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Explanation
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What is Explanation?

Explanation as a mode of academic writing appears across virtually every discipline, from biology and economics to history, theology, and technology. Rather than arguing a position or narrating events, explanatory writing prioritizes clarity — breaking down complex systems, processes, or phenomena so that a reader can genuinely understand them. This makes it a foundational skill in English composition courses, where students learn to present information in structured, accessible ways regardless of subject matter.

The papers collected here reflect the broad range of contexts in which explanation is required. Some take a scientific or technical approach, such as examining how LASIK surgery works or identifying the symptoms caused by exposure to mercury and arsenic. Others explain organizational structures, business strategies, or economic paradoxes like the diamond-water problem studied in microeconomics. Still others address social, legal, or cultural subjects — from reciprocity within the Iroquois Confederacy to the traditions of the Catholic faith — demonstrating that explanation adapts to whatever situation or subject demands it.

A strong explanatory essay begins with a clear sense of scope: identify precisely what needs to be understood and why it matters to the reader. Evidence carries weight when it is specific and well-sourced — definitions, data, examples, and step-by-step reasoning all serve the goal of genuine understanding. The most common pitfall is confusing explanation with argument; an explanatory thesis states what something is or how it works, not what the writer believes about it. Keeping that distinction sharp ensures the writing stays focused on illuminating rather than persuading.

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Paper Undergraduate

Jesus's life within first-century Jewish religious practice

This paper focuses on religion in first century Palestine. It describes Judaism in the context of the Roman occupation of Palestine. It contains a description of how Rome permitted the practice of the indigenous religions in the various areas that it occupied. It also talks about the way that Judaism was a lived religion and impacted every aspect of Jewish life.

Paper Undergraduate

How oral tradition shapes family identity and cultural memory

¶ … walk down the busy city street. It is a beautiful day, 70 degrees, clear, blue sky. The early morning sun is beginning to shine down for warmth and comfort. The jackets will come off.

Research Paper Undergraduate

Gendered patterns of crime and theoretical explanations

The authors of this article interrogates the various traditional and more contemporary approaches to the issue of gender differences in crime and particularly with regard to the sociological influences and factors that…

Paper High School

The four management functions and required managerial skills

There are four functions of management and good managers need certain skills

Paper Doctorate

The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and Soviet cultural transformation

The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, which gave rise to the Soviet Union, was the product of a particular historical time and place, and of the antagonisms between its supporters and its opponents.

Paper Undergraduate

Critical review of Sagarra and Alba's Spanish vocabulary learning study

¶ … Vocabulary Learning Methods With Beginning Learners of Spanish

Paper Undergraduate

Timothy Egan's The worst hard times and the Dust Bowl

Those who were not blow away by the Dust Bowl: The Worst Hard Times by Timothy Egan

Paper Undergraduate

Managing uncertainty in production planning using real option analysis

Risk and uncertainty are inherently part of the business world that affects all parts of production planning. Furthermore, such uncertainty is by no means a simple phenomenon. There are complex issues inherent in risk…

Paper High School

Rehabilitation and reintegration of released convicted felons

Maslow's theory tells us that there is a hierarchy in one's basic needs. Once basic needs (shelters and food) are met, then one can concentrate on emotional and intellectual actualization. When we release convicted felons into the community, however, they are often at the edge of society and do not have adequate education or skills sets to meet their basic needs.

Research Paper Undergraduate

Mysterious disappearances and unexplained phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle

Bermuda Triangle - also sometimes called the "Devil's Triangle" - has been the topic of controversy for many years. The name "Bermuda Triangle" was given to this area - a roughly shaped imaginary triangle between…

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