as dryer documents based around facts collected through rigorous study and analysis. Essays also often require personal opinions which can make them more thought provoking; this does not occur within research paper writing due to their lack creativity or biased interpretation allowed by the researcher themselves.

There are several differences between a research paper and an essay in terms of structure and formatting. The first main difference lies in the length: research papers tend to be longer than essays, which generally range from 500-800 words while research papers can exceed 5,000 words. Furthermore, the format of a research paper follows specific guidelines that must be adhered to for successful completion; for example they often include sections such as abstracts, introductions, methods/materials used, results/findings and discussions. On the other hand essays require minimal structuring with only introduction body paragraphs and conclusion.

A Research Paper has a more detailed outline compared to an essay.

When attempting to distinguish between a research paper and an essay, it is useful to consider their content and purpose. While both can be written on the same topic, they have important differences in terms of structure, emphasis and intent.

Research Papers: Research papers are typically longer than essays; this allows for more in-depth investigation into a subject matter. They require extensive analysis of reliable sources related to the chosen field or topic. These pieces should include appropriate facts from these sources as evidence for the writer’s opinions or theories.
Essays: Essays tend to be shorter than research papers due to their more focused scope of argumentation or discussion. The goal here is usually either persuasive or explanatory with less weight given towards factual data gathering as compared with research papers since the information already exists within scholarly materials.

Having discussed the differences between a research paper and an essay, it can be concluded that each has its own distinct purpose. While both are useful for assessing knowledge within a field of study, they serve different ends.

The focus is on gathering information from existing sources to analyze or evaluate findings in order to draw conclusions about a topic.

In conclusion, the difference between a research paper and an essay lies in their scope of discussion. While essays focus on drawing conclusions based off arguments, research papers look for evidence to back up said conclusions. Both are important components in constructing academic discourse, though with distinct focuses that should be kept in mind when writing either form. In short, understanding the fundamental differences between these two forms will help any student or researcher navigate this exciting landscape of knowledge production with greater ease and clarity than ever before!

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
makes a claim that others might dispute.
is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

Do I answer the question? Yes!
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay

How to Write an Effective Essay

Writing an essay for college admission gives you a chance to use your authentic voice and show your personality. It's an excellent opportunity to personalize your application beyond your academic credentials, and a well-written essay can have a positive influence come decision time.

Want to know how to draft an essay for your college application ? Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing.

Tips for Essay Writing

A typical college application essay, also known as a personal statement, is 400-600 words. Although that may seem short, writing about yourself can be challenging. It's not something you want to rush or put off at the last moment. Think of it as a critical piece of the application process. Follow these tips to write an impactful essay that can work in your favor.

1. Start Early.

Few people write well under pressure. Try to complete your first draft a few weeks before you have to turn it in. Many advisers recommend starting as early as the summer before your senior year in high school. That way, you have ample time to think about the prompt and craft the best personal statement possible.

You don't have to work on your essay every day, but you'll want to give yourself time to revise and edit. You may discover that you want to change your topic or think of a better way to frame it. Either way, the sooner you start, the better.

2. Understand the Prompt and Instructions.

Before you begin the writing process, take time to understand what the college wants from you. The worst thing you can do is skim through the instructions and submit a piece that doesn't even fit the bare minimum requirements or address the essay topic. Look at the prompt, consider the required word count, and note any unique details each school wants.

3. Create a Strong Opener.

Students seeking help for their application essays often have trouble getting things started. It's a challenging writing process. Finding the right words to start can be the hardest part.

Spending more time working on your opener is always a good idea. The opening sentence sets the stage for the rest of your piece. The introductory paragraph is what piques the interest of the reader, and it can immediately set your essay apart from the others.

4. Stay on Topic.

One of the most important things to remember is to keep to the essay topic. If you're applying to 10 or more colleges, it's easy to veer off course with so many application essays.

A common mistake many students make is trying to fit previously written essays into the mold of another college's requirements. This seems like a time-saving way to avoid writing new pieces entirely, but it often backfires. The result is usually a final piece that's generic, unfocused, or confusing. Always write a new essay for every application, no matter how long it takes.

5. Think About Your Response.

Don't try to guess what the admissions officials want to read. Your essay will be easier to write─and more exciting to read─if you’re genuinely enthusiastic about your subject. Here’s an example: If all your friends are writing application essays about covid-19, it may be a good idea to avoid that topic, unless during the pandemic you had a vivid, life-changing experience you're burning to share. Whatever topic you choose, avoid canned responses. Be creative.

6. Focus on You.

Essay prompts typically give you plenty of latitude, but panel members expect you to focus on a subject that is personal (although not overly intimate) and particular to you. Admissions counselors say the best essays help them learn something about the candidate that they would never know from reading the rest of the application.

7. Stay True to Your Voice.

Use your usual vocabulary. Avoid fancy language you wouldn't use in real life. Imagine yourself reading this essay aloud to a classroom full of people who have never met you. Keep a confident tone. Be wary of words and phrases that undercut that tone.

8. Be Specific and Factual.

Capitalize on real-life experiences. Your essay may give you the time and space to explain why a particular achievement meant so much to you. But resist the urge to exaggerate and embellish. Admissions counselors read thousands of essays each year. They can easily spot a fake.

9. Edit and Proofread.

When you finish the final draft, run it through the spell checker on your computer. Then don’t read your essay for a few days. You'll be more apt to spot typos and awkward grammar when you reread it. After that, ask a teacher, parent, or college student (preferably an English or communications major) to give it a quick read. While you're at it, double-check your word count.

Writing essays for college admission can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. A well-crafted essay could be the deciding factor─in your favor. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll have no problem creating memorable pieces for every application.

What is the format of a college application essay?

Generally, essays for college admission follow a simple format that includes an opening paragraph, a lengthier body section, and a closing paragraph. You don't need to include a title, which will only take up extra space. Keep in mind that the exact format can vary from one college application to the next. Read the instructions and prompt for more guidance.

Most online applications will include a text box for your essay. If you're attaching it as a document, however, be sure to use a standard, 12-point font and use 1.5-spaced or double-spaced lines, unless the application specifies different font and spacing.

How do you start an essay?

The goal here is to use an attention grabber. Think of it as a way to reel the reader in and interest an admissions officer in what you have to say. There's no trick on how to start a college application essay. The best way you can approach this task is to flex your creative muscles and think outside the box.

