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How to Write an Article (the Complete Guide)

  • Sarah Neidler, PhD
  • February 9, 2021

Did you just launch your new website and want to fill it with content? Or would you like to work as an article writer  and you’re asking yourself, how do I write an article that actually gets results? 

In both cases, you want to know how to write an article. 

This is a step-by-step guide that shows you how to come up with article ideas, get started with writing, and edit after writing. The guide is intended for online articles, but most points also apply to offline, print articles. Also, note that the difference between an article and a blog post is marginal, so most recommendations also apply to blog posts. 

Because it’s crucial that your article ranks in Google, we also cover some basics about search engine optimization (SEO). For more detailed information, I recommend you reading our 25 Point Blog Post Checklist for SEO .

1. Come up with a topic and a focus keyword

Before you start writing, you have to decide what you want to write about. That should be obvious. But what makes a good idea for an article?

Writing an article takes a lot of time and effort. Your articles should help you to generate traffic to your website. One of the most important factors that decide how much traffic you get is Google ranking.

Ideally, you want your article to rank for a high volume keyword. If 10.000 people per month type a specific keyword into Google and your article is the first to come up, many people will click on it and thereby land on your website.

When it comes to ranking, you should not only consider the search volume but also how difficult it is to rank for this keyword. A huge search volume is useless when your article appears on page number 256 of the search results.

It’s best to use a keyword research tool to find out the keyword difficulty (KD). We recommend Ahrefs because it provides you with accurate keyword data and many other functions that help you rank in Google.

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There are two main ways to come up with article ideas:

  • You have some ideas in mind; then you use a keyword research tool to find out if there are good keywords for these topics.
  • You do a keyword search, come up with a list of suitable keywords and then decide which ones to cover in an article.

The focus keyword reflects the topic of your article. It can consist of one or two words or multiple words. As an example, the focus keyword of this article is “how to write an article.”

If you struggle to find good ideas, I recommend you read my article about how to find blog topics .

2. Find the search intent behind the keyword

When typing keywords into Google, you have a problem that you want to solve. You might want to learn more about a particular topic, you have a specific question, or you are looking for products to buy. The content of your article has to match the user’s search intent behind the keyword.

“How to” keywords make it easy: They phrase a question, and your article should answer this question. When someone searches for “best Italian restaurant in town,” the person doesn’t want to know what an Italian restaurant is, but how to find the best one.

Google knows this and will display local Italian restaurants with the best reviews. Also, rating websites like Tripadvisor make it to the top search results because they deliver the information the user is looking for: A short review about the best Italian restaurants, explaining why they are the best ones.

Because Google has, in most cases, a good idea about the search intent behind keywords, googling the keyword you want to rank for is always a good idea.

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3. Find out how long your article needs to be

How long your article should be, depends on the topic and the competition. Some topics can be covered comprehensively in a short article. There is always the possibility to write more, but more is not always better. Again, keep the search intent in mind.

If the keywords indicate that the user looks for a simple, short answer, it’s better to keep it short. A long, detailed article would instead repel those readers. Take as an example: “How many strings does a guitar have.” This is a very basic question, and the person typing this into Google expects a short, simple answer. He or she doesn’t want to read a 1000-word article to find out.

But many topics are worth covering in detail. Someone who searches for “How to find the best electric bass guitar” would be thankful for a long, comprehensive article that answers all his questions. For these kinds of topics, you need to find out how long your article should at least be to have a realistic chance to rank for it. Googling your focus keyword is the easiest way to find out. Just check how long the top-ranking articles are and write one that is at least that long.

When you notice that your article is getting much longer than planned, decide if the added points are that important. If they truly add value, keep them. Check if they are highly related to the topic. If not, you can always cover them in a separate article.

4. Read competing articles

Take a close look at the articles that rank for your focus keyword. See if you can find good ideas in there and take some notes. This is not about copying your competition. It’s about getting inspired to make your article better.

5. Research the topic

Do deep research about the topic you want to write about. And simply googling your focus keyword and reading the top-ranking articles does not count as research. Ideally, you should already be knowledgeable about the topic.

The less you know, the more research you have to do. But even if you already know the subject in and out, check if there is new information available. For instance, when you write about CBD oil for anxiety, you may already know that CBD oil can help with anxiety and why. But there may still be a new study that you don’t know about. Covering the latest research that your competition hasn’t written about gives you a leading edge.

6. Brainstorm information to include

Once you know what you want to write about and gathered all the important information, you should do some brainstorming about what you want to cover in the article. There may be many points, likely, you won’t keep all of them. But writing them all down helps you to make sure that you don’t forget any vital information.

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7. Come up with unique ideas

When you’re done with brainstorming, make sure that you have ideas with unique content that you cannot find anywhere else. If your article summarizes the top 5 ranking articles, you’re not providing value to your readers.

There are many ways to make a text unique, and it depends on the kind of article. If you’re an expert on the topic, you can give an expert opinion with unique insights. When it’s an informational article, try to find information you cannot find anywhere else.

And even if there’s no additional information, you can still provide value. For instance, by explaining a complex problem better than anyone else does. Or by illustrating a point with a story. There are many ways, be creative!

8. Write an outline

Before you start writing, write an outline to give the article some structure. It is not set in stone, and you can change it while writing. But it makes the writing process much more manageable.

No matter what kind of article you write, it should always have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

Further, each article should answer three questions in the following order:

  • What (is it about)?
  • Why (is it important)?
  • How (to implement it)?

Answering these three questions gives your article a logical flow.

First, you have to let your readers know what the article is about. When you write about something that not everybody is familiar with, you’ll also have to explain what it is and give background information. For instance, when you write an article about magnesium, you should first mention that it is an essential mineral and review its role in the body.

The next step is then to explain why it’s important and why people should care. You would mention how common a magnesium deficiency is and what symptoms it causes. 

In the last step, you would address the how and tell your readers how they can prevent a magnesium deficiency.

In how much detail you answer each of these questions is very individual and depends on the kind of article you write. When you write a “How to …” article, like the one you are currently reading, answering the “How” is the main part. Readers looking for “How to do something” already know what it is and why it’s important. So you can briefly answer the first two questions in the introduction and then spend the rest of the article answering the “How.”

But you can also have articles focusing on the “Why.” After briefly answering the “What,” you explain in detail why it is important. The “How” can then be a simple call to action, leading the reader to an article addressing the “How” or to a product that is solving the problem.

If you wrote about the detrimental health consequences of eating too much sugar, this would answer the question, “Why too much sugar is bad for you.” After your readers are convinced that too much sugar is very unhealthy, you can end the article with a call to action to your article about how to eat less sugar.

The What, Why and How questions can serve as a template that you can apply to any article.

9. Follow the rule of one

Following the rule of one is probably the most important advice when writing an article, and most writers don’t follow it. Yet, articles that fulfill this rule are the most successful ones. So when you apply it, you write better articles than most others.

The rule sounds simple but is not easy to follow. It means that you should dedicate the content to one single topic and don’t deviate from it. For instance, in the article you are currently reading, I stick to advice about how to write an article. I don’t tell you how to write an ebook .

You might think that many people who write articles also write ebooks, and this information might be of interest to them. This might be true. But it’s also true that people who don’t know how to get started with an article are probably not ready to write an ebook yet. That’s why I don’t include any advice about ebook writing and instead would link to an article about how to write an ebook.

You have to put yourself into the shoes of your readers. Keep the search intent of your focus keyword in mind. Someone who types these words into Google is looking for specific information. By deviating from it, you risk boring your readers and losing them.

That’s the last thing you want. And the good thing when writing online articles is that linking to other articles is very easy. So if you are not 100% sure if the information is of interest to all article readers, leave it out and simply link to the content with further information.

10. Avoid the curse of knowledge

It’s good to write about something you’re knowledgeable about. In the end, you have something to tell and to teach.

But when you write about a topic that you are very familiar with, you quickly fall into the trap of the curse of knowledge.

This can have two negative consequences, and you should avoid both like the plague.

  • You tell your readers everything you know about the topic, or even worth, everything that is even loosely related to it

This is related to the rule of one. Many writers throw too much information at their readers, mostly because they want to demonstrate how much they know about a certain topic. They think that this signals credibility. What it really does is deviating from the subject and boring your readers.

  • You don’t write in a way that your audience easily understands

The second danger is that you are using words your audience isn’t familiar with and assume your readers know something they don’t. Simply because you know so much about a certain topic, you cannot imagine how it is not knowing it. As an author, this problem can be very hard to spot. This is why editing is so important (see point 20)

But you’re losing people that way. Your readers might think that you’re smart, but they will nevertheless stop reading your content because they either find it not interesting or because they don’t understand it.

11. Include references from reliable sources

You should try to provide sources for the information you include. This makes you look credible and also gives your readers the chance to find out more. How many references you have to provide largely depends on the kind of article and the topic.

When you write about a personal experience, you won’t have to provide many sources, and even not mentioning any might be fine. When you write about how CBD oil can help with anxiety, you certainly want to link to some scientific studies proving your point.

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12. Link to further information

No matter how long your article is, there is always more information about this topic. An easy way to provide value to your reader is to link to useful information. This can be to another article on your website or an external source.

Linking internally to other articles is also a valuable tool to stick to the point. When you catch yourself covering something that is not directly related to the topic, write a separate article about it and link to it.

Here’s an example of a link from one article to another.

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13. Make it “snackable”

People who read online are often looking for quick information. They don’t sit down for three hours to read about a specific topic as they might do with a book. When they click on a Google search result, they skim through the article to see if it provides the information they are looking for. And even if they decide that the article is worth reading, they don’t want to read large text blocks.

For these reasons, you should

  • Write short paragraphs
  • Use many subheadings (as a rule of thumb, you should have at least one subheading every 300 words)
  • Use bullet points where it makes sense
  • Bold important information
  • Use supporting infographics and pictures
  • Summarize the most important points after a paragraph covering a lot of information

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14. Make it an easy read

This point is related to the advice to make the content “snackable.” Furthermore, you should use uncomplicated language. Try to keep your sentences short and simple. Write in an active voice.

And avoid technical terms unless you’re 100% sure that your audience is familiar with them.

How “easy” the content is, depends, of course, on your audience’s background knowledge. To be precise, it should be an easy read for your audience, not necessarily for everyone.

15. Use the language of your audience

When you write an article for medical doctors, your tone and language differ from when you write for laypeople. Always keep your audience in mind and try to adopt their language. This way, your content relates to them, and it is easier to connect to them and build trust.

16. Write a compelling introduction

The introduction should explain why the article is relevant and how it solves the reader’s problems. You should keep it short and come straight to the point. The intro helps readers decide whether the article answers their question and it’s worth reading or whether they should look further.

For this reason, your introduction should raise the reader’s interest, but it should also reflect the content of the article. If you make false promises in your intro, you’ll disappoint your readers, and you risk that they won’t read your content in the future.

Mentioning a statistic, a quote, or an interesting, relevant fact is also an excellent way to start an article.

I personally prefer to write the introduction after writing the body of the article. I may write some notes before writing the article and then write it out later. Once the article is written, you have a clearer picture of the article’s content and how to lead into it.

17. End with a strong conclusion

It is a good idea to write the conclusion last. But when writing the article, you should already know what the conclusion is so that you can build up to it. As for the introduction, you can write down the points you want to mention and write them out later.

There are many different ways to write the conclusion. In many cases, it’s a good idea to summarize the article and emphasize the main takeaway. A call to action is also an excellent way to end an article.

I n the end, your article has a purpose, and you want your readers to do something after reading it.

You can guide them to further content, your products or ask them to sign-up for your newsletter, enquire about a product, service, or read an article. These are just a few examples; there are many more!

Here’s an example of a clear call to action for ketogenic meal plans.

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18. Remove non-important and redundant information

Some people say that they try to shorten their text by one third once they are done writing. How much you have to shorten your text depends on your writing style. If you tend to write very wordy, include non-relevant information, and even repeat information, you’ll have to shorten a lot. When you already write concisely, removing a little bit here and there will be enough. But in general, shortening your text during the editing process will make your article a better read.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot write long articles. But they should be packed with information. That means that to fill a long article, you need a lot of information. Take this article as an example. It’s 3,500 words +, but it provides 21 useful tips, and every single one is valuable. So, your article should have substance. The worst thing is reading an article that says nothing. It’s a waste of time for your readers (and also a waste of time writing it).

19. Edit, edit, edit

Once you’re done writing, the editing starts. Editing can take as long as the writing itself or even longer. You often find the advice not to edit while writing because writing and editing are two separate processes. I don’t think this applies to everyone and largely depends on your writing style.

When you try to get everything perfect in the first draft, writing takes much longer, but you save time editing. When you write everything down as fast as possible, you’re done writing in no time, but editing will probably take longer than writing.

20. Ask someone for feedback

Having someone to edit your article and to provide feedback will always improve your article. This person will likely notice a few language flaws, even if you are a native speaker and your grammar and writing is very good.

The person can also tell you if the article’s structure makes sense and if the transitions are easy to follow. Most importantly, the editor can tell you whether everything is easy to understand. For this reason, it can be an advantage to have a non-expert. This is especially important when writing for lay people.

21. Make a final grammar check

Once the article went through some rounds of editing, you should do a final grammar check. Grammarly is a popular choice that detects most grammar flaws, suggests synonyms, and also checks punctuation. This is especially important when you’re not a native English speaker. But even if you’re native, a grammar checking program can make the text better.

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The bottom line

Writing an article may seem simple, but it involves many steps. It’s not only about the writing; it’s also about finding ideas, doing research, and editing the article. Altogether, they can take more time and effort than the writing itself. 

Outsourcing articles can save you a lot of time and lets you focus on other parts of your business. Writing Studio has expert writers who can take care of all these steps. They know how to write articles that rank in Google and drive high-value traffic to your website.

Don’t forget to share this article!

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Article Writing Format: Explore How To Write, Example Topics and Tips

Have some great ideas, opinions and suggestions you wish you could share so that it could reach readers all around the world? One of the best ways to get your thoughts across the globe is by writing an article. There are techniques you can use to write the different types of articles. This piece on article writing will give you all the tips and tricks you need to master before you start writing your article.

Table of Contents

The art of writing an article, how do i write a good article – tips and techniques, article writing samples, faqs on article writing.

