How to Write a Research Essay The hardest part of the essay, for me, was taking all the information I had learned and boiling it down into a research essay. just a few pages. After all, quality is better than quantity. I think if I shortened my essay it would be weaker because I wouldn't be able to include everything I researched. This would mean that much of the time I spent there and information I had gathered in my research was going to be lost. As I examined the finished product, I realized that my shortened essay was half the pages what my old one couldn't do in a few hundred: it presented a concise, focused argument. By focusing my essay, I was able to include only the best and most important points of my research, while leaving out the more superfluous points. I learned that a research writer is like a funnel; he or she must integrate a wide range of information at the beginning and transform it into a precise argument at the end. An essay is more than just a collection of facts from your research, it is an opportunity for you to express your own opinion. An essay containing only facts is informative, but not very interesting and becomes boring. This tends to lose your audience. A strong essay is one that uses facts to support an argument based on the author's analysis of the topic. Although this is easier said than done, always keep the essay question in mind when researching. Ask yourself, “What do I need to know to answer the question?” Have a system for how you are going to answer this question. Find plenty of information to support your argument. Throughout your research, you will surely find challenges.