You can start with openers such as relevant quotes, exciting anecdotes, or questions. Either way, the first sentence should be unique and intrigue the reader.

What should an essay include?

Every application essay you write should include details about yourself and past experiences. It's another opportunity to make yourself look like a fantastic applicant. Leverage your experiences. Tell a riveting story that fulfills the prompt.

What shouldn’t be included in an essay?

When writing a college application essay, it's usually best to avoid overly personal details and controversial topics. Although these topics might make for an intriguing essay, they can be tricky to express well. If you’re unsure if a topic is appropriate for your essay, check with your school counselor. An essay for college admission shouldn't include a list of achievements or academic accolades either. Your essay isn’t meant to be a rehashing of information the admissions panel can find elsewhere in your application.

How can you make your essay personal and interesting?

The best way to make your essay interesting is to write about something genuinely important to you. That could be an experience that changed your life or a valuable lesson that had an enormous impact on you. Whatever the case, speak from the heart, and be honest.

Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?

Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you’ve handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you’re considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.

The illustration shows a green hardcover book splattered by digital tomatoes.

A Salty Young Critic Explains Internet Culture, Patiently

Famed for her fearless literary takedowns, Lauren Oyler adopts a softer tone in the new essay collection “No Judgment.”

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By Erin Somers

Erin Somers is a reporter for Publishers Lunch and the author of “Stay Up With Hugo Best.”

March 18, 2024
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NO JUDGMENTS: Essays, by Lauren Oyler

Why do people like to watch boxing? We admire the fighters: their guts, their footwork. It is elegant yet brutal. It entertains. It is a form of proxy violence — someone else being hit and doing the hitting — that taps into our primal urges.

Lauren Oyler made her name as a pugilist. Her breakout essay on the website BookSlut famously begins, “I have always hated Roxane Gay’s writing.” Her reviews get attention partly because she voices the criticism that one may be too politic to express. Typically, that criticism is harsh. Typically, it is funny. Even her 2021 debut novel, “Fake Accounts,” contains a 40-page parody of the fragmentary novel form that was dominant in that moment, especially among women writers. It goes on for so long that the reader has time to love it, hate it, become exasperated with it, resign herself to it and, finally, admire its diabolical commitment.

Now Oyler has returned with “No Judgment,” a collection of eight essays written specifically for the book. Her sense of humor is present, as is her agile thinking. But fans of blood sport won’t find much here to satisfy their baser appetites. Far from incendiary, the book is cleareyed and grounded. Several essays here provoked the surprising thought, “This is the sanest thing I have ever read on this topic.”

The book begins with an introduction explaining that some of the essays were inspired by “a growing agitation about what I perceived to be misunderstandings and fallacies spreading in cultural criticism and commentary.” Others center on personal experiences. Topics include: the evolution of internet gossip, the flawed social network Goodreads and the creep of the word “vulnerable” into arts criticism. The uniting idea, if there is one, seems to be about how people are using or absorbing media wrong, and how this is annoying.

The essays are long and unhurried, and the fare will be familiar to anyone who spends a lot of time online. Many of them involve Twitter discourses of the past few years. Martin Scorsese’s views on Marvel movies make an appearance, as do the online sagas of the writers Lauren Hough, Kathleen Hale and Elizabeth Gilbert, each of whom raised the hackles of the online reviewing community with a variety of consequences.

The first essay, “Embarrassment, Panic, Opprobrium, Job Loss, Etc.,” traces gossip through the 21st century, from the rise and fall of the website Gawker to #MeToo and whisper networks, and the notorious anonymously sourced list of “bad media men” that shook up the magazine world in 2017. These episodes are fluidly stitched together with added context from history and literature, which is the structure of most of the essays in the book. At its best, it feels like your smart friend explaining to you something you missed on the internet, why it’s important and what it means. Occasionally, it feels like your friend overexplaining these things.

Oyler is a sharp and confident critic, and some interpretations in the book are outstanding. For instance, her reading of the film “Tár,” in an essay called “The Power of Vulnerability,” suggests it is not about cancel culture, as many critics wrote when it first came out, but about what would happen if a woman acted like a man. She writes: “We see Tár from rise to downfall, playing the man the entire time. We see her being called maestro. … Most important, we see her in this astounding, unrealistic career, which, in reality, a woman like her would never achieve. Not only because she is a woman, but because she is a woman who acts like a man: cocky, selfish, self-important, rude, on closer inspection a total fraud.” This is an invigorating way to think about the film, and one that sidesteps trite notions of cancellation.

Likewise, in an essay about the forever war of irony versus sincerity, sparked by David Foster Wallace’s 1993 essay “E. Unibus Pluram” and rehashed every few years online, she proposes that the binary itself is fake. “These oppositions are, have always been, reductive, false: A complex work will almost always have both irony and sincerity, and it is possible to express sincere — or authentic, or true — feelings through irony, a rhetorical device that is useful when you want to represent the tension between two conflicting ideas at the same time.”

The collection’s most ambitious essay is an assessment of autofiction as a form rather than a genre. There are many interesting reflections here on Oyler’s own work (“Fake Accounts” is autofiction) and on the work of others — Vladimir Nabokov, Sheila Heti, Sally Rooney and more.

I had never considered, for example, the space between the reader’s projection of an author of autofiction, and who the author really is. That the author can play with this — either defying or reifying the reader’s preconceived notions — is a tool, and a very cool one.

Still, the book’s measuredness cuts both ways. While it likely demonstrates Oyler’s growth as a writer (you can’t be an edgelord all your life), it lacks the boldness of her novel and magazine writing. It is oddly safe. “TED Talks are stupid,” she writes. Well, yeah; The Onion launched a series making fun of them in 2012.

That these essays were written specifically for the book, meaning they did not run as magazine stories or pegged to news events, made me wonder, sometimes, at the why of them. Why these particular topics? Why this set of minor irritations? Is there anything new or definitive about them? Is there a sense of risk, aesthetically or otherwise?

Luckily, the execution is fresh enough to keep one reading. And the barbs, when they do come, are good — in the final essay, a cheap dentist is described as “a tan man in a linoleum hole.” Maybe it’s best to follow the book’s lead and approach it with equanimity: We can appreciate and mourn its maturity both at once.

NO JUDGMENT : Essays | By Lauren Oyler | HarperOne | 288 pp. | $28.99

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

You never know what’s going to go wrong in these graphic novels, where Circus tigers, giant spiders, shifting borders and motherhood all threaten to end life as we know it .