An article is a piece of writing which explicates ideas, thoughts, facts, suggestions and/or recommendations based on a particular topic. There are different kinds of articles, namely:

  • Expository article – The most common type of article which allows the writer to put out information on any particular topic without the influence of their opinions.
  • Argumentative article – An article in which an author poses a problem or an issue, renders a solution to the proposed problem and provides arguments to justify why their suggestions/solutions are good.
  • Narrative article – An article in which the author has to narrate mostly in the form of a story.
  • Descriptive article – An article written with the aim of providing a vivid description that would allow the readers to visualise whatever is being described. Using the right adjectives / adjective phrases is what will help you write a descriptive article.
  • Persuasive article – An article aimed at persuading or convincing the readers to accept an idea or a point of view.

Writing an article takes a lot of effort on the side of the writer. Content writers/creators, bloggers, freelance writers and copywriters are people who have mastered the art of article writing, without which they would not be able to make their mark as a writer of any kind.

In order to be able to write an article that makes sense in the first place, you have to keep a few things in mind.

  • The first and foremost thing that you have to take care of when you are sitting down to write your article is to check if you are well aware of the topic you are going to write on.
  • The second thing that you have to ask yourself is why you are writing the article.
  • The next thing that you have to focus on is the kind of audience you are writing the article for because unless you know your audience, you will not be able to write it in a way that makes them want to read it.
  • The language you use is very important because, without the right spelling, correct grammar , punctuation and sensible sentence structure , the article would not be able to sell itself.
  • Use keywords so that you get a good number of reading audiences.
  • Maintain coherence within and between paragraphs.
  • Double-check the data and information you provide, irrespective of the type of article.
  • Keep the title and description as short and catchy as possible.
  • Edit and proofread before it is published.

To help you understand better and practise the art of article writing, read through the articles given below:

Can I write a good article?

If you know all the information about the topic you are going to write about, a good hand over the language, a knack to keep it simple and interesting throughout, you can write a good article.

What is the format of an article?

The article should have a title/heading and a description that states what the article is about. The body of the article can be split into 3 to 5 paragraphs according to the volume of content with respect to the topic you are discussing. You can have subheadings and use bullet points wherever possible. Make sure your introduction makes people want to read the whole article and your conclusion leaves them satisfied.

How many paragraphs should there be in an article?

An article should have a minimum of 3 to 4 paragraphs. The writer is, however, given the choice to present the content in more than four paragraphs, if it would be better for the article.

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How to Write a News Article

Last Updated: January 13, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 2,339,627 times.

Writing a news article is different from writing other articles or informative pieces because news articles present information in a specific way. It's important to be able to convey all the relevant information in a limited word count and give the facts to your target audience concisely. Knowing how to write a news article can help a career in journalism , develop your writing skills and help you convey information clearly and concisely.

Things You Should Know

  • Outline your article with all the facts and interview quotes you’ve gathered. Decide what your point of view on the topic is before you start writing.
  • Your first sentence is the most important one—craft an attention-getter that clearly states the most important information.
  • Proofread for accurate information, consistent style and tone, and proper formatting.

Sample Articles

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Planning Your Article

Step 1 Research your topic.

  • If you’ve ever written a research paper you understand the work that goes into learning about your topic. The first phase of writing a news article or editorial is pretty similar.
  • Who - who was involved?
  • What - what happened?
  • Where - where did it happen?
  • Why - why did it happen?
  • When - when did it happen?
  • How - how did it happen?

Step 2 Compile all your facts.

  • 1) those that need to be included in the article.
  • 2) those that are interesting but not vital.
  • 3) those that are related but not important to the purpose of the article.
  • This fact list will help prevent you from leaving out any relevant information about the topic or story, and will also help you write a clean, succinct article.
  • Be as specific as possible when writing down all of these facts. You can always trim down unnecessary information later, but it’s easier to cut down than it is to have to beef up an article.
  • It’s okay at this point to have holes in your information – if you don’t have a pertinent fact, write down the question and highlight it so you won’t forget to find it out
  • Now that you have your facts, if your editor has not already assigned the type of article, decide what kind of article you’re writing. Ask yourself whether this is an opinion article, an unbiased and straightforward relaying of information, or something in between. [2] X Research source

Step 3 Create an article outline.

  • If you’ve ever heard the term “burying the lead”, that is in reference to the structure of your article. [4] X Research source The “lead” is the first sentence of the article – the one you “lead” with. Not "burying the lead" simply means that you should not make your readers read several paragraphs before they get to the point of your article.
  • Whatever forum you’re writing for, be it print or for the web, a lot of readers don’t make it to the end of the article. When writing a news article, you should focus on giving your readers what they want as soon as possible.
  • Write above the fold. The fold comes from newspapers where there’s a crease because the page gets folded in half. If you look at a newspaper all the top stories are placed above the fold. The same goes for writing online. The virtual fold is the bottom of your screen before you have to scroll down. Put the best information at the top to engage your readers and encourage them to keep reading.

Step 4 Know your audience.

  • Ask yourself the “5 W's” again, but this time in relation to your audience.
  • Questions like what is the average age you are writing for, where is this audience, local or national, why is this audience reading your article, and what does your audience want out of your article will inform you on how to write.
  • Once you know who you are writing for you can format an outline that will get the best information to the right audience as quickly as possible.

Step 5 Find an angle.

  • Even if you are covering a popular story or topic that others are writing about, look for an angle that will make this one yours.
  • Do you have a personal experience that relates to your topic? Maybe you know someone who is an expert that you can interview .

Step 6 Interview people.

  • People usually like to talk about personal experiences, especially if it will be featured somewhere, like your news article. Reach out through a phone call, email, or even social media and ask someone if you can interview them.
  • When you do interview people you need to follow a few rules: identify yourself as a reporter. Keep an open mind . Stay objective. While you are encouraged to ask questions and listen to anecdotes, you are not there to judge.
  • Record and write down important information from the interview, and be transparent with what you are doing and why you are doing this interview.

Writing Your News Article

Step 1 Start with the lead.

  • Your lead should be one sentence and should simply, but completely, state the topic of the article.
  • Remember when you had to write essays for school? Your lead is like your thesis statement.
  • Let your readers know what your news article is about, why it’s important, and what the rest of the article will contain.

Step 2 Give all the important details.

  • These details are important, because they are the focal point of the article that fully informs the reader.
  • If you are writing an opinion piece , this is where you will state what your opinion is as well.

Step 3 Follow up main facts with additional information.

  • This additional information helps round out the article and can help you transition to new points as you move along.
  • If you have an opinion, this is where you will identify the opposing views and the people who hold them.
  • A good news article will outline facts and information. A great news article will allow readers to engage on an emotional level.
  • To engage your readers, you should provide enough information that anyone reading your news article can make an informed opinion, even if it contrasts with yours.
  • This also applies to a news article where you the author don’t state your opinion but present it as an unbiased piece of information. Your readers should still be able to learn enough about your topic to form an opinion.

Step 4 Conclude your article.

  • Make sure your news article is complete and finished by giving it a good concluding sentence. This is often a restatement of the leading statement (thesis) or a statement indicating potential future developments relating to the article topic.
  • Read other news articles for ideas on how to best accomplish this. Or, watch news stations or shows. See how a news anchor will wrap up a story and sign off, then try to emulate that.

Proofing Your Article

Step 1 Check facts before publishing.

  • Be sure to double check all the facts in your news article before you submit it, including names, dates, and contact information or addresses. Writing accurately is one of the best ways to establish yourself as a competent news article writer.

Step 2 Ensure you have followed your outline and have been consistent with style.

  • If your news article is meant to convey direct facts, not the opinions of its writer, ensure you’ve kept your writing unbiased and objective. Avoid any language that is overly positive or negative or statements that could be construed as support or criticism.
  • If your article is meant to be more in the style of interpretive journalism then check to make sure that you have given deep enough explanations of the larger story and offered multiple viewpoints throughout.

Step 3 Follow the AP Style for formatting and citing sources.

  • When quoting someone, write down exactly what was said inside quotations and immediately cite the reference with the person’s proper title. Formal titles should be capitalized and appear before a person’s name. Ex: “Mayor John Smith”.
  • Always write out numbers one through nine, but use numerals for numbers 10 and up.
  • When writing a news article, be sure to only include one space after a period, not two. [12] X Research source

Step 4 Have your editor read your article.

  • You shouldn’t submit any news article for publication without first letting someone take a look at it. An extra pair of eyes can double check your facts and the information to ensure that what you have written is accurate.
  • If you are writing a news article for school or your own personal website, then have a friend take a look at it and give you notes. Sometimes you may get notes that you want to defend or don’t agree with it. But these should be listened to. Remember, with so many news articles getting published every minute you need to ensure that your widest possible audience can easily digest the information you have provided.

Expert Q&A

Gerald Posner

  • Start with research and ask the “5. Asking these questions will help you create an outline and a narrative to your article. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Interview people, and remember to be polite and honest about what you are writing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Put the most important information at the beginning of your article. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about writing an article, check out our in-depth interview with Gerald Posner .

  • ↑ https://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/different-genres/news-writing-fundamentals
  • ↑ https://libguides.southernct.edu/journalism/howtowrite
  • ↑ https://spcollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=254319&p=1695313
  • ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/cm360
  • ↑ https://mediahelpingmedia.org/basics/how-to-find-and-develop-important-news-angles/
  • ↑ https://www.northwestern.edu/brand/editorial-guidelines/newswriting-guidelines/
  • ↑ https://tacomacc.libguides.com/c.php?g=599051&p=4147190
  • ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/journalism_and_journalistic_writing/ap_style.html
  • ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/punctuation/space-after-period
  • ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

About This Article

Gerald Posner

To write a news article, open with a strong leading sentence that states what the article is about and why it’s important. Try to answer the questions who, what, where, when, and why as early in the article as possible. Once you’ve given the reader the most important facts, you can include any additional information to help round out the article, such as opposing views or contact information. Finish with a strong concluding sentence, such as an invitation to learn more or a statement indicating future developments. For tips on researching your article, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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The Complete Guide to Article Writing Format

Kate Kandefer

Mastering the art of article writing can propel your career, establish you as an expert in your field, and drive traffic to your website or blog. Understanding how to structure and format an engaging article is critical for professional growth and capturing readers’ attention. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the essentials of article writing format, step-by-step instructions for crafting compelling content, various types of articles, best practices for formatting an article to capture leads, and much more. Read on to elevate your skills and learn how to create stunning articles that captivate audiences.

What is the Article Writing Format?

What is Article Writing Format?

An article writing format is a structured template that guides writers to effectively communicate their ideas through clear organization, logical development, and coherent presentation. Adhering to a well-structured manner ensures that the author’s thoughts are easily understood by readers while maintaining consistency across different components such as headings, subheadings, introduction, body text, images or infographics, and conclusion.

What is the format for article writing?

The standard format for composing an article entails six primary elements:

  • Heading : A captivating title sums up the topic or expresses a unique angle.
  • Introduction : An engaging opening paragraph hooks readers by introducing the subject matter while sparking curiosity.
  • Body : Well-structured paragraphs are subdivided into subsections or bullet points that clearly explain each point with concise language.
  • Subheadings : These break up long stretches of text into manageable sections or highlight main ideas for easy scanning.
  • Images and Infographics : Visual aids complement written content by further illustrating your points or presenting complex data in simplified form.
  • Conclusion : A summary reiterating key highlights without repeating exact phrases used earlier – often ending with a call-to-action to provoke reader response.

Objectives of Article Writing

Objectives of Article Writing

The article writing process involves various objectives to effectively communicate with your target audience. A well-crafted article serves multiple purposes, making it essential to content creation. By understanding the primary objectives of article writing, you can ensure that your content effectively meets its intended goals.

Inform and Educate

One of the key objectives of article writing is to inform and educate readers about a particular topic or subject matter. Incorporate accurate, up-to-date information backed by reliable sources into your content to achieve this goal. Providing information clearly and concisely helps maintain reader interest and enhances comprehension.

Engage the Reader

Engaging your reader is crucial to retaining their attention throughout the whole article. Utilize an active voice and conversational tone to create compelling content while maintaining professionalism. Incorporating personal anecdotes and real-life examples can make complex topics more relatable and accessible to readers.

Establish Authority and Expertise

Establishing yourself as an authoritative figure in your niche is another important objective of good article writing. To do so:

  • Conduct thorough research
  • Reference reputable sources
  • Showcase industry expertise through insightful analysis

Expertise adds credibility to your content, encouraging readers to trust your opinions on relevant subjects.

Persuade Your Audience

When persuading readers to adopt a specific viewpoint, presenting solid arguments supported by credible evidence is vital. Employ persuasive techniques such as addressing counterarguments or providing data-driven insights to bolster your position convincingly.

Encourage Action

Some articles are written to influence readers towards taking action – whether it entails subscribing to an email newsletter, purchasing, or supporting a cause. Using persuasive language or offering incentives, such as exclusive benefits from acting promptly, can be helpful strategies for driving desired actions.

Four Types of Article Writing

Four Types of Article Writing

An effective content creator should have a solid understanding of the four major types of article writing. Each type has its purpose, style, and intended audience. By mastering all these formats, you’ll be able to engage different readers effectively and convey your message precisely. This section explores the characteristics of expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive writing styles.

Expository Article Writing

Expository writing is an informative approach that educates readers about a specific topic or concept without expressing personal views or opinions. It requires extensive research and factual accuracy to present information clearly and concisely objectively. Some common examples of this article writing format include:

  • How-to guides
  • Product reviews
  • News articles

When creating expository articles, consider the following elements:

  • Develop a clear thesis statement or central idea.
  • Use logical organization with headings and subheadings .
  • Include credible sources and evidence to support claims.
  • Keep your language precise, neutral, and easy to understand.

Persuasive Article Writing

In contrast to expository writing’s objective nature, persuasive writing articles aim to convince readers to adopt a particular viewpoint or take specific actions based on provided arguments. This article’s writing format often relies on emotional reasoning and rhetoric while incorporating strong evidence from reliable sources. Common examples of an argumentative article include opinion pieces, editorials, and product recommendations.

To craft compelling, persuasive content:

  • Clearly state your position or argument.
  • Provide well-reasoned points supported by facts or expert opinions.
  • Address counterarguments respectfully while showing their weaknesses.
  • Employ persuasive language techniques such as analogies or rhetorical questions.

Narrative Article Writing

Narrative articles focus on storytelling by sharing personal experiences or fictional tales for readers’ entertainment or enlightenment purposes. These stories typically follow chronological order with engaging characters and vivid descriptions; however, narrative-style business case studies or product testimonials can also be powerful marketing tools. Some examples are personal essays, anecdotes, and travelogues.

