As a student, you may face such an assignment as writing an exploratory essay. Quite often, students misunderstand the task and start writing a typical argumentative essay. And that is the biggest no-no, while exploratory essays are absolutely different. 

These essay types are very different from all the rest and thus, you may need your general essay writing skills, however, you will need to know much more to succeed with that assignment. Below, you will find lots of tips, topics, and examples of a good exploratory essay that will help impress your student and get your best grade!

What Is an Exploratory Essay

As it was mentioned above, exploratory essays are quite different from all well-known types of essays. As you can guess from the title of that essay, the main idea is to explore a problem. But this is not all yet.

An exploratory essay is a paper supposing a writer to do his or her research on the issues, ideas, or experience without supporting or arguing the main thesis of it. During your research, you are supposed not only to explore the issue under discussion but also find the solution to it and formulate it in your conclusion. 

Now the good news is that you should not convince your reader, you should always remain objective. Although being objective may turn into a challenge for many students. And it is also necessary to cite all the sources properly, so the reader could choose the most convincing point of view himself. 

The Peculiarities of Exploratory Essays

Before starting your work on the exploratory essay, you should keep in mind the following peculiarities:

• It should be objective. Never go subjecting when writing an exploratory essay and don’t try to convince your reader, your task is to be neutral no matter what. Don’t solve the problem but consider different points of view;
• Common ground. Common ground is a must to be noticed by different people or groups of people who might be interested in the issue under discussion;
• It should contain three or more viewpoints. As a rule, such an essay contains two points of view. But there are topics that may require three and more, it usually concerns some political or social issues, maybe even religious, when you need to involve more sides and their opinions to your discussion. 

Types of Exploratory Essay Questions

There are several types of exploratory essays and each of them depends on the question you ask. Here are the most popular exploratory essay questions:

1. Is the problem true?
2. What does the issue mean?
3. What is the importance of the issue?
4. What are the causes of the issue?
5. What can we do concern the problem?

Exploratory Essay Structure

Your exploratory essay consists of three main parts, like most essays, i.e. introduction, body part, and conclusion. Let us make sure what you should write in each of these parts.

Introduction

An introduction is a brief paragraph that should let your reader know why you have chosen that topic. You should know that the aim of the introduction is to grab the reader’s attention, so you understand it has to be interesting and eye-catching. 

Here you should also explain your problem and argument. But the reader has to understand your issue and its importance, so you should explain it. At the end of your introduction, you should tell your exploratory essay question – one of those listed above.

To write a good introduction, you can tell a real story, provide some statistics, describe the situation vividly, provide an imagined conversation about the problem, tell why the argument is so important, use a quote or intriguing sentence, tell about the history of the problem, create the list of problems or give a couple of the examples of such issue, etc. 

Body Part

This part cannot be brief already because here you provide all the main information and your thoughts on the given issue. The information about the issue should be only important and relevant. You may tell also your personal opinion on why you think differently about the issue, etc.

As a rule, the body of an exploratory essay consists of two parts, the first of which explains the issue and the second one explains the different sides of the theme. It means that the first part explains the rhetorical situation, including the following aspects:

• How popular is the issue, whether it has been highlighted in the news or whether there was an academic study on that topic;
• Who is the reader interested in the topic, what are the readers’ positions and their reasons for being interested in the topic;
• Who are the authors writing on that problem and what is the common ground between them and the readers;
• Why are we interested in that issue currently, what are the circumstances and events affecting our interest, what is the background, history of the problem, has the interest in the problem changed with time, etc.?

The second part should include three or more points of view on the problem. You should devote a separate paragraph to each of the positions and explain it, tell why people believe that viewpoint, give the arguments to support that opinion, and explain how they are supported. 

Conclusion

The conclusion of your exploratory essay restates the problem being researched. But do not repeat the same phrases; highlight a couple of possible causes of the problem, as well as potential solutions. 

You should not worry if you still have questions about the discussed problem, it is absolutely normal to have them. And you can keep discussing them in your conclusion. You should tell your reasons to believe these questions exist and where you can search for the answers to them. Mention what kind of additional research you may need to conduct. 

Don’t be afraid to express your personal opinion on the problem and tell why you have been interested in it. A conclusion can be written using the same approach as your introduction, for example, here you may add the strongest evidence and tell your own conclusions on the problem and solution. 

Remember not to convince your reader but give him some space and freedom to decide what point of view is the most proper for him. Highlight the most and less important things people should consider when deciding about that problem. 

