informative essay format pdf

Writing an Informative Essay

Informative essays engage readers with new, interesting, and often surprising facts and details about a subject. Informative essays are educational; readers expect to learn something new from them. In fact, much of the reading and writing done in college and the workplace is informative. From textbooks to reports to tutorials like this one, informative writing imparts important and useful information about a topic.

This tutorial refers to the sample informative outline and final essay written by fictional student Paige Turner.

Reasons to Write Informatively

Your purpose for writing and the audience for whom you are writing will impact the depth and breadth of information you provide, but all informative writing aims to present a subject without opinions or bias. Some common reasons to write informatively are to

• report findings that an audience would find interesting,
• present facts that an audience would find useful, and
• communicate information about a person, place, event, issue, or change that would improve an audience’s understanding.

Characteristics of Informative Essays

Informative essays present factual information and do not attempt to sway readers’ opinions about it. Other types of academic and workplace writing do try to influence readers’ opinions:

• Expository essays aim to expose a truth about an issue in order to influence how readers view the issue.
• Persuasive essays aim to influence readers’ opinions, so they will adopt a particular position or take a certain course of action.

Expository and persuasive essays make “arguments.” The only argument an informative essay makes is that something exists, did exist, is happening, or has happened, and the point of the essay is not to convince readers of this but to tell them about it.

• Informative essays seek to enlighten and educate readers, so they can make their own educated opinions and decisions about what to think and how to act.

Strategies for Writing Informatively

Informative essays provide useful information such as facts, examples, and evidence from research in order to help readers understand a topic or see it more clearly. While informative writing does not aim to appeal emotionally to readers in order to change their opinions or behaviors, informative writing should still be engaging to read. Factual information is not necessarily dry or boring. Sometimes facts can be more alarming than fiction!

Writers use various strategies to engage and educate readers. Some strategies include

• introducing the topic with an alarming fact or arresting image;
• asserting what is true or so about the subject in a clear thesis statement;
• organizing the paragraphs logically by grouping related information;
• unifying each paragraph with a topic sentence and controlling idea;
• developing cohesive paragraphs with transition sentences;
• using precise language and terminology appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience; and
• concluding with a final idea or example that captures the essay’s purpose and leaves a lasting impression.

Five Steps for Getting Started

1. Brainstorm and choose a topic.

• Sample topic : The opioid epidemic in the United States.
• The opiod epidemic or even opiod addiction would would be considered too broad for a single essay, so the next steps aim to narrow this topic down.

2. Next, write a question about the topic that you would like to answer through research.

• Sample question : What major events caused the opioid crisis in the United States?
• This question aims to narrow the topic down to causes of the epidemic in the US.

3. Now go to the Purdue Global Library to find the answers to your research question.

As you begin reading and collecting sources, write down the themes that emerge as common answers. Later, in step four, use the most common answers (or the ones you are most interested in writing and discussing) to construct a thesis statement.

• Sample answers: aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn.

4. Next, provide purpose to your paper by creating a thesis statement.

The thesis attempts to frame your research question. The sample thesis below incorporates three of the more common answers for the research question from step two: What caused the opioid crisis in the United States?

• Thesis Statement : Aggressive marketing, loopholes in prescription drug provider programs, and economic downturn contributed to the current opioid crisis in the United States.
• Writing Tip : For additional help with thesis statements, please visit our Writing a Thesis Statement article. For help with writing in 3rd person, see our article on Formal Vs. Informal Writing .

5. Now follow each numbered step in the “Suggested Outline Format and Sample” below.

Sample answers have been provided for “I. Introduction” and “II. First Cause.” A complete sample outline can be seen here. A complete sample informative essay can be seen here.

Suggested Outline Format and Sample

I. INTRODUCTION

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the main topic: Sample topic sentence : There is a current prescription pain medication addiction and abuse epidemic possibly caused by an excessive over prescription of these medications.

B. Now provide a couple sentences with evidence to support the main topic: Sample sentence one with evidence to support the main topic : According to Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in testimony before the 115th Congress, “In 2016, over 11 million Americans misused prescription opioids … and 2.1 million had an opioid use disorder due to prescription opioids” (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p. 2).

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the main topic : Volkow indicated “more than 300,000 Americans have died of an opioid overdose” since 2013 (Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017, p.2).

D. Sample sentence three with evidence to support the main topic : According to Perez-Pena (2017), the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 25,000 people in the United States died in 2015 from overdosing on opioids Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone.

E. Toward the end of the introduction, include your thesis statement written in the 3rd-person point-of-view: Sample thesis statement : Potential solutions to the growing opioid epidemic may be illuminated by examining how opioid addiction is triggered through aggressive pharmaceutical marketing, how opioid addiction manifests among prescribed patients, and how economic downturns play a role in the increase of opioid addiction.

