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An article contains information on a topic intended for a real publication in a newspaper, magazine, or journal. Authors of articles target a more extensive range of audiences, which makes it essential for them to attract the reader’s attention. They may include amusing stories or descriptions in their articles and give opinions, thoughts, and facts on a specific topic. This guideline on how to write an article outlines essential details and critical tips that students must grasp to produce a high-quality, intellectually stimulating text. The guideline begins by defining what an article is, outlining possible topics students can choose from, and a sample outline and example of writing a good article as a practical guide on how its content should appear. Moreover, the guideline highlights the technical details of starting and writing an article, following formatting styles students can adopt. In turn, potential article writers should avoid making mistakes, including essential tips for producing a high-value document. Reading this guideline is valuable to college students and others who find writing an interesting exercise for social discourse and intellectual development. As a result, writing articles involves selecting an eye-catching title, an informative introduction, detailed body paragraphs, and an ending paragraph that gives the author’s reflection on the topic under discussion.

General Aspects of How to Write an Outstanding Article & Example

Reading guidelines on how to write different types of papers is recommendable for college students because it increases knowledge on what to do to produce a high-standard article. Writing is an academic and intellectual exercise because it allows students to apply what they have learned by carefully examining the literature and logically documenting evidence. In this sense, students should not view recommendations for writing various types of essays as an assessment protocol but as an opportunity to develop intellectually. The basis of this guideline is the understanding that academic texts have standards students should demonstrate, such as outline, thesis statement, evidence, citations, and formal language. Therefore, by reading this guideline, students should grasp critical details about how to write an article that allows them to apply course content to produce persuasive information.

How to Write an Article: Title, Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

Definition of What Is an Article and Its Meaning

From a simple definition, an article is a piece of writing in a newspaper, journal, magazine, or website. In this respect, it can be print or digital, with the digital format having the widest reach because of the ubiquitous Internet and smart devices. Articles differ from essays, research papers, and reports, which means they disseminate information about political, economic, social, cultural, technological, and legal issues to specific audiences. For example, media houses use their online platforms to publish articles about contemporary issues of great public concern, including costly healthcare, homelessness, and uncontrolled immigration. Therefore, college students may write articles as an exercise to demonstrate their understanding of key issues. The product must convince the audience why the matter deserves intellectual discourse, such as explaining its causes and implications. When writing articles, students should approach them with intellectual vigor, assuming that it is publishable.

Key Structure Features of Writing an Article

Developing a Title for an Article

The first structure feature of writing an article is to select an attractive and informative essay title. For instance, a good article should have an eye-catching heading. Along these lines, the title of any article should attract readers’ attention, covering the main theme of its content. In this case, readers should enjoy the content of an article by starting to read through the title. Moreover, the title should summarize a key idea of an article. Therefore, when writing articles, authors should select a specific title that catches the reader’s attention and summarizes its key message.

Introduction of an Article

The introduction paragraph of an article should provide a clear description of the content. For instance, an article should start by defining the topic clearly, including the choice of writing strategies and writing styles. Besides, readers should understand the subject and the content of an article after reading the introductory paragraph, retaining the reader’s attention. As a result, an article should have a clear and detailed opening paragraph.

Article’s Body Paragraphs

An article should have a body that expands the information about the topic. For instance, authors should write several body paragraphs that explain the main issue under analysis. In this case, body paragraphs should explain the main idea of an article in more detail, expounding on its introduction. In turn, people must start each body paragraph with a clear topic sentence since they need to explain a single idea in every section to make their articles clear and relevant. Thus, writing a good article should have clear body paragraphs that include more details on the title and opening paragraph.

Conclusion of an Article

The last part of writing an article is a conclusion paragraph, which provides a summary of the information discussed in body paragraphs and provides the author’s final thoughts about a specific topic. For example, authors need to summarize the entire article in a single paragraph, restating the main points. Besides, a good article should have the author’s understanding of the topic. In this case, people should provide their reflections or views on the subject in the closing paragraph. Some conclusion examples may provide recommendations or opinions toward the assigned topic. Therefore, when writing the closing paragraph of an article, it must contain a concise summary and author’s reflection.

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Topic Examples for Starting and Writing an Article

Writing an article aims to inform or educate people about an issue of great concern or implication to a group or society. Such an issue can be political, economic, social, cultural, technological, legal, or environmental. Therefore, students in higher learning institutions must know that writing an article requires one to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of issues across the above dimensions through historical, present, and future lenses. The following are possible easy article topics because they require writers to use what they know to investigate the matter so that they can inform readers about its genesis, evolution, and potential.

