is uk essays credible

UKEssays Review: Free Essay Database & Other Features Ranked

Are you looking for an excellent academic help website? If so, you’ve probably seen one of the most promising ones— UKEssays.com . The web is full of glowing 5-star UKEssays reviews. But can you really trust them? And most importantly, is it legit?

Our specialists will write a custom essay specially for you!

We’ll answer all these questions and more in this comprehensive review. We looked into the service’s features and even made an order from them. Follow us as we thoroughly analyze UKEssays and make up your own opinion!

• 🌟 Our Ranking
• ❓ What Is UKEssays?
• 🧐 Is It Legit?
• 📊 Features Ranked
• 🏅 Customer Experience
• 💸 Prices Review
• 🧑‍⚖️ Our Verdict

🌟 Academic Help Websites: Our Ranking     

❓ what is ukessays.com.

UKEssays.com is a long-standing service first registered in 2003. They specialize in providing free samples and writing services. Their experts help students with assignments such as essays, research papers, and even dissertations.

Let’s start with their website—the first thing that you see:

Now, let’s talk about the website’s name. As you may know, academic help services are banned in the UK . So, why is it called UKEssays?

Well, here’s what happened. Until 2022, UKEssays specialized in helping English students, but after the ban, they switched to the US and other countries like Bahrain, Kuwait, and Hong Kong. Currently, UKEssays are registered in UAE and have nothing to do with the UK.

Just in 1 hour! We will write you a plagiarism-free paper in hardly more than 1 hour

🧐 Is UK Essays Legit?

After thoroughly analyzing UKEssays, we can safely say that they are legit . Here are the aspects that speak in their favor:

• Their full HQ address is available on their webpage.
• Their terms and conditions are transparent and have all the necessary information.
• They have a good reputation on Trustpilot and other review aggregators.
• Their website has a TrustedSite security certificate.

Sadly, some drawbacks still make us doubt UKEssays’ legitimacy.

📊 UKEssays Features Ranked

When it comes to various services, UKEssays have many things to offer. These include:

Now that you know the features UKEssays offer, it’s time to review each of them separately.

Samples Base

UKEssays’ sample base aims to demonstrate the work of their experts. It offers many text samples divided by type, subjects, and education level. Among the available types of assignments are coursework, case studies, essay plans, dissertations, PowerPoint presentations, and topics with titles. We especially enjoyed posters that demonstrate complex concepts visually. It’s rare to see something like that on an academic website.

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The samples base is diverse, but its functionality is limited:

• The number of available works is pretty low.
• You can’t search topics because they’re not displayed and there is no search bar.
• The dissertations that they offer are weak and very short. We wouldn’t really call them dissertations.

Overall, the Samples Base is okay, but aside from cool posters, there is nothing to write home about.

Free Essays

If you thought that “Samples Base” and “Free Essays” were the same things, you got confused just like we did. The question is: why did UKEssays separate these two features? Well, it’s because their “ Free Essays ” database consists of texts written by students and not by the company’s experts.

The essays there are much more diverse and numerous than those in the sample base. The interface is nicely organized. You’ll be able to see the word count of each essay and cite them using an in-built reference generator.

Unfortunately, to our knowledge, something shady is going on with this database . In some UKEssays reviews, students complain about their texts being included in the website’s database without their knowledge. Some speculate that a plagiarism checker called Viper (owned by the same company that owns UKEssays) stealthily copied their texts and later uploaded them into the database.

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

This disturbing fact makes us suspect that not all samples were added with the authors’ permission.

Referencing Guides & Tools

UKEssays’ referencing tool has 3 styles to choose from: APA, Harvard, and Vancouver. There is also an OSCOLA available, but if you click on it, it redirects you to another website, so it doesn’t count.

Overall, the referencing tool functions nicely. In addition, UKEssays also provide guides on how to make references yourself. They’re pretty informative; we’ve nothing to complain about here.

Study Guides

This feature offers hundreds of guides on studying and essay writing. Sadly, their quality is not something to be proud of. The content is anything but informative and lacks truly useful tips. In addition, these guides are written and formatted like essays. For one, they use in-text citations with authors’ names and dates of publishing. This strange formatting makes it hard to read the guides.

Overall, this feature is not worth your time.

Free Lectures

This is the first time we’ve seen free lectures on academic websites. Basically, UKEssays offers detailed transcripts of lessons with additional illustrations. You can read them and learn many new things about various subjects. It’s all well-written and contains plenty of valuable information.

We can’t vouch for the academic source of these lectures (we suspect the website’s experts wrote them,) but including them was a good idea.

Humanity University

This feature really freaked us out. As UKEssays states, Humanity University is “the world’s first University dedicated to your worth and value as a human being.” What, in your opinion, can this vague description mean? Here’s a hint: it’s a stream of esoteric thoughts narrated by UKEssays’ founder, Barclay James.

This feature is relatively new and was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barclay James offers to pass a lecture course that will supposedly grant you “success in any area.” How exactly will it do that? Who knows! UKEssays’ website only shows a few short previews. To see the remaining 98% of this course, you’d have to join its Discord channel. Once you do, you’ll get bombarded by a ton of useless information that we highly doubt you’ll need in your life.

Are you intrigued by headlines like The Real You and What Color is Your Brainscan? Or are you a New Age self-help enthusiast? If so, then sure, go ahead and check it out. But as for us, we just suspect it all to be a scammy way to promote UKEssays’ writing services —more on that in a moment.

Writing Service

This is the most important feature and the reason students visit the website in the first place. UK Essays’ writing service is similar to those provided by other academic helpers. The main difference is a wider variety of assignments. Aside from standard written tasks, these include:

• Presentations
• Exam revisions
• Text editing

UKEssays offers enough information on its services, prices, and quality control measures . They also share data on their experts, such as their qualification and level of expertise.

What we didn’t like was that there were no guidelines on how to place an order . There is a page titled Essay Buying Guide , but it gives broad tips on ordering custom essays. It would be more convenient if they explained the steps of their ordering process.  

🏅 User Experience & Quality

Finally, we’ve placed an order to check the quality of UK Essays’ work, and now we’re going to tell you how it went.

Step #1: Placing an Order

The first thing we had to do was selecting a deadline and specifies the details of our task. Here are our notes on the ordering process:

• The more time you give them to finish your assignment, the cheaper it will be.
• The payment is 50% upfront. The second half is expected after you receive the results.
• The minimum deadline is 4 hours.

After all the specifications have been set, you need to type in your name, e-mail address, and phone number. We must say that UKEssays.com asks for a lot of personal information. Perhaps they’re just trying to avoid British students who break the law by ordering from them.

Step #2: Evaluating the Results

The text that we received was acceptable in terms of quality. We liked it, but there were mistakes nevertheless. For example:

After we initiated the revision, they managed to correct all of the mistakes.

💸 UK Essays Prices: Are They Too High?

The prices are not just high— they are through-the-roof high! We were shocked when they gave us the final receipt. They told us that their minimal cost for one essay is around $172 if the deadline is one week. If you want to complete your assignment as soon as possible, it can cost you $600 or higher. Crazy talk by our standards!

The funny thing is that UKEssays state that their services are so great it’s worth the price. We can’t argue that the text we got was okay in terms of quality, but it wasn’t that good. Their essays should be perfectly written by an English-speaking professor with few Ph.D. degrees for the money they ask. And we’re not even talking about how little funds students typically have. The only explanation we can think of is that the prices used to be in GBP, and they didn’t change after UKEssays stopped catering to British students.

It’s also hard to get a refund from UKEssays once they start working on your assignment. If you really want your money back, you’d have to provide substantial evidence that they can still dispute. In the end, your request will likely be rejected.

🧑‍⚖️ UKEssays Review: Our Verdict

Ultimately, our experience with UKEssays was fine, but not without issues. Let’s review the main pros and cons that we encountered:

Overall, we give this company 4 out of 5 points. To use their services or to avoid them is all up to you!

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UK Essays has a rating of 4.33 stars from 43 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Reviewers satisfied with UK Essays most frequently mention quality work. UK Essays ranks 328th among Tutor sites.

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights.

• Yes, they are not the cheapest by any means, but the cheaper company I used provided a cheaper service.
• very good quality work from a top writer, really couldn't have managed it with out your help.

Critical highlights

No critical highlights yet

“The best!”

These guys helped me complete my essay when I was travelling to africa. I was on a busy schedule and not free

“Poster”

I received superficial poster, with a figure has no sense and it is not relevent and not accurate, half of the poster of variables that is not neccessary to mention I wasted money and time, you pay high to get high quality, but no value for what you paid My order is Master level with distinction, any bachelor student can do much better

Reviews (43)

Reviews that mention popular keywords

Q&A (57)

I have already paid for my dissertation, why they need some documents (identity, address,...) i have already paid for my dissertation, why they need some documents (identity, address,...).

Hello Behnosh, For security reasons we ask for identification if a payment is unverified. This happens if a person has made an unverified payment by card/PayPal, or if they have made a PayPal payment over £500. We ask for identification which can be any form of ID with a colour picture on it, an official document with your name and address on (a phone bill, bank statement etc.). Exact details of this will be in your account message. We also have a live chat option on our website, where we can instantly answer your questions and access your order details for you should you need any further help. This service is open 7 days a week - 9am to 9pm Weekdays and 10am - 6pm at Weekends (GMT+1). Please contact me if you require any further assitance. Kind Regards, UK Essays.

How much is a 4500 words essay How much is a 4500 words essay

Hi Ivy, Thank you for your question. To view our pricing, we recommend checking our website for full details, as this depends on the grade you require and delivery time, along with some other factors. Kind Regards, Sam

I have four days until a small research project for my english literature access course is due can somebody help pleeease I have four days until a small research project for my english literature access course is due can somebody help pleeease

Hi Victoria, Thanks for your question! We certainly should be able to help. You can order a quick delivery order - we would recommend at least 3 days - in order to get your order back in advance of your deadline. I would suggest placing your order on the website as soon as possible to get some help!

Would i be able to get a writer to write a 2000 word essay with citations in a 6-7 days, its last minute. Would i be able to get a writer to write a 2000 word essay with citations in a 6-7 days, its last minute.

Hi Eve, Thanks very much for your question - certainly, we could help with that! Our standard delivery period is 7 days, with shorter options right up to same-day delivery available. Please check out our order form and place your request as soon as possible so we can look to locate a writer for you. Kind Regards, Sam

I failed my case study and need to pass this time in order continue on my course. ifi send you my failed essay, will you be able to help me pass. I failed my case study and need to pass this time in order continue on my course. ifi send you my failed essay, will you be able to help me pass.

Hi Marshall, Thanks for your message. This is definitely something we would be able to help with - if you can place an order on your website we can look into this further for you. Kind Regards, Sam

Do you no longer provide a service to customers in the irish republic? Do you no longer provide a service to customers in the irish republic?