When the author Tommy Orange received an impassioned email from a teacher in the Bronx, he dropped everything to visit the students who inspired it.

A few years ago, Harvard acquired the archive of Candida Royalle, a porn star turned pioneering director. Now, the collection has inspired a new book , challenging the conventional history of the sexual revolution.

Gabriel García Márquez wanted his final novel to be destroyed. Its publication this month may stir questions about posthumous releases.

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IB History: Writing Essays for IBDP History Paper 2

Subject: History

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

21 March 2024

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Diving into the complexities of 20th-century history demands not just understanding but an ability to critically engage and articulate thoughts with precision. “Writing Essays for IBDP History Paper 2” stands as a beacon for educators seeking to empower their students with the skills to dissect and analyse historical events with a keen eye. The historical context of the IBDP curriculum, encompassing pivotal wars, the rise of authoritarian states led by figures such as Stalin and Mao, and the Cold War’s global impact, provides a rich tapestry for intellectual exploration.

This lesson plan shines by emphasizing the benefits for students through a meticulously structured approach to essay writing. It begins with a robust foundation, guiding students through the analysis of essay questions, thus ensuring they grasp the essence from the get-go. Understanding key terms, contextualizing historical events, and identifying critical viewpoints form the cornerstone of this initial phase.

As we delve deeper, the plan’s focus on student activities comes to the fore, promising a transformative learning experience. Activities are designed to sharpen analytical skills, with exercises that challenge students to compare and contrast different historical narratives, evaluate the efficacy of policies, and discuss the myriad perspectives surrounding contentious issues. These tasks are not just exercises in academic rigor but are engaging explorations that make history come alive, fostering a classroom environment where every opinion is valued and every analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the past.

The culmination of this lesson plan is not just an improved ability to tackle IBDP History Paper 2 but a nurturing of critical thinking and argumentation skills that students will carry beyond the classroom. The emphasis on using evidence, making judicious assessments, and presenting coherent arguments ensures that students are not just prepared for exams but are equipped to navigate the complexities of the world with an informed and critical perspective.

“Writing Essays for IBDP History Paper 2” is not just a lesson plan; it’s a commitment to historical excellence. It promises a journey that begins with the understanding of a question’s nuances and ends with the crafting of essays that not only meet the rigorous standards of the IBDP curriculum but also reflect the intellectual growth and curiosity of the students themselves. This is history teaching at its most impactful, where every lesson is an opportunity to inspire and every essay a testament to learning.

** Total Pages: 19 Teaching Duration: 90 minutes

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How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

Catch your reader’s attention.
Give background on your topic.
Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

Braille was an extremely important invention.
The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly why the topic is important.

The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

Historical, geographical, or social context
An outline of the debate you’re addressing
A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

Argumentative
Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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Prompt engineering embraces new essay-compression technique that expands on getting very constructive generative ai results.

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Handy new prompt engineering technique to do compression on essays and other text is examined and ... [+] showcased as being quite useful.

In today’s column, I am continuing my ongoing coverage of prompt engineering strategies and tactics that aid in getting the most out of using generative AI apps such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, Bard, Gemini, Claude, etc. The focus here is on a brand-new prompting approach that enables you to cleverly compress essays and other text-based narratives. This is a handy technique that ought to be in your prompting best-practices toolkit.

For my in-depth comprehensive guide on over thirty other keystone prompting strategies, see the link here .

Here’s the essence of today’s discussion.

One of the most popular uses of generative AI entails creating summaries of entered text, see my prior coverage on prompting strategies for summarization at the link here and also the chain-of-density technique (CoD) at the link here . The deal is this. You might have a lengthy document that needs a helpful summary covering the crucial points so that you don’t have to wade through a convoluted textual morass. The simplest prompt to achieve a summary will merely tell the AI to go ahead and summarize the material. Boom, you are done, or so it seems.

The problem is that the summary might not be very good. Odds are that the generative AI might omit points that a human would have realized are vital to include in a summary. There is also a significant chance that the source material will be interpreted rather than carried straight ahead into the summary. Loosey-goosey interpretations of what was said in the source could be way off base.

Into this realm comes the act of compression.

Rather than producing a summary that might veer from the source, you can ask to do a compression. The idea of compression is that the source is reduced in size by a thinning process, but no adaptations or rephrasing takes place. You are still seeing the same words that were in the source. A thinning process is undertaken to try and keep just the needed meat on the bones conveying the crux of the source material.

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To clarify, compression is not a silver bullet. Issues about compression can arise. For example, it is conceivable that as generative AI thins out a source text, some key points might inadvertently get weaned out. Another possible issue is that the resulting compressed text might seem nearly unreadable or incomprehensible. The words removed that might have seemed inconsequential by the AI were possibly integral to the intelligible reading of the text.

The bottom line is that anyone proficient in the use of generative AI should know both techniques by heart, freely welding the best ways to do prompting that encompasses summarization and astute prompting that does compression. You can then wisely decide which approach befits a given circumstance. Sometimes you pull out the hammer of summarization, and other times you reach for the screwdriver of compression. They are two distinct tools that require suitable handling and must be selected for the appropriate situations.

A frequent question I get during the prompt engineering classes that I teach is whether summarization is better than compression, or whether compression is better than summarization. This always brings a smile to my face. The conveyed conundrum is a false choice. None is especially better than the other in the abstract. Each provides a set of benefits and drawbacks. I don’t think you can in the abstract make a solid case that a hammer is better than or worse than a screwdriver since the situation at hand dictates as such. The same goes for summarization versus compression.

Okay, now that we’ve got that foundation established, there are already various recommended ways to word a prompt to do summarizations and compressions. A recent research study explored the topic and proffered a prompt for compression that they extensively tested and found to be quite useful. I will walk you through their research efforts and results.

I opted to try out the compression prompt by doing some of my own testing as a mini-experiment using ChatGPT and GPT-4. This allows you to see the compression prompting in action. I will discuss the matter and aim to arm you with how to suitably use the clever technique.

Before we get into the specifics of this new compression technique, it would be useful to make sure we are all on the same page about the nature and importance of prompt engineering.

Let’s do that.