Sample Outline Template for Writing a Good Article

Heading

  • Write a title of an article.

Byline

Date

  • Include a date when this article is posted.

I. Introduction

  • Start with a hook.
  • Introduce the topic by establishing a background.
  • Tell readers something that grabs their attention.

II. Body

  • Structure an article into 2, 3, or more paragraphs, each addressing a single aspect of the topic.

III. Conclusion

  • Close writing an article by stating recommendations, anticipations, views, appeals, or any information that helps the audience to appreciate an article.

Example of Writing an Article

Topic: Mental Health Effects of Internet Addiction

Andrew Thompson, a correspondent with New York Tribune on social issues.

August 02, 2023

I. Example of Article’s Introduction

The ubiquitous Internet, coupled with a high penetration of smart devices in personal spaces, including homes, has increased young people’s interaction with platforms that trigger Internet addiction. Common platforms include social media and video games. While many people see this interaction as educational, there are growing concerns among psychologists that it is a potential ground for developing mental health problems.

II. Sample of Article’s Body Paragraph 1

One of the effects of prolonged use of social media and video games is addiction, where a person develops a penchant for checking their status every passing minute. In this sense, people affected by Internet addiction always check their smartphones or sleep on their computers most of their idle time and write many messages daily. Psychologists are concerned that Internet addiction is no longer evident when people are idle. Furthermore, there are concerns among educators and parents that young individuals with symptoms of the problem can barely concentrate in class or family events like sharing dinner.

III. Sample of Article’s Body Paragraph 2

From a psychological perspective, Internet addiction leads to mental health disorders, including low self-esteem, depression, impulsiveness, mood disorders, suicide, and poor writing habits. According to Dr. Margaret Spencer, a psychologist working at the Hemper Medical Group, prolonged Internet use denies people an opportunity to develop critical relations that enhance psychological wellness. Low self-esteem develops in young individuals who are constantly playing video games or hooked on social media platforms because such activities expose them to abusive encounters that leave them vulnerable. Since they lack relationships that can help to deal with such aggression, most victims blame themselves for their awful experiences. Evidence of low self-esteem includes a lack of confidence in communication and a constant feeling of inadequacy.

IV. Sample of Article’s Body Paragraph 3

According to Dr. Spencer, Internet addiction is a powerful instinct that makes many vulnerable to severe psychological effects. Unlike moderate use of social media sites, addiction to them is dangerous because it becomes where people find solutions to their problems. For example, someone who does not like a bodily feature like the color of their eyes may seek the opinion of others in the same social media space. However, most users of these sites are not friendly and see others’ problems as an opportunity for sadism. Therefore, rather than getting help, a person may experience humiliation on social media, and psychologists identify humiliation as a powerful inducer of suicidal thoughts.

V. Sample of Article’s Body Paragraph 4

Indeed, there is overwhelming evidence of how Internet addiction has affected many young people across the United States. Official data indicate that four out of every ten adolescents with a mental disorder present with Internet addiction symptoms. In other words, 40 percent of young individuals with a mental health disorder diagnosis, such as mood disorders, are addicted to the Internet. This statistic is a reason for worry for parents, educators, and mental health professionals because emerging trends indicate youth will continue consuming the Internet at increased rates.

VI. Example of Article’s Conclusion

Internet addiction is a potential and proven mental health disorders risk factor for young individuals. While the penetration of the Internet and the availability of smart devices are good for an enlightened community, they are dangerous without regulation. Parents, educators, and various stakeholders must realize that the young population’s future is at risk if they do not work together to institute measures regulating the youth’s time on the Internet. Arguably, adolescents’ Internet use and online writing are the only space where censorship makes sense.

4 Easy Steps for Writing a Great Article

While academic writing may sound simple, it is a complex process that demands intense intellectual focus and involvement. Every academic text requires students to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the rules guiding such work. These rules include choosing a specific topic, developing an outline, finding credible sources, and avoiding grammatical, formatting, and logical flaws. Therefore, when writing an article, one should focus on the technical details essential to producing high-quality products. These details include preparation, developing the necessary attitude and mindset; stage set-up, making necessary arrangements to write an article; actual writing, producing an initial draft; and wrapping-up, perfecting a final draft. In practice, every technical step involves several tasks that students must accomplish to make their article meet standard expectations.