Hi James, Thanks for your question. Unfortunately due to new legislation introduced in Ireland in July 2019, we can no longer offer our services to customers located in the Irish Republic. Kind Regards, Sam

Do you provide references when you deliver assignments? my assignment require that i provide references from accademic literature (at least 10) Do you provide references when you deliver assignments? my assignment require that i provide references from accademic literature (at least 10)

Hi Lucy, Thanks for your question. All our work comes fully referenced (unless requested otherwise), to the style of referencing you require. Kind Regards, Sam

How much do you charge for 2000 word essay in audiology field? How much do you charge for 2000 word essay in audiology field?

Hi Tara, Thanks for getting in touch! A 2000 word essay would start from approx £247, depending on the grade you wish to order. Kind Regards, Sam

The importance of value based manangement The importance of value based manangement

Hi Brandon, Thanks for your inquiry! If this is something you're looking for help with, please get in touch via our website! Kind Regards, Sam

How long does it take for uk essays to complete an undergraduate essay? How long does it take for uk essays to complete an undergraduate essay?

Hi Darcy, Thanks for getting in touch. Our standard delivery time for an essay is 7 days, but you can order faster deliveries if you like - as quick as 4 hourd or next day (depending on the word count). Kind Regards, Sam

Can’t see your question? Ask to get answers from the UK Essays staff and other customers.

• How long does shipping take?
• What is the return policy?
• Where is the company located?

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From the business

UK Essays is a UK-based essay writing company established in 2003. We specialise in providing students with high quality essay and dissertation writing services.

• Visit Website
• Tutor , Essay Writing
• Nottingham, Nottinghamshire,
• Edit business info

Business History

Barclay Littlewood founded the company in 2003. From Day One he instilled an aim to strive for excellence in the company. Barclay created many of the service features and introduced the list of unrivalled guarantees that have placed us firmly at the helm of the essay writing services market.

Company Representative

It can be especially challenging to verify the credibility of online sources. They often do not have single authors or publication dates, and their motivation can be more difficult to ascertain.

Websites are not subject to the peer-review and editing process that academic journals or books go through, and can be published by anyone at any time.

When evaluating the credibility of a website, look first at the URL. The domain extension can help you understand what type of website you’re dealing with.

• Educational resources end in .edu, and are generally considered the most credible in academic settings.
• Advocacy or non-profit organizations end in .org.
• Government-affiliated websites end in .gov.
• Websites with some sort of commercial aspect end in .com (or .co.uk, or another country-specific domain).

In general, check for vague terms, buzzwords, or writing that is too emotive or subjective . Beware of grandiose claims, and critically analyze anything not cited or backed up by evidence.

• How does the website look and feel? Does it look professional to you?
• Is there an “About Us” page, or a way to contact the author or organization if you need clarification on a claim they have made?
• Are there links to other sources on the page, and are they trustworthy?
• Can the information you found be verified elsewhere, even via a simple Google search?
• When was the website last updated? If it hasn’t been updated recently, it may not pass the CRAAP test.
• Does the website have a lot of advertisements or sponsored content? This could be a sign of bias.
• Is a source of funding disclosed? This could also give you insight into the author and publisher’s motivations.

Social media posts, blogs, and personal websites can be good resources for a situational analysis or grounding of your preliminary ideas, but exercise caution here. These highly personal and subjective sources are seldom reliable enough to stand on their own in your final research product.

Similarly, Wikipedia is not considered a reliable source due to the fact that it can be edited by anyone at any time. However, it can be a good starting point for general information and finding other sources.

Checklist: Is my source credible?

My source is relevant to my research topic.

My source is recent enough to contain up-to-date information on my topic.

There are no glaring grammatical or orthographic errors.

The author is an expert in their field.

The information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge. I have checked that it is supported by evidence and/or verifiable elsewhere.

My source cites or links to other sources that appear relevant and trustworthy.

There is a way to contact the author or publisher of my source.

The purpose of my source is to educate or inform, not to sell a product or push a particular opinion.

My source is unbiased, and offers multiple perspectives fairly.

My source avoids vague or grandiose claims, and writing that is too emotive or subjective.

[For academic journals]: My source is peer-reviewed and published in a reputable and established journal.

[For web sources]: The layout of my source is professional and recently updated. Backlinks to other sources are up-to-date and not broken.

[For web sources]: My source’s URL suggests the domain is trustworthy, e.g. a .edu address.

Your sources are likely to be credible!

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , citation , and plagiarism , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• What is ChatGPT?
• Chicago style
• Paraphrasing

 Plagiarism

• Types of plagiarism
• Self-plagiarism
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Academic integrity
• Consequences of plagiarism
• Common knowledge

A credible source should pass the CRAAP test  and follow these guidelines:

• The information should be up to date and current.
• For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy.

Peer review is a process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. Utilizing rigorous criteria, a panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether to accept each submission for publication. For this reason, academic journals are often considered among the most credible sources you can use in a research project– provided that the journal itself is trustworthy and well-regarded.

The CRAAP test is an acronym to help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are considering using. It is an important component of information literacy .

The CRAAP test has five main components:

• Currency: Is the source up to date?
• Relevance: Is the source relevant to your research?
• Authority: Where is the source published? Who is the author? Are they considered reputable and trustworthy in their field?
• Accuracy: Is the source supported by evidence? Are the claims cited correctly?
• Purpose: What was the motive behind publishing this source?

Academic dishonesty can be intentional or unintentional, ranging from something as simple as claiming to have read something you didn’t to copying your neighbor’s answers on an exam.

You can commit academic dishonesty with the best of intentions, such as helping a friend cheat on a paper. Severe academic dishonesty can include buying a pre-written essay or the answers to a multiple-choice test, or falsifying a medical emergency to avoid taking a final exam.

To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:

• Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events you’re studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?
• Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?
• Are you directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or only using it for background information (secondary)?

Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews ). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.

Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.

Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

George, T. (2023, May 31). What Are Credible Sources & How to Spot Them | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 8, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/credible-sources/

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Detailed UK Essays Review Based on Research

Updated 14.09.2021

Based on 18 reviews

To decide what score each company deserves, we compare our team’s grades, academics’ ratings, and individual reviews. Opinions of LetsGradeIt.com team is worth 30% of the total grade. Academics’ ratings comprise 35%, and individual grades account for 35%. In cases when there are no individual reviews posted about a firm, academics have a say by 60%, while our team gets 40%.

All ratings, opinions, and reviews you see on this site do not necessarily reflect the official position of any other company, educational establishment, or employer. These reviews are always subject to revision and change. Please do not hold us to them — visit actual websites to make any decision.

• numerous subjects are covered. 
• helpful free essay samples. 
• exam revision automation. 
• urgent task delivery option. 
• extensive payment options
• high prices
• Minimum Deadline 4 hours
• Lowest Price £124 per 1000 words
• Discounts Not available
• Payment Methods AliPay, WeChat Pay, Visa, MasterCard
• Guarantees 24/7 Support, Money-Back, Native Writers, On-time Delivery, Proofreading, Revision
• Types of papers Essay, Thesis, Dissertation, Book report, Outline, Book review, Movie review, Case Study, Reaction paper
• Number of Samples 10k+
• Number of Categories 1k+
• Access Free essays samples
• Originality of Samples Almost all Original
• Quality of Samples Medium
• Citation Tools

Even though UKEssays is a legit British academic writing service, it is still one of the higher-priced options that may be over what an average college student may afford. Our review team has also encountered serious proofreading and editing issues. Speaking of available samples, they contain high plagiarism, which is also reflected in existing orders. We would not recommend using this service because there are numerous cheaper options without quality deterioration. Although they provide a plethora of essay writing assistance, it is not the most reliable service. They also provide urgent deadlines for college students, yet their pricing method does not justify their policies.

Starting with our UK Essays review, it must be said that they claim as the only legal essay writing service in the UK, which is not entirely true since some other companies claim to operate within specified British laws. Founded in 2003, UK Essays offers more than essay writing by focusing on dissertations, reports, reflective writing, case study work, editing, PowerPoint presentations, homework help for college students , and CV composition. According to reviews.co.uk, this service has received 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 1176 reviews. Since their customers are mostly British university students, all prices are given in pounds and start from £124 per 1000 words and a 7 days deadline. Considering that it is roughly 3 pages, it is about £40 per page of undergraduate-level writing. The UK essay help is not cheap, yet it is final quality that matters. Read on to see what our personal experience has been like with this service.

UKEssays Writing Tools

In terms of writing tools, they do not have a lot to offer, mostly containing citation generators. They include Harvard Referencing, APA, Vancouver, OSCOLA, and some other less common in UK styles like Chicago, Turabian, or MLA.

Tools offered at the UK essay are all free and contain no negative sides or remarks. Trying it with several books and magazines by entering ISBN or DOI numbers have resulted in good citing examples.

UK Essays Review Breakdown of Samples

The UKessays offers a nice selection of samples that showcase the quality and various types of company’s work. They are written by their experts and represent a good range of papers that can be sorted by subject or assignment type.

Access: Free essays samples

Originality: UKessays claim that papers are original but indeed they could have been used by many students as everyone has access to samples.

Number of categories: 1k

Sample quality: Medium

4 Samples Analysis

As seen from our screenshot, only plagiarism report leads to ukdiss.com, which is UKEssays’s sister company.

All these UK essays represent 90-100% original company’s work. All our other entries caught by free plagiarism check lead to their sister sites that also belong to our reviewed service. However, these samples were published long ago so their uniqueness is doubtful. As essay examples are free to access, they could have been used and submitted by students many times.

The analysis shows that every sample that one may download contains several mistakes that influence quality of an essay. Checking through four categories, one can say that samples do not have thorough research since most writers have been in a hurry. Therefore, one must take samples as basic references to see what kind of quality and content can be provided in each category. 

All in all, samples in UK essay writing service vary in quality, yet they are mostly fine, representing quality writing. If the task is more complex, all mistakes start to appear, yet full text must be taken in each case.

The Effectiveness Of Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Eating Disorders

Category: Psychology

Topic: Healthcare

Word count: 2050 words

Analysis: The first thing that catches one’s eye is that content in our Psychology essay is focusing on nursing and healthcare aspects. It does not relate to Psychology per se. Text contains several lengthy sentences with minor mistakes. Some sentences have a run-on structure. The amount of quotes is too large with an author’s voice not being there.

Would A Change In The Law On Assisted Dying Be Ethically Permissible

Category: Law Topic: Law & Ethics Word count: 2850 words Analysis: UK essay’s Law paper contains a weak thesis and ideas scattered in an introduction part that do not explain our sample’s main thesis. One sentence starts with “because”, which is unacceptable for university-level grammar.