Tips for successful narrative writing:

  • Utilize a robust and engaging hook to capture your audience’s attention.
  • Develop relatable characters and realistic dialogue.
  • Use descriptive language to paint a visual image for your audience.
  • Follow a clear story arc with a beginning, middle, and end.

Descriptive Article Writing

Descriptive articles offer detailed descriptions of people, places, objects, or events to engage readers emotionally and create vivid mental images. Article writers often use sensory details (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) and figurative language (similes and metaphors) to bring the subject to life in this article’s writing format. Common instances include food reviews, travel experiences, and event reports.

To excel in descriptive writing:

  • Choose a specific aspect or experience you want to convey.
  • Use rich sensory information to evoke emotions or reactions.
  • Employ figurative language strategically—don’t overdo it!
  • Strive for an immersive experience by showing rather than telling.

Understanding these four article writing formats will allow you to craft compelling content tailored for each purpose and audience type successfully. Familiarize yourself with the unique characteristics of expository, persuasive, narrative, and descriptive styles to elevate your article-writing skills considerably.

The Article Writing Format

The Article Writing Format

Understanding the article writing format is essential to producing high-quality, engaging content. An effective article-written format will help guide your readers through your ideas logically and clearly. This section will discuss the key components of a well-written article: Heading, Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.

An attention-grabbing heading is critical for drawing readers in. Make sure it accurately reflects the content of an article while keeping it concise and intriguing. Here are some tips you can follow:

  • Use powerful vocabulary words that evoke emotion or curiosity
  • Keep it short (ideally between 5-10 words)
  • Avoid clickbait but make sure it generates interest
  • Frame it as a question or use numbers if relevant (e.g., “5 Steps to Improve Your Sleep”)

Experiment with different formats to find what works best for your target audience when writing headings.

  • Introduction

The introductory paragraph sets the stage for what readers should expect from your article. It aims to hook them into reading further by providing a glimpse of the value they’ll get by continuing. To achieve this, adhere to these guidelines:

  • Start with an interesting fact or statistic that demonstrates the significance of your topic.
  • Establish context and relevance by addressing why this topic matters to your readers.
  • Give a brief overview of what you’ll discuss without diving too deep.
  • End with a thought-provoking statement or question that encourages people to read on.

Remember that a strong introduction entices readers while setting expectations for the rest of the article.

The body comprises the bulk of your article content and forms the heart of its substance. In this section, elaborate on points introduced in earlier sections, supporting them with evidence such as research, anecdotal examples, clear statements, or expert quotes when necessary.

To write effectively in the body:

  • Break down your main ideas into digestible subheadings to guide the reader.
  • Be descriptive but concise – avoid excessive jargon and focus on conveying your key message.
  • Use logical transitions between paragraphs or subsections to ensure a coherent flow of ideas.
  • Utilize bullet points or numbered lists when presenting multiple concepts.
  • Incorporate multimedia elements, such as images or graphics, to support and engage.

Organizing the body effectively ensures readers can easily understand and retain your present information.

Subheadings

Subheadings play a crucial role in enhancing the readability and organization of an article. They break up large chunks of text, making it easier for readers to consume the content and maintain their interest. Subheadings act as guideposts that lead the reader from one important component or topic to another, quickly conveying the essence of each section.

When incorporating subheadings into your article, consider the following tips:

  • Make them informative: A good subheading should provide a snapshot of the section’s content. It should be concise yet descriptive enough to give the reader an idea of the topic that will be covered.
  • Keep them consistent: Subheadings should maintain a consistent format throughout the article. This can involve using a similar font style, size, or emphasis. Consistency makes it easy for readers to recognize and navigate through different sections.
  • Use SEO-friendly keywords: Including relevant keywords in your subheadings can improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your article, making it more discoverable by search engines. This strategy makes your content more likely to appear in users’ search results when they’re looking for information on your topic.
  • Space them appropriately: Breaking up your content into logical sections helps improve readability. Avoid cramming too many subheadings close together or leaving large gaps between sections. A well-spaced article ensures a smooth reading experience and helps readers find the specific information they need.
  • Keep paragraphs short -Ideally, paragraphs should not exceed three to five sentences in length. Focusing on one central idea per paragraph can help you create a clear and organized structure throughout your article.

Images and Infographics

Visual elements like images and infographics greatly enhance an article by providing visual appeal, enhancing understanding, and supporting the content. They can break up the lengthy text, making the content more digestible and engaging for readers.

  • Use high-quality images: High-resolution images not only look professional, but they also convey your message more effectively. Ensure that the images you use are sharp, clear, and well-composed. Always credit the source of the image or make sure you have the appropriate permissions to use it.
  • Relevance is key: Images and infographics should be directly related to the content they accompany. They should support the points being made and help clarify or elaborate on the information presented in the text. Avoid using irrelevant or generic images just for the sake of visual appeal.
  • Opt for original visuals: Create or commission original images and infographics whenever possible. This not only adds a unique touch to your article but also helps set your content apart from others on similar topics.
  • Use captions and descriptions: Including captions and descriptions with your images and infographics provides additional context and ensures that readers understand their relevance to the content. This can also improve the accessibility of your article for individuals who use screen readers or have visual impairments.
  • Optimize for SEO: By including relevant keywords in the file names, alt text, and captions of your images and infographics, you can boost the overall SEO of your article. This helps search engines better understand the content and context of your visuals, making your content more discoverable.

A well-crafted conclusion is a closing statement that reaffirms your article’s main point(s). It reinforces what has been learned and provides direction for readers who want to explore further or take action related to your topic. Follow these tips to write a good and logical ending:

  • Summarize key points made throughout the article without introducing new information.
  • Highlight implications, real-world applications, or future trends relating to your subject matter.
  • Invite feedback or discussion, or urge readers to consider the following steps (e.g., following a call-to-action). 
  • Claim your mastery by crafting an end with a thought-provoking question or inspiring quote that leaves an impact.

By effectively crafting the final paragraph, you’ll leave your audience feeling satisfied and enriched by their reading experience while wanting more from you in future articles. Ultimately, mastering this article writing format empowers you to consistently create high–quality content–benefitting you and those who read it.

Step By Step Guide for Writing an Article

Step By Step Guide for Writing an Article

To write good articles, it’s crucial to follow a systematic approach that covers all aspects of the topic. This section discusses a step-by-step guide to use as a blueprint when writing good articles .

Step 1: Identify your target audience

Before diving into the writing process, it’s essential to determine who your target audience is. Your readers’ preferences and interests will significantly influence the content of your article and its tone. To identify them:

  • Define demographic characteristics such as age, gender, location, and occupation.
  • Determine their needs, aspirations, confusions, or problems they are facing.
  • Assess their level of expertise in your chosen topic; are they beginners or experts?

Understanding your target audience helps customize the article format and ensure the content resonates with them.

1. Remember who you’re speaking to. Understand their passions, pains, and what keeps them up at night. Once this picture becomes clear:

  • Shape your content’s tone to match their preferences – heavy jargon for professionals versus simpler terms for beginners.
  • Provide answers or solutions tailored specifically for them. This attentiveness ensures your articles resonate deeply and foster loyalty from those who find sanctuary in your words.

2. Readers often approach articles with clear intentions – seeking answers, learning skills, or simply finding entertainment. Your mission is thus twofold: discern these intents accurately, then craft content that aligns perfectly with their quests:

  • Research keywords they use when searching online.
  • Deliver content formats meeting those searched criteria—from how-to guides to thought pieces.

Aligning with search intent satisfies readers and signals search engines that your content is valuable. This leads us to our next point gracefully.

Step 2: Select an appropriate topic and an attractive heading

Next, pick one topic relevant to your niche or industry and develop an attention-grabbing headline that will pique readers’ curiosity. A captivating heading encourages potential visitors to click on your link and read through the entire piece.

Some tips for selecting topics and creating headlines:

  • Address current trends or industry developments,
  • Tackle issues faced by your target audience,
  • Pose thought-provoking questions,
  • Use numbers in listicles (e.g., “10 Tips for __”),
  • Implement power words such as ‘How-to,’ ‘Ultimate Guide,’ ‘Secrets,’ etc.

Step 3: Conduct thorough research

Once you’ve chosen your topic, invest time in researching. It not only raises credibility but also helps provide well-rounded, relevant information to a larger audience of readers. As you gather data:

  • Seek reliable sources like academic articles, government publications, books by renowned authors, or interviews with subject-matter experts.
  • Maintain organized notes with valuable findings, including statistics, case studies, or expert opinions.
  • Cross-check data to ensure its authenticity and relevance.

Step 4: Write an article outline

Creating an outline serves as the backbone of a good article, ultimately contributing to a clear and coherent content structure. Divide the piece into logical sections like:

  • Main body (subheadings)

You can further break down each section into smaller sub-sections or bullet points to make it more digestible for readers.

Step 5: Write and proofread

With your research and outline in place, begin writing using a conversational tone while keeping it professional and informative. Keep in mind the following considerations:

  • Use active voice and simple sentences
  • Create engaging, relatable content for your target audience
  • Utilize appropriate transition phrases between ideas
  • Incorporate relevant keywords throughout the article

After completing your rough draft, set aside some time before revisiting it with fresh eyes to proofread. Correct any grammatical mistakes, unclear sentences, or inconsistencies.

Use AI Tools to speed up the process

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can significantly help streamline the writing process. Some popular AI writing assistants include Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, INK, or Copy.ai , which offer features like grammar checks, readability score improvements, or even generating content ideas.

Step 6: Add images and infographics

Lastly, enhance your article by incorporating relevant visuals such as photos, illustrations, or infographics to aid comprehension or break up text-heavy portions. Ensure they are high-quality images, and remember to credit sources.

1. Include Relevant and High-Quality Visuals

We live in a highly visual society where images can communicate complex ideas swiftly and memorably. Enhance reader engagement by integrating visuals such as:

  • Crisp photographs
  • Informative charts
  • Vibrant infographics

High-quality visuals serve as waypoints on the journey through your text, keeping audiences anchored and immersed.

Step 7: Optimize for SEO

Optimizing for SEO means more than sprinkling keywords throughout your text. It’s about making sure those seeking what you’ve written find it effortlessly amid the vast ocean of online information. Here lies an opportunity:

  • Employ relevant keywords naturally within headings and body paragraphs.
  • Anchor texts should flow smoothly with internal links , leading readers deeper into related topics on your site. 

By weaving SEO strategies through each paragraph, you enhance discoverability without sacrificing quality storytelling, a balance worthy of pursuit.

Article Writing Rules – Rules for Writing Good Articles

Following basic article writing rules is essential to create compelling and high-quality articles. These rules make the process easier and ensure your content is engaging, informative, and valuable to your readers. Let’s delve into these crucial guidelines that can elevate your article-writing skills.

Use Appropriate Keywords

Naturally integrating relevant keywords helps improve your article’s visibility, search engine rankings, and engagement rates. Be sure to use 3-5 of the appropriate keywords per section without compromising the quality of your content or forcing yourself to use them unnaturally.

Be Clear and Concise

Simplicity works wonders in the world of article writing. Keep sentences short and precise with a maximum of 15 words each since shorter sentences are easier for readers to read, understand, and absorb.

Maintain Coherence

Ensure that consecutive blocks of text don’t begin with the exact phrases or words to maintain coherence throughout the entire article. Each section should expand on the content covered previously while avoiding unnecessary repetition.

Stay Focused on Your Topic

Stay focused on your chosen subject matter by providing substantial information relevant to the topic at hand—straying too far from it may leave readers confused and disinterested.

Utilize Proper Formatting

Applying appropriate formatting techniques enhances readability by breaking down large chunks of text into smaller sections using headings, subheadings, bullet points, ordered lists, etc., making it enjoyable for readers.

Apply Logical Transitional Phrases

Using logical transitional phrases between ideas significantly improves readability as they connect related thoughts smoothly instead of relying solely on conjunctions like ‘and’ or ‘but.’

Fact-Check Your Content

Validate data through reliable sources like studies or research; this practice eliminates errors and boosts your content’s credibility.

Edit and Proofread

Ensure grammatical accuracy and clarity by thoroughly editing and proofreading your work, eliminating potential distractions for your readers in the form of errors or inconsistencies. Seeking feedback from a fellow article writer, editor, or reader can be incredibly valuable for enhancing the quality of your content.

By effectively applying these rules to your article writing process, you’ll notice increased engagement while providing the readers with the information they desire in a clear and user-friendly manner. Remember that practice makes perfect, so keep refining your skills to craft exceptional articles that captivate readers’ attention and sustain their interest throughout.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing

Even experienced writers can fall into common pitfalls that stall their articles from reaching their full potential. Let’s explore some frequent mistakes so you can steer clear of them.

Lack of Clarity or Coherence in Writing

Have you ever read a passage several times and still felt lost? A lack of clarity can leave readers confused and disengaged. To ensure that your thoughts flow seamlessly:

  • Keep sentences short and sweet.
  • Use subheadings to break up the text and organize thoughts.
  • Transition smoothly between ideas with phrases like “Additionally” or “Another aspect to consider.”

Remember, article writing for websites should guide your reader through the topic like a knowledgeable friend leading the way in uncharted territory.

Poor Grammar and Spelling Errors

Nothing diminishes credibility quicker than grammar blunders or typos. They’re like little bumps on the road – each one jarring your reader from the experience.

  • Utilize tools like Grammarly to catch sneaky errors.
  • Never rely solely on spellcheck. Read aloud to see awkward phrasing.
  • If feasible, have someone else review your work – fresh eyes find new mistakes.

Your command over language demonstrates professionalism and respect towards your audience. Don’t let simple slip-ups undercut your message.

Overuse or Misuse of Keywords

Keywords help people find your articles, but cramming them in willy-nilly makes for stilted reading. Keyword stuffing is a passe SEO tactic that today’s savvy algorithms easily spot as manipulative.

  • Use keywords naturally within the context.
  • Aim for keyword variations and synonyms to maintain readability.
  • Concentrate on creating valuable content first; let keywords serve as subtle signposts rather than glaring billboards.

For website article writing, balance is key: enough keywords to be found by search engines but not so many that readers lose interest.

