Writing to Show Cause and Effect

Essay 4: Writing to Show Cause and Effect

Write an academic essay where you show a clear relationship between cause and effect, with a topic chosen from your major field of study, your work life, or your personal life. Here are some examples of topics from your textbook and from successful student papers:

  • Causes of symptoms or conditions (medicine and health—autism, ADHD, cancer, sports injuries)
  • Causes of student success or failure, effects of teaching methods or tools (online learning, adult learners, returning students, homeschooling)
  • Causes of business growth and failure, marketing, business trends
  • Causes and effects of climate change, ecological change, scientific phenomena
(adapted from Russell 196)

You may have other ideas and are not sure how to use them in a cause and effect essay.

Feel free to ask about getting ideas to help shape your topic into a Cause and Effect framework.

  • You will write your essay in the third person.
  • Use the APUS Online Library article databases, no open web sources.
  • You need a minimum of three sources for your essay.
  • Integrate the sources using MLA format.
  • All essays should be 500-1000 words, in MLA format.
  • Remember to include your checklist.

Essay 4: Cause & Effect – Writer’s Checklist 

Write your responses in complete sentences.

  1. What is the cause or effect you are analyzing in your thesis?
  2. How have you explained the cause-and-effect relationship?
  3. Have I organized my causes and/or effects logically?
  4. Have I concluded my essay effectively?
  5. Identify one change you have made as a result of proofreading your essay?
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