F. Write down the library sources you can use in this introductory paragraph to help support the main topic.

• Federal Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, 2017
• Perez-Pena, 2017
• Writing Tip : For more help writing an introduction, please refer to this article on introductions and conclusions .

II. FIRST CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the first cause of the opioid epidemic: Sample topic sentence that introduces the first cause : One issue that helped contribute to the opioid epidemic is aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical manufacturers.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the first cause: Sample sentence one with evidence that supports the first cause : Perez-Pena (2017) concluded that while the healthcare industry was attempting to effectively and efficiently treat patients with chronic pain, pharmaceutical companies were providing funding to prominent doctors, medical societies, and patient advocacy groups in order to win support for a particular drug’s adoption and usage.

C. Sample sentence two with evidence to support the first cause : In fact, pharmaceutical companies continue to spend millions on promotional activities and materials that deny or trivialize any risks of opioid use while at the same time overstating each drug’s benefit (Perez-Pina, 2017).

D. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming second cause: Sample concluding and transitional sentence that foreshadow the second cause : Although aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies played a large role in opioid addiction, patients are to blame too, as many take advantage of holes in the healthcare provider system in order to remedy their addiction.

E. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the first cause:

• Writing Tip : For more assistance working with sources, please visit the Using Sources page here.

III. SECOND CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the second cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the second cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide concluding or transitional sentences that foreshadows the upcoming third cause.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the second cause:

• Writing Tip : Listen to Writing Powerful Sentences for information and features of effective writing.

IV. THIRD CAUSE

A. First provide a topic sentence that introduces the third cause.

B. Now provide sentences with evidence to support the third cause.

C. Next, add more information or provide a concluding sentence or two.

D. Write down the library sources you can use in this body paragraph to help support the third cause:

V. CONCLUSION: Summary of key points and evidence discussed.

• Writing Tip : For more help writing a conclusion, refer to this podcast on endings .
• Writing Tip : Have a question? Leave a comment below or Purdue Global students, click here to access the Purdue Global Writing Center tutoring platform and available staff.
• Writing Tip : Ready to have someone look at your paper? Purdue Global students, click here to submit your assignment for feedback through our video paper review service.

See a Sample Informative Essay Outline here .

See a sample informative essay here., share this:.

• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

2 Responses

• Pingbacks 0

dang bro i got an A

Having faith with all this mentioned, that i will pass my english class at a college. Thank you for posting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive email notifications of new posts.

Email Address

• RSS - Posts
• RSS - Comments
• COLLEGE WRITING
• USING SOURCES & APA STYLE
• EFFECTIVE WRITING PODCASTS
• LEARNING FOR SUCCESS
• PLAGIARISM INFORMATION
• FACULTY RESOURCES
• Student Webinar Calendar
• Academic Success Center
• Writing Center
• About the ASC Tutors
• DIVERSITY TRAINING
• PG Peer Tutors
• PG Student Access

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

• College Writing
• Using Sources & APA Style
• Learning for Success
• Effective Writing Podcasts
• Plagiarism Information
• Faculty Resources
• Tutor Training

Twitter feed

Informative Essay — Purpose, Structure, and Examples

What is informative writing.

Informative writing educates the reader about a certain topic. An informative essay may explain new information, describe a process, or clarify a concept. The provided information is objective, meaning the writing focuses on presentation of fact and should not contain personal opinion or bias.

Informative writing includes description, process, cause and effect, comparison, and problems and possible solutions:

Describes a person, place, thing, or event using descriptive language that appeals to readers’ senses

Explains the process to do something or how something was created

Discusses the relationship between two things, determining how one ( cause ) leads to the other ( effect ); the effect needs to be based on fact and not an assumption

Identifies the similarities and differences between two things; does not indicate that one is better than the other

Details a problem and presents various possible solutions ; the writer does not suggest one solution is more effective than the others

Purpose of informative writing

The purpose of an informative essay depends upon the writer’s motivation, but may be to share new information, describe a process, clarify a concept, explain why or how, or detail a topic’s intricacies.

Informative essays may introduce readers to new information .

Summarizing a scientific/technological study

Outlining the various aspects of a religion

Providing information on a historical period

Describe a process or give step-by-step details of a procedure.

How to write an informational essay

How to construct an argument

How to apply for a job

Clarify a concept and offer details about complex ideas.

Explain why or how something works the way that it does.

Describe how the stock market impacts the economy

Illustrate why there are high and low tides

Detail how the heart functions

Offer information on the smaller aspects or intricacies of a larger topic.

