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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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Research Paper Doctorate

Robert Nozick's conception of God and faith in The Examined Life

Robert Nozick in his book The Examined Life considers in one chapter "The Nature of God, the Nature of Faith," a major philosophical issue that has been addressed through history by many philosophers.

Paper Undergraduate

The FTC's case against AllCare for price-fixing violations

The FTC and Public Policy Considerations against Anti-Competitive Behavior

Essay Doctorate

Legal regulations and best practices for employee monitoring in the workplace

In the United States, employment law is based on a minimal expectation of privacy (Rosser, 2011). This means the interest of the business takes precedence over the employee's right to privacy.

Paper High School

Stages of American imperialism from colonial expansion to overseas empire

Starting in the colonial period and continuing up through the Manifest Destiny phase of the American Empire in the 19th Century, the main goal of imperialism was to obtain land for white farmers and slaveholders. This type of expansionism existed long before modern capitalism or the urban, industrial economy, which did not require colonies and territory so much as markets, cheap labor and raw materials. It was also a highly racist type of policy that led to the destruction of Native Americans and the enslavement of blacks, as well as brutal counterinsurgency campaigns in overseas colonies like the Philippines and Haiti. Northeastern capitalists in the United States, dating back to the nascent period in the late-18th Century, were not particularly enthusiastic for this type of territorial expansion to the West or the growth of the agrarian sector of the economy. The party of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk, which represented the South planters and white small farmers, was always the main driving force behind manifest destiny, including the Mexican War and the early filibustering expeditions to Latin America

Moskos's analysis of policing culture and crime prevention in Baltimore

The objective of this study is to take one of two of these perspectives and to elaborate upon them using quotes from the book and to consider how these perspectives sustain the view of cynicism and about supervision, evaluation and performance indicators and sustains the occupational culture. This study will take one or two of these topics or descriptive points and elaborate upon them.

Essay Doctorate

Gender conformity and death in Carol Shields' The Stone Diaries

This paper discusses Carol Shield's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "The Stone Diaries." In the final chapter of the book, entitled "Death," the main character Daisy Flett finally dies. During the course of her final sickness and in the aftermath of her death, both she and her family have to face the reality of her life and how little she has lived.

Research Paper Doctorate

Teacher gestures and children's problem-solving skill development

Learning is a process of brain development and change that is caused by diverse factors contributing to the learning experience of humans. Such includes mechanisms like speech and gestures.

Paper Doctorate

California's nursing practice act: scope, regulations, and registered nurse authority

The Nursing Practice Act (NPA) stands out as the framework of California legislation that requires the Board to lay out the capacity of practice as well as duties for Registered Nurses.

Research Paper Doctorate

Safety and health instruction in vocational school classrooms

¶ … children attend school every day and while they are there, their parents want them to be safe and sound. That includes when they are on the playground, lunchroom, and in the classroom.

Research Paper Doctorate

Night-shift work as a risk factor for breast cancer in women

The increasing rate of women acquiring breast cancer disease has been an alarming issue in the medical history of cancer prevention and studies. The many research and studies conducted by medical professionals on breast…

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