Factors Influencing Sanitation Conditions in Ghana

Category: Environmental Science

Topic: Nature

Word count: 10255 words

A Comparison of Teacher Education in Australia and the UK

Category: Education Topic: Teacher Education Word count: 9720 words Analysis: Our UK essays writing’s Education dissertation represents a very good example that follows dissertation rules, yet represented thesis is too short and has no clear explanation regarding “common aspects” discussed.

Interface and Its Usability

Speaking of this website’s interface, it has a nice color scheme with a simple menu that includes a list of services tab, a brief explanation of how their service works, special offers that contain various discounts, samples of the company’s work, user reviews, information about how the UKEssay works, and a list of free academic resources. There is a UK phone on top of the service page with a login offer and a handy notifications icon. As always, 24/7 live chat is an obligatory feature these days that works as soon as you fill in your basic information with an essay request.

UKEssay Writing Service

• The company completes essays of various kinds, dissertations, research paper writing services, report writing, case study, resume assistance, Capstone project, and even PowerPoint presentations. In addition to that, they have proofreading, editing with an essay marking.
• Current offers (see website’s menu tab) have a 25% off proposal on all services. Another option is free dissertation titles service, however it’s not one of the websites that write essays for free . Friend referencing will provide you with a 15% off coupon. At the time of composing UK essays reviews drafts, our customer support agent has provided another 20% discount, which means that one should check special campaigns when placing an order.
• Existing payment options include Bank Transfer, Mastercard, Visa, WeChat Pay, or even Alipay.
• Delivery times and deadlines are mostly good according to reviews. This UK company always tries to send your essay before your deadline, which has also happened in our case.
• Revision policy is offered for free, yet refunds represent service’s most common problem as you must pass their check control with company’s QA system. Since they are quite biased, your chances of winning this battle are very low.
• UKessays.com is reviewed by British media including BBC or the Guardian, that claim they are a fully legal company.
• Your writers cannot be chosen. Their experts will choose you the most fitting person for your task. According to customer support, all their writers hold an Undergraduate 2.1 or higher, with a greater number qualified master’s level or Ph.D. Still, it cannot be verified and one cannot access any profiles.
• Quality of essays. Based on reviews and our order, it’s safe to assume that quality is higher than medium. Order’s quality is based on your request to match specified task requirements.
• UKessay customer support is excellent and detailed. They are friendly and offer detailed information, so you do not have to browse through their website. An operator has responded in about two minutes.

Overall Impression and Online Reputation

Speaking about UK essay has been generally positive if not for service’s high prices with those minor mistakes, which has made our personal experience not as good as it could be.

Sitejabber has 37 entries at the moment of our review. Currently, it has 4.65 stars, which is a good position. However, there’s one negative review, which speaks of their refund. It has been UKEssay’s most frequent complaint so far in case of low quality. No talk about any missed deadlines though.

Trustpilot has a surprising 3.2 stars out of 5 and 14 reviews. Discovered negative review discusses the company’s poor standards. Regarding other negative reviews, they speak about moderate quality and high prices, which is also true for our essay review.

Concerning service’s other reviews, they are mostly positive, speaking about their being legal and safe even when your university spots something wrong. However, some students claim that UK essay writing has low quality and lack refunds.

Is Reviewed Company Legal?

UKessay.com claims to be fully legit and represents registration, physical address, and legal history. Even though one is dealing with a company that has been registered in the UK, it still looks like contacting a ghostwriter with no clear credentials or direct communication, which isn’t possible in a case like a dissertation.

No direct contact takes more time and provides no guarantees that you will meet your deadline. They have been operating since 2003, which speaks for their reliability, yet UK essay writers are unknown to an average client, so it’s a risky challenge for most students.

Our Order from UkEssays

Of course, the most important part of writing a critical review of any company is personal experience, which has been unsatisfactory in our case. Our professional team of academic specialists, former teachers and professors checked an essay that was completed by UKessays writer. Even though our deadline has been met, dissertation quality appears to be low and contains several typos and repetitions. Our order contained several mistakes that related to sources that have not been properly referenced. UK Essays must focus on this aspect more.

The paper has not been properly edited or proofread in advance, which cannot earn a good mark from our Ukessays.com review. The structure has been generally good and the references contained the latest entries from both magazines and the print books. Requesting a free revision, we received it two hours before our submission date, which did not grant us much time to check the paper. The revision has been fairly good and our issues have been faced. Still, such minor mistakes must be eliminated, considering the high price.

Conducting an analysis based on both online paper writing service reviews and our own order with our reviewed company, we are generally satisfied with a total of 4,3 stars out of 5, which is quite good for one of the best companies in the United Kingdom in terms of advertising their products.

They state that their service is fully legal, yet it must be done at your own risk. Submit your papers only when you are certain that your British university won’t find out that you are using UKEssays.

From UKessays reviews we have found out that even if your seven days have passed, they will still rectify any issue for you. All it takes is sending your details and providing your writer’s ID. However, it may be possible that such revision work won’t be free.

This kind of service is offered as well. Editing of 1000 words will cost you £65.00 for an undergraduate level. A typical deadline that is usually set is 7 days. However, our British service claims to send you the paper long before the deadline, which is true according to numerous UK essay writing company reviews.

They laboured hard and I appreciate the time and energy they put into writing my paper.

Needed help with my essay as I was out of time. i didn’t want to give my friend the work because i wanted something of stellar quality. It’s painful that i was billed yet i didn’t get the level of satisfaction that I wanted.

got my assignment after the deadline…. 🤬

do NOT count on them!!

The quality of your content was more than okay. Thanks people.. Will need you guys again soon.

chatting was a bit unfriendly but my research paper turned out pretty well

There are both positive and negative experiences with this service. On the positive side: the work was done on time. On the negative side: there were some grammatical errors.

For the essay you wrote, I got a D. I will rate your service at the same level!

I can’t say I’m super happy with the paper I ordered here. I think they could have come up with something better.

I wish I could learn to write myself and save money on it, but so far the guys from this service help me out

There is something to praise the guys from this service, they really did a good job, but there is also something to scold them for, is that they asked to give them more time than expected.

my essay deadline changed, so I had to ask the writer to write my essay before the agreed deadline, and I had to pay extra for that, which was a little frustrating

For technical reasons, they could not deliver my paper on time. They apologized, but I certainly had to be nervous.

Since you wrote the essay quickly and professionally, I have to give you 5 stars.

If I had been told to choose one essay writing service, I would 100% choose this particular service.

The customer service team was helpful in addressing my concerns and answering my questions.

Wow, this essay writing service is the bomb! I struggled so much to write my paper, but these guys really helped me. They took my ideas and turned them into a great essay that got me an A. I don’t know how they did it, but I’m just glad they did. The process was easy and the price was reasonable. I definitely recommend them!

I had an incredibly positive experience with UK Essays. The quality of the essay I received was outstanding, exceeding my expectations in every way. The writer showcased exceptional knowledge and expertise in the subject, crafting a well-researched and thought-provoking piece. The content was structured coherently, and the arguments were supported by solid evidence. The customer support team was highly responsive and provided excellent assistance throughout the process. The pricing was reasonable for the level of quality and service provided. Overall, I highly recommend UK Essays to anyone in need of top-notch academic writing assistance.

As a student, I am constantly in search of reliable, trustworthy, user-friendly, and affordable support. Fortunately, these guys possess all of these qualities in a single platform. You don’t have to worry excessively about anything, allowing you to concentrate on acquiring new skills and knowledge instead of spending excessive time on repetitive assignments.

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BestBritishWriter.com

Best Essay Writing Services in the UK

Top 5 Essay Writing Services in The UK

Ukessays.com, is ukessays.com legit.

When you are in need of writing help, you start searching for a reliable essay writing service that can help you no matter how complex your subject is. And as you probably understand numerous services are a real scam that is why reading reviews are important. So we have done a review of UkEssays.com and can say for sure that this is a legitimate service that provides academic writing for several years already. To learn more about this service feel free to read our detailed review. Rating: 4/5

Pricing Model and Payment Options

As for the pricing, we were not able to locate clear pricing on the website. The given option doesn’t show you a price per page. To get a quote you need to fill in the information about your paper and then you will get the price. According to their website, each writer who is working with them is a native speaker so you can be confident about each order.

UKEssays.com is the most expensive writing service we have ever met. If you want to order a simple essay for two pages, then you have to pay 140 pounds. It’s ridiculous.

As for money-back guarantee in case of failing to deliver a paper of particular grade seems to be unrealistic, because each teacher has its way of grading paper.

As for payment options, there is no information available on the website. However, when we tested quality we paid via Credit Card, so they accept only direct checkout. Rating: 1/5

Discounts and Loyalty Program

As for discounts and different promo codes, which usually attract customers to such services, Uk essays don’t have ones. There are no discounts for the first orders and bulk ones; there is no loyalty program as well. However, you may try to contact support and ask if they have anything special for you.

Paper Quality

There is a lot of quality papers published on this website for free. You may use them as samples of good quality writing. They are written in an appropriate academic language. There are also a lot of different articles about quality writing and other things you need while learning new.

To rate the quality, we have placed an order with them.  First of all, we should mention that our essay on Masters A+ grade cost us $425. It is a very high price for the three page paper with the deadline of three days. Our paper was on biology, and the topic was easy. We gave them several resources to use.

The paper was delivered in time, and at first glance has not contained any plagiarism, yet, there were several mistakes in the text and after deeper analysis, and we have found out that some parts of the text were just re-written from the resources we gave them. So we can say for sure that the quality of paper and analysis is not ok. But there is no way to prove that the paper is not of the quality we have ordered. Rating: 4/5

Academic Writing Services Offered

Writing services delivered by UkEssays can be found on the main page of a website. It is divided into four categories and one of them which include academic writing services list dissertations, reports, assignments, essays, coursework, literature reviews, thesis, and several others.

You can also find free features offered by the company, but they are no common ones. They don’t have free revisions, proofreading, title page, or bibliography, which is a big minus. Instead, they are offering different resources to be used for writing, like essay samples, reference generators, or finance ratio calculator. We don’t think that free dissertations and essays are useful if you are planning to order a service. Rating: 4/5

Customer Care and Support

Unfortunately, this service doesn’t have 24/7 customer support, they are working on certain hours, so it is not possible to get urgent help. But, when we contacted them, the agents were professional and polite and were able to answer all our questions. Rating: 2/5

What Students Say

“I have ordered an essay at UkEssays and was disappointed with the quality. I am studying linguistics at the University and expected university-level paper but got high-school. Waiting for the refund” – Allison T. “I have ordered book report from them, and they failed to deliver it in time. So I have canceled the order, but there was no refund at all. I have filed a complaint with support.” – Jeremy L.

Best on our research we can say for sure that this company is too expensive and able to deliver average quality papers for high school and college. The main disadvantages are their prices and support; they are not working 24/7.

9 thoughts on “ UKEssays.com ”

UkEssays.com was my second choice for a term paper since the first company delivered a horrible one. However, this one was even worse than the first one. Finally, I decided to sit down and write it myself since I already spent a fortune on these two services and got no money back from either.