Identify the importance of the individual bones in the body

Outlining the Dust Bowl in the context of the Great Depression

Explaining how bees impact the environment

How to write an informative essay

Regardless of the type of information, the informative essay structure typically consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction

Background information

Explanation of evidence

Restated thesis

Review of main ideas

Closing statement

Informative essay introduction

When composing the introductory paragraph(s) of an informative paper, include a hook, introduce the topic, provide background information, and develop a good thesis statement.

If the hook or introduction creates interest in the first paragraph, it will draw the readers’ attention and make them more receptive to the essay writer's ideas. Some of the most common techniques to accomplish this include the following:

Emphasize the topic’s importance by explaining the current interest in the topic or by indicating that the subject is influential.

Use pertinent statistics to give the paper an air of authority.

A surprising statement can be shocking; sometimes it is disgusting; sometimes it is joyful; sometimes it is surprising because of who said it.

An interesting incident or anecdote can act as a teaser to lure the reader into the remainder of the essay. Be sure that the device is appropriate for the informative essay topic and focus on what is to follow.

Directly introduce the topic of the essay.

Provide the reader with the background information necessary to understand the topic. Don’t repeat this information in the body of the essay; it should help the reader understand what follows.

Identify the overall purpose of the essay with the thesis (purpose statement). Writers can also include their support directly in the thesis, which outlines the structure of the essay for the reader.

Informative essay body paragraphs

Each body paragraph should contain a topic sentence, evidence, explanation of evidence, and a transition sentence.

A good topic sentence should identify what information the reader should expect in the paragraph and how it connects to the main purpose identified in the thesis.

Provide evidence that details the main point of the paragraph. This includes paraphrasing, summarizing, and directly quoting facts, statistics, and statements.

Explain how the evidence connects to the main purpose of the essay.

Place transitions at the end of each body paragraph, except the last. There is no need to transition from the last support to the conclusion. A transition should accomplish three goals:

Tell the reader where you were (current support)

Tell the reader where you are going (next support)

Relate the paper’s purpose

Informative essay conclusion

Incorporate a rephrased thesis, summary, and closing statement into the conclusion of an informative essay.

Rephrase the purpose of the essay. Do not just repeat the purpose statement from the thesis.

Summarize the main idea found in each body paragraph by rephrasing each topic sentence.

End with a clincher or closing statement that helps readers answer the question “so what?” What should the reader take away from the information provided in the essay? Why should they care about the topic?

Informative essay example

The following example illustrates a good informative essay format:

All Formats

Essay Templates

7+ simple informative essay template.

Informative essays are informational write-ups that deal with conveying information to its readers. All informative essays should be nonfiction and must be based with facts and existing realities. You may take a look at our Essay Outline Template to see the structures that you may use in writing informative essays and other kinds of pieces.

Informative Essay Writing Checklist

Expository Informative Essay

Expository Essay Peer Editing Sheet

Informative Explanatory Essay

Sample Informative Outline Essay

What Consists an Informative Essay?

• who the people are involved in the issue being written about,
• what the issue is all about and the details of what had transpired,
• when the issue happened and when the supporting facts were gathered,
• where a specific happening occured, and
• why such an event happened.

Informative Research Essay Peer Review Workshop

Informative Essay Rubric

Simple Informative Essay

Writing Your Essay

• Make sure that the topic that you are presenting is at the beginning or included in the first paragraph of your article. It helps the viewers to know the main details of what they are reading about.
• The body of your informative essays must contain the main information and other supporting information about the topic that you are writing. It needs to cover all the areas that readers need.
• The conclusion is also important as it summarizes on why the essay has been written and why it is essential for the readers to have knowledge on such information.

More in Essay Templates

Sponsorship Donation Request Letter Template

Student sponsorship request letter template, request for vacation letter template, request for support letter template, visa request letter template, performance evaluation request letter, leave request letter for college, report request letter, partnership request letter, event sponsor request letter.

• How to Make/Create a College Essay [Templates + Examples] 2023
• How to Make/Create a Rhetorical Analysis Essay [Templates + Examples] 2023
• 5+ Free Descriptive Essay Templates – PDF
• 15+ Essay Format Templates – PDF
• 11+ Free Descriptive Essay Templates – PDF, DOC
• 19+ Essay Templates in PDF
• How to Make/Create a Narrative Essay [Templates + Examples] 2023
• 14+ 5 Paragraph Essay Templates – PDF
• How To Make/Create a 5-Paragraph Essay Outline [Templates + Examples] 2023
• 10+ Argumentative Essay Outline Templates – PDF
• 20+ Interview Essay Templates
• 9+ Leadership Essays
• 13+ Literary Essay Templates in Word | Google Docs | Apple Pages | PDF
• 7+ Extended Essay Templates
• 9+ Free Downloadable Informative Essay Samples and Examples

File Formats

Word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates.

