Essay writing is an art that one can gather after several years of experiences in this field.

However, this article will describe the basic format and art of writing a college essay .

1) Selection of a problem and definition: The staring point of any topic essay is the selection of problem statement. The problem selected for the study should be defined clearly in operational terms so that the researcher knows positively what facts he is looking for and what is relevant for his study. Since human behavior, as an interaction pattern, is the result of various forces it is best to delimit the scope of one’s study which reaps ample benefits during the actual course of data collection. Now besides the operational definition of the problem, the problem selected should be practicable in costs of time and money. If the criteria of validity and reliability of results are to be fulfilled, such problems as are unmanageable by the researcher should not be selected for design. Once the problem is selected it is the duty of the researcher to state clearly the various sources of information such as library, personal documents, field work, a particular residential group etc

2) Nature of study: This is basically the introduction section of the essay paper . It should give a proper background description of the study. It will also state the significance, importance, scope and object of the study. The thesis statement comes at the opening paragraph of this section. Literature survey is also a part of this section.

3) Dimension: It is physically impossible to analyze the data collected from a large universe. Hence the selection of an adequate and representative sample is the byword in any research. Depending upon the dimension of the proposed study, such a sample of the larger population can be selected to facilitate a practical design.

4) Basis of selection: Now adequate and representative sample can be selected. The mechanics of drawing a random, stratified, purposive, double cluster or quota sample when followed carefully will produce a scientifically valid sample in an unbiased manner.

5) Techniques of data collection: Relevant to the study design a suitable technique has to be adopted for the collection of required data. The relative merits of different methods like observation, interview, questionnaire etc. when studied together will help in the choice of suitable techniques. Once the collection of data is complete the analysis, coding and conclusion will naturally follow.

6) Analysis: The collected data should be analyzed by using different statistical tools. This section is very vital for the whole essay . The results or the findings of the paper will depend on the outcome of this section. The sampling, data collection and analysis sections are part of the research methodology sections.

7) Limitations of the study: This section will talk about the shortcomings of the essay.

8) Conclusion: This section will summarize the whole process and findings. The bibliography and reference section are part of this section.

Essay writing requires a lot of hard work. Writing a quality essay requires in depth research and good writing skill.