Good prices, but very bad quality. I think my writer wasn’t even a native english speaker. Got a C because of the grammar mistakes and typos.

Writers here are not native English speakers! I paid a fair amount for my paper, and it looks like an English beginner wrote it. The mistakes in it are irreparable!

The writing service is not as cheap as they say. Additionally, the quality of their papers is not as great as advertised. Overall, I would never use the services of UK Essays ever again.

I tried the services of UKEssays, but I was highly disappointed. The prices were extremely high and the quality was well below expectations. Additionally, my deadline was not met; I received my essay 3 days after the deadline.

According to a certain UKEssays review, I was expecting the price rate to be extremely high. However, the prices were okay. The quality of my paper was quite decent but not as great as I expected it to be.

Apart from the company being expensive, UKEssays have a terrible customer service. I could not speak to the writer directly and the customer service agent was not able to answer my questions and doubts. In the end, I ended up with two revisions, both of which were terrible. The company is definitely a scam.

For people asking the question – is UKEssays legit, the answer is yes. Though the price rates are a bit high, it was worth each penny. The paper I received was free of plagiarism and formatted properly. I would definitely make use of this writing service again!

At first glance, the site of UK Essays looked very professional and nice. However, we started facing a lot of problems and glitches while browsing through it further. The negative highlight of this site is the exorbitant prices of the services.

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Review: UKEssays

The lack of privacy offered by ukessays, as well as the lack of clarity about their customer support, means that many students will be put off., company trust, customer service.

UKEssays appears to be quite a glossy and professional service, but all in all they’re not really up to the high standards other writing services aspire to. Some of their examples were great, but others were sorely lacking. Also, the lack of privacy offered by them, as well as the lack of clarity about their customer support, means that many students will be put off. We recommend looking elsewhere for your essay needs .

Top Essay Services in UK

Ukessays.com review.

UKEssays are a well established academic writing company, who are based in Nottinghamshire, UK. They pride themselves on their good service and their availability, offering students the opportunity to visit them in person. So, can they live up to their own promises, or are they not up to the task of writing you that top grading essay?

UK Essays have just fewer than 100 writers on their permanent staff. Of those, 35 of those are based in UK itself. 45 writers have Masters Degrees in their subjects, and 15 have PhDs. This seems like a good amount of writers, but during busy times in the academic year it will be difficult to get work from them in a timely manner, especially if you’re looking for a PhD writer. Rating: 4/5

The company has an official name and offices, so on the surface they do seem to be trustworthy. However, there are no guarantees of privacy with them. When you’re looking for someone to discreetly write your assignment, it’s a worry that there may be a trail back to their company. Rating: 5/5

There are plenty of sample essays and assignments available on the UK Essays website, so if you’re thinking of using them you can check out their technique first. On reading through some of the examples available, it’s clear to see that the quality is somewhat hit and miss. Some we saw were very good, but some really would not get you a passing grade in your subject. If you’re thinking of using this service, that’s something you will need to consider. Rating: 4/5

When it comes to pricing, it’s hard to tell students how much they’ll be paying, as everyone’s needs will be slightly different. Here is an example, though, that will give you a good idea. A 2:1 grading, 2-page essay, delivered in 10 days comes out at £172. There are currently no discounts available. If you want an Elite service(upgrade to top 5 researchers), it will be an additional 25% extra cost. This is quite a steep price for an essay, so students will have to think very carefully before hiring. Rating: 3/5

The work UKEssays.com puts out is great if you’re in the UK, as native English speakers, you know their grammar will be of a good level. They also promise that work created for you will never be reused or sold to anyone else, but there’s no real way to confirm that. There’s no real information on their pre and post sales services, which is a worry for those who want to communicate with their writers as they’re writing. Rating: 4/5

Overall rating: 20/25

7 thoughts on “ review: ukessays ”.

very good work from them

which company did you use in UK?? can you assist.

I received the essay with plagiarised bits in it when discussed this issue with the team members they agreed that the highlighted bits by me were actually plagiarised. However, refused to reassign the order to another writer. How could I be sure that other bits of the essay were not plagiarised as well??? nonsense

this is the worst site to use because they gave me someone’s else work in my uni and they didn’t allow the writer to contact me back. don’t risk your education with this site

I wasn’t happy with the level of service on offer.

Essay didn’t quite answer the question I was given.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews of UKEssays online, but this one can be the most honest. Keep reviewing!

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UKEssays Review 2024

Expert review by John Milovich Updated: March 13, 2024

WE RECOMMEND UKEssays TO OUR READERS

UKEssays is rated 4/5 by ScamFighter users and is #8 on our TOP Writing Services

Table of contents

Executive summary.

Without doubts, the leading academic writing service UKEssays is considered as the most famous in the world. This is not just writing essay website; it is a huge corporation! Their parts are Law Teacher (custom writing service), Viper (plagiarism checker), and Academic Knowledge (freelance writing platform). Excellent quality, on-time delivery and grade guarantee. The only minus that I found is their prices. Fairly said, the most expensive writing website you may ever find.

Ukessays.com: Service Review

Barclay Littlewood founded the company in 2003. He has his own page on Wikipedia, and you can check it here ( link ). They won a few much-publicized cases and obtained the reputation of a reliable company.

Virtually, they close their eyes to the usage of their paper, but when I asked one their support team if I can use the paper and they told me that I am not allowed to. The prices are really high! No free essays online UKEssays company can offer to you.

131$ per page is the lowest quote! They do guarantee grades, but in case of a bad grade, you have to provide a grade report that should be valid to their Manager. Finally, I can say that my UKEssays review is fairly good one.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• The paper quality is pretty good
• A 60-day deadline is available
• On-time delivery
• An excellent aftercare service
• British English only
• Extremely high prices
• Tricky revision policy
• Support agents are not always available

Ukessays: Testimonials

They have an excellent reputation. UKEssays is considered to be the only one legit academic writing service in the world. Some people complain about their money-back guarantee when it comes to a bad grade, but they are the minority.

Overall, the UKEssays reviews are great. Although their reputation as writing service is clean, I found their search engine optimization fraudulent. In my summary, I mentioned Viper plagiarism checker or scanmyessay.com that is very popular as well as Turnitin and SafeAssign, and the friend of mine complained about it. She says that all papers submitted for plagiarism check they use as samples for their services.

Certainly, they do not publish it immediately but after a few months. So she found her draft in their Sample section and asked to remove it.

She sent the original paper, and to avoid any legal actions against the company they removed the paper.

Now you will think twice before checking your papers in their system. Thus, the ukessays review comes to be mediocre. To see the reviews on their website, you can check this link .

Ukessays Review: Assurances

The company has sophisticated system or terms, so you have to be a lawyer to understand them all. They have Fair Use Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Privacy Policy . According to them, you cannot submit your paper as your own, but they will never search for it. Also, grade guarantee works well, so they really work on your paper to get the highest grade possible.

Important! `Where the Customer detects plagiarism in the Work, the Principal will pay the Customer the sum of 5,000`. It works even for small papers, so I wish my paper was plagiarized, but it was not.

Scope of Services

Truly the widest list of the papers available I have ever seen:

• Academic Writing
• Cover letter
• Critical analysis
• Literature review
• Annotated Bibliography
• Editing/Proofreading
• All paper types
• Other Services
• Essay Presentation
• PowerPoint slides

Purchase Procedure

The ordering process starts from https://ukessays.com/order/ where you have to fill all the fields. Here is what you need to do.

• Enter your name, username, and password.
• Pick the type of country of assignment.
• Specify the paper type, the subject area, overall length, and grade required.
• Set the delivery time.
• Add some extra requirements.
• Pay for your assignment.

As you can see, the last step will be the payment, and after it's done, you will get a confirmation that the orders were placed. You can always ask support agents to help you in this matter; they are very supportive.

Ukessays.com Review: Cost Structure

All prices are crazy here. I wish I were a son of some king to complete Oxford University using this service. There is no place for free essays UKEssays can grant you. The minimum quote I found is $114 for 1 page for the worst paper they could deliver. Here are the prices you should rely on.

They do have discount codes for the first-timers, but it will not help you much. More UKEssays discounts you can find at scamfighter.net/top-writing-services by clicking the discount icon. Once I asked them about the UKEssays discount code from their manager, you can see what he replied.

Quality of Work

Their papers are pretty good; fine quality of the writing. There can be some misunderstandings, but usually, it is one shot without revisions. I was chuffed to bits with the paper. The UKEssays APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard papers are good! I ordered a 7-page research paper on Marketing and asked the writer to focus on digital methods for promoting products and services.

In addition, I have uploaded a detailed list with all the requirements. Overall, I liked the final result. The writer made a few minor mistakes and a slightly blurry introduction.

Reflecting on the overall experience, I must acknowledge that the quality of the paper received from UK Essays was satisfactory. The content was well-written, clearly understood the topic, and was delivered promptly. These aspects indeed affirm their capability to deliver high-standard academic work.

However, there's a significant drawback concerning the cost of their services. The pricing is steep, and this could pose a challenge for many students. Paying hundreds of dollars for a simple essay is beyond what many are willing or able to afford. It would benefit current and potential clients if UK Essays would consider offering more competitive or value-based pricing. Doing so could potentially broaden their customer base and increase overall client satisfaction.

In this UK Essays review, it's clear that the quality of the paper received was not disappointing. The final result met the expectations, and the content was well-structured and high-quality, instilling satisfaction with the outcome. However, this sense of contentment does not fully extend to the overall experience with the service.

Indeed, UK Essays offers a competent service but at a high cost. Many other companies, such as new essays UK service, provide similar services at a substantially lower price. This discrepancy creates a noticeable gap in value for money, which is a significant factor for many students operating under financial constraints. Furthermore, the customer support experience was not entirely satisfactory.

UK Essays Review: Client Assistance

I would say that it is a very friendly service. The only thing is I don't like when my phone calls are being recorded, and a chat was not very helpful as the girl whom I was chatting to sent me tons of smiles with template answers. The customer support function has become a key consideration when selecting the best Essays UK service, as it is essential in addressing issues and providing immediate solutions.

However, an area of concern with UK Essays' customer support seems to be their approach to customer interaction. The agents appear to provide standardized responses, which might be sufficient for common issues but lack the personalized attention many users appreciate. The lack of opportunity for improvisation means that solutions offered often feel pre-formulated, potentially copied from a pre-prepared FAQ list.

It can be quite frustrating for the customer seeking direct and personalized help. Moreover, given the cost of using this service – almost two hundred dollars for a basic essay – customers might naturally expect a more tailored and interactive support experience.

Several UK Essays reviews have also noted this dissatisfaction with the customer support function. These reviews highlight the need for an improved approach that caters to individual client needs more effectively.