The Nature And Importance Of Prompt Engineering

Please be aware that composing well-devised prompts is essential to getting robust results from generative AI and large language models (LLMs). It is highly recommended that anyone avidly using generative AI should learn about and regularly practice the fine art and science of devising sound prompts. I purposefully note that prompting is both art and science. Some people are wanton in their prompting, which is not going to get you productive responses. You want to be systematic leverage the science of prompting, and include a suitable dash of artistry, combining to get you the most desirable results.

My golden rule about generative AI is this:

The use of generative AI can altogether succeed or fail based on the prompt that you enter.

If you provide a prompt that is poorly composed, the odds are that the generative AI will wander all over the map and you won’t get anything demonstrative related to your inquiry. Similarly, if you put distracting words into your prompt, the odds are that the generative AI will pursue an unintended line of consideration. For example, if you include words that suggest levity, there is a solid chance that the generative AI will seemingly go into a humorous mode and no longer emit serious answers to your questions.

Be direct, be obvious, and avoid distractive wording.

Being copiously specific should also be cautiously employed. You see, being painstakingly specific can be off-putting due to giving too much information. Amidst all the details, there is a chance that the generative AI will either get lost in the weeds or will strike upon a particular word or phrase that causes a wild leap into some tangential realm. I am not saying that you should never use detailed prompts. That’s silly. I am saying that you should use detailed prompts in sensible ways, such as telling the generative AI that you are going to include copious details and forewarn the AI accordingly.

You need to compose your prompts in relatively straightforward language and be abundantly clear about what you are asking or what you are telling the generative AI to do.

A wide variety of cheat sheets and training courses for suitable ways to compose and utilize prompts has been rapidly entering the marketplace to try and help people leverage generative AI soundly. In addition, add-ons to generative AI have been devised to aid you when trying to come up with prudent prompts, see my coverage at the link here .

AI Ethics and AI Law also stridently enter into the prompt engineering domain. For example, whatever prompt you opt to compose can directly or inadvertently elicit or foster the potential of generative AI to produce essays and interactions that imbue untoward biases, errors, falsehoods, glitches, and even so-called AI hallucinations (I do not favor the catchphrase of AI hallucinations, though it has admittedly tremendous stickiness in the media; here’s my take on AI hallucinations at the link here ).

There is also a marked chance that we will ultimately see lawmakers come to the fore on these matters, possibly devising and putting in place new laws or regulations to try and scope and curtail misuses of generative AI. Regarding prompt engineering, there are likely going to be heated debates over putting boundaries around the kinds of prompts you can use. This might include requiring AI makers to filter and prevent certain presumed inappropriate or unsuitable prompts, a cringe-worthy issue for some that borders on free speech considerations. For my ongoing coverage of these types of AI Ethics and AI Law issues, see the link here and the link here , just to name a few.

All in all, be mindful of how you compose your prompts.

By being careful and thoughtful you will hopefully minimize the possibility of wasting your time and effort. There is also the matter of cost. If you are paying to use a generative AI app, the usage is sometimes based on how much computational activity is required to fulfill your prompt request or instruction. Thus, entering prompts that are off-target could cause the generative AI to take excessive computational resources to respond. You end up paying for stuff that either took longer than required or that doesn’t satisfy your request and you are stuck for the bill anyway.

I like to say at my speaking engagements that prompts and dealing with generative AI is like a box of chocolates. You never know exactly what you are going to get when you enter prompts. The generative AI is devised with a probabilistic and statistical underpinning which pretty much guarantees that the output produced will vary each time. In the parlance of the AI field, we say that generative AI is considered non-deterministic.

My point is that, unlike other apps or systems that you might use, you cannot fully predict what will come out of generative AI when inputting a particular prompt. You must remain flexible. You must always be on your toes. Do not fall into the mental laziness of assuming that the generative AI output will always be correct or apt to your query. It won’t be.

Write that down on a handy snip of paper and tape it onto your laptop or desktop screen.

Using Special Prompts Including Chain-of-Density

There is a slew of somewhat remarkable prompt phrases that are essential for anyone seriously doing prompt engineering. One such phrase involves telling generative AI to work on a stepwise basis, something commonly known as invoking chain-of-thought responses by the AI, see my coverage at the link here . Another popular ploy entails telling the AI to take a deep breath, see my analysis of this prompt at the link here . One of the latest favorites involves commanding the AI to take on a Star Trek consideration when devising an answer, see my discussion at the link here .

I previously covered in my writings the various prompts that are particularly suited for getting summaries of text that you might provide to generative AI. Summarizing text is a very common use of generative AI. You can simply paste a whole bunch of text into generative AI and get a pretty good summary of the text. That being said, summaries can diverge from the original content and potentially contain misleading or even outright incorrect summarized content, see my analysis at the link here .

In short, summarizing can be risky due to the generative AI opting to rephrase the original content. The rephrasing might fail to depict the proper meaning and intention of the source content. Envision using summarization on doctor’s notes via generative AI, which is then handed to a different physician and they only have the summary at their purview, see my exploration of these matters at the link here .

Thus, a conventional summarization could be disturbingly problematic.

There is a method of devising summaries that use a prompting strategy that aims to bolster generative AI toward attaining especially superb or at least better than usual kinds of summaries. The technique is known as chain-of-density (CoD). Anybody versed in prompt engineering ought to become familiar with this insightful technique. Consider chain-of-density as not only helpful for producing summaries but there are a lot of other benefits garnered by understanding how the technique works and how this can power up your overall prompting prowess all-told.

For my detailed coverage of the chain-of-density prompting technique, see the link here .

Allow me a moment to share some of those elicitations with you here.

When you are trying to craft a summary, you often might do so in a series of successive attempts. Your first shot might be to craft a summary that has only a few of the biggest points that need to be included. After considering the initial draft, the odds are that you might further refine the summary by adding more elements to it. This can go on and on. Depending on how thorough you are, you might do a handful or more of these refining iterations. Each iteration can be construed as a chain of iterative summaries, one leading to the next for a given instance of trying to write a summary.

That’s the “chain” part of this process.

Let’s add some further terminology to describe the summary-making effort.

A summary typically starts as somewhat sparse when you first toss it together. There isn’t much of any substance in the summary. You are usually seeking to further pack substance into the summary and do so while fighting the length of the summary. The more substance that you can jam into the summary, the higher the density of the summary.

We can give a name to the substance by saying that we are trying to identify important “entities” within the original content. Those entities might be facts or figures. The entities are said to be anything especially instrumental to the overall meaning of the original content. A hope is to carry over as many of the demonstrative entities as feasible into the summary.