Make sure your conclusion to be interesting, not boring, and leaving its track in the minds of your readers. So, the best way is to make them think about what you have written and, on the problem, you have discussed. 

Exploratory Essay Topics

When it comes to choosing the topic of your exploratory essay, it often turns into a challenging process for many students. It’s no wonder while a good exploratory essay has to be written about something outstanding and really interesting, often rhetorical questions.

So, for your convenience, we have created a couple of categories so you could choose your topic easier. You may not choose any of them for your essay but you may come up with the idea of your own when browsing them. 

Exploratory Essays about Relationships

1. Why are opposites attracted to each other?
2. How do divorces affect children?
3. Why do people divorce?
4. Why do people in families abuse each other?
5. Can absolutely different people be successful in marriage?
6. Is it easier to live with someone whose personality is similar to yours?
7. Why do people get married?
8. Is it better to live in a civil marriage?
9. What is the best age for marriage?
10. Does love disappear over time?

Exploratory Essays about Sports

1. Do the Olympics affect the ghost towns?
2. What can encourage young people to go in for sports?
3. Junior Olympic program: is that a positive or a negative experience?
4. What sports are the most dangerous?
5. Should athletes eat meat?
6. Is bodybuilding not healthy?
7. Should the participants of college sports teams have more privileges?
8. How does professional sport affect children (people)?
9. The pros and cons of professional sports.
10. Does the sports activity of a student affect his studies?

Exploratory Essay Example

The pros and cons of being single

Human beings are unquestionably bigeminal creations. They strive to love, be loved, and find their perfect match to spend their life with. Just like wolves or pigeons. Why do some people still prefer being single until the end of their lives?

Some people say life in loneliness is not a life. We are human beings and our mission is to find a match and give birth to another human being. People should take care of someone, create families, and raise children. Marriage is a logical ending of any healthy relationship. 

However, some people still prefer being single having occasional relationships (if any) from time to time. But they have no wish to get married and have obligations. These people don’t want to limit their freedom and want to remain free and flying. 

Other people claim that marriage and long-term relationships mean scarifying yourself for the sake of other person and they are simply not ready to sacrifice themselves for others. 

I personally have not met my match yet and I am sure if I decided to marry, we both will search for compromises. 

Conclusion

An exploratory essay may become a challenge if you have no idea what it is or where to start. But we hope this short and simple guide with the examples and topics to consider will give you an idea of what you could write about and impress your professor. 

If you are reading that article you should be a law student who has been assigned a criminal justice paper. Yes, we often see students just like you who struggle with such writing and want to get some help or assistance.

But don’t worry, experience troubles with writing criminal justice papers are normal while these papers require lots of time, effort, and special knowledge. This guide was created exactly for you to let you know how to write your outstanding criminal justice paper and get your best grade for it. 

What Is a Criminal Justice Paper

Before you even start working on your criminal justice paper, you should understand well what it is and what approach it requires. And a criminal justice paper requires thorough research and lots of technical writing skills.

As a rule, you are required to use original research and pull from peer-reviewed journals. You will also need to cite your sources properly, i.e. in Chicago or APA format. Keep in mind that your professor will expect to get 50% of well-known scientific information and 50% of your contribution. 

It means that first, you will need to do careful research on the topic, and then, you will have to analyze the material studied and support your analysis with credible evidence. 

The Structure of the Criminal Justice Paper

The structure of the criminal justice paper is not very different from that of other essays and includes an introduction, body part, and a conclusion. Let us find out what you should write in each of the parts for your better understanding.

Criminal justice paper introduction

The introduction is the first paragraph and part of your essay that makes your readers acquainted with the topic and what information you will tell throughout your essay. So here your task is to provide the problem you are going to discuss, the methods you use, and some references to researches conducted on that topic previously.

But keep in mind that college essays have high requirements and if your introduction is just a set of information and is not eye-catching, your grade will be lower. The aim of the introduction is not only to let everyone know what you write about but also to catch the attention of your readers and make them wish to read further.

Criminal justice paper body part

This part should be much longer than your introduction and should contain all the key information about your research. Here you provide your arguments and counterarguments on the message delivered in your paper.

Criminal justice paper conclusion

Your conclusion is as brief as your introduction. It is aimed to summarize everything you write before in your criminal justice paper. Adding some additional information in the conclusion is a no-no. No new information should be added here. 

It is only aimed to summarize the subject and the ways to improve the situation. The rule of being not boring should be applied to the conclusion as well. Just like an introduction, it is aimed to leave a track in the mind of your reader, so your task is to make it short and memorable.