Providing better customer support could be crucial for a company like UK Essays, which positions itself as a premier service. While their support may satisfactorily address basic concerns, the seeming lack of personalized interaction may dissatisfy some customers. Thus, improving this aspect could potentially elevate the customer experience and align it with the service's cost.

Promotions and Additional Services

You will not need any extra feature at this level. Just choose the desired grade and go for it. Drafts can be sent if you ask for it. Nevertheless, UKWritings offers a couple of paper extras, including the chance for clients to have their papers written by a top expert. It signifies their dedication to delivering top-quality work. However, it's important to note that this service has an elevated price tag, making it potentially prohibitive for some students. Such a financial barrier might deter many from taking advantage of this particular offer, thereby impacting the overall usability of the service.

Moreover, UKWritings provides other options, like receiving explanatory notes with the ordered paper. This feature can be beneficial for students looking to deepen their understanding of the topic or the approach taken in the essay. Still, again, the price associated with this service is significant, which may limit its appeal and usefulness for a broad audience.

One unique feature that Ukessays.com offers is delivering your paper before the deadline. While this might appear advantageous, it is also a service that demands a higher cost. Thus, the practicality of such an offer becomes debatable, particularly when considering the financial constraints of many students.

UK Essays seems to provide many premium services, presenting itself as a high-end writing solution. However, given the additional costs for these extra services, it does create an impression that these 'extras' might be out of reach for many students. Consequently, the usefulness of these additional offerings may be somewhat diminished.

While these services may enhance the work's quality and enrich the client's understanding, the high costs associated with them might render them partially impractical, thus creating the perception that the company provides potentially less useful paper extras. This situation might lead some to question the real value of such services about the overall cost incurred.

So agents were available and prompt. But their approach lacked the personalized touch, and their responses often seemed automated. An additional area for improvement is the lack of popular paper extras that other companies offer. This absence further diminishes the overall appeal of UK Essays, particularly for clients seeking comprehensive services.

Therefore, based on this UK Writings review, it can be concluded that the service is best suited for customers who are not particularly price-sensitive and do not require a broad range of extras. Suppose you're seeking a writing service that provides high-quality work, and you're not deterred by a higher cost or the lack of personalized customer support and additional services. In that case, UK Essays may well be a suitable choice.

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• Writing Tips

A Student’s Guide to Finding Quality Sources for Essays

• 9-minute read
• 1st August 2023

So, you’ve been assigned your first college essay. You need to write at least a thousand words but have one issue: you must include quality sources, which will go in the reference list. Your professor has only told you, “Utilize academic databases and scholarly journals.”

Okay, so how exactly do you find credible sources for your essay ? Well, we’ll guide you through that in today’s post. We’ll explore finding quality sources and why you need them. By the time you finish reading, you’ll be ready to find sources for your essay.

Why Do I Need Sources?

You likely learned the importance of sources in high school. You need them to show that you are well-read on your chosen topic. You can’t ignore the importance of conducting academic research , as it will be part of your daily college grind.

Submitting an essay without sources would be like serving a hamburger with just the bun and beef patty. Think of sources as toppings on a burger. An essay lacking sources will undermine your credibility, leaving your professor wondering, “How do you know that?”

You also need to include citations to support your claims, which come from the sources you choose.

Finding Sources

Finding sources will depend on whether you want primary or secondary sources . Primary sources provide first-hand facts about your topic. For example, if your topic is related to literature, you would seek novels or poems as your primary sources. Secondary sources contain information from primary sources, such as journal articles.

Whether they’re primary or secondary sources, here are our suggestions for finding them.

1.   Consult the Textbook

Your course textbook is a great starting point, as it will likely contain valuable and relevant information about your topic. Many students believe the textbook won’t be accepted as a source for an essay, but this is false. Your professor will welcome citations from the textbook.

2.   Head to Your School’s Library

No, we’re not suggesting heading to the library’s on-site Starbucks, hoping for source-searching inspiration as you sip that frothy latte! Your school’s library contains numerous print sources, such as books, magazines, and newspapers. College libraries also subscribe to databases containing journal articles.

Journal articles are highly valued in academic research; every professor will expect at least a few of them in a reference list. Journal articles, or academic journals, are the most current sources in academia written by renowned scholars in the chosen field of study. Additionally, journal articles contribute to the field, summarize the current situation of it, and add new insight to the theory. They are also credible, as field experts review them before publication.

You don’t have to leave your dorm and head to the library. You can access various sources from your school’s library database online. Here’s an example of a student accessing the University of South Florida’s library database from their favorite coffee shop.

Navigating your library’s database can seem daunting; however, the library staff will be more than happy to help you, so don’t be afraid to seek help.

Finally, your institution’s library uses an inter-library loan system, allowing students to request out-of-stock print or online sources. If the library doesn’t have a specific item you need, there’s a good chance they can get it from another library.

3.   Research Databases

You can use online research databases to find journal articles, other scholarly sources, and specific books. Research databases, which feature various search functions, can help you find the most current and relevant sources.

These research databases are available through your school library, giving you access to popular subject-specific databases such as JSTOR, Project Muse, and PubMed. You can download and save relevant articles from such databases; however, you must be logged into your student account to access and download full-version articles.

Knowing the essay’s scope and relevant keywords is essential for an optimal experience with databases. Once you become familiar with databases, they’ll be your best friends when conducting academic research.

4. Google Scholar

If Google is your preferred poison, we suggest using Google Scholar . It’s Google’s academic search engine, which works like an ordinary Google search except that it finds relevant academic print and online sources. Take this example of a student using Google Scholar to search for sources related to cyberbullying in schools.

Google Scholar presents various journal articles for the student. You can refine your search to find articles that have been published within the last year. One distinguishing Google Scholar feature is its Cited by function that shows the number of times a source has been cited. This function can inform you about a source’s credibility and importance to your topic.

5.   Boolean Operators

We suggest using Boolean operators if your essay topic contains multiple search terms. Boolean operators expand or narrow your search parameters when using research databases. They use AND , OR , and NOT to include or exclude keywords from your search, allowing students to connect various keywords to optimize their search results. Boolean operators can be tricky if you aren’t familiar with using AND, OR, and NOT in search parameters.

Let’s say you’re searching for an article on cyberbullying written by an author named Bales in 2003. You can use AND to find the title of the article using keywords.

This will tell the database that all three terms must be present in the search result.

You can use OR to connect two or more similar concepts and broaden your search. This means any search terms you input can appear in the search results.

You can use NOT to exclude words or terms from your search by typing the excluded word after OR.

The search result will include soccer and omit football . This can be very useful in this example, as football is the UK word for soccer. It also means American football in US English. Because the student only wants to find soccer results, excluding football will avoid pulling up results related to American football.

Boolean operators are helpful if you clearly understand the scope of the assignment and know relevant keywords.

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6.   Additional Online Sources

Searching for general online sources is another way to go. You can find potential sources from websites and blogs. We suggest consulting popular news websites such as BBC News and the New York Times, as they often have current and relevant articles related to the topic.

We encourage you to err on the side of caution when using non-academic online sources. You need to ensure that online sources are credible . We recommend looking for sites with trusted domain extensions, such as . edu, .org , and .gov . URLs with .edu endings are educational resources, while .org endings are resources from organizations. Endings with .gov are government-related resources.

It’s also a good idea to look for sources that contain a Digital Object Finder ( DOI ). A DOI is a permanent string attached to online journal articles and books, making it simple to retrieve them. Articles with DOIs indicate that they have been published in peer-reviewed articles.

How Many Sources Should I Have?

The essay rubric will probably specify the number of sources required. However, this is not always the case, so you need to use some judgment. The basic rule is to gather sources until you have enough information to support your claims. If you’re writing an essay of 2,000 words, you should have at least six sources. Remember that your professor expects variety. Try this approach:

–    One book (if possible)

–    Two to three journal articles

–    One additional online source (preferably with a trusted domain extension)

Depending on the field of study, you may find that most of your sources come from journal articles.

 Here’s a recap of finding quality sources for your essay:

●  Professors want you to find a variety of sources (print and online)

●  Your school’s library has access to thousands of highly-valued journal articles from its database

●  Have a solid understanding of the topic and relevant keywords when using Boolean operators to narrow your search results

●  Evaluate the credibility of additional online sources

●  Look for websites with trusted domain extensions

●  As a rule, use at least six sources for an essay of 2,000 words

By following our suggestions, you can get your search off to a flying start. We also recommend keeping track of your sources as you conduct your research. This will make it easier to correctly format citations from your sources.

Finally, we urge you to search for sources right after your professor assigns the essay. Waiting until a few days before the essay is due to start searching is a bad idea.

1. What Types of Sources Are Recommended?

We recommend credible websites, books, journal articles, and newspapers.

2. How Do I Know if a Source Is Credible?

 A source is credible if:

●  The author is an expert in the field or is a well-respected publisher (New York Times)

●  It contains citations for sources used

●  The website has a trusted domain extension

●  It has current information on your topic

3. How Can I Get the Most Out of Research Databases?

Brainstorm specific keywords related to your topic. This will help you efficiently use Boolean operators. You should also have a clear understanding of the scope of your essay. Finally, use databases that are related to your topic. For instance, if your topic is literature then JSTOR is a good option.

4. Is Writing the Reference List Difficult?

This will depend on the required referencing style, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago. Remember to list the sources alphabetically in the reference list.

Once you’ve written the list, we recommend proofreading it. Your professor will be checking that your reference list meets the referencing style guidelines. A second pair of eyes always helps, so we recommend asking our proofreading experts to review your list . They can check that your sources are listed alphabetically. Additionally, our proofreaders will check that your list meets referencing style guidelines. Our proofreaders are pros with popular referencing styles such as MLA and APA. Consider submitting a 500-word document for free!

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SCAM DO NOT USE!!

FAILED my dissertation and then refused to make amendments as it was over the 7 day period. This is a scam and I would not recommend to anyone - payed over £1000 to fail! DO NOT USE

Date of experience : October 19, 2023

I received superficial poster

I received superficial poster, with a figure has no sense and it is not relevent and not accurate, half of the poster of variables that is not neccessary to mention I wasted money and time, you pay high to get high quality, but no value for what you paid My order is Master level with distinction, any bachelor student can do much better Tip for consumers: do your assignment by your self and do not waste your money or go to cheaper agancies, no difference at all Products used: I requested poster with Master with distinction standard, but it is superficial and the figure I received in not relevant at all and not related to my study and there is requested other figure not provided

Date of experience : November 25, 2021

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Who are UK Essays?

As innovators in the field, we consistently develop our services to ensure that we provide you, our customers, with the best possible help to help you achieve the grade that you deserve.

How We Started

Barclay Littlewood founded the company in 2003. From Day One he instilled an aim to strive for excellence in the company. Barclay created many of the service features and introduced the list of unrivalled guarantees that have placed us firmly at the helm of the essay writing services market.