Insufficient or Inaccurate Research

In this digital age, everyone’s an expert…until they’re not. Ensure every fact you state could stand up in court if need be:

  • Cross-check information against reputable sources.
  • Cite statistics from authoritative studies (and link back where possible).
  • Stay updated with recent data – because today’s fact might be tomorrow’s fiction.

Invest time in research – it reinforces your authority and trustworthiness as a writer much more than unfounded assertions ever could.

Lack of Originality or Unique Perspective

Lastly, don’t just rehash what’s out there. Offer something new:

  • Fuse personal experience with external knowledge – it adds authenticity.
  • Engage with controversial viewpoints (respectfully) to stimulate discussion.
  • Present solutions, not just problems – be helpful, insightful, and inspirational.

Originality will set you apart from the informational echo chamber that often inundates web searches. Stand out by being distinctly YOU when engaging in article writing for website topics – it’s about adding value through unique insight as much as imparting wisdom through words.

How Should an Article Be Written?

The article writing process varies based on available resources and the chosen approach. To create compelling content, you have several options: hiring a freelancer, engaging an agency, or utilizing AI writing tools . Each method has its advantages and drawbacks. Let’s examine each option in detail.

Freelancer Article Writers

Hiring a freelancer is often the go-to choice for businesses seeking to outsource their article-writing tasks . By choosing this route, you gain access to various benefits:

  • Expertise:  Freelance writers possess diverse skill sets to tackle multiple topics in different formats.
  • Flexibility:  Working with a freelancer enables flexibility regarding deadlines and communication.
  • Cost Savings:  Hiring freelancers may result in cost savings compared to engaging with an agency.

However, possible challenges include inconsistency in quality and uncertainties surrounding accountability.

When considering freelance writers for your articles, keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Review their portfolio, focusing on relevant samples;
  • Check online reviews or seek recommendations;
  • Communicate your expectations regarding format, tone, and style;
  • Discuss project timelines and payment terms.

Collaborating with an agency can provide access to comprehensive expertise while maintaining consistent results. Agencies typically offer teams of writers, editors, and graphic designers who work together cohesively on your projects.

Benefits of working with an agency include:

  • Consistency:  A professional agency ensures overall consistency across all content produced.
  • Scalability:  An agency can handle large-scale projects more efficiently than individual freelancers.
  • Streamlined Communication:  Agencies usually assign a dedicated project manager for efficient communication.

On the downside, agencies tend to be more expensive than freelancers.

To find the right fit when exploring agency options:

  • Research reputable agencies within your niche;
  • Evaluate their offerings by verifying case studies or reviews;
  • Discuss project scope, schedule, and budget before signing agreements.

AI Article Writer

Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools like SEOwind have emerged as innovative solutions for content creation. These programs rely on advanced algorithms to generate articles at a faster pace. However, the degree of human involvement is still crucial for maintaining quality and effectiveness.

Some advantages of AI writing tools include the following:

  • Efficiency:  AI-powered tools can generate articles swiftly, which may save time compared to manual writing.
  • Content Ideas Generation:  They can provide content suggestions based on your chosen keywords or topics.
  • Proofreading and Editing:  Many AI tools also assist in improving readability by identifying grammar errors and suggesting sentence structure improvements.

There are limitations when relying solely on AI-generated content , such as a potential lack of creativity, knowing the specifics of your domain or company, and problems with factual data.

To successfully leverage AI writing tools:

  • Research reliable options that address your specific needs;
  • Use them alongside human input, striking a balance between automation and human touch;
  • Ensure thorough editing before publishing any AI-generated article .

Each method – freelancer, agency, or AI writing tool – has its strengths when creating articles that follow the ideal format. The key is understanding your requirements while ensuring your chosen approach complements your goals regarding quality, efficiency, and budget constraints in article production.

How Can I Start Writing Articles?

How Can I Start Writing Articles?

Starting to write articles may seem overwhelming, but with a step-by-step approach and understanding of the article writing format, you can successfully begin your journey. Here are some essential steps to consider when starting:

Define Your Interests and Expertise

Before delving into article writing, recognize your interests and areas of expertise. This will guide you in choosing relevant topics that align with your passion and knowledge.

Identify a Target Audience

Knowing your audience is crucial for any content creation. Understand your target readership’s demographics, preferences, needs, and language style.

Choose Article Writing Topics Wisely

Pick engaging topics based on current trends or issues your target audience faces. Conduct keyword research to identify popular search phrases related to the subject matter.

Learn Article Writing Fundamentals

Familiarize yourself with the components of an article writing format, such as heading, introduction, body, and conclusion. Study sample articles related to your niche to understand how professionals structure their work.

Plan Your Content

Create an outline before beginning the actual writing process. This will help you organize thoughts effectively while covering all necessary points within the content.

Write Regularly

Refining your skills takes time and practice; make it a priority to write consistently (daily or at least several times per week). Ensure you maintain focus on quality over quantity during this learning phase.

Edit Thoroughly

Reviewing your work is essential when crafting high-quality articles; eliminate errors or redundancy within sentences to ensure conciseness and clarity in communication.

Seek Feedback

Ask friends, family members, or colleagues for honest feedback regarding writing style, flow, tone, and accuracy — constructive criticism contributes to writing growth.

Expand into Different Formats

Experimentation allows improvement; explore different article formats, such as persuasive or descriptive writing, to strengthen your versatility in content creation.

Learn from Others

Study articles by other writers within your niche to observe their techniques and styles. Analyzing their approach empowers you to develop your unique voice over time.

Starting a career in article writing begins with self-awareness and an understanding of the target audience’s needs. Building a solid foundation in the essentials of article writing format, followed by consistent practice, leads to growth and success in this field. Embrace feedback and continuously challenge yourself by exploring various formats, styles, and niches within written communication.

Grow Your Article Writing with a Focused Niche

Grow Your Article Writing with a Focused Niche

Choosing a focused niche is essential in honing your article writing skills, building credibility within your industry, and positioning yourself as an authority. A narrow niche will enable you to create specialized content that appeals to your target audience and meets their unique needs.

Benefits of Selecting a Specific Niche

  • Expertise:  A concentrated focus allows you to deepen your understanding of the subject matter and build expertise – vital components for creating high-quality articles.
  • Targeted content:  You can craft content tailored to your intended audience’s challenges and aspirations by zeroing in on a particular area.
  • Establish authority and credibility:  Writing informative articles on topics related to your niche over time will help position you as an authoritative voice.
  • Audience loyalty:  Readers searching for information about a specific topic are more likely to return for additional insights from writers who consistently provide valuable content in their area of interest.
  • Higher relevance for SEO : Focusing on a specific type of content or set of keywords improves search engine optimization (SEO) performance because search engines find ranking pages containing relevant, authoritative information easier.

To succeed in growing your article writing by concentrating on one area, consider these strategies:

Identifying Your Niche

Selecting a suitable niche requires careful assessment of both personal interests and market demands. Aligning these two factors ensures sustained motivation while creating ample opportunities for professional growth.

  • Evaluate personal passions: Choose a subject that genuinely fascinates or excites you since this will reflect positively on the quality and tone of your articles.
  • Discover areas where readers need answers: Identify niches with insufficient high-quality content or new developments driving demand for updated resources.
  • Assess competition: Research how other writers fare in potential niches by analyzing the format, quality, and reader engagement of existing articles.

Staying Updated in Your Niche

Once you have selected your niche, you must stay informed about new technical developments and trends within the industry. This will enable you to:

  • Produce articles that are up-to-date and relevant,
  • Address the ever-changing needs of your target readers,
  • Offer insights based on recent research and findings.

To remain current, tap into resources such as:

  • Industry news websites or reputable blogs,
  • Research publications from authoritative sources,
  • Online communities or social media groups related to your niche.

Adapting Article Writing Format for Your Niche

An effective article writing format resonates with your specific audience by addressing their unique concerns and interests. To tailor your article format for maximum effectiveness within your chosen niche:

  • Understand your audience:  Identify the content preferences, knowledge level, and reading habits of people interested in your niche.
  • Customize headings:  Use headings that reflect your target readers’ challenges or offer potential solutions specific to their context.
  • Adjust tone and vocabulary:  Write using an appropriate tone of voice (professional or conversational) while incorporating industry-specific jargon where necessary to enhance credibility.
  • Create captivating introductions:  Design introductions that grab attention with compelling hooks tied specifically to questions and concerns within the domain.
  • Structure articles for easy scanning:  Utilize subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, and text formatting techniques such as boldface or italics to improve readability.

How Do I Know It’s a Good Niche?

Selecting the right niche is critical for successful article writing. A good niche is one that not only piques your interest but also has a substantial demand and audience. To determine if a specific niche is worth pursuing, consider the following factors:

Interest and Passion

First and foremost, check whether you have a genuine interest in the niche. Writing about something you are passionate about will make producing engaging and informative content easier. Having expertise in the subject matter also provides an added advantage.

Available Audience

A strong market presence with an existing audience indicates a potentially profitable niche. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to identify search volume trends on related topics within the chosen niche.

Competition

Analyze your competition before committing to any specific topic. Suppose there’s low competition for a particular keyword set or subtopic. In that case, it may be wise to pursue it further to position yourself as an authoritative source of information.

  • High competition: Beware of overcrowded subjects where standing out from other writers might prove challenging.
  • Moderate competition: Optimal scenario – there’s enough interest surrounding the topic, yet room exists to establish your voice as an expert.
  • Low competition: Assess if low demand or limited content quality is causing fewer people to write about this subject; high-quality articles might still attract readership.

Monetization Potential

If generating income through article writing is part of your goals, assess the monetization potential for your chosen niche. Consider options such as affiliate marketing programs, sponsored posts, advertising revenue, or even creating eBooks based on your articles.

Evergreen Content Possibilities

Lastly, evaluate if your selected niche lends itself well to producing evergreen content – timeless information that remains relevant regardless of when it was published. Establishing evergreen content ensures steady traffic flow over time without constantly needing updates or relying solely on trending topics.

Considering these factors, you can ascertain if your chosen niche will lead to profitable and engaging article-writing experiences. As your expertise grows within a specific niche, generating fresh content and captivating readers will become increasingly effortless, allowing you to leverage your skills for greater success.

What is the Best Article Writing Format to Capture Leads?

What is the Best Article Writing Format to Capture Leads?

Capturing leads through effective article writing has become essential in reaching your target audience and driving conversions. Creating quality content that resonates with readers in various formats helps showcase your expertise, fostering credibility and trust. To determine the best format for efficiently capturing leads using articles, consider incorporating these key elements:

Attention-Grabbing Headline

An enticing headline works as a hook that can grab the reader’s attention and pique their interest before they even start reading your content. Make sure to use powerful words that resonate with your target audience and ensure it demonstrates the value they would receive by reading the article.

Introduction with Strong Value Proposition

The introduction to the perfect article should be engaging and provide a quick overview of what the reader can expect from the article. A solid value proposition is often indispensable in establishing why this piece will benefit them or solve their problem.

Include Infographics, Images, and Videos

Visual aid helps break up long walls of text and adds depth to your content while making it more appealing to readers. Including relevant infographics, images, or videos within an article enriches user experience leading to better engagement rates.

Easy-to-Digest Content Format

Consider employing one of these formats for better comprehension:

  • Bullet points: They allow easy scanning.
  • Subheadings: Allow breaking complex topics into smaller sections.
  • Short paragraphs: Simplify structure while maintaining readability.

Remember to keep sentences short (up to 15 words) for better readability.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Including a strong call-to-action at strategic points throughout the article encourages readers to download resources such as e-books or sign up for newsletters–thus capturing leads effectively.

Overall, choosing an article writing format highly depends on understanding which method resonates most with your target audience and the type of content produced. Experimenting with several approaches lets you ascertain which format yields better lead-capture results while consistently delivering value through compelling and informative content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Article Writing

The journey of writing articles is filled with questions. Let’s tackle a few pressing queries to help you navigate the art of article writing.

What is the Ideal Length for an Article?

Ah, the age-old question: “How long should my article be?” There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It depends largely on your audience, topic complexity, and publication venue. However, a rule of thumb suggests:

  • Short-form articles typically range from 500 to 800 words and are superb for online platforms where readers seek quick insights.
  • Medium-length articles, hovering around 1,200 to 1,500 words, hit a sweet spot by providing enough space to delve deeper without over-testing readers’ attention spans.
  • Long-form pieces stretch beyond 2,000 words and suit topics requiring comprehensive coverage or detailed storytelling.

Assessing what you aim to achieve with what an article in writing is helps solidify this decision. Remember engagement metrics because reader retention can drop if content feels needlessly drawn out.

Can I Use References or Citations in My Articles?

Absolutely! Referencing authoritative sources underpins your credibility and enriches your work by demonstrating thorough research. When you’re mulling over how to write articles for publication, consider these citation tips:

  • Choose reliable sources such as scholarly journals or recognized experts in the field.
  • Following the recommended citation style to bolster professionalism – APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian are common picks.
  • Include citations when stating facts or figures that aren’t common knowledge.

Incorporating references demonstrates due diligence and respect towards intellectual property rights, a sign of meticulous writing articles ethos.

How Can I Make My Articles Stand Out from Others?

Every writer desires their prose to pop off the page—or screen—as uniquely compelling. Achieving standout status hinges on the following:

  • Offering fresh perspectives: Bring something new to the table—uncommon insights, novel angles, or untold stories can distinguish your piece from others cluttering cyberspace.
  • Engaging narrative: Storytelling isn’t just for fiction writers. Weaving anecdotes or creating vivid scenarios makes any topic more relatable and memorable.
  • Voice authenticity: Your voice is as distinct as your fingerprints. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through while addressing an article in writing—readers gravitate toward authenticity.

Alongside exceptional content quality goes impeccable presentation—sleek formatting and crisp visuals if applicable—and applying solid SEO practices heightens visibility. Take care not only about what you say but how you say it. That’s how lasting impressions are made daily amidst the crowded cacophony of content.

Remember that these FAQs reflect just a fraction of considerations central to crafting successful articles. Dive into each phase with curiosity and caution for the best results!

Kate Kandefer

Kate Kandefer

Entrepreneur passionate about scaling SaaS companies on a global B2B stage. My expertise in AI, SEO, and Content Marketing is my toolkit for driving tangible results. I'm a hands-on executor guided by results, deeply passionate about marketing, and skilled at aligning business objectives with people's needs and motivations. With a pragmatic mindset. My approach is all about clarity, efficiency, and open dialogue.