Step 1: Preparation

The first task in writing any article is preparation. Ideally, students should define a specific topic under their interest in this stage because it helps to shape their attitude and mindset for the rest of the article’s content. People should select a topic they are familiar with if the instructor has not specified one. The second task is to generate ideas by analyzing documents and brainstorming sessions with colleagues and peers. Students must understand that different topics they choose must align with the course content, meaning they must recognize what they have learned when deciding what to write about. Moreover, authors should consider the audience because it determines the language used when writing an article. Essentially, those who read articles are instructors for assessment purposes and fellow students and others seeking to be knowledgeable in the topical area.

Step 2: Stage Set-Up

The second step of writing an article is to set the stage. In this case, students should find reliable sources that help to generate ideas about the topic. As stated, reviewing course content and other literature is critical in developing knowledge about the topic. Typically, researching articles online, particularly journal article databases, helps writers to find verifiable information usable in defending arguments or making observations. When conducting research, people should make notes to sustain a scholarly tone because they must cite the source of the information they use, such as professionals, leaders, and credible organizations. The next task is to create a clear outline for their article comprising four main sections: a heading followed by a byline and date, introduction, body, and conclusion.

Step 3: Actual Writing

The third step of article writing is actual writing, which focuses on producing an initial draft. The writer aims to combine all ideas to create a logical paper without worrying about quality. When writing the paper, students should assess if the ideas are sufficient. If they are, they should focus on making them logically coherent. However, if they are not, they add more academic sources to generate new ideas, and if they exceed the paper’s length requirement, one should delete some sources. Students may need to alter the outline to accommodate the final draft when adding or deleting sources. The most important task for the writer is to create a thesis because it guides the rest of the work. In short, a thesis statement summarizes the writer’s aim in writing the article.

Writing an Article’s Introduction


This part of an article follows the byline and is where authors mention the purpose for writing this document. Ideally, students begin actual writing by telling readers background information that enables them to understand the article’s context. In most instances, authors begin by pointing at the evidence and then creating a narrative highlighting the need to address the issue. In principle, while topics are often several words, they focus on one issue, such as homelessness, drug abuse, internet addiction, and its causes or effects. The last part of the paragraph outlines an article’s thesis, where this sentence tells the audience why they should read it.

Writing Article’s Body Paragraphs


This section is the most comprehensive part of an article because it is where writers concentrate their energy on telling readers about the issue in the topic. Because it is only possible to exhaust some information in a single paragraph, people use several paragraphs in the body section. Each paragraph addresses a single aspect of the topic without breaking a logical flow of ideas and thoughts. In this case, addressing the thesis when writing every paragraph is essential in making a local and intellectually solid document. The most important detail that students must demonstrate in writing article’s body paragraphs is the evidence, mentioning what scholars, credible organizations, and governmental entities say about the issue. Evidence allows authors to demonstrate evidence-based writing, meaning one can use the work as a scholarly text.

Writing an Article’s Conclusion


This section is the last part of an article, where students need to make final remarks about the topic. Essentially, writers aim to make the audience appreciate the importance of the topic. As such, when writing this part, students should focus on making recommendations, suggesting anticipations, constructing popular views, making appeals, or emphasizing truths to alert the audience about the topic and the relevance of the issue it addresses.

Step 4: Wrapping-Up

The final step of writing an article is to wrap up the work by perfecting the final document. At this stage, students should read articles themselves and even request their colleagues to do the same to identify mistakes. As such, the first task is to revise a first draft of an article to correct grammatical mistakes, missing punctuation, formatting errors, and wrong citations. The next task is to edit an article to correct logical inconsistencies. Typically, this task involves adding or deleting words and sentences to create a clearer sense for readers. In turn, writers should confirm that the body of an article has topic sentences, evidence used, some explanations, and concluding sentences with transitions to abide by academic writing conventions. Finally, for formatting articles properly, authors should incorporate citations to give credit to scholars who provide incredible information to strengthen the intellectual and logical focus of the text.

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10 Tips for Writing an Article Faster

While considering technical and structural details above, students should learn how to write an article as quickly as possible. The benefit of finishing an article faster is having sufficient time for other activities. More importantly, it helps students to meet deadlines without worrying about quality. Therefore, people should learn 10 tips for writing a great article faster, not losing quality.