Our Writers

We use over 500 experts, each thoroughly vetted by our in-house quality team. This means that we can assign the most suitable expert with the right qualifications and experience to write you the best possible essay. All of our experts have obtained at least a 2:1 degree and have displayed a consistent ability to write to a 2:1 or first-class standard.

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The History of UK Essays

July - Barclay Littlewood started a small website offering help to students who were studying undergraduate law. He solely managed the website and also wrote the model essays himself (Barclay is a qualified lawyer).

November - Company was formed Barclay founded a company called Academic Answers Ltd and employed a small team who were tasked with developing the website and to also begin to recruit talented, qualified writers in a broad range of academic subjects - See our company’s registration details.

April - We developed our own unique piece of software We employed a team of programmers to start building our own unique software that works efficiently alongside our in-house team to take in, manage and allocate the orders to the most appropriate writer. This system is constantly being developed and has now become one of our biggest assets.

March - Academic Answers' name is changed to All Answers The company’s name was changed to reflect the future vision we have for the company more accurately. The ‘all’ now encompasses the ability to answer any writing question.

July - Tony became our CEO Tony took over from Barclay as our CEO. His role is to carry on with the aim to deliver excellence. Barclay took on the role of business and personal development consultant.

December - We completed our 10,000th order We reached our 10,000th order! Thank you to all our customers for helping us to reach this amazing goal. Onwards and upwards to 20,000 orders!

March - We moved to larger offices in Arnold Nottingham. With the fast growth of our company we needed to move to a bigger office. With the extra space we have now opened our doors to welcome students to come and visit us. We would love to meet you and you can make an appointment to visit us here .

May - We introduced new marking and proofreading services This new service that allows students to have their essays, dissertations and assignments marked and critiqued by a university professor. This service has grown into an invaluable tool for students to find any errors or weak areas in their work before it’s handed in. Find out more about this service.

May - We were featured on BBC Radio Mark Dennison from BBC Radio Nottingham interviewed our quality manager about the ethics of using an essay writing service.

July - We introduced multiple currencies on our order form We can now take payment in UK pounds, US and Australian dollars and Euros. We also take orders that will be written for each country's specific educational system.

November - PowerPoint, report and reflective practice writing services added.

February - A one tier marking service which took our 3 different product levels and combined them into one.

October - We reached our 85,000th order! Thank you to all our customers for helping us to reach this amazing goal. Onwards and upwards to 100,000 orders!

April - Exam revision service which offers students help with revision was added to our services. Find out more about our exam revision service here .

November - We were featured in a BBC programme discussing essay writing services. Throughout the programme it was confirmed we delivered on all our guarantees.

June - We launched a world first: a free marking service, allowing all students to get a free mark on their essay. This service was available until December 2016.

February - We hit a big milestone: 125,000 orders! To all the students we’ve helped over the years – thank you for choosing UK Essays.

October - Our new order form launches: We launched a brand new, revamped order form, with a form personalised to each product, making it even easier for customers to send through all the information we need to do a fantastic job.

April - The new EU regulation - GDPR - came into force , so we improved our security and privacy options .

July - We began our partnership with Reviews.co.uk , who gather fully verified reviews for all our customers to see!

August - We overhauled our Dissertation Title service , with two options available.

September - A huge update to our order form was released , bringing loads of great new features to make using it even easier.

November – We launched a new product for students looking for help creating a Poster .

February - International Baccalaureate grades are now available to select on our order form .

March – Our new ‘ Refer a Friend ’ program launched!

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 Credible Academic Sources

Credible sources are generally texts that can be trusted and authoritative. These would be texts with support in terms of reliable evidence (facts, data, statistics) and often referring to previous work by academic authors. The most common credible sources are scholarly journals, conference papers and books.

What types of sources should I use for writing academic essays?

Credible sources are generally texts that can be trusted and authoritative. These would be texts with support in terms of reliable evidence (facts, data, statistics) and often referring to previous work by academic authors. The most common credible sources are scholarly journals, conference papers and books because these have been peer-reviewed (read and approved for publication by other authors). However, there are good websites that can be used; generally ending in .gov / .edu / .ac.

Primary and Secondary Sources

Two types of sources:  Primary and Secondary . A primary source is the main source of evidence. This can be raw data, records and key facts. A secondary source draws on the primary data and analyses it.

Key questions to ask when evaluating source material

Is there an author? Date?

Is there evidence? Where is it from? Sourced?

Is there a reference list? And in-text referencing?

Generally, there shouldn’t be glossy pictures or advertising.

It should be written in an academic formal style and quite difficult to read.

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• Best Essay Writing Services UK 2023
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Ukessays.com review (updated).

*Update 2022 : Since our last visit to the website, they’ve changed pretty much everything about the design. They’ve reordered some of the website content, though they haven’t changed much in the information they provide. The services list is the same and so are the prices.

This came as a disappointment because there are some other companies like EssayGeeks that have even better quality and reputation and offer rates that are way below what UKEssay charges. Unless they reduce their prices or add hefty discounts like AssignmentMasters , they won’t attract many students to order.

FAQ about UKEssays.com

• Is UK Essays reliable?

UK Essays is a relatively reliable service. They seem to handle tasks well and don’t delay paper deliveries. However, since it’s one of the highest-priced companies we’ve found, not many students choose to use it.

• Is UKEssays.com a good site?

The website is good, and so is their marketing strategy. You can find them everywhere which means that they clearly invested a lot in branding. Even so, the company might be good for the eye and have decent writers, but they haven’t stopped to consider the budget of their target audience.

• Is UKEssays trustworthy?

We would say yes. Not many use it and the experiences are mixed, but the quality is over the average. You can, however, find other companies with similar or better quality at a much better quote, so we wouldn’t really recommend them.

Detailed Review

One of the reasons why UKEssays charges so much is their popularity, press coverage, and guarantees. If you don’t mind spending more than you would elsewhere, this site has all the bells and whistles. When we review sites, we look at privacy protection, quality, affordability, and support, and this site mostly delivers.

The site is easy to navigate, but there are a lot of separate pages that we had to go through to find what we were looking for. The policies and guidelines are clearly stated but are very long and take some time to read. If you’re willing to get into it, you’ll find answers to anything and everything you need to know.

The paper we got from UKEssays was pretty good. For the price, we expected only the best and this was mostly what we got. There was a great support that was available to answer questions or deal with concerns following the order of the assignment. The site covers a diverse range of topics and students can likely be matched with a professional writer for just about any subject or topic.

From the last time we shared a UK Essays review, we see an upgraded pricing system. The price page is gone, and now you can only see the quotes in the order form. Few types of services are added, too.

From basic essays to more advanced work, UKEssays has a wide range of services to meet the needs of just about any student. All writers who work for the site are professionals and hold degrees. These are the services offered at UK Essays:

• Reflective Essay
• Essay by subject area (all niches covered)
• Dissertation Writing
• Dissertation Proposal
• Topics with Titles
• Literature Review
• Report Writing
• Reflective Practice
• Marking and Proofreading
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Exam Revision
• Academic poster

UKEssays.com also offers free exam revision guides and study guides to help students get the right paper or assignment for their classes. This additional assistance is great for students at all academic levels.

We ordered an essay on a Family Law subject, with the longest deadline and Undergraduate 1 st as our preferred quality level. The order form is a bit messy since it requires too many details. For example, they ask if you want to upgrade to Elite service for 25% extra cost. The price was already too high (£219 for three pages), so we ignored that offer.

The writer completed the paper on time. Yes; it was good. There was nothing to revise in it, and it was ready to submit. The price, however, is still too high when compared to the best assignment writing services UK . 

UK Essays lacks a price calculator or a chart, so it makes it harder for a student to figure out how much the paper will cost. But that’s nothing serious since you can see the price as soon as you access the order form. Once you choose your country, subject area, and subject, you’ll get to the grade required and deadline

There are all kinds of choices for grade required: Undergraduate 2:1, A-Level A*, Masters Pass, Masters Distinction, Ph.D., GDL Pass, and many others. Choose the one you need and you’ll get the price per page.

As an example, the prices for an essay from General Law start at £30 per page. That’s for the longest deadline. But if you want the paper in 4 office hours and you choose a Ph.D. level, the price is £835 per page.

At the highest level, prices can easily soar to more than £3,000 and upwards of £50,000 for longer papers with a short deadline.

The prices quoted are higher than other sites and there isn’t a way to save as a loyal customer, a repeat customer or someone who orders more than one assignment at a time.

However, you can get UKEssay codes that you can enter at the checkout to get a discount. The offer is continuously updated. For example, you may get a code for 15% off Master’s Dissertations or Exam Revisions orders. You can also get free bibliography and references. Make sure to check the Offers section before proceeding with your order.

Helpful Extras

In addition to the free resources available to customers, the site also offers 100% plagiarism protection, free examples on the site and a money-back guarantee if the grade chosen is not achieved.

The highlight of all UK Essays reviews is that the service is expensive. However, we shouldn’t forget that the UKEssays writers offer free resources, too. For example, you can access an entire course for free on the website. There are courses and free study modules in law, accounting and finances, nursing, business, and more. That’s the real highlight for the update of our UK Essays review.

The high prices on this site underwrite top-notch promises that are usually met by the company. That includes free revisions, editing, on-time delivery and much more. You get what you pay for rings true when you choose UKEssays to work for you. If you can afford the high prices, you’ll probably be happy with the results.

We were relatively happy with the quality of the paper we ordered for the purposes of this UKEssays review, but not that happy with the cost-effectiveness. It’s still too expensive.

UkEssays is not the service you can rely on. I got an essay from them that looked like a low-quality re-write.

Terrible company, with very high prices! Their essays are not creative, thought there are no errors in the papers. There are so many other fantastic services that are cheaper.

UkEssays sucks. I ordered a narrative essay from them two weeks ago. They were late with the paper, and after I checked, it was not on my topic. I asked for the change, but no reply so far.

I think this website is significantly more expensive than others offering the same services. One thing I noticed was that some part of the work they provided was unrelated to the topic. I’m somewhat disappointed by it.

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More than half of UK undergraduates say they use AI to help with essays

Teachers also using the generative technology to aid with lesson planning, with hopes it could ease the burden of their workload

More than half of undergraduates say they consult artificial intelligence programmes to help with their essays, while schools are trialling its use in the classroom.

A survey of more than 1,000 UK undergraduates, conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), found 53% were using AI to generate material for work they would be marked on. One in four are using applications such as Google Bard or ChatGPT to suggest topics and one in eight are using them to create content.

Just 5% admitted to copying and pasting unedited AI-generated text into their assessments.

Teachers are also seeking to use AI to streamline their work, with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) signing up secondary schools for a new research project into the use of AI to generate lesson plans and teaching materials as well as exams and model answers.

