Investigative essay writing techniques

Investigative essay writing is closely related to research paper writing. Investigative writing must begin with asking questions on the subject, and finding relevant sources of information, such as knowledgeable people, books, scholarly reviewed articles and journals, websites, or any combinations of these.

In most cases, collecting information for an investigative essays requires the ability to use a library. You would need to read the materials found on your topic, and then summarize, paraphrase, and quote key ideas accurately from other people’s writings. In addition, personal interviews with people knowledgeable in the field are often helpful. Talk to an expert, authority, witness, or participant of the event or occasion. You could also survey the general public to determine the majority attitudes or opinions, trends, and reactions. Once you have collected required information, you should then present your findings in a written form suitable for your audience, with clear references in the text to the sources of information.

Techniques for investigative essay writing

• Begin with an interesting title and a catchy lead sentence or paragraph. The first few sentences of your investigation essay arouse your readers’ interest and focus their attention on the subject.
• Give background information by giving the relevant “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, and “why” questions. Answering the “wh..” questions ensures that the audience have enough information to understand your investigative essay fully.
• State the main idea, question, or focus of the investigation essay. The purpose of your investivative essay is to convey the information as clearly as possible. Readers must not guess the main idea.
• Summarize or quote information from written or oral sources, and cite sources in text. Quote accurately any statistics, data, or sentences from your sources. Cite authors and titles in accordance to the citation style you use.
• Write in an interesting and readable style appropriate for the intended audience. Clear, direct, and readable language is essential for an investigative essay paper. Use paragraphs and charts as appropriate.