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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

Cognitive consequences of forced compliance

The study exemplified here by the Stanford University academics aims to propose a theory concerning cognitive dissonance. The study thus questions previous experiments, and aims to see whether a person can be induced to say something contrary to his or her private opinion, as well as what kind of pressure can be utilized in order to elicit some type of behavior that a subject would not necessarily elicit himself or herself at will. The subsequent experiment subjected individuals to boring experimental conditions and paid them to tell others that the experience had been enjoyable. It was found that although many students would go ahead and comply with these requests, the amount of money they received for the ‘job', which increased from $1 to $20, and more specifically the increase, made no difference in how persuasive the individuals were in lauding the experiment.

Paper Doctorate

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel

Do we understand what happiness is? Though this is a simple question to which most people would probably say "yes," it does not really seem to be after reading Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness.

Research Paper Undergraduate

Themes in Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval

The Arthurian legends may seem truly British in origin, but they began as a literary form in the twelfth century with traveling minstrels who told stories of heroism, usually built in the exploits of the French king…

Research Paper Undergraduate

A person who influenced my life

When I was a sophomore in high school, I began to act in a way that I now consider disgraceful. My high school was highly self-segregated, and the different ethnic groups refused to interact with one another.

Paper Undergraduate

Economic History in Economic Terms,

In economic terms, globalization is the process of increasing economic integration between countries, leading to the emergence of a global marketplace or a single world market. Many had hoped that globalization would…

Paper Undergraduate

Epic Statuary Via Google Earth

The world is a large and incredibly diverse place in its landscapes, scenery, and geological history. Human beings have also brought a mark of diversity to the various regions they've inhabited, with each culture in…

Research Paper Doctorate

Freud\'s Death Instinct. The Writer

¶ … Freud's "Death Instinct." The writer examines Freud's theory, summarizes it, critiques it and then presents the argument that the death instinct theory makes sense. There were four sources used complete this paper.

Research Paper Doctorate

Finance concepts and applications

Extremely high wages paid to the chief executive officers of high companies can be explained by successful growth strategies chosen by them that translate into dramatic increases of these companies' stockholders wealth,…

Paper Undergraduate

Marketing management principles and practices

This is a five-year marketing plan for Miller Inc. to attempt to double the company sales over the period in order to grow the company to double its current size in terms of revenue, employees, asset base, and profits. It involves expanding the bakery facilities and opening up new bakeries in more cities and increasing the number of bakeries per city in the current cities that Miller Inc. operates.

Thesis Undergraduate

Social psychology: core concepts and applications

In part (A), this paper discusses the concept of social biases, paying specific attention to the concepts of prejudice, stereo typing, and discrimination. It further explains the differences between subtle and blatant bias and describes the impact of bias on the lives of individuals. Finally, with regard to biases, it discusses strategies that can be used to overcome them. It then addresses the influence of groups on the self, specifically comparing and contrasting the concepts of conformity and obedience in part (B). A classical and a contemporary study concerning the effect of group influence on the self are then analyzed, and it concludes by analyzing individual and societal influences that lead to deviance from dominant group norms.

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