Dr Andres Guadamuz, a reader in intellectual property law at the University of Sussex, said it was no surprise that more students were adopting AI and suggested institutions needed to be explicit in discussing how best to use it as a study tool.

“I’ve implemented a policy of having mature conversations with students about generative AI. They share with me how they utilise it,” Guadamuz said.

“My primary concern is the significant number of students who are unaware of the potential for ‘hallucinations’ and inaccuracies in AI. I believe it is our responsibility as educators to address this issue directly.”

The Hepi survey found that one in three students using AI did not know how often it “hallucinates”, ie invents statistics, academic citations or book titles to fill in what it perceives to be gaps.

Guadamuz said he had essays handed in last year that clearly used unedited ChatGPT output, given away by the “boring” style in which they were written. But as AI usage has spread, the survey found fewer students were willing to use it.

“The world is evolving, and as educators we need to adapt by establishing clear guidelines and policies, as well as designing more challenging assessments. However, this is difficult in a resource-constrained environment where academics are already overburdened and underpaid,” Guadamuz said.

According to the EEF’s proposal, the use of AI might instead help cut the workload burden on teachers, as well as improving the quality of their teaching. Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, has said AI could take on the “heavy lifting” of marking and planning for teachers.

Half of the 58 schools in England taking part in the EEF’s project will be given a toolkit to create assessment materials such as practice questions, exams and model answers, and to tailor lessons to specific groups of children. The AI-generated lesson plans will be assessed by an independent panel of experts.

Prof Becky Francis, the chief executive of the EEF, said: “There’s already huge anticipation around how this technology could transform teachers’ roles, but the research into its actual impact on practice is – currently – limited.

“The findings from this trial will be an important contribution to the evidence base, bringing us closer to understanding how teachers can use AI.”

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Essay Writing Guide

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• 11th February 2021

This guide will explain how to write a great academic essay, focusing on shorter assignments (see our Dissertation Writing Guide for advice on longer academic documents).

Use the list to the left to select an aspect of essay writing to learn about.

Types of Essay

Essays come in many kinds, so the exact requirements will depend on the assignment. Five of the most common types of essay you may be asked to write include:

• Expository essays (i.e. essays in which you explain something). The aim is to test how well you can communicate your understanding of a topic.
• Persuasive essays (i.e. essays in which you try to persuade the reader of something). This involves presenting a thesis and backing it up with arguments.
• Reflective essays (i.e. essays in which you write about your own experiences). Typically, this involves reflecting on and analysing a personal experience.
• Descriptive essays (i.e. essays that describe something). These essays are less about arguing a point and more about creating a detailed picture.
• Narrative essays (i.e. essays that tell a story). Narrative essays are usually personal or anecdotal, drawing on the conventions of storytelling.

These essay types overlap in various ways: most essays, for instance, will contain a degree of description, exposition, and persuasion. But each kind of essay has a different focus, requiring a slightly different approach. In this document, we’re focusing on expository and persuasive essays , which typically share a similar style and structure. But we will also look briefly at how to write descriptive, narrative, and reflective essays later in the guide.

Researching an Essay

The first step in writing an essay is doing your research. This may include several steps.

Creating a Research Plan

Make a plan as soon as you receive an assignment or essay topic. To do this, break the research down into steps and set aside time for each task you need to complete. You’ll then know exactly how much work you need to do and how long you will need to do it.

When creating this plan, try to include time for editing after you have a first draft. For more on the importance of redrafting, see the final section of this guide.

Selecting Sources

Part of efficient research is selecting the best sources for your project, as reading every single book or article on a subject would take far too long. This may involve:

• Using your course reading list as a starting point for finding relevant sources. Asking your tutors or lecturers for recommendations is another good idea.
• Checking the reference lists in good sources for similar titles.
• Developing a strong search strategy to find sources online or in databases. This means testing keywords and using filters to narrow searches.

If you are doing research online, make sure you’re using reliable academic sources, too. For instance, a reputable journal or a university website should be trustworthy. But a blog post with no cited sources or author information will not be suitable for academic writing. Likewise, Wikipedia is not an academic source, though you can check the citations to find sources.

Taking and Organising Notes

Writing your essay will be much simpler if you have good notes to work from. So when you’re in a lecture or reading a book relevant to your essay topic, make sure to:

• Take notes that are neat enough to understand when you read them.
• Note all publication details for any source you might use in your essay.
• Organise notes so you can find them when needed (e.g. adding page numbers and the date to lecture notes, or using coloured labels to sort paper notes visually).
• Highlight important information so that you can find it later.

Other tips for efficient note taking include:

• Use abbreviations or shorthand to aid note taking (especially in lectures).
• Summarise key passages and ideas rather than writing them down verbatim. This will make note taking quicker, as well as helping you absorb the information.
• Focus on the parts of sources most relevant to your essay.
• Record page numbers and source information for anything you make notes about.
• Use an audio recording device to record lectures.

This should leave you with detailed, easy-to-use notes when you come to write your essay.

Planning and Writing an Essay

The structure of an essay.

First of all, we’ll look at how most short essays are structured:

• Title – If you haven’t been given a title to use, try to come up with one that reflects the topic of the essay and the argument you are going to put forward.
• Introduction – The introduction should set out the essay topic, the reason for writing it (i.e. the purpose or rationale), and an outline of what you will argue.
• Main Body – This is the main part of any essay, where you put forward each point, supported by examples, quotations, data, and/or arguments. Each paragraph should cover a single point, but they should also follow logically from one another and work together to support your overall argument. How much you write here will depend on the kind of essay you’re writing. For shorter essays, it might be a few paragraphs. For longer pieces, you might need to break it up into subsections.
• Conclusion – This section should bring together the ideas discussed in the main body of your essay. This may involve summarising your arguments, but you should also explain how these points work together to support your conclusion. You should not, however, introduce new information at this point.
• References – This is a list of the sources used to produce your essay. Always check which referencing style your university uses and follow the style guide carefully.

Next, we’ll look in more detail at how to plan and write a great essay.

Planning Your Essay

Before you begin writing, you should plan your essay to help ensure you stay on topic and within the word limit. Planning an essay should involve the following.

Studying the Essay Question

Always read the essay question or task description carefully. It should provide some clue as to the kind of essay required, such as whether it is an open or closed question:

• An open question permits a variety of approaches. For instance, if you were set the question What are the main social themes in the writing of Charles Dickens? , you could discuss a range of concepts (from technology to religion) in response. Planning your essay would therefore require narrowing down your subject matter.
• A closed question focuses on a specific issue, often asking you to agree or disagree with something. For instance, a closed question could be Is technology a destructive force in the writing of Charles Dickens? In this case, the question dictates the form of the essay, as you would need to look at arguments for and against the idea in the question and, finally, come to a conclusion about it.

If you rush to writing, on the other hand, you could find yourself answering the question you thought you were asked rather than the question you have been asked to write about.

Brainstorming Ideas

Once you have a strong sense of the question you need to answer, it’s time to brainstorm. This is where you can weigh up different approaches to the essay based on:

• What you have learned from lectures, set reading, etc.
• Any preliminary research you have done on the topic.

Setting this down on the page – or in a mind map – should help you develop your essay. Try to include anything that might be relevant to the essay topic at first, then focus in on the ideas that let you answer the question most effectively.

After doing this, you should have a clear idea of what you will say in your essay.

Drafting an Essay Outline

Once you’ve finished brainstorming, try to outline the structure and content of your essay:

• Introduction – Start by expressing your main argument in a single sentence. You can use this as the basis of your introduction.
• Main Body – Break down your argument into paragraphs or sections. Note down how each point supports your argument, plus any quotes or examples you will use.
• Conclusion – Briefly summarise your arguments and evidence.
• References – Create a list of sources you plan to use in your essay.

This will then guide the essay writing process, helping you to stay focused.

Writing Your Essay

Writing an introduction.

A good essay introduction should be clear and concise, telling the reader everything they’ll need to know to understand the argument(s) you’re about to make. It should therefore:

• Set out the topic of the essay and the question you will answer.
• Explain why the topic is important (i.e. what it helps us understand).
• Provide a thesis (i.e. a short statement of what you will argue).
• Outline the structure of your paper (i.e. each point you will cover).

Try to avoid clichéd opening lines such as ‘The Oxford English Dictionary defines [ESSAY TOPIC] as…’, as these will rarely add anything useful to your paper.

One good tip is that you don’t have to write the introduction first. In fact, it’s often easier to write the introduction once you have written the rest of the paper.

Constructing an Argument

The exact content of an essay will depend on the topic, but we can offer some advice on constructing an argument in the main body of a paper:

• Address each point of your argument in a separate paragraph.
• Treat each point like a mini-essay, with an introductory topic sentence (i.e. what you will address in the paragraph), a series of sub-points with evidence, and a short concluding sentence. Ideally, someone should be able to get a decent idea of what each paragraph is about by reading just the first and last lines.
• Make sure to explain what each point contributes to your overall argument.
• Use linking words and phrases to make sure your writing flows smoothly and to show how different points are connected. The term ‘However’, for instance, will signal that you’re about to introduce a point or comparison or contrast. The word ‘moreover’, on the other hand, signifies that you’re adding to or building upon the previous point.
• Think about counterarguments to the points you’re making. If you can acknowledge and respond to different points of view, your argument will be stronger.

Think of each point/paragraph in your paper as a building block. They need to be strong and well supported (by evidence, in most cases). They need to fit together well. And you need to put them in a logical order. Do this right, and you should have a strong argument.

Writing a Conclusion

A good essay conclusion should be clear, concise, and to the point. Typically, this means:

• Starting by briefly recapping the essay topic and why it is important.
• Summarising the main points of your argument.
• Drawing a conclusion based on these points (i.e. your thesis).
• Explaining how your arguments support this conclusion.
• Considering the implications of your conclusion (e.g. its significance for how we read the author you’re writing about or real-life applications of your study results).

However, make sure not to introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion. If you need these to support your point, they should be included in the main body of the essay.

One tip here is to think of the introduction and conclusion as ‘bookends’ for your essay, since both will set out the essay topic, your main argument, and its significance.

Referencing and Quoting Sources

In any academic document, you will need to cite sources. The details for this will depend on the referencing style or system  you’re using, so remember to check your style guide . However, we will offer some general tips on referencing and quoting sources in an essay.

Why Cite Sources?

Referencing involves identifying the sources you’ve used in your research, usually with some kind of in-text citations and full publication information for all sources in a reference list.

There are several reasons to take referencing seriously in an essay:

• It shows that you’ve done research and found relevant information.
• It is good practice to credit other thinkers for their ideas.
• Failing to cite sources will be treated as plagiarism (i.e. using someone else’s words or ideas without crediting them).

This last point is the most important as plagiarism is considered academic fraud. And if you’re found to have plagiarised someone else’s work in an essay, you will lose marks. In extreme cases, you may even be kicked off the course you are studying.