Table of Contents

  • 1 What is the Article Writing Format?
  • 2 Objectives of Article Writing
  • 3 Four Types of Article Writing
  • 4 The Article Writing Format
  • 5 Step By Step Guide for Writing an Article
  • 6 Article Writing Rules – Rules for Writing Good Articles
  • 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Article Writing
  • 8 How Should an Article Be Written?
  • 9 How Can I Start Writing Articles?
  • 10 Grow Your Article Writing with a Focused Niche
  • 11 How Do I Know It’s a Good Niche?
  • 12 What is the Best Article Writing Format to Capture Leads?
  • 13 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Article Writing

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How to start writing an article: step-by-step guide.

Jacqueline Luberto

Jacqueline Luberto

The ParagraphAI Team

The ParagraphAI Team

  • Updated on  09/12/2022

How to write an article with ParagraphAI.

Want to write an article but are unsure ofow to adequately convey a message to your intended audience? Getting started can be challenging, especially if you’re still organizing your thoughts or deciding on an appropriate tone. If you find yourself struggling with how to start writing an article, following a few simple steps can streamline the process. With the right strategies on your side, you’ll be creating well-written articles in no time.

Using an established strategy makes the business of article writing a smooth journey rather than a daunting task. However, if you want to make the steps for how to write a good article a breeze, then it’s time to leverage AI. Exploring the endless opportunity that lies within a free AI writing tool like ParagraphAI can streamline the techniques behind what makes a good article, giving your readers the  information they need.

What is an Article?

What is article writing ? Article writing is a form of written communication aimed at engaging a wide audience through various media outlets. In the context of article writing, these media outlets encompass publishing entities such as newspapers, magazines, journals, and more.

Articles are written works intended for a wide audience to view, and traditionally are published in magazines, newspapers, or journals. Therefore they are typically shorter than other forms of writing, such as books or essays.

If you’re contemplating how to write a great article, a key point to remember is that it can be about any topic, from current events to personal experiences. They are intended to inform, educate, or entertain the reader. As you gain proficiency in organizing your thoughts, understanding your audience, and building a coherent structure, you will inevitably learn how to write articles fast, a skill that improves over time.

What Should Be in an Article?

As with any medium designed to deliver any type of information, there should be coherent follow. Regarding articles, it can begin with how to start writing an article and then transition into a logical structure that introduces, explores, and delivers the main point of the article. You can achieve this by creating the following sections:

  • Title: Something that will make the reader want to learn more about the topic.
  • Introduction: Where you present the topic and summarize the main points of the article.
  • Body: The main argument, made up of supporting paragraphs.
  • Conclusion: Summarization of the argument and call to action.

By following this structure and these article writing tips, your articles will effectively communicate their arguments in a clear and concise manner to your audience.

How to Write an Article

Here is a quick list to get started on articles: 

Find a topic.

Find your target audience., perform research on your story to create trust., write an outline., get a rough draft together., create the subject matter., read and or share with friends for any errors..

Before proceeding, one should first consider the topic of the article and what its objective is. Is the article meant to be informative or entertaining? Perhaps you are making an argument to convince the reader of something. This would be a good starting point if you’re wondering how to start writing an article.

With your topic in mind, also consider your audience. What might draw them in? If you were someone with less knowledge on this topic, what questions would you want this article to answer? This is where tips for writing an article can be really useful. Think about your writing from the perspective of potential readers. This process will help you communicate your ideas are clearly and make your content a good read.

Research will be a necessary step for most articles intending to inform or argue a certain topic, as supporting evidence allows you to write with more credibility. Drawing from your experience can also provide unique insights, as people might find value in your anecdotes. Seeking out statistics, quotes from interviews, and references from academic publications is an important step in creating a well-informed argument.

An example outline.

(Source: Wings )

You will also have to come up with a title for your article, which should be eye-catching while accurately reflecting the content of your writing. It can be helpful to brainstorm a few ideas and consider which one fits the main idea while being the most engaging to a potential reader looking to learn more about the topic.

When writing an introduction, you will want an interesting hook that draws the reader in and a brief overview of your article. This is where you can set the tone for your article and deliver the thesis statement that the following paragraphs will support.

The body is then made up of paragraphs that each will support the main point that was laid out in the introduction. This is where you will dig deeper into your arguments and answer any questions that you anticipate readers may have going into the article. The paragraphs should ideally be short and concise to retain the reader’s interest.

For your conclusion, you should summarize the main point as a means of tying up all of the points made by the article. With an effective call to action to close out your argument, you will leave the audience reflecting on your writing.

How to Write an Article in ParagraphAI in Two Easy Steps

While developing techniques for how to write an article more efficiently, learning to make use of a free writing tool such as ParagraphAI is a worthwhile way to increase your productivity. If you’re curious about how to write an article using AI, this is the perfect place to start. If you’re looking to brainstorm ideas, structure your thoughts, or come up with words and phrases to use in your articles, ParagraphAI has you covered. This tool can provide help in a variety of ways. Here’s how you can get started.

Step 1: Enter Your Topic

ParagraphAI's output for an article on Macbeth.

By supplying ParagraphAI with the topic of your article, it generates an introduction paragraph and two body paragraphs. This gives you a strong starting point with which you can work off of to write the rest of your article. However, the article produced is unquestionably incomplete as it lacks a conclusion—and in the case of this Macbeth article, body paragraphs exploring the other two themes mentioned in the introduction need to be addressed. This is a good thing to remember and understand to utilize the tool effectively. Luckily, this can be remedied.

Step 2: Prompt Using Specifics

Creating a conclusion paragraph.

For any paragraphs left that you may need to complete your article, you can enter the topic of that paragraph specifically and plug that result into your article to fill in the gaps. 

In the case of a body paragraph, you would enter one of the supporting ideas that help to make up your overall point, while with a conclusion paragraph, you would enter the thesis from the introduction in order to summarize the whole article. With everything assembled, you have a complete article to revise as needed!

With the right understanding of how to write an article and the importance of one’s structure, style=”color: #EC693F”ParagraphAI can help you create articles more efficiently than ever before. 

Once you’ve decided on your topic, you can start your article off strong with a click of a button and similarly create the rest of your paragraphs as you go along.

So if you’ve got an article to write, consider getting some assistance from ParagraphAI’s free AI writing tool. You may be surprised at how quickly you’ll be able to organize and present your thoughts.

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Steps of Article Writing

Article Writing Format: Suppose you have some opinions regarding a topic and you want to tell people about it. How will you do so? You can tell the opinions to persons near you. But what if you want to tell not only those people but, say, the world? How will you do so? You will write those opinions, isn’t it?

Many a time you have seen some writers or people write their problems and suggestions in some newspapers, magazines, and journals or in their blogs. They are writing their opinions and beliefs in the form of an article. In this section, we will get ourselves familiar with article writing and the article writing format.

An article is a piece of writing written for a large audience. The main motive behind writing an article is that it should be published in either newspapers or magazines or journals so as to make some difference to the world.

write up article

It may be the topics of interest of the writer or it may be related to some current issues. The topic can either be serious or not-so-serious; Same goes for its tone and language.

Browse more Topics under Article Writing

  • Definition, Essential Elements of Article Writing

Objectives of Article Writing

An article is written with the following objectives

  • It brings out the topics or the matter of interest in the limelight
  • The article provides information on the topics
  • It offers suggestions and pieces of advice
  • It influences the readers and urges them to think
  • The article discusses various stories, persons, locations, rising-issues, and technical developments

The Format of Article Writing

An article must be organized in a proper way so as to draw the attention of the readers. The basic outline for an article writing format is

  • Heading / Title
  • A line having the writer’s name
  • Body (the main part of the article, 2 – 3 paragraphs)
  • Conclusion (Ending paragraph of the article with the opinion or recommendation, anticipation or an appeal)

article writing format

Steps for Article Writing Format

Think of the topic you want to write the article about. Only after you’ve decided your topic you can go ahead and undertake the further steps in the process one by one:

  • Target Audience: Identify the concerning reading group
  • Purpose: Find the objective or aim of writing the article
  • Collect & Select: Gather as such information as possible. Also, identify the details that are most significant
  • Organize:  Arrange the information and the facts in a logical way

Once you’ve taken care of all the Above steps you move forward to the final step- Writing.

  • While writing an article, always use proper grammar , spelling , and proper punctuations
  • Use vocabulary skill
  • Keep the introduction of the topic catching, interesting, and short
  • Discuss the opinion and the matter in an organized and descriptive manner

Common Mistakes in the Article Writing Format

Now that you know the steps of article writing and the article writing format, the occurrence of mistakes becomes obvious. Some of the common mistakes are:

  • Not using facts or quotes or similar cases
  • The language should not be too formal
  • The article must be in easy language for better understanding
  • The title of the article must be catchy and clearly understandable
  • No use of paragraphs
  • Expressing personal views is fine but the author must never talk about himself/herself

Points to Keep in Mind for the Article Writing Format

  • The topics of the articles should be unique and relevant
  • The article has to get attention
  • It has to be interesting
  • It has to be easy to read
  • The reader is identified
  • Find the main goal of writing an article. The goal can be anything from providing information, entertainment, and advice or for comparing, etc.
  • The title must be eye-catching, clear, and interesting
  • The introduction or the starting paragraph must be highly attentive. Use your vocabulary skills or try to use some interrogative words for the start
  • Use clear statements and make assertions
  • Avoid repetition and over the top logic and reasons
  • Use the style of paragraph writing and write the contents uniquely and unambiguously
  • Avoid using the points which interest you only and not for the general public
  • Write a good and logical ending

Solved Example on Steps of Article Writing

Problem: Classify the following into Do’s and Don’ts in article writing.

  • Write very lengthy articles
  • Add the writer’s name
  • The title should be lengthy and clear
  • The heading of the article should be short, clear and informative
  • Only the introduction and the conclusion should be attractive and attention seeking
  • Target the audience
  • One can advise, suggest and give the solutions to a problem in any paragraph other than the starting one
  • The language and the style of writing should be according to the concerning readers
  • There must be only three paragraphs in an article – introduction, middle one, and conclusion
  • Use proper punctuations
  • Use any tense , person, voice, as many abbreviations , and self-made words while writing an article

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Article Writing

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  • Updated on  
  • Nov 8, 2023

article writing

There is so much to read and learn these days. Have you noticed how your favourite bloggers or writers come up with unique content on new topics almost every day? In the digital era, writers have to be extra careful about how they present their ideas. It should be collated in such a way that it influences a larger audience at the same time. However, article writing is not everyone’s cup of tea and needs creative thinking .  Whether you want to pursue Content Writing courses or want to flourish your Journalism career , adhering to the structure along with presenting ideas in a well-structured way is what a writer needs to take care of. Yes, even articles have a distinct structure. Before delving into how to write an article should look, let us first understand the basics of it. 

How To Be A Content Writer? [Step-by-Step 2022 Guide]

This Blog Includes:

What is article writing, objectives of article writing, tips for writing a good article, heading or title, byline or name of the author, body of the article, step 1: find your target audience, step 2: select a topic and an attractive heading, step 3: research is the key, step 4: write and proofread, step 5: add images and infographics, sample of article writing, article writing on covid-19 for students, article on my vision of india in the future, article writing topics, common mistakes to avoid in article writing, points to keep in mind, ppt on article writing , scope of article writing.

Playing a major role in society, an article is a piece of information that is written to influence or provide information to people at large. The form and the style of article writing may vary from one topic or writer to another. Yet, an ideal article provides all the relevant factual information to the people which catches their attention, allows them to think and triggers them to act. There are several types of articles, including:

  • Expository article – The most common type of article, which allows the writer to disseminate information on any topic without imposing their own opinions.
  • Argumentative article – An article in which the author poses a problem or issue, proposes a solution and provides arguments to support why their suggestions/solutions are good.
  • A narrative article is one in which the author is required to narrate primarily in the form of a story.
  • Descriptive article – An article written to provide a vivid description that allows readers to visualise what is being described. Using the appropriate adjectives/adjective phrases will assist you in writing a descriptive article.
  • Persuasive article – An article written to persuade or convince readers to accept an idea or a point of view.

An article must be written with the following objectives in mind:

  • It should bring the topic or subject of interest to the foreground.
  • The article must discuss all the necessary information.
  • It must make or suggest recommendations to the readers.
  • It must be eligible to have an impact on the readers and make them think.
  • The article must cover a wide range of topics, including people, places, emerging challenges, and technological advancements.

Here’s a step-by-step guide with plenty of helpful hints to help you write an excellent article in no time:

  • The first and most important thing to consider when you decide to write an article is whether or not you are well-versed in the subject matter.
  • The second question you must answer is why you are writing the article.
  • The next thing you must consider is the type of audience for whom you are writing the article because you will not be able to write it in a way that will entice them to read it unless you know your audience.
  • The language you use is critical because the article would be unable to sell itself without proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure.
  • Make use of keywords to attract a large number of readers.
  • Maintain coherence between and within paragraphs.
  • Regardless of the type of article, double-check the data and information you provide.
  • Keep the title and description as brief and memorable as possible.
  • Before it is published, it should be edited and proofread.

Know the Difference Between an Author and a Writer !

Article Writing Format

Whatever you wish to write, it is important for you to first know the structure of the article and then mention the details accordingly. Divided mainly into 3 sections- Heading, Byline and Body , let us have a look at the article writing format you should keep in mind while composing your piece of information.

The first thing to be noticed and the most important component in article writing is the heading/title. To draw the attention of the readers, it is important to give a catchy heading of not more than 5 to 6 words to the article. 

Below the title comes the byline which states the name of the author who has written the article. This part helps the writer earn the actual credit that they deserve.

The body consists of the main content of an article. Be it story writing or article writing, it is completely upon the author to fix the length of the composition and the number of paragraphs that would embed the information. Generally, an article contains 3 or 4 paragraphs wherein, the first paragraph introduces the readers to what the article will be about and all the prerequisite information. The second and third paragraphs will cover the crux of the topic and here, all the relevant data, case studies and statistics are presented. Following this, the fourth paragraph will conclude the article where the solutions to the problems, as presented in the second and third passages (if any) will be discussed. 

Also Read: How to Write a Book?

Step By Step Guide for Article Writing 

After knowing the format, let us have a look at the 5 simple steps involved in the process of article writing: 

Before writing on any topic, it is important for a writer to first identify the audience the article targets. It can be a particular group of people, children, students, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged, elderly people, business people, service class, etc. Whichever group of people you choose to write for, select a topic that directly or indirectly impacts their lives or spreads the relevant information. 