Your summary-making process then is to iteratively devise a summary by starting with a sparse version and then adding more and more entities or substances to increase the density until you reach some desired or suitable end-state. The series of iterations acts as a chain. Each is used to connect to the next. You usually will retain the entities from one version to the next version, and be decidedly adding more of the entities available in the original as you seek to jampack the summary accordingly.

Reflect on the adage of putting five pounds of rocks into a three-pound bag.

Maybe you put one pound of rocks into the three-pound bag at the initial attempt. The bag is considered sparsely populated. There is still room to spare. The density is low. You then put a second pound of rocks into the bag. The density is increasing. The sparseness is lessening. Finally, you put in a third pound of rocks. You have hit the maximum density and the sparseness has presumably dropped to near zero.

Suppose that the bag can be elongated.

Wonderful, you exclaim, being overjoyed at having more available space. Imagine though that you are going to hand the bag over to someone else. The larger and heavier the bag, the less useful it becomes. The same applies to summaries.

A rule of thumb is that you want to minimize the length or size of the summary, meanwhile maximizing the summarization content. The two factors are often in contention with each other. You are tempted to increase the length to get more substance included. The length being increased will potentially undercut that the summary is supposed to be a summary.

A person might seemingly just go ahead and read the original content if the summary approaches the size of the original material being summarized. The summary isn’t especially a summary anymore at that juncture. Indeed, sometimes a summary turns out to be longer than the original content that is supposedly being summarized.

How can this be, you might be thinking?

The answer has to do with being extractive versus being abstractive.

During the summarization process, you are looking at two possibilities of the content being carried over into the summary. First, you aim to be extractive, primarily extracting key aspects and shoveling those into the summary. Second, you might at times be abstractive, whereby you go beyond the words themselves of the original content and begin to reinterpret or perhaps elaborate beyond what the summary per se has to say.

A purely extractive summary is more likely to be construed as a fair and balanced reflection of the original content. You are not changing things up. You are only carrying the essentials (entities) over into the summary. The problem with an abstractive summary is that you are potentially changing up things and will be biasing or in some manner altering the meaning found within the original content being summarized. The danger is that this kind of summary is no longer seen as fair and balanced, and instead is based on the perceptions and opinions of the summarizer.

In a sense, if you want an unadorned straightforward summary, you are better off with an extractive summary. If you want an adorned or embellished summary, that goes beyond the words presented in the original source, you might seek an abstractive summary. The thing is, the abstractive summary might no longer be an apt reflection of the original source. That is also how the summary might become longer than the original since the embellishments can possibly increase the size of things and you could find yourself looking at a summary that is much longer than the source used for the summary.

Focusing On Compression As An Extractive Form Of Summarization

The usual parlance when you want a strictly extractive form of summarization is to say that you want a compression of your text.

I should warn you though that the word “compression” means different things to different people. Some are willing to be abstractive when doing a compression. Others would be aghast at someone veering into an abstractive mode when doing what they consider to be a rightfully done compression. To them, compression must be stridently adherent to not rewording any aspect of the source text being used.

I will be showing you in the next section some examples of using prompts related to asking generative AI to do compression. You will immediately see that the word “compression” is relatively ambiguous to most generative AI apps. They might interpret the word to imply purely extractive, but more likely they will assume this means to be abstractive. You will need to nail down in detail what you want the AI to do. I will show you this.

What else should you be thinking about when it comes to doing compression in generative AI?

I am glad you asked.

A recent research study entitled “LLMLingua-2: Data Distillation for Efficient and Faithful Task-Agnostic Prompt Compression” by Zhuoshi Pan, QianhuiWu, Huiqiang Jiang, Menglin Xia, Xufang Luo, Jue Zhang, Qingwei Lin, Victor Rühle, Yuqing Yang, Chin-Yew Lin, H. Vicky Zhao, Lili Qiu, Dongmei Zhang, arXiv , March 19, 2024, made these salient points (excerpts):

“This paper focuses on task-agnostic prompt compression for better generalizability and efficiency.”
“We formulate prompt compression as a token classification problem to guarantee the faithfulness of the compressed prompt to the original one, and use a Transformer encoder as the base architecture to capture all essential information for prompt compression from the full bidirectional context.”
“Recent years have witnessed the emergence of various prompting techniques for large language models (LLMs), such as Chain-of-Thought (COT), In-context Learning (ICL), and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG). These techniques empower LLMs to handle complex and varied tasks through rich and informative prompts that may exceed tens of thousands of tokens.”
“However, the benefits of such lengthy prompts come at a cost of increased computational and financial overhead, as well as the degraded information perception ability of LLMs. Prompt compression is a straightforward solution to address these issues, which attempts to shorten the original prompts without losing essential information.”

I’d like to explain some of those notable points to you.

First, one ongoing consideration is whether a compression prompt is written to be task-specific or task-agnostic.

A task-specific prompt is worded to fit a particular task at hand, such as if you were doing a compression of medical notes and you wanted the prompt to emphasize particular characteristics associated with medical lingo. The prompt is devised for that domain.

A task-agnostic prompt is broader and allows you to use it in a wide variety of circumstances. It is always best to have in your tool chest a task-agnostic prompt since you can use it on a generalized basis, plus you can tweak the wording for task-specific settings. The aim of the above research study was to focus on task-agnostic prompts for compression, which is handy for our purposes herein.

Second, we often speak of compression prompts as hopefully being faithful to the source material.

Faithfulness refers to the notion that the compression tries to retain crucial wording and not goof by removing something that will substantively undercut the meaning. Imagine that a sentence said “Do not cook for more than two minutes” and the compression lopped out the word “not”, leading to this compressed version of “Do cook for more than two minutes”. Ouch, your souffle might be ruined by your having used an unfaithful compression.

Third, an aspirational aim of compression is to be bidirectional, allowing that besides going from the source to a proper compressed version, you potentially can use the compressed version to get back to the source. This is not necessarily the case and opens quite a can of worms. Not everyone needs or expects to be able to return to the full source.

Fourth, it is worthwhile to note frequent circumstances whereby compression really shines.

Suppose that you are importing a ton of text into generative AI, see my explanation of importations prompting strategies at the link here . Or maybe you are using in-context modeling and relying on an external source of text, doing so via the use of RAG (retrieval augmented generation), see my discussion at the link here . And so on.