Criminal Justice Paper Topics 

At first sight, the law may seem to be the discipline that doesn’t let your creativity and imagination free. However, to write an exciting paper, you should write something really interesting. So, first of all, your topic should be interesting for you.

When you write about something important for you, your audience will be interested to read it as well. So below, you will find some interesting criminal justice paper topics that may be quite inspiring for you.

Controversial criminal justice papers topics

1. Death penalty ethics.
2. The usage of sniffer dogs in the police.
3. Limited rights of policemen.
4. Crimes propaganda in modern music.
5. The causes of school violence.
6. Mental hospitals.
7. The usage of marijuana for medical purposes.
8. The importance of eyewitness evidence.
9. War crimes punishments.
10. Private prisons: the pros and cons.

Discrimination criminal justice papers topics

1. Racial discrimination in prisons of the USA.
2. The history of slavery and punishment.
3. The most famous prisoners from Africa in the United States.
4. Eyewitnesses and gender prejudice.
5. The law enforcement bodies’ bias to African Americans.
6. Negotiation process and discrimination.
7. The crime rate and immigrants.
8. Gender discrimination in prisons.
9. Policemen and fashion culture.
10. Racial conflicts in colleges.

Criminal justice papers topics for criminology research

1. The methods of correction in cyber criminology.
2. The ads preventing drunk driving.
3. Social media and the identification of thefts.
4. Aggression towards homeless people.
5. The motives of the armed crime groups.
6. The analysis of unemployment and the situation in the streets.
7. Rehabilitation of crime witnesses.
8. Child abuse.
9. The propaganda of violence on TV. 
10. Identification methods of forensic research. 

Criminal justice papers example

The role of the jury

The jury system supposes twelve people to sit in court during the criminal and civil events and make their decisions based on the facts. These people are not random people found through the TV announcement or just in the street. The juries are people who have highly respected in society thanks to their traits, dignity, and achievements. The jury system was created in England during the dark ages about 800 years ago. Since then, the system was changed a lot. But its basics are still the basics of the modern jury system in courts.

Such a system prevents the court from relying on false statements provided by one or both parties. It is excluded that one of the juries can be biased while all of them are chosen randomly. The system we ruled by the Juries Act 1974 and the 2003 Criminal Justice Act. It means that the system cannot be taken not seriously and is strongly backed up by law. The task of juries is to make notes, listen to evidence, and make a decision whether the defendant is guilty or not.

The final decision is voted and made by the majority of votes. None of the juries can bring their personal feeling to the decision. The jury system aims to make publicity trust the courts undeniably and undoubtedly.

It has been argued that the jury is not smart enough when it comes to law and may suppose the person is guilty only based on their personal feelings while being incompetent in the questions of embezzlement and fraud. 

As we can see, there are some shortcomings in the system of the jury but it is so necessary to keep the balance of the court system. It allows keeping both sides of the process satisfied. 

The Peculiarities of the Criminal Justice Papers

As you can see, criminal justice papers require some special knowledge of the discipline and certain writing skills and not every student can cope with that task. However, some tips will make your writing process much easier:

• Stick to the formal writing style. Keeping your paper formal is a must. Law is not a discipline where you can slang or “social media” language. Also, you should shorten the usage of abbreviations. If you use not a formal language, it will reduce your grade a lot;
• Proofread it as many times as necessary. Proofreading and editing are a must not only for criminal justice papers but for any other academic essay. After finishing your paper, you should give it some time and have some rest. Then get back to your paper again and reread it. You will have a fresh view of the main idea and will make some necessary improvements. Pay special attention to grammar errors and typos. Keep doing it until you are fully satisfied with the outcome;
• Write an outline. Writing an outline is really helpful for any academic paper. It will help you have a better idea of what and how you will write about it. It is necessary to do notes on the stage of conducting your research on the topic.

Conclusion

Every student wants to be successful in paper writing but not each of you has the necessary skills. Moreover, some of you may simply have no time to succeed in all the subjects. If that is the case with you, you can always apply for the help of professional essay writers.

When you ask our experts to help you, you get:

• A top-quality paper meeting all the requirements of your professor and educational establishment;
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• Unlimited number of revisions if necessary;
• Affordable prices;
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We hope that our tips and simple tricks will help you write an outstanding criminal justice paper. And if you struggle with it as many other our customers, we are always here to help you and write a perfect essay of any type and complexity for you.