Short Informative Essay

Short informative essay generator.

Have you ever written an essay for a speech? How did it go? For some people, writing essays can be a good form or stress reliever. You simply have to write down what is causing you stress and watch it flow away. For students, they often encounter essay writing in high school more than in middle school. This is a good fact, but we must all remember that essay writing can still be found in grade school, middle school, high school and even college. This article helps you write, know, understand and some tips to writing short , yes you read that right, short informative essays. Now you’re going to ask yourself how is that even possible. Well, why don’t you check it out below?

10+ Short Informative Essay Examples

1. short informative essay template.

Size: 261 KB

2. Short Informative Essay Checklist

Size: 23 KB

3. Sample Short Informative Essay

Size: 130 KB

4. Short Informative Research Essay

Size: 157 KB

5. Basic Short Informative Essay

Size: 45 KB

6. Personal Short Informative Essay

7. Short Informative Essay Outline

Size: 167 KB

8. Short Informative Essay Example

Size: 305 KB

9. Printable Short Informative Essay

Size: 86 KB

10. Formal Short Informative Essay

Size: 66 KB

11. Short Informative Essay in DOC

Size: 15 KB

Define Informative Essay

Informative Essay is a type of essay that educates your audiences about the topic you chose to talk or write about. You compare and contrast, analyze and provide some tips about the topic you chose to write about. Informative essays can also be used as speeches in high school.

Difference between Informative and Persuasive

Sometimes we often mistake an Informative essay with a Persuasive essay. Are they the same or is there any difference? The answer for that question is no. They are not the same. However they fall under the different types of essays. An informative essay from its name gives information about a topic towards its audience. It analyzes, it compares and contrasts. A persuasive essay is different. From the word persuade. A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader to do something or to believe in the point of view of the writer or the speaker. Though a lot of speeches do have both informative and persuasive speeches mixed together.

Tips on Writing Informative Essay for Speech

If you are like me and you wish to know how to write a very good informative essay for a speech, I would recommend you to follow the following steps into making that a very good essay for a speech. First of is:

• Choose a topic: Yes, choose a topic . When we write any type of essay, we always have to choose a topic we can talk about. A topic you are familiar with so that it would be easy for you to talk about it in your speech. Do some research. The second step would be to:
• Make a draft: Making drafts for your essay is not a waste of time. Rather, it helps you gather your thoughts and to make some adjustments here and there. Making a draft is actually important because this helps you see what you should talk about and how to draw your audience in. Speaking of audience, the next thing you need to do is:
• Know your audience: Get to know your audience. Are your audience members young, teens or adults? If you are familiar with your audience, writing the informative essay for your speech would be a breeze. This is important since you have to be careful how you word your speech. To some it may sound simple, but to others it may sound rude. 
• Tone: In any writing style, know your tone. Be careful, do not sound too arrogant with the information. Nor do you sound like you are not sure. Be professional. 

Tips on Writing Informative Essay for Stress Topic

Your topic to write is about stress. But before you get stressed out with what to write, why not check these tips out?

• Explain your topic
• Cite some good sources
• Give information about stress
• Compare and Contrast

Tips for High School Students to Write an Informative Essay

Here’s a nice tip for high school students who need a good boost in writing an informative essay.

• Do some research : Yes, you read that right. Researching on a topic you want to talk about would be very helpful for you in the long run. As you are writing an informative essay, doing research is also a part of it. You need to place facts and to know if this information is true or false, research.
• Know what you wish to talk about : Understanding your topic can also be helpful in writing essays like this one. Choose a topic that you are interested in as well as familiar with.
• Short but direct : Do not make your essay too long or too short. The range for this short essay must be around 300-500 words. Writing more than that would not be considered a short essay , and writing less than that, would still not be considered. Despite the 500 words maximum, you are still able to write down the information that you need.
• Have fun : Informative essays do not always have to be serious when writing it, you can also add some fun facts to it.

Is writing this type of essay difficult?

Any type of essay is a challenge, but the most common solution to that challenge is research.

Can I talk about political issues as a topic for this type of essay?

It is best to avoid topics that cause arguments. Find topics that are suitable for your level.

Do I need to persuade my audience when I read my informative essay out loud?

There may be cases that we tend to persuade them, but as this is an informative essay , keep it as informative as possible.

Do I need to cite my sources?

Yes. Always cite your sources.

There you have it, some tips to write an informative essay for speech, to write an informative essay with the topic of stress, and tips to write in general. Following or familiarizing these tips can help you with some ideas on writing an informative essay.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Short Informative Essay on the water cycle and its importance

Short Informative Essay on the history of the internet