An important question that comes up is whether it is sensible to bring in the whole ball of wax or whether to try and somehow shorten what you need to bring in.

If you bring in a massive amount of text, you are fighting against the potential limits of generative AI. Those limits can severely degrade the results of the AI trying to cope with the text overload. You also have to consider potential costs. If you are paying for the use of generative AI, the longer-sized text is bound to be a costlier charge than if you could thin it down. Likewise, the servers used to compute the generative AI actions will consume more computational cycles and you will get a double whammy on cost.

I am sure that you immediately discern that a potential solution would be to compress the content, thus, you don’t have to confront the technical limits of the generative AI and might be able to keep your costs lower too. Whenever you are considering bringing into generative AI any large-scale body of text, please have alarm bells go off in your head that tell you to consider doing either compression or summarization. You will be glad that you considered the option.

Returning to the above research study facets, let’s see what they did and the results they found (excerpts):

“We conduct extensive experiments and analysis on both in-domain (i.e., MeetingBank) and out-of-domain datasets (i.e., LongBench, ZeroScrolls, GSM8K, and Big Bench Hard).” (ibid).
“Despite being small in size, our model shows significant performance gains over strong baselines and demonstrates robust generalization ability from GPT-3.5-Turbo to Mistral-7B.” (ibid).
“Additionally, our model is 3x-6x faster than existing prompt compression methods, while accelerating the end-to-end latency by 1.6x-2.9x with compression ratios of 2x-5x.” (ibid).

You can see that they were able to attain some impressive results.

I especially applaud research on generative AI that includes multiple generative AI apps. I say this because each generative AI app differs from the other, ergo if a study exclusively uses only one generative AI app it is hard to claim that the same approach will work equally well on other generative AI apps. Here, it is good news for us that they tried different generative AI apps and essentially found similarly positive results.

I am sure you are eager to see an example of what their compression prompt was able to achieve.

Here is one such example from their study, in this case compressing a meeting transcript snippet from a database of such transcripts (excerpt):

Original Text: “Item 15, report from City Manager Recommendation to adopt three resolutions. First, to join the Victory Pace program. Second, to join the California first program. And number three, consenting to the inclusion of certain properties within the jurisdiction in the California Hero program. It was emotion, motion, a second and public comment. CNN. Please cast your vote. Oh. Was your public comment? Yeah. Please come forward. I thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Members of the council. My name is Alex Mitchell. I represent the hero program. Just wanted to let you know that the hero program. Has been in California for the last three and a half years.”
Compressed Text: “Item 15, City Manager Recommendation adopt three resolutions. Join Victory Pace program. Join California first program. Consent inclusion properties jurisdiction California Hero program. Emotion, motion, second, public comment. Cast vote. Public comment? Come forward. Alex Mitchell, represent Hero program. Hero program in California three half years.”

The original text has 109 words, while the compressed text has 46 words. The compression removed 63 words (that’s 109 words in total minus 46 words remaining = 63 words removed). You could say that roughly 58% of the source was removed (i.e., 58% of 109 is about 63). Well over half of the source has been removed.

Now comes the tough part.

Does the compressed version suitably capture the crux of the original text?

Has anything been removed that is essential and thus the compressed version has missed the boat?

I think you can likely see how hard a problem it is to do a proper compression if you try doing the same task yourself by hand. Here’s what I am saying. I want you to look at the original text and try to compress it. What would you remove? What would you leave in? How far can you go on this process, yet still ensure that the result has the needed points and is intelligible?

A twist involves settings where the original text itself is not necessarily that intelligible. A transcript is a great example of a thorny problem. The odds are that a transcript will contain filler words and utterances. Are they worthy of being retained or should those be removed? If you exhort it is obvious to remove the utterances, the issue there is that the tenor or tone of what was said could end up being removed. Perhaps that aspect is vital to comprehending the matter.

Besides deciding whether a compression has done a good job, you might also be wondering whether there is even more compression that can be performed.

Envision that we use a compression that does a good job and reduces the size of the source to half in size. But along comes a better approach that can do the same job and achieve a three-quarters reduction in size. Assuming that all else is equal, you would naturally seek to use the three-quarters reduction approach.

This can be tricky to compare. The greater the compression in terms of reducing the size, the more likely the odds that the compression isn’t going to be as intelligible or otherwise isn’t as apt. The criteria are usually battling with each other. The more reduction, the less of a good job in the sense of being usable and appropriate. The more of a good job you want, the less reduction you can usually achieve. Darned if you do, darned if you don’t.

The Compression Prompt As A Task-Agnostic Template

Congratulations, you have waded through the weeds to get to the crescendo.

Let’s see what the prompt template of their task-agnostic compression prompt consists of (excerpt):

“System Prompt: You are an excellent linguist and very good at compressing passages into short expressions by removing unimportant words while retaining as much information as possible.”
“User Prompt: Compress the given text to short expressions, such that you can reconstruct it as close as possible to the original.”
“Unlike the usual text compression, I need you to comply with the 5 conditions below:”
“1. You can ONLY remove unimportant words.”
“2. Do not reorder the original words.”
“3. Do not change the original words.”
“4. Do not use abbreviations or emojis.”
“5. Do not add new words or symbols.”

-“Compress the original aggressively by removing words only. Compress the original as short as you can, while retaining as much information as possible. If you understand, please compress the following text: {text to compress}”

I will be using that same prompt in a moment when I show you examples using ChatGPT and GPT-4.

Let’s briefly review the prompt and see what it contains.

First, the prompt tells the generative AI to invoke a persona. For my extensive coverage of personas in generative AI, see the link here and the link here . This is a powerful prompting technique.

Personas get the AI into a computational pattern-matching mode that can significantly aid whatever task you are trying to perform. In this instance, they are telling the AI that it is to pretend to be an excellent linguist and good at compressing passages of text. Nice touch.

Many users of generative AI fail to lean into personas when doing so would be especially advantageous. The use of a persona for amping up compression is a good move. Make sure to keep personas in your mind whenever using generative AI. You’ll be glad that you did.

Second, they provide five stipulated conditions for the compression. This is good since you want to provide as much guidance as you can when asking for a compression. I mentioned earlier that the word “compression” can be ambiguous. Spelling out the five stated conditions will give the AI important clues about what to do.