For example, if the article focuses on parents, then you might write about child psychology, the daily nutritional diet of a child, etc. The tone and the language should also match the suitable audience in article writing. 

After you have chosen your target audience, the second important step in article writing is to choose an apt topic for your composition. This gives an idea of how you should process with the article. After you select the topic, then think of an intriguing title for the same. 

For example, if you want to make the students aware of the various MBA specializations available, you can write – “ Everything you need to know about MBA specializations ”.

Consequent to selecting your targeted audience, topic and title of the article, research is the most important thing in article writing. Read umpteen articles, statistics, facts, data, and new governing laws (if any) to get a hang of all the information to be incorporated in the article. Additionally, check the authenticity of the data, so that you do not state anything outdated. Before proceeding with the article writing, prepare a rough draft or an outline of the article in bullet points and keywords so that you don’t miss out on the important information. 

Once you have collected all the facts and data, you can now begin your article writing. As discussed, start the article with an introductory paragraph, followed by a descriptive and a concluding paragraph. After you have written everything, it is pertinent to proofread your entire article and check whether there are any grammatical errors. As a reader, it becomes a major turn-off when you spot even the minutest of a mistake. Also, make sure that the content is not copied from some other website. 

To make your content even more attractive for people to read, you can also include some infographics. Adding images makes the article even more engaging and it proves to be more influential. Thus making the purpose of your article writing successful!

Given below is a sample that can give you more clarity on how to write an impeccable article: 

Know What is Technical Writing !

Covid -19 for Students By Sahil

Covid-19 has affected all sections of human life. While it affected all industry sectors it has a major impact on education. Classes were switched from offline to online at night but it created confusion among students, especially the ones that were about to enter college. Students even took a gap year hoping for the situation to get better. While schools and colleges are opening because vaccination is in full swing across the globe there are still many challenges.

Understanding COVID-19, how it spreads, and how to protect ourselves are the most important things to be learned first as soon as the school reopens. Students should know the rules they are going to follow and the benefits of following the covid-19 Safety Rules in the School Classroom. It’s very difficult to make the children understand because innocent minds may not get acquainted with the current situation.

To avoid the risk of contracting the Covid- 19, these rules should be followed by every student and school faculty at all times. Students must carry hand sanitisers at all times. Students should never sneeze on their hands, rather they should cover them with their elbows, or may use a tissue or a handkerchief. Inform students not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth frequently. As chances are high that the virus gets spread through the touching of the eyes and nose. If students and teachers follow these basic rules, the spread can be stopped and schools can reopen.

My Vision of India in the Future By Aayush

Most of us have a psychological barrier to looking at India’s future vision, and those who perceive the future as coming straight out of the present typically have their perspective narrowed as well. I believe that the year 2050 will belong to individuals who strive to recognise diversity as a virtue in and of itself, rather than as a tool for combating new mental monocultures or a necessary compromise for social and ethical concord. In the future, India will be in the centre of the world, with variety valued as a goal in itself. My vision statement is neither a forecast of what will happen nor a wish list of desirable but unreachable goals.

It’s a statement of what we believe our country can achieve, given the level of concern that our current youth has about issues like corruption, pollution, and mismanagement of natural resources, among other things. Recognize that the elements that affect national development have changed in recent years and will continue to change in the future when imagining India in 2050. This is expected to create more opportunities than ever before.

The expanding impact and influence of India in domains such as technology, education, information, and productive skills supports the belief that India will attain and sustain higher economic growth and development in the decades ahead.

write up article

Do you have to write an article that is trending right now and will help you score better or help you practice better? Here is the list of current topics for article writing:

  • Global Warming
  • Environmental Pollution
  • Impact of Internet
  • Women Empowerment
  • Education and Movies
  • Value of Games in Education
  • Yoga and Mind Healing
  • Importance of Mental Health
  • Importance of Education in Society

Explore some Creative Writing Topics

The likelihood of errors increases now that you understand the phases of article writing and the article writing format. The following are some examples of common blunders: 

  • Not using facts or quotes or similar cases
  • Using a tone that is too formal
  • Using difficult vocabulary without knowing its meaning 
  • Not using a catchy title for your article 
  • No use of paragraphs to bifurcate information
  • Not expressing personal views or opinions
  • The topics of the articles should be unique and relevant
  • The article has to get the attention
  • It has to be interesting
  • It has to be easy to read
  • Find the main goal of writing an article. The goal can be anything from providing information, entertainment, advice for comparing, etc.
  • The title must be eye-catching, clear, and interesting
  • The introduction or the starting paragraph must be highly attentive. Use your vocabulary skills or try to use some interrogative words at the start
  • Use clear statements and make assertions
  • Avoid repetition and over-the-top logic and reasons
  • Use the style of paragraph writing and write the contents uniquely and unambiguously
  • Avoid using the points which interest you only and not for the general public
  • Always end your article writing on a good and logical note

6 Recommended Travel Writing Courses

  • Article on the Importance of Education
  • Article Rules
  • Essay on Global Warming
  • Essay on Internet
  • Essay on My Aim in Life
  • Essay on Education System
  • Essay on Democracy
  • How to Write a Career Goals Essay?
  • Essay on Digital India

Whether you want to work as an article writer for your current employer or make a name for yourself in the journalism world, your voice and skill are in high demand. What matters is that you keep writing and learning.

The road may be difficult at first. Even if you have a good idea of who you are as a writer and where you fit best, there will be obstacles. At first, every writer experiences this.

Or you may have no idea what intrigues you or what format works best with your natural writing strengths. Keep your cool! You’ll keep learning as you go. When your work is published and assignments begin to flood your inbox, the road will become smoother.

When written well, it becomes a natural part of the audience’s experience. Article writers influence how content is presented and how people think. Even when trying to write someone else’s vision, your talent makes it worthwhile to read.

Related Posts

An article is a piece of information that is written to influence or provide information to people at large. The form and the style of article writing may vary from one topic or writer to another.

Not using facts or quotes or similar cases Using a tone that is too formal Using difficult vocabulary without knowing its meaning Not using a catchy title for your article No use of paragraphs to bifurcate information Not expressing personal views or opinions

The style of article writing varies from one topic or writer to another.

Thus, article writing is a form of art that improves only with practice and the right approach. If you want to pursue a career in a field where writing plays an essential role but are confused about the program then take the assistance of Leverage Edu ’s AI tool which will curate a list of the most suitable universities and courses that align with your professional goals!

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Generate accurate APA citations for free

  • Knowledge Base
  • APA Style 7th edition
  • APA format for academic papers and essays

APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

The 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual provides guidelines for clear communication , citing sources , and formatting documents. This article focuses on paper formatting.

Generate accurate APA citations with Scribbr

Throughout your paper, you need to apply the following APA format guidelines:

  • Set page margins to 1 inch on all sides.
  • Double-space all text, including headings.
  • Indent the first line of every paragraph 0.5 inches.
  • Use an accessible font (e.g., Times New Roman 12pt., Arial 11pt., or Georgia 11pt.).
  • Include a page number on every page.

APA format (7th edition)

Let an expert format your paper

Our APA formatting experts can help you to format your paper according to APA guidelines. They can help you with:

  • Margins, line spacing, and indentation
  • Font and headings
  • Running head and page numbering

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Table of contents

How to set up apa format (with template), apa alphabetization guidelines, apa format template [free download], page header, headings and subheadings, reference page, tables and figures, frequently asked questions about apa format.

Are your APA in-text citations flawless?

The AI-powered APA Citation Checker points out every error, tells you exactly what’s wrong, and explains how to fix it. Say goodbye to losing marks on your assignment!

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References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).

Why set up APA format from scratch if you can download Scribbr’s template for free?

Student papers and professional papers have slightly different guidelines regarding the title page, abstract, and running head. Our template is available in Word and Google Docs format for both versions.

  • Student paper: Word | Google Docs
  • Professional paper: Word | Google Docs

In an APA Style paper, every page has a page header. For student papers, the page header usually consists of just a page number in the page’s top-right corner. For professional papers intended for publication, it also includes a running head .

A running head is simply the paper’s title in all capital letters. It is left-aligned and can be up to 50 characters in length. Longer titles are abbreviated .

APA running head (7th edition)

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

APA headings have five possible levels. Heading level 1 is used for main sections such as “ Methods ” or “ Results ”. Heading levels 2 to 5 are used for subheadings. Each heading level is formatted differently.

Want to know how many heading levels you should use, when to use which heading level, and how to set up heading styles in Word or Google Docs? Then check out our in-depth article on APA headings .

APA headings (7th edition)

The title page is the first page of an APA Style paper. There are different guidelines for student and professional papers.

Both versions include the paper title and author’s name and affiliation. The student version includes the course number and name, instructor name, and due date of the assignment. The professional version includes an author note and running head .

For more information on writing a striking title, crediting multiple authors (with different affiliations), and writing the author note, check out our in-depth article on the APA title page .

APA title page - student version (7th edition)

The abstract is a 150–250 word summary of your paper. An abstract is usually required in professional papers, but it’s rare to include one in student papers (except for longer texts like theses and dissertations).

The abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page . At the top of the page, write the section label “Abstract” (bold and centered). The contents of the abstract appear directly under the label. Unlike regular paragraphs, the first line is not indented. Abstracts are usually written as a single paragraph without headings or blank lines.

Directly below the abstract, you may list three to five relevant keywords . On a new line, write the label “Keywords:” (italicized and indented), followed by the keywords in lowercase letters, separated by commas.

APA abstract (7th edition)

APA Style does not provide guidelines for formatting the table of contents . It’s also not a required paper element in either professional or student papers. If your instructor wants you to include a table of contents, it’s best to follow the general guidelines.

Place the table of contents on a separate page between the abstract and introduction. Write the section label “Contents” at the top (bold and centered), press “Enter” once, and list the important headings with corresponding page numbers.

The APA reference page is placed after the main body of your paper but before any appendices . Here you list all sources that you’ve cited in your paper (through APA in-text citations ). APA provides guidelines for formatting the references as well as the page itself.

Creating APA Style references

Play around with the Scribbr Citation Example Generator below to learn about the APA reference format of the most common source types or generate APA citations for free with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator .

Formatting the reference page

Write the section label “References” at the top of a new page (bold and centered). Place the reference entries directly under the label in alphabetical order.

Finally, apply a hanging indent , meaning the first line of each reference is left-aligned, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches.

APA reference page (7th edition)

Tables and figures are presented in a similar format. They’re preceded by a number and title and followed by explanatory notes (if necessary).

Use bold styling for the word “Table” or “Figure” and the number, and place the title on a separate line directly below it (in italics and title case). Try to keep tables clean; don’t use any vertical lines, use as few horizontal lines as possible, and keep row and column labels concise.

Keep the design of figures as simple as possible. Include labels and a legend if needed, and only use color when necessary (not to make it look more appealing).

Check out our in-depth article about table and figure notes to learn when to use notes and how to format them.

APA table (7th edition)

The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers.

Alternatively, you can watch Scribbr’s 5-minute step-by-step tutorial or check out our APA format guide with examples.

APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example:

  • Times New Roman (12pt.)
  • Arial (11pt.)
  • Calibri (11pt.)
  • Georgia (11pt.)

The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head , page numbers, headings , and the reference page . Text in footnotes and figure images may be smaller and use single line spacing.

You need an APA in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is different from a book citation .

Use Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator to generate flawless citations in seconds or take a look at our APA citation examples .

Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-aligned in the page header.

To insert page numbers in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, click ‘Insert’ and then ‘Page number’.

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). APA Formatting and Citation (7th Ed.) | Generator, Template, Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved February 16, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/format/

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  • Writing Tips

How to Write Up an Interview-Based Article

How to Write Up an Interview-Based Article

  • 5-minute read
  • 26th May 2021

You’ve interviewed someone and had it transcribed. But what happens next? How do you turn a raw interview transcript into an article people will want to read? There are five key steps to writing up an interview-based article:

  • Review the transcript and plan what you want to include.
  • Decide how you’re going to structure your article.
  • Write up the interview, editing for clarity and concision as appropriate.
  • Consider whether reorganizing parts of the interview will help it make sense.
  • Proofread your finished interview article to ensure it is error free.

For more on how to write up an interview-based article, read on below.

1. Review the Transcript

A transcript is a written, word-for-word copy of what was said in an interview. This provides the starting point for any interview-based article. Before you start writing, then, you will want to review your transcript. This will help you identify:

  • What to include and what to leave out when you write up the interview.
  • Key details or recurring themes that you want to highlight in your article.
  • Any details that need checking with your subject before publication.

It is a good idea to listen to the recorded interview again, too. Hearing the interviewee’s voice will help you capture the tone of their responses. If you haven’t yet transcribed your interview, you can use an audio-to-text transcription tool .

2. Decide How to Structure Your Article

There are two common ways of structuring an interview-based article. One is a literal question-and-answer format, where each question is presented in turn, with the subject’s answers following. For example:

What made you approach writing you latest book in this way? I wanted to play with narrative forms and decided to experiment. To be honest, I was still prepared to scrap the whole idea and start again, though!

Alternatively, you can use a narrative form. This is where you describe what happened during the interview, using quotes to relay what the subject said, but giving extra detail about what they do, the surroundings, and even your own thoughts and feelings as the interviewer (if appropriate):

Taylor shrugs when asked about the writing style of her next, saying she “wanted to play with narrative forms and decided to experiment,” though she “was still prepared to scrap the whole idea and start again” if she had to.

You can even use a hybrid of the two, framing a question-and-answer piece with narrative sections or your own thoughts at the beginning and end.

3. Edit for Clarity and Concision

When we speak, we often use more words than necessary. Sentences become garbled. We use all sorts of linguistic fillers and crutch words . Sometimes we lose confidence in what we say and trail off. And none of this makes for a great read!

As a result, most interview-based articles will be edited for clarity and concision. This might involve making changes along the following lines, for instance:

Original So, um, I was going to start writing…when I started writing the book, I just knuckled down and worked really hard for two months, basically.

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Edited When I started writing the book, I worked really hard for two months.

The second version is much clearer and easier to read, picking out the key parts of the original to communicate the same thought more effectively.

It’s important to be careful when editing a transcript, though. You won’t want to accidentally twist the subject’s words or misrepresent them, so keep changes minimal where possible and make sure to preserve the meaning of the original.

