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Why it’s trustworthy: Harvard’s writing center is a widely respected academic resource with no commercial motive. Their “Strategies for Essay Writing” guide covers reading prompts, thesis statements, introductions, body paragraphs, conclusions, etc.
How to use it: “go-to foundational guide” for students writing any kind of essay (scholarship, personal statement, supplemental). Browse the sections (“What does the prompt ask?”, “Thesis”, “Paragraphs”) and apply the tips to the student's draft.
Why it’s trustworthy: Grammarly is known for grammar/spelling support but also offers excellent essay structure, introductions, topic sentence and thesis‐statement guidance for free online.
How to use it: “polish and structure” step in the student’s workflow. After drafting, students can visit the site and check their intro, body paragraphs, topic sentences, conclusion, and ensure their flow works.
Why it’s trustworthy: Though it’s a commercial business offering proofreading/editing, this guide is openly published and covers key essay types (expository, persuasive, narrative, etc.), research planning, selecting sources, etc.
How to use it: This resource works well for students writing scholarship essays where they must persuade, reflect, or argue.
Why it’s trustworthy: A practical, actionable article by a professional writer (Joe Bunting) about how to improve essay writing, including “find your story,” “write something you think is interesting,” etc
How to use it: If you are stuck, unmotivated, or facing “writer’s block,” use this! It’s more motivational and helps shift the mindset from “I have to write this” to “I can tell something meaningful.”
Why it’s trustworthy: This guide focuses on how to locate, evaluate, and organize good sources for essays (peer-reviewed journals, databases, CRAAP test: Currency/Relevance/Authority/Accuracy/Purpose).
How to use it: Especially relevant for scholarship essays that require research or references.
Why it’s trustworthy: Developed by Dr. Helen Sword, a respected academic writing expert from the University of Auckland, this free online diagnostic tool analyzes writing samples for “fitness”, measuring things like sentence length, verb usage, nouns, prepositions, and “waste words.”
How to use it: Students can paste a paragraph from their essay into the tool to get an instant readability score. It highlights areas where their writing may be too wordy or heavy. Use this after the main revisions as a “final polish” to make the essay more concise and energetic.
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