Third, the phrasing for AI that you use in a prompt ought to at times be emphatic. If you aren’t emphatic, the instructions might be ignored or downplayed. For example, telling the generative AI to aggressively do the compression is a means of guiding the AI toward doing a strident job. I should note that your being emphatic has a downside. The emphatic wording, if it goes way over the top, can trigger a mathematical and computational pattern-matching storm that will distract from what you are trying to undertake.

I believe that sufficiently outlines the keystones of the prompt. Just like buying a new car, we need to take this shiny new vehicle for a drive. Get yourself strapped in and ready for a wild ride.

Showcasing The Topic Via Examples In Generative AI

I will next proceed to showcase what happens when you use compression prompting while in a conversation with generative AI. I am going to use ChatGPT and GPT-4 to showcase my examples. ChatGPT and GPT-4 are sensible choices in this case due to their immense popularity as generative AI apps. An estimated one hundred million weekly active users are said to be utilizing ChatGPT and GPT-4. That’s a staggering number.

A few quick comments before we launch into using ChatGPT and GPT-4.

If you are going to try to do the same prompts that I show here, realize that the probabilistic and statistical properties will likely produce slightly different results than what I show here. That’s the nature of generative AI and how it is devised.

You also should expect that different generative AI apps will respond in different ways. Not all generative AI apps are the same. The key is that sometimes a particular prompt will work in one generative AI app and not another. You will need to undertake a series of trial-and-error attempts to ferret this out.

There is also the timing factor. A prompt that worked today might not work the same way tomorrow. Most of the generative AI apps are continually being updated. The updates might alter internal facets that could change how the AI reacts to your prompting.

We are ready to get underway and I will begin with ChatGPT.

You can do the same in whichever generative AI app that you are using.

As a heads-up, I decided to use Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address as the text that I wanted to have compressed. There are variations of his speech that can be readily found online. I opted to use a version that contains 271 words. Our aim in this mini-experiment will be to do a compression and see if we can reduce the size, along with retaining intelligibility and vital points.

I’m sure that you already know the speech, which starts this way “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure…”

Here we go.

My entered prompt into ChatGPT: “I want you to compress an essay that I am going to give you. Are you ready?”
ChatGPT generated response: “Yes, I'm ready to help compress your essay. Please provide the essay, and I'll assist you in condensing it.”
My entered prompt into ChatGPT: “Here is the text of the Gettysburg address. Go ahead and compress it.”
ChatGPT generated response: “Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, delivered during the American Civil War, reflects on the nation's founding principles of liberty and equality. He honors those who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, emphasizing the ongoing responsibility to preserve freedom and uphold democratic government. Lincoln urges dedication to the unfinished task of ensuring the nation's survival and the continuation of its principles, emphasizing the importance of honoring the fallen and ensuring their sacrifice was not in vain.”

Take a look at the so-called compression that I got.

You right away certainly observed that the generated response is not a compression. It is more of a summary. Well, maybe not quite a summary either. It has indications that go beyond the text that was provided. This likely was tapped into by ChatGPT as per other prior data training about Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address in general during the initial setup of ChatGPT.

I’m glad this happened. You see, I wanted to show you this kind of an example to emphasize my earlier point that the word “compression” can be ambiguous. This was not the kind of compression I had in mind.

If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again, as they say.

My entered prompt into ChatGPT: “Let’s start over. I want you to compress the material. You are to use only the material provided and compress the contents. Don’t make any interpretations. Don’t do any rewording.”
ChatGPT generated response: “Understood. Please provide the material you'd like me to compress, and I'll follow your instructions accordingly.”
My entered prompt into ChatGPT: ”Here is the text to be compressed…”
ChatGPT generated response: "87 years ago, our fathers founded a nation dedicated to liberty and equality. Now, in a great civil war, we honor those who sacrificed for our nation. It's fitting to dedicate this ground, yet their deeds surpass our words. We must continue their work, ensuring their sacrifices were not in vain. Let us resolve to uphold freedom and democratic government.”

I valiantly tried to convey to ChatGPT that I wanted a compression.

Though the result is more so a compression than the first run, it still isn’t a compression of the caliber we are looking for. One irksome thing was the “87 years ago” which is a kind of summary or interpretation of what the source says. Didn’t want that.

But I am somewhat pleased that the result came out badly because it shows that even if you try to be instructive about compression, the result still might not come out as hoped for. I think we are primed and ready to see if the compression prompting template will do any better with ChatGPT.

Are you ready to see?

Hold your breath.

My entered prompt (based on the research prompt template): “You are an excellent linguist and very good at compressing passages into short expressions by removing unimportant words while retaining as much information as possible. Compress the text I am going to give you and compress the text into short expressions, and such that you (ChatGPT) can reconstruct it as close as possible to the original. Unlike the usual text compression, I need you to comply with 5 conditions. First condition: You can ONLY remove unimportant words. Second condition: Do not reorder the original words. Third condition: Do not change the original words. Fourth condition: Do not use abbreviations or emojis. Fifth condition: Do not add new words or symbols. Make sure to compress the original text aggressively by removing words only. Compress the original text as short as you can, while retaining as much information as possible. Do you understand these instructions?”
ChatGPT generated response : “Yes, I understand the instructions. Please provide the text you'd like me to compress.”
My entered prompt: ”Here is the text to be compressed…”
ChatGPT generated response: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, a final resting place for those who gave their lives. It is fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, consecrate, hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, consecrated it. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living to be dedicated to the unfinished work they who fought here have nobly advanced. It is for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause—that we highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish.”

Finally, we got a compression.

We are now in the right ballpark.

The compressed result has 217 words.

The original text has 271 words, while the compressed text has 217 words. The compression removed 54 words (that’s 271 words in total minus 217 words remaining = 54 words removed). You could say that roughly 20% of the source was removed (i.e., 20% of 271 is about 54). Approximately one-fifth was removed.

I dare say that’s not a compression ratio to be overly elated about. Look, I’m glad that we got the 20%, and I don’t like to look a gift horse in the mouth. It would seem intuitively we might be able to do better.

Note that the prompt doesn’t give a target level of compression. This is something you might consider adding to the prompt. I would first start without a target and just see what you get. Once you’ve seen the result of a first run, go ahead and consider redoing the prompt with a desired target level.

We must also of course consider whether the compressed version is any good at the get-go.