If you need to rephrase something more thoroughly for clarity, moreover, you may want to check that the interviewee is okay with any changes you’ve made.

Always check your style guide or publisher’s instructions, too, as some are quite restrictive regarding the changes you can make. AP style , for example, suggests only making very minor changes to quotations (e.g., cutting out “umms” and “aahs”).

4. Consider Reorganizing Parts of the Transcript

Interviews can go in unexpected directions. The interviewee might go off on tangents. Or the same topic might come up at different points. To make sure your interview article reads smoothly, then, you might need to reorganize slightly.

For example, perhaps your subject speaks about their early years at the start of an interview, but slips in an extra childhood anecdote later on in a context where it doesn’t fit. Or perhaps you are thinking of cutting part of a response but want to keep an insightful statement that would work elsewhere in the article.

In these cases, it is often fine to move things around as long as the change of context doesn’t misrepresent what your subject has said. However, this is another case where you may need to get the interviewee’s approval for any changes.

5. Proofread Your Interview Article

Whether you are publishing an article yourself or submitting it for publication, always proofread your finished interview to make sure it is clear and error free. You should also check you haven’t changed the meaning of anything your subject said.

You could even use a proofreading service at this stage. Our expert editors are always available, so learn more about our article proofreading service and our transcript proofreading service today.

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How to Write a ‘How-To’: A Step-by-Step Guide to Our Contest

We walk you through how to brainstorm a topic, interview an expert and write your own original “How to ….”

An illustration of a question mark over two conversation bubbles with drops of sweat dripping off.

By Natalie Proulx and Katherine Schulten

“If you want to know how to do something, don’t just search the internet,” advises Malia Wollan , the longtime writer of Tip , a how-to column that ran weekly in The New York Times Magazine for seven years. “Instead, find a person who already knows how and ask them.”

That’s the challenge we are posing to students in “How to … ,” our new informational writing contest for teenagers : Interview an expert about (almost) any skill and then write an engaging and informative essay explaining it to readers.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to do that, with advice from the how-to expert herself, Ms. Wollan. You’ll start by getting familiar with the Tip format. Then you’ll brainstorm a topic for your own piece, find and interview an expert and, finally, put it all together.

When you’re ready, you can submit your completed how-to essay to our contest , which is accepting submissions through Feb. 14.

A step-by-step guide:

1. read some “tip” articles to understand the form., 2. look more closely at one piece., 3. brainstorm your topic., 4. find an expert., 5. conduct the interview., 6. put it all together..

What does a how-to essay look like? There are, of course, many ways to write one. For instance, you may have consulted wikiHow in the past, whether to learn how to make a realistic New Year’s resolution , fold a fitted sheet , reheat rice or do one of the many, many other things the site can teach you.

But since the inspiration for our contest comes from the Tip column in The Times, spending some time examining how it works is the logical first step in constructing your own.

Start by reading any three Tip articles of your choice.

If you don’t have a Times subscription, this guide can help. If you click on any of the 40-plus Tip topics we link here, you can access them for free, as long as you open them directly from this page. (Note to teachers: If your class does have a Times subscription and you are working from the column itself , be aware that some articles may not be appropriate. Please preview before sharing.)

Here are some options to help you choose:

Maybe you’re interested in learning a physical skill, such as how to build a sand castle , skip a stone , do the splits , tackle someone , spot a shooting star , crack a safe or find a four-leaf clover .

Or maybe you would rather up your emotional intelligence by, say, learning how to laugh at yourself , let your mind wander , recover from being ghosted , build an intentional community , be less fearful of the dark or forgive .

Perhaps you want to know how to do something practical, like break in boots , fix a brake light , mend a pair of jeans , use emojis , put out a grease fire , read faster , survive an avalanche , ask for an extension or find a lost hamster .

Or maybe you’d rather choose something offbeat, like how to start a family band , talk to dogs , communicate through facial expressions , make a love potion , build a fort , enjoy snowflakes , wash your hair in space or race pigeons .

After you’ve read three, answer these questions:

What do you notice about the structure, organization and language of a Tip column?

What predictable elements can readers expect to find in every edition?

If you did the activity above, you might have noticed some of these elements:

Tip articles are short: Each column is about 400 words and around four paragraphs long. Our challenge asks you to write something of about the same length.

The topics are usually ultra-specific: The skills described might be physical ( how to skip a stone ) or emotional ( how to forgive ), serious ( how to suture a wound ) or offbeat ( how to befriend an eagle ), but they are always small enough that they can be fully explained within the limited word count.

Each article features a single expert source: You probably noticed that each column begins and ends with a quote from an expert on the topic and that the same expert gives background and advice throughout the piece. For this contest, we are not requiring you to follow that same format, but we are asking you to find and interview an expert to inform your essay. And if you’d like to follow that format, you may.

The advice is practical, but the pieces are engaging to read. Each includes concrete tips for how to accomplish a task, but it’s never just a boring list of steps. The writer also provides context for the skill so that readers understand how and why they might use it in their own lives. And the quotes Ms. Wollan chooses from her interviews are often colorful or full of voice, as you can see in this piece about how to appreciate spiders .

They are written to the reader: The writer addresses the reader as “you,” and often uses the imperative to craft sentences that tell the reader what (or what not) to do.

Now let’s break it down even further. Choose one Tip article to read — either one you already read in Step 1 or a new one — and then respond to the following questions:

Whom does the writer quote in the piece? Why do you think the author chose this person? What makes him or her an expert in this skill? Do you think this person was a good source of information?

Look closely at when the author chooses to quote the expert and when she paraphrases the information that person gave. What is the difference? Why do you think she chose to quote the lines she did? Give some examples from the piece to explain your reasoning.

You may have been taught in school to cite your sources by using footnotes or by putting them in parentheses after you’ve referenced the information. That’s not how journalists do it, yet they still make their sources clear. Where do you see this in the piece you read? What punctuation or wording does the author use to tell us where certain facts and details come from?

Now let’s look at how the author balances explaining how to acquire a skill and showing why it’s needed: Underline or highlight in one color the lines in the piece that tell readers how to accomplish the task, and use another color to highlight lines that give context. What do you notice about the difference in language? What do you notice about the way these pieces of information are woven together throughout?

After reading this, do you feel confident that you could accomplish the task on your own? What tips, if any, did the expert share that surprised you?

When, where and for what purpose might you use this skill in your own life? What lines help readers see how this skill might be relevant to their lives?

What else do you admire about this piece, whether it’s the topic covered, the way it’s written or anything else?

Now that you better understand how to write a how-to, it’s your turn to write one!

First, of course, you must find a topic. For a Times Insider article about how the Tip column is made , Ms. Wollan and her editor, Dean Robinson, describe how they found their ideas:

She often gets suggestions. Many people ask her to write about navigating interpersonal relationships; Ms. Wollan acquiesced in the case of a highly-requested Tip on how to break up with a therapist. She thinks people come to her because “that stuff is hard to navigate and it’s also hard to Google.” Some of the more recognizable scenarios featured in Tip columns come from Ms. Wollan’s own life. She credits being a mother as the inspiration for columns on delivering babies , singing lullabies and apologizing to children . Mr. Robinson occasionally comes across ideas in his life, too. He suggested a piece on how to find a hamster in your house, he said, “because we’ve lost some hamsters.”

Brainstorm as many possible topics as you can for your how-to piece. Here are some ways to start:

Respond to our related Student Opinion forum . We pose 10 questions designed to help you brainstorm about what you’d like to learn to do, and what you already do well. We hope you’ll not only provide your own answers, but also scroll through the answers of others.

Ask for suggestions. What skills have your friends, family and neighbors always wanted to learn? What do they already consider themselves experts on? Keep a running list.

Get inspiration from the Tip column . As you scroll through the column, which headlines stand out to you? Could you take on a similar topic in a different way? Do any of them inspire other ideas for you?

Work with your class to compile as long a list as you can. After you’ve tried the three ideas above, come to class with your list, then share. Your ideas might spark those of others — and when it’s time to find experts, your classmates may have contacts they can share.

Once you’ve come up with as many ideas as you can, choose one for your piece and refine it until it is the right size for a 400-word piece.

These questions can help:

Which of the topics that you listed gets you most excited? Why?

For which do you think you could realistically find an expert to interview? (More on that in the next step.)

Which are already specific enough that you could thoroughly explain them in 400 words or fewer?

Which are big, but could be broken down? For instance, if you chose “learn to cook,” make a list of specific skills within that larger goal. Maybe you’d like to learn how to chop an onion, bake chocolate chip cookies, or build a healthy meal from the noodles in a ramen packet.

Which topics do you think might be most interesting to a general audience? Which feel especially unique, helpful or unexpected?

Maybe you chose your topic because you know someone who is already an expert at that task or skill. But even if you have, read through this step, because it might help you find someone even more suitable or interesting.

Here is how Ms. Wollan says she found experts for her column:

Ms. Wollan finds interview subjects by “just poking around” online and on the phone. Sometimes she has to talk to a few people before reaching the source she will feature in the column. She interviews most of her subjects by phone for about 45 minutes, sometimes longer. “I love talking to people who just maybe don’t care so much about being an expert,” Ms. Wollan said. Some of her favorite interviews have been with children and people in their 80s, who are often “looser and more generous with their advice.”

Who could be an expert on your topic? At minimum, it should be someone who is knowledgeable enough about your subject that your readers will trust his or her advice.

Some choices might be easy. For example, for her column on how to choose a karaoke song , Ms. Wollan interviewed a world karaoke champion; for her piece on how to recommend a book , she interviewed a librarian; and for her article on how to suture a wound , she interviewed a doctor.

Other choices, however, may be less obvious. For a column on how to breathe , Ms. Wollan interviewed a clarinet player; for one on how to slice a pie , she interviewed a restaurant owner; and for one on how to say goodbye , she interviewed a child-care worker who had bid farewell to many children during her career.

Brainstorm as many potential experts for your piece as you can and then choose one as the subject of your piece.

Your expert doesn’t have to be a world champion or the national head of an organization to have expertise. This person can be anyone with specialized knowledge of a field or topic. For example, if you were writing a piece on how to start bird-watching, you could interview someone who works at a local park or zoo, someone from a birding group in your town or a bird-watcher you know personally, such as a neighbor or teacher.

Like Ms. Wollan, you might start by “poking around online” for potential subjects. And you may have to talk to a few people before you decide on the person you want to feature in your piece.

If you are doing this assignment with classmates, now might be a good time to pool resources. Share your topics, and find out who might know someone with expertise in those areas. Remember that you are not allowed to interview your relatives — but you can suggest your woodworker grandma or your skateboarder cousin to someone who is writing about those topics.

When you reach out to people, keep in mind this advice from Corey Kilgannon, a New York Times reporter who has interviewed people for profiles and who was a guest on a Learning Network webinar about profile writing :

Tell the person what your goal is and where you’re coming from — that you’re writing a profile for a school assignment or a contest or a newspaper or whatever. Be straight with the person you’re interviewing. Some people might be a little nervous or shy about how this is going to turn out, or how they’re going to look. So tell them what it’s for, how long it’s going to be, that there will be photos, or whatever you can.

Once you’ve found the expert for your piece, it’s time to conduct your interview.

In “ The Art of Learning to Do Things ,” Ms. Wollan offers excellent advice that everyone participating in our challenge should take to heart:

If you want to know how to do something, don’t just search the internet. Instead, find a person who already knows how and ask them. At first, they’ll give you a hurried, broad-strokes kind of answer, assuming that you’re uninterested in all the procedural details. But of course that’s precisely what you’re after! Ask for a slowed-down, step-by-step guide through the minutiae of the thing. For seven years, I did exactly that — I called a stranger and asked that person to describe how to do a specific task or skill.

That might sound like a straightforward task, but you should come up with some questions — on your own or with your class — before you talk to your expert.

These might include questions like:

If you were to explain how to do this skill or task to someone who had never done it before, what advice would you give?

What are some common errors that those first learning this skill or trying this task often make? How can they be avoided?

What is your background in this skill? How did you get started with it? How did you learn how to do it?

When or why might a person have to use this skill? What are the benefits of knowing it?

You might also return to some of the Tip articles you read at the beginning of this lesson. Read them closely and see if you can guess what questions the writer may have asked to get the specific quotes and information the expert shared in the piece. Which of these questions might be helpful for your own interview?

Remember that interviewing is an art — and Times journalists can offer you advice.

In addition to asking good questions, it’s also your job as a journalist to make the interviewee feel comfortable, to listen carefully, to ask follow-up questions and to clarify that you have accurate information.

We have written our own extensive how-to on interviewing, filled with tips from Times journalists. Steps 3, 4 and 5 in this lesson will be especially helpful. Created for a contest we ran in 2022, the guide can walk you through preparing and practicing for an interview; keeping the conversation going while conducting it; and shaping the material into a useful piece when you’re done.

Finally, it’s time to write your piece. If you are submitting to our how-to writing contest, keep in mind that your essay must be 400 words or fewer.

Remember, too, that we are inviting you to take inspiration from the Tip column, but that you don’t have to copy its form and structure exactly — unless you’d like to. Most important, though, is to find a way to write what you want in a way that sounds and feels like you.

That said, there are a few key elements that are important to include, which can be found in our contest rubric . Below, we share some examples from the Tip column to illustrate these elements.

Introduce your expert source.

The person you interviewed will be the main source of information for your piece. Ask yourself: How will my readers know this person is an expert in the skill or task? What information should I include about this person to make my readers feel that they can trust the person’s knowledge and advice?

Here is how Ms. Wollan introduces her expert in “ How to Skip a Stone ”:

“Throw at a 20-degree angle,” says Lydéric Bocquet, a physics professor at École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Later, she further explains Mr. Bocquet’s expertise:

Bocquet’s quest to understand how this happens — how a solid object can skim along water without immediately sinking — began more than a decade ago, while he was skipping stones on the Tarn River in southern France with his young son. “He turns to me,” Bocquet says, “and asks, ‘Why does the stone bounce on the water?’” To answer that question satisfactorily, Bocquet and his colleagues built a mechanical stone skipper and analyzed the angle of each toss using high-speed video. They also created a set of mathematical equations to predict the number of skips.

How do you know Bocquet is an expert in skipping stones? Do you, as the reader, trust him as an expert on this topic? Why or why not?

Explain how to do the task or skill.

The heart of your piece is, of course, your explanation. You might start by making a list of steps that your expert source shared and then paring it down to the most essential information.