1️⃣ Develop a list of possible topics


Students should create a list of possible topics and continuously populate it throughout the course. When the lecturer issues instructions about writing an article, one would easily choose the topic from the list. However, people should ensure the list aligns with the course to avoid irrelevancy.

2️⃣ Incubate ideas


Incubating ideas makes generating them easier when beginning to write an article. Students should continuously read course content and research what scholars say about different issues or topics in the course material. Idea incubation allows learners to develop an intellectual perspective necessary to produce a logical discourse. Therefore, when the time to write an article arrives, one can easily know what to tell readers.

3️⃣ Edit ideas before writing


When learners receive instructions to write an article, they should begin by choosing a specific topic and editing ideas they have incubated over time. Ideally, one should review each idea and drop those misaligning the main theme. Doing so saves time in completing an article because there would be fewer revisions.

4️⃣ Use paragraphs to organize ideas


Students need to organize ideas in paragraphs because they may have several ideas that cannot fit in one paragraph. A single idea should inform the content when writing one paragraph. Typically, topic sentences are ideal for introducing ideas in each paragraph. When authors have a clear idea as the basis of what they say in one paragraph, it is easier to find evidence to back up their claims.

5️⃣ Keep an article short


Unless the professor instructs otherwise, students should always keep their articles short. However, learners must ensure the body has at least one to two paragraphs to make their work scholarly and intellectually valid. At a minimum, a short article must allow writers to point out two ideas and defend them through scholarly material by other authors. The important thing students should note is that a college essay length is different from its quality.

6️⃣ Avoid distraction


Distractions are the biggest and most common events that undermine one’s ability to accomplish a task. In writing, they make students lose focus. Therefore, when writing an article, learners should set time to concentrate on their work with minimal distractions. These distractions come in various forms, including unnecessary brainstorming sessions, constant reference to sources, and multitasking.

7️⃣ Pre-determine writing time intervals


Because assignment writing accompanies other academic tasks and critical personal activities, students must organize their article writing. In this case, writing in time intervals is the most effective approach that helps to avoid distractions. For example, one can write a college essay introduction in the evening, the body early in the morning of the next, and the conclusion in the afternoon. While this technique does not translate into finishing an article in one sitting, it ultimately helps students to complete the text in under one hour when taking all the time spent. An advantage of this approach is it helps students to think over their ideas and drop those that do not make logical sense.

8️⃣ Avoid overthinking


Students tend to overthink when the task requires an in-depth demonstration of knowledge. While doing so is ideal for writing an analytical essay, it does not work for articles. The focus of an article is to address an issue without complicating details for the audience. As such, writers should only spend a little time thinking about ideas and their implications. The earlier task of idea incubation is vital at this stage because one can identify ideas that align with an article faster. More importantly, it prevents one from second-guessing ideas because they have already validated them.

9️⃣ Learn to save writing for later


Sometimes, one does not want to write for various reasons, including mental fatigue. In such instances, students should not force themselves to write. Instead, they should save what they have already written as a Word document on their computer and resume writing once refreshed and alert. In short, sobriety is critical when writing because it determines if one is vulnerable to distractions.

🔟 Do not save a good idea for later


Because of the list of possible topics and incubated ideas, students may look over good themes, trying to get better ones. While this feature is essential for enthusiasm in writing, it wastes time. Since writers have verified and validated these details over time, they should choose the topic and ideas they come across first to save time. The writer’s focus should not be to write an exciting article but an informative text.

10 Typical Mistakes in Article Writing

  1. Selecting a complex topic.
  2. Writing an unnecessarily long introduction.
  3. Adding explanations without evidence to back them up.
  4. Using the passive voice.
  5. Covering too many words to explain a single idea.
  6. Providing a conclusion that does not conclude an article.
  7. Failing to conclude an article and leaving the audience hanging or with questions.
  8. Including too many grammatical errors, missing punctuation, confusion between colons and semicolons, and misunderstanding of double and single quotations.
  9. Misusing words that have similar meanings but with different spellings.
  10. Having too many repetitions where the same ideas or words are evident in different paragraphs.

5 Common Formatting Styles & Other Aspects

All academic texts must reflect a formatting style out of the five common: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, and IEEE. Therefore, when writing a professional article, students should identify the applicable format the professor often specifies in assignment instructions. Each style is unique because it requires writers to incorporate certain features, even though some aspects have a certain similarity in the format or essay outline of these features.