You will need to cite a source whenever you:

• Quote or paraphrase another person’s words.
• Refer to facts or figures that aren’t common public knowledge.
• Refer to an idea or theory you found published somewhere.
• Use an image or illustration that you did not create yourself.

This should protect you from unfair accusations of plagiarism.

In-Text Citations

In-text citations come in three main types, each used by different referencing systems:

• Parenthetical Citations – This involves giving citations in brackets in the main body of your essay. Often, this will be the author’s surname, the year of publication, and page numbers (e.g. Harvard, APA). However, some systems differ, such as MLA, which only gives the author’s surname and page number(s).
• Number–Footnote Citations – Some referencing systems indicate citations with a number in the text, then give source information in footnotes (e.g. Oxford, MHRA).
• Number–Endnote Citations – Similar to the above, number–endnote systems use numbered citations in the main text (e.g. Vancouver, IEEE). However, in this case the numbers point to an entry in a reference list at the end of the document.

And while these citation styles differ, there are some tips that apply in all cases:

• Always check your university’s style guide to find their preferred citation style.
• Make sure every source used in the main text is cited.
• Make sure that all cited sources are included in a reference list.
• Apply a consistent citation style throughout each essay.

As above, this will help ensure you don’t accidentally commit plagiarism in your writing.

Quoting Sources

Quoting sources is a great way of supporting your arguments in an essay. However, if you are going to quote a source in your writing, you need to do it right.

The first step is knowing when to quote a source. Generally, this is most useful when:

• Your point depends on the exact wording (e.g. if you are discussing why an author used a specific term in their work).
• The original text is especially well expressed and rephrasing it would detract from this.

If you do quote a source, make sure to place the borrowed text in ‘quotation marks’. This shows the reader that you have taken it from somewhere else. The accompanying citation should then identify the source and the page(s) where the quote can be found.

In many cases, it is better to paraphrase a source than quote it. This means rewriting the passage in your own words, which shows that you have understood it. However, remember that you still need to cite sources when paraphrasing something.

Reference Lists and Bibliographies

Every academic document that cites sources should include a reference list or bibliography. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but the general difference is:

• A reference list is a list of every source cited in your essay.
• A bibliography should include any source you used while researching your essay (even the ones that you did not cite directly in your work).

As with citations, this may depend on the system you’re using, and different referencing systems will have different rules for creating a reference list. In all cases, though:

• Make sure to check your university’s style guide for advice on whether to create a reference list or a bibliography (and what to include in it).
• Check that you know the reference formats for every source type you have used (e.g. a print book will have a different format to an online journal article).
• Make sure all references are clear and consistent.

One helpful tip for drawing up your reference list/bibliography is to keep a running list of sources as you work. In other words, whenever you find something useful during research, note down the publication details. You will then have all the information required if you need to reference it later (plus, you’ll be able to find the same source quickly if you need it).

Reference Management Software

Finally, you may want to look at using reference management software when writing an essay. This refers to programs that store and organise your references, such as:

• EndNote – EndNote works with all major referencing systems, source types and word processors. The full version is paid, but there is a limited free version.
• Mendeley – This is a free tool for managing and citing PDF documents. It is therefore most useful when the majority of your sources are in this format.
• Zotero – This package has an internet browser plugin that can automatically import source information from websites and add citations to your work.
• RefWorks – This web-based system provides a simple way of collating sources that can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.

These are most useful for longer academic documents, such as theses and dissertations, but you can also use them when writing an essay to make referencing simpler.

Whether you use reference management software or not, though, you should always double check citations and the reference list before submitting your work. That way, you can be sure that the referencing in your essay is clear, consistent and error free.

Additional Resources

For more information on referencing in different systems, see our blog posts on:

Other Essay Types

Most of the tips above will apply to any essay type. However, it is worth looking at some less conventional essay types to see how they differ and how you should approach them.

Reflective Essays

In a reflective essay, you write about your own experiences, a bit like an academic diary entry! Typically, the emphasis of a reflective essay is less on arguing a point and more on thinking about how an experience relates to what you’ve learned in class.

For example, a student nurse might write a reflective essay on a work placement. They would then use this to highlight what happened and what they learned from the experience.

Descriptive Essays

A descriptive essay, as the name suggests, focuses on describing something in great detail. This could be a person, place, object or experience. Rather than building an argument, think about this as painting a picture with vivid, descriptive language. This will include sensory descriptions (e.g. how something looked or sounded). You may also be asked to describe the thoughts or feelings something has inspired, which is similar to a reflective essay.

While the focus here is description, descriptive essays should aim to make a point. In other words, you should describe the subject matter in a way that draws attention to something about it (e.g. something that people may otherwise overlook or take for granted).

Narrative Essays

Narrative essays are formatted like a story. They will typically be written in the first person (i.e. from your point of view as the writer) and be personal or anecdotal. Like a story, a narrative essay should have a ‘plot’, where the action unfolds and eventually reaches a climax. You may also want to include spoken dialogue if you interact with other ‘characters’.

Like descriptive essays, a narrative essay should make a point. Thus, before you begin writing, think about why you’re telling the story.

Word Count Advice

Most essays come with a suggested word count. Ideally, you will get as close to this as you can (within 10% either way is usually acceptable). Exceeding or being significantly below the word limit may lose you marks, so make sure you know what to aim for.

If you are struggling to stay within the word limit on an essay:

• Look for and cut out any repetition in your work.
• Remove redundant pairs (i.e. terms that contain repetition, like ‘each and every’ or ‘final outcome’).
• Edit out unnecessary modifiers and qualifying terms (e.g. you can often cut words like ‘quite’, ‘very’, and ‘really’ without losing anything of substance).
• Replace phrases with a word (e.g. ‘due to the fact that’ = ‘because’).
• Cut down long or unnecessary quotations.
• Use the active voice instead of the passive voice.

If you are struggling to reach the suggested word count, you can:

• Do more research to develop your argument further.
• Add quotes or examples to support your arguments.
• Introduce an alternative point of view for comparison.

The key is that anything you add to increase the word count should also add to your argument. Do not try to pad out your writing by simply adding extra words and phrases.

Editing and Proofreading an Essay

Before submitting an essay, you will want it to be perfect. This means that you shouldn’t just submit the first draft you write. Instead, you’ll want to go over your work and refine it.

We’ve touched upon this above in our tips on staying within the word count. In this last section, though, we’ll look at editing and proofreading an essay in more detail.

The Drafting Process

Writing a good essay may require multiple drafts. A ‘draft’ is simply a version of the full essay, with the ‘final draft’ being the one you hand in. Typically, the drafting process looks like this:

• First Draft – An initial version based on your essay plan. It doesn’t matter if this isn’t perfect right away, as you’ll have a chance to improve it by redrafting.
• Second Draft – After a break, reread the essay and look for areas you can improve. This may include fixing errors, looking for clearer ways to phrase long or complicated sentences, and making sure each paragraph flows smoothly into the next one.
• Third Draft Onwards – If required, you should then repeat the step above. This is more necessary for longer documents, but it can also help with essays. Each time you redraft your work, you should find yourself making fewer revisions.
• Final Draft – This is the finished essay. However, you’ll still want to do one final check to eliminate any remaining typos. This final check is often known as ‘proofreading’.

The key to a truly great essay is giving yourself enough time to redraft at least once or twice. Keep this in mind when working out your schedule before you begin writing.

Another point to note here is that some online companies offer to redraft your essay for you. However, using an editing service may count as plagiarism if your work is being marked. 

Likewise, you should avoid essay mills that promise to write essays for you. This would also count as plagiarism, which, as mentioned above, could lead to lost marks or even being kicked off your course due. In other words, to stay safe, any work you hand in should be as much your own as possible.

But it is a good idea to seek professional proofreading for essays.

Proofreading Your Essay

Proofreading differs from editing because it focuses on technical errors, such as spelling and grammar mistakes, while preserving the meaning and content of your writing. As such, you can have your work proofread without falling foul of plagiarism rules.

Proofreading your own work can be difficult as it’s easy to miss errors when you’re already familiar with a document. If you do plan to proofread your own essay, though:

• Take some time off before you begin. This will help you spot errors that you might otherwise miss from being too familiar.
• Print it out and proofread on paper instead of on the screen.
• Try reading your essay ‘backwards’ (i.e. starting from the final sentence of the conclusion and working your way back to the introduction).
• If you are reading it on screen, make sure to set the proofing language. In Microsoft Word, you can do this via Review > Language > Set Proofing Language .
• Try reading tricky sections out loud to see if they sound correct.

It is almost always best to have someone else proofread your work, though. If you would like one of Proofed’s academic writing experts to check your essay, why not upload a document today?

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Angela Rayner unnerves the Tories, said Adam Boulton in The i Paper . In an "otherwise austere Labour leadership team", the party's deputy leader stands out for her charisma and remarkable backstory. 

Raised by an illiterate, disabled mother, she left school at 16, with no qualifications, to care for her own baby, and later worked in social care before becoming a trade union official. Rayner is not some "dismal, hair-shirted, middle-class lefty". She's lively, authentic and "unembarrassedly aspirational". 

When the then deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, mocked her in the Commons as a "champagne socialist" for accepting an invitation to Glyndebourne, she retorted that The Marriage of Figaro was "the story of a working-class woman who gets the better of a privileged but dim-witted villain". No wonder Tory critics are so desperate to bring Rayner down over claims that she dodged tax on the sale of her former council house.

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'The claims seem credible'

The claims – which emerged in a new unofficial biography of Rayner by the Tory peer Michael Ashcroft – seem credible, said Dan Hodges in The Mail on Sunday . Rayner was exempted from paying capital gains tax on the £48,500 profit she made from the sale of her Stockport council house in 2015 because – according to the electoral roll – it was her primary residence. Yet the primary residence of her children and husband, whom she married in 2010, was another house a mile away.

Did Rayner really live apart from her family for the first five years of her marriage? Not according to neighbours: they say her brother lived in the sold house. Rayner insists she has private tax advice clearing her of any wrongdoing. Stockport Council and Greater Manchester Police are assessing whether she committed electoral or tax fraud.

'If you dish it, you need to be able to take it'

As such rows go, this is very small beer, said Camilla Long in The Sunday Times . We're talking about perhaps £1,500 of possibly unpaid tax, which is nothing compared with the £5m the former Tory chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, was "careless" to overlook. Given the amount of "snobbery and misogyny" Rayner must have faced over her political career, it's tempting to dismiss the whole story as just a smear campaign.

But if Rayner did indeed screw up over her house sale – and the facts look pretty damning – she should come clean. She is the first to attack political opponents over any sign of impropriety. "If you dish it, you need to be able to take it. You can't just scream 'Tory scum'." That Rayner is still insisting, implausibly, on her complete innocence and deflecting questions with anti-Tory rhetoric suggests she may not be such an asset to Labour after all.

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