In the case of something like the Gettysburg Address, we could argue forever about the portions that were removed. It is tough since the entire speech is remarkable. Nearly every line and each word is astounding. Imagine trying to compress a poem, and the odds are that you will be leaving out facets that will break your heart.

Another reminder is that you should carefully consider what text you are going to compress and whether the compression, no matter how it works, will be able to reasonably do justice to the original text.

I went ahead and played with the compression prompt template and tried all kinds of variations. In the end, I decided that ChatGPT just doesn’t have the gravitas to go much further on this. I became exasperated and thought that for sure GPT-4, being more advanced than ChatGPT, would do a better job.

Let’s try using GPT-4 and see what happens.

My entered prompt into GPT-4: “I want you to compress an essay that I am going to give you. Here is the text to be compressed…”
GPT-4 generated response:

“To compress the text while retaining its essence, I'll remove some parts and rephrase others for brevity.”

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers founded a new nation on this continent, dedicated to liberty and the belief that all men are created equal. We are now in the midst of a great civil war, testing whether this nation, or any nation so conceived, can endure. We meet on a battle-field of that war, dedicating a part of it as a final resting place for those who gave their lives for this nation's survival. It's fitting and proper we do this.

“Yet, we can't dedicate, consecrate, or hallow this ground beyond what the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have done. The world may not remember our words, but it can't forget their deeds. It's our task to be dedicated to the unfinished work they've advanced so nobly. From these honored dead we take increased devotion to their cause, resolving that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of, by, and for the people shall not perish."

“The compressed text has been reduced to 176 words.”

End of GPT-4 response

You can see that I first tried a vague prompt about compression.

Sure enough, the compression included rephrasing, which isn’t what I had in mind. No problem. You can’t expect generative AI to be reading minds (well, you soon can, as I explain is being researched, see my coverage at the link here ).

Similar to what I had done with ChatGPT, I will next try a compression prompt based on some simple wording. I will also include a target level of compression so you can see how that impacts the result.

Here’s what took place.

My entered prompt into GPT-4: “Do the compression over again. You cannot do any rephrasing this time. You can only remove words. Compress as much as possible while abiding by these rules. Try to aim for a result that has 100 words or less.”

“To compress the text by only removing words without rephrasing, I'll select key sentences and phrases that capture the essence of the original message while significantly reducing the length. Given the constraints, this selection process aims to preserve the core themes of unity, dedication, and the importance of the struggle while adhering to the word count limit.”

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. It is for us the living, to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced."

“The condensed version of the text is approximately 99 words in size while adhering to the rule of only removing words without rephrasing.”

Seems like GPT-4 did what I asked.

As always, it is important to gauge the intelligibility and aptness of the compression. I won’t delve into that here, other than to say it seemed basically on par with what might be expected, especially given the severe constraint of being around 100 words or less.

We are ready to try the compression prompt template.

My entered prompt into GPT-4 (based on the research prompt template): “You are an excellent linguist and very good at compressing passages into short expressions by removing unimportant words while retaining as much information as possible. Compress the text I am going to give you and compress the text into short expressions, and such that you (ChatGPT) can reconstruct it as close as possible to the original. Unlike the usual text compression, I need you to comply with 5 conditions. First condition: You can ONLY remove unimportant words. Second condition: Do not reorder the original words. Third condition: Do not change the original words. Fourth condition: Do not use abbreviations or emojis. Fifth condition: Do not add new words or symbols. Make sure to compress the original text aggressively by removing words only. Compress the original text as short as you can, while retaining as much information as possible. Do you understand these instructions?”
GPT-4 generated response : “Yes, I understand the instructions. Please provide the text you'd like me to compress.”
My entered prompt into GPT4: ”Here is the text to be compressed…”
GPT-4 generated response: “Four score seven years ago fathers brought forth continent, new nation, conceived Liberty, dedicated proposition men created equal. Now engaged great civil war, testing whether nation, any nation conceived dedicated, can long endure. Met great battle-field war. Come dedicate portion field, final resting place who gave lives nation might live. Altogether fitting proper do this. But, larger sense, can not dedicate—not consecrate—not hallow—ground. Brave men, living dead, struggled, have consecrated, above our power add detract. World will little note, nor long remember say here, but never forget did here. For us living, rather, dedicated here unfinished work fought have nobly advanced. Rather for us here dedicated great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead take increased devotion cause gave last full measure devotion—that here highly resolve dead not died in vain—that nation, under God, shall new birth freedom—and government people, by people, for people, shall not perish earth.”

Note that I didn’t give a target level this time and thus the size of the result was based on the general tenor of the compression prompt about being aggressive on the compression.

The original text has 271 words, while the compressed text has 156 words. The compression removed 115 words (that’s 271 words in total minus 156 words remaining = 115 words removed). You could say that roughly 42% of the source was removed (i.e., 42% of 271 is about 115). We were nearing maybe half being removed. Remarkable.

I’ll mention that as always, we would want to closely scrutinize the compressed version. All the other caveats I’ve mentioned still apply.

My recommendation to you is that you try doing some compression prompting exercises via whichever generative AI app you are customarily using. Do so now, before you suddenly discover the need to do a compression. It would be wise to be prepared.

Proceed as follows. First, make use of vague compression prompts and see what happens. Next, fine-tune those prompts and look anew at what happens. Then, try the mentioned compression prompt and gauge how it goes for you. Tweak the prompt as needed. Keep on practicing until you feel you’ve gotten the right swing of things. Reward yourself accordingly.

A final thought for now on this matter.

John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn, the famed British statesman, and journalist, said this about compression: “The essence of a quote is the compression of a mass of thought and observation into a single saying.”

Compression is not an easy task. Any wanton approach can easily do compression if you are willing to toss intelligibility and aptness out the window. Getting generative AI to do erstwhile compression requires soundness on the part of the person entering the prompts. They also need to carefully review the result and not wantonly hand off the compressed version to others who might be unaware of what the original had to say.

Please remember that I energetically asked you to consider practicing doing compressions in generative AI, so that when the day arrives that you must do so, you are ready with the axe firmly in hand.

The last line today suitably goes to Abraham Lincoln: "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax."

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What is a thesis statement?

How do I create a thesis?

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

Works consulted

Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay

How to Write an Effective Essay

Tips for Essay Writing

1. Start Early.

2. Understand the Prompt and Instructions.

3. Create a Strong Opener.

4. Stay on Topic.

5. Think About Your Response.

6. Focus on You.