📕 APA Style


When using APA style, article writers should pay attention to the essential features and how they should appear. Essentially, citations are in two forms: in-text and references. Writers incorporate the former in the body paragraphs by indicating the author’s surname, the source’s year of publication, and the page or paragraph number. In the References page, students should capture the following details for a book: the author’s surname, first and second names, the source’s publication year, the italicized title in the sentence case, and the publisher.

📕 MLA Style


When writing an article in MLA, one should consider in-text citations and the Works Cited page. All in-text citations should indicate the author’s surname and the page number from where they got the information they are citing. In the Works Cited page, students should indicate the following details for a book: author’s surname, first and second names, the italicized title in the title case, the publisher, and the year of publication.

📕 Harvard Style


The Harvard style is similar to APA in some aspects. When using this style, article writers should focus on in-text citations and the Reference List page. In-text citations should capture the author’s surname, the year of publication, and the page or paragraph number. In the References List page, the following information should appear for a book: author’s surname, first and second names, the year of publication, the italicized title in the sentence case, the publisher, and the publisher’s location.

📕 Chicago/Turabian Style


The Chicago/Turabian format has some similarities with MLA. Article writers should consider in-text citations and the Bibliography page when following this format. In-text citations appear as footnotes and capture full details as the Bibliography, the only difference being that the author’s name begins with the first name and ends with the surname in the footnotes. The footnote entry should capture the author’s first, second, and last name, the italicized title in the title case, the publisher’s location, name, date of publication in brackets, and the page from where writers have lifted the information they are citing. The information on the Bibliography page should read as follows for a book: the author’s surname, first and second names, the italicized title in the title case, the publisher’s location, the publisher, and the publication year.

📕 Writing a Scientific Article in the IEEE Format


Besides the above common formatting styles, students should familiarize themselves with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) format most applicable to scientific and engineering documents. While the outline of an article does not differ between an IEEE and a paper after the four styles above, citations are not similar. When writing an article as a scientific paper, students should follow the IEEE format, where they number in-text citations in square brackets, capturing all the details as on the References List page. In the end, writers should adopt a numerical and not an alphabetical organization as is in the four formats above.

📕 Writing and Formatting Blog Articles


Blogs are now common platforms, like newspapers and magazines, for discussing political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental issues. Therefore, it is essential for students to know how to write and format blog articles. The major difference between blogs and other platforms is that the language need not be formal. As such, students can be informal and use visuals when writing blog articles but ensure clear and precise communication. While they can use passive voice, they cannot use slang to communicate ideas. Some unique aspects of blog articles include headings and subheadings, extra lines between paragraphs, an abstract to capture attention, and a byline with the author’s credentials. Other features are citations and headings. Instead of in-text citations, as in the other platforms, blogs only need writers to use hyperlinks to indicate the source of information.

Crucial Information to Grasp for Article Writing

  • Know the audience to determine the kind of content they consume and the language to use.
  • Choose a specific topic that triggers interest and keep it short and simple.
  • Write a short but precise introduction.
  • Structure the body into paragraphs to enhance a logical order of ideas.
  • Ensure there is a conclusion that sums up an article.
  • Follow the right format and incorporate all its essential features.

Summing Up on How to Write a Perfect Article

Writing an article has four significant parts that include a title, introduction, body, and conclusion. Students start the work by developing the title as an attention-getter, which helps to catch the attention of readers. The first paragraph should give a clear description of the article’s topic. In this case, people should understand the content of an article after reading through the first paragraph. Moreover, the body of an article should provide more details about the theme under discussion, while the last section must include a summary of the content and the author’s opinion on the subject. Based on the preceding sections, article writing is intellectually demanding, and writers should grasp important tips:

  • Create an interesting title that triggers interest in the target audience.
  • Write a compelling introduction by contextualizing the topic and using a hook, such as a question, to capture the readers’ attention.
  • Adopt a well-organized outline that allows the use of bullet points or paragraphs for easy use and support of ideas.
  • Research the topic by reading documents on the main theme to incubate ideas.
  • Adopt simplistic writing by avoiding complex language, technical words, and long sentences.
  • Consider the target audience’s perspective when writing an article.
  • Read and reread a first draft of an article to identify and eliminate grammatical and formatting errors and illogical sentences.
  • Proofread a final draft before presentation for assessment or publication.

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