Ask yourself:

What instructions are crucial to the reader’s understanding of how to accomplish this skill or task?

What did the expert share that I found surprising or may not have thought of?

What details can I leave out, either because they are not very interesting or because they are less important?

What sequence for the steps make the most sense for my readers?

Consider the first paragraph from “ How to Build a Sand Castle ”:

“Use your architect mind,” says Sudarsan Pattnaik, an award-winning sand sculptor from Puri, a seaside city in India. If you’re building from memory, first envision your castle. For Pattnaik, who is 42, that means well-known Hindu or Muslim sites. “I have made so many Taj Mahals,” he says. Build with fine-grained sand already wetted by an outgoing tide. “Dry sand is too, too difficult,” Pattnaik says. Bring tools: hand shovels, buckets with the bottoms cut off and squirt bottles. Tamp wet sand into your bucket molds, setting one layer and then the next, like bricks. Sculpt architectural details from the top of the mound down. Bring reference photographs if you’re aiming for realism.

See if you can identify all the steps to making a sand castle that the writer shares in this paragraph. What do you notice about the order? What, if anything, do you think the writer might have left out, and why do you think she made that choice? What tips did you find most surprising? What do these lines add to the piece?

Notice also the grammatical structure Ms. Wollan uses: “Build with fine-grained sand”; “bring tools”; “tamp wet sand into your bucket molds”; and so on. This is called the imperative mood and is often used when telling others how to do something.

Include at least one quote.

If you are submitting to our contest, you need to include a minimum of one direct quote from the expert. Ask yourself: What quotes from my interview are so interesting, important, surprising, informative or colorful that I need to find a way to fit them in?

Look at “ How to Do the Splits ,” in which Ms. Wollan interviewed Kendrick Young, a professional sumo wrestler:

Start by stretching every day after you get out of the shower (heat increases muscle and ligament flexibility). Wear comfortable, stretchy attire. “Definitely don’t try to do this in jeans,” Young says. Sit with your legs spread as wide as you can. Once you can do that without hunching, begin to lean toward the ground, exhaling as you go. “You don’t want to be bending over a big pocket of air in your lungs,” Young says. It might help to have someone push down on your midback (historically, sumo wrestlers often stood on one another’s backs to force the body to the floor).

Why do you think the writer chose to include these two specific quotes in the piece, while paraphrasing (or writing in her own words) the rest of what Young said? What additional context did the writer provide to help us understand the purpose and relevance of these quotations?

Provide a purpose for reading.

Remember that a how-to essay is not just a list of steps; your readers should also understand how this topic might be relevant to their lives. Ask yourself: Why should a reader care about this skill or task? Where, when or for what reasons might someone want or need to do it?

Consider the last paragraph in “ How to Start a Family Band ”:

To be in a family band, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time together, actively working on cohesion. Music can act as a kind of binding agent. When they’re not in quarantine, the Haim sisters see, or at least talk to, each other every day. “Instead of camping as kids, or going hiking, it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to practice a few songs,’” Danielle says. “It was definitely my parents’ ploy to spend more time with us.”

What reason does the writer provide for why a reader might want to try this activity? What additional background does she share from the expert, Danielle Haim, to help explain why a family — even one that might not be musical — may want to start a band together?

Submit your final piece.

Once you’ve written and edited your essay, give it a title (“How to…”) and submit it to our contest by Feb. 14. We can’t wait to learn the skills you’ll teach us!

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

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  • 05 February 2024

First passages of rolled-up Herculaneum scroll revealed

  • Jo Marchant 0

Jo Marchant is a science journalist based in London.

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Three rows of yellow papyrus with black writing in columns, on a black background.

Text from the Herculaneum scroll, which has been unseen for 2,000 years. Credit: Vesuvius Challenge

A team of student researchers has made a giant contribution to solving one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology by revealing the content of Greek writing inside a charred scroll buried 2,000 years ago by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The winners of a contest called the Vesuvius Challenge trained their machine-learning algorithms on scans of the rolled-up papyrus, unveiling a previously unknown philosophical work that discusses the senses and pleasure. The feat paves the way for artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to decipher the rest of the scrolls in their entirety, something that researchers say could have revolutionary implications for our understanding of the ancient world.

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AI reads text from ancient Herculaneum scroll for the first time

The achievement has ignited the usually slow-moving world of ancient studies. It’s “what I always thought was a pipe dream coming true”, says Kenneth Lapatin, curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California. The revealed text discusses sources of pleasure including music, the taste of capers and the colour purple. “It’s an historic moment,” says classicist Bob Fowler at the University of Bristol, UK, one of the prize judges. The three students, from Egypt, Switzerland and the United States, who revealed the text share a US$700,000 grand prize.

The scroll is one of hundreds of intact papyri excavated in the eighteenth century from a luxury Roman villa in Herculaneum, Italy. These lumps of carbonized ash — known as the Herculaneum scrolls — constitute the only library that survives from the ancient world, but are too fragile to open.

The winning entry, announced on 5 February, reveals hundreds of words across 15 columns of text, corresponding to around 5% of a scroll. “The contest has cleared the air on all the people saying will this even work,” says Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and co-founder of the prize. “Nobody doubts that anymore.”

Twenty-year mission

In the centuries after the scrolls were discovered, many people have attempted to open them, destroying some and leaving others in pieces. Papyrologists are still working to decipher and stitch together the resulting, horribly fragmented, texts. But the chunks with the worst charring — the most hopeless cases, adding up to perhaps 280 entire scrolls — were left intact. Most are held in the National Library in Naples, Italy, with a few in Paris, London and Oxford, UK.

A carbonized scroll rests on weighing scales.

This Herculaneum scroll was burnt and buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Credit: Vesuvius Challenge

Seales has been trying to read these concealed texts for nearly 20 years. His team developed software to “virtually unwrap” the surfaces of rolled-up papyri using 3D computed tomography (CT) images. In 2019, he took two of the scrolls from the Institut de France in Paris to the Diamond Light Source particle accelerator near Oxford to make high-resolution scans.

Mapping the surfaces was time consuming, however, and the carbon-based ink used to write the scrolls has the same density as papyrus, so it was impossible to differentiate in CT scans. Seales and his colleagues wondered whether machine-learning models might be trained to ‘unwrap’ the scrolls and distinguish the ink. But making sense of all the data was a gigantic task for his small team.

Seales was approached by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Nat Friedman, who had become intrigued by the Herculaneum scrolls after watching a talk by Seales online. Friedman suggested opening the challenge to contestants. He donated $125,000 to launch the effort and raised hundreds of thousands more on Twitter, and Seales released his software along with the high-resolution scans. The team launched the Vesuvius Challenge in March 2023, setting a grand prize for reading 4 passages, of at least 140 characters each, before the end of the year.

Key to the contest’s success was its “blend of competition and cooperation”, says Friedman. Smaller prizes were awarded along the way to incentivize progress, with the winning machine-learning code released at each stage to “level up” the community so contestants could build on each other’s advances.

The colour purple

A key innovation came in the middle of last year, when US entrepreneur and former physicist Casey Handmer noticed a faint texture in the scans, similar to cracked mud — he called it “crackle” — that seemed to form the shapes of Greek letters. Luke Farritor, an undergraduate studying computer science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, used the crackle to train a machine-learning algorithm, revealing the word porphyras , ‘purple’, which won him the prize for unveiling the first letters in October . An Egyptian computer-science PhD student at the Free University of Berlin, Youssef Nader, followed with even clearer images of the text and came second.

A team of researchers used machine learning to image the shapes of ink on the rolled-up scroll. Credit: Vesuvius Challenge

Their code was released with less than three months for contestants to scale up their reads before the 31 December deadline for the final prize. “We were biting our nails,” says Friedman. But in the final week, the competition received 18 submissions. A technical jury checked entrants’ code, then passed 12 submissions to a committee of papyrologists who transcribed the text and assessed each entry for legibility. Only one fully met the prize criteria: a team formed by Farritor and Nader, along with Julian Schilliger, a robotics student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

The results are “incredible”, says judge Federica Nicolardi, a papyrologist at the University of Naples Federico II. “We were all completely amazed by the images they were showing.” She and her colleagues are now racing to analyse the text that has been revealed.

Music, pleasure and capers

The content of most of the previously opened Herculaneum scrolls relates to the Epicurean school of philosophy, founded by the Athenian philosopher Epicurus, who lived from 341 to 270 bc . The scrolls seem to have formed the working library of a follower of Epicurus named Philodemus. The new text doesn’t name the author but from a rough first read, say Fowler and Nicolardi, it is probably also by Philodemus. As well as pleasurable tastes and sights, it refers to a figure called Xenophantus, possibly a flute-player of that name mentioned by the ancient authors Seneca and Plutarch, whose evocative playing apparently caused Alexander the Great to reach for his weapons.

Lapatin says the topics discussed by Philodemus and Epicurus are still relevant: “The basic questions Epicurus was asking are the ones that face us all as humans. How do we live a good life? How do we avoid pain?” But “the real gains are still ahead of us”, he says. “What’s so exciting to me is less what this scroll says, but that the decipherment of this scroll bodes well for the decipherment of the hundreds of scrolls that we had previously given up on.”

There is likely to be more Greek philosophy in the scrolls: “I’d love it if he had some works by Aristotle,” says papyrologist and prize judge Richard Janko at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Meanwhile, some of the opened scrolls, written in Latin, cover a broader subject area, raising the possibility of lost poetry and literature by writers from Homer to Sappho. The scrolls “will yield who knows what kinds of new secrets”, says Fowler. “We’re all very excited.”

The achievement is also likely to fuel debate over whether further investigations should be conducted at the Herculaneum villa, entire levels of which have never been excavated. Janko and Fowler are convinced that the villa’s main library was never found, and that thousands more scrolls could still be underground. More broadly, the machine-learning techniques pioneered by Seales and the Vesuvius Challenge contestants could now be used to study other types of hidden text, such as cartonnage, recycled papyri often used to wrap Egyptian mummies.

The next step is to decipher an entire work. Friedman has announced a new set of Vesuvius Challenge prizes for 2024, with the aim of reading 90% of a scroll by the end of the year. But in the meantime, just getting this far “feels like a miracle”, he says. “I can’t believe it worked.”

Nature 626 , 461-462 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00346-8

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Create a form in Word that users can complete or print

In Word, you can create a form that others can fill out and save or print.  To do this, you will start with baseline content in a document, potentially via a form template.  Then you can add content controls for elements such as check boxes, text boxes, date pickers, and drop-down lists. Optionally, these content controls can be linked to database information.  Following are the recommended action steps in sequence.  

Show the Developer tab

In Word, be sure you have the Developer tab displayed in the ribbon.  (See how here:  Show the developer tab .)

Open a template or a blank document on which to base the form

You can start with a template or just start from scratch with a blank document.

Start with a form template

Go to File > New .

In the  Search for online templates  field, type  Forms or the kind of form you want. Then press Enter .

In the displayed results, right-click any item, then select  Create. 

Start with a blank document 

Select Blank document .

Add content to the form

Go to the  Developer  tab Controls section where you can choose controls to add to your document or form. Hover over any icon therein to see what control type it represents. The various control types are described below. You can set properties on a control once it has been inserted.

To delete a content control, right-click it, then select Remove content control  in the pop-up menu. 

Note:  You can print a form that was created via content controls. However, the boxes around the content controls will not print.

Insert a text control

The rich text content control enables users to format text (e.g., bold, italic) and type multiple paragraphs. To limit these capabilities, use the plain text content control . 

Click or tap where you want to insert the control.

Rich text control button

To learn about setting specific properties on these controls, see Set or change properties for content controls .

Insert a picture control

A picture control is most often used for templates, but you can also add a picture control to a form.

Picture control button

Insert a building block control

Use a building block control  when you want users to choose a specific block of text. These are helpful when you need to add different boilerplate text depending on the document's specific purpose. You can create rich text content controls for each version of the boilerplate text, and then use a building block control as the container for the rich text content controls.

building block gallery control

Select Developer and content controls for the building block.

Developer tab showing content controls

Insert a combo box or a drop-down list

In a combo box, users can select from a list of choices that you provide or they can type in their own information. In a drop-down list, users can only select from the list of choices.

combo box button

Select the content control, and then select Properties .

To create a list of choices, select Add under Drop-Down List Properties .

Type a choice in Display Name , such as Yes , No , or Maybe .

Repeat this step until all of the choices are in the drop-down list.

Fill in any other properties that you want.

Note:  If you select the Contents cannot be edited check box, users won’t be able to click a choice.

Insert a date picker

Click or tap where you want to insert the date picker control.

Date picker button

Insert a check box

Click or tap where you want to insert the check box control.

Check box button

Use the legacy form controls

Legacy form controls are for compatibility with older versions of Word and consist of legacy form and Active X controls.

Click or tap where you want to insert a legacy control.

Legacy control button

Select the Legacy Form control or Active X Control that you want to include.

Set or change properties for content controls

Each content control has properties that you can set or change. For example, the Date Picker control offers options for the format you want to use to display the date.

Select the content control that you want to change.

Go to Developer > Properties .

Controls Properties  button

Change the properties that you want.

Add protection to a form

If you want to limit how much others can edit or format a form, use the Restrict Editing command:

Open the form that you want to lock or protect.

Select Developer > Restrict Editing .

Restrict editing button

After selecting restrictions, select Yes, Start Enforcing Protection .

Restrict editing panel

Advanced Tip:

If you want to protect only parts of the document, separate the document into sections and only protect the sections you want.

To do this, choose Select Sections in the Restrict Editing panel. For more info on sections, see Insert a section break .

Sections selector on Resrict sections panel

If the developer tab isn't displayed in the ribbon, see Show the Developer tab .

Open a template or use a blank document

To create a form in Word that others can fill out, start with a template or document and add content controls. Content controls include things like check boxes, text boxes, and drop-down lists. If you’re familiar with databases, these content controls can even be linked to data.

Go to File > New from Template .

New from template option

In Search, type form .

Double-click the template you want to use.

Select File > Save As , and pick a location to save the form.

In Save As , type a file name and then select Save .

Start with a blank document

Go to File > New Document .

New document option

Go to File > Save As .

Go to Developer , and then choose the controls that you want to add to the document or form. To remove a content control, select the control and press Delete. You can set Options on controls once inserted. From Options, you can add entry and exit macros to run when users interact with the controls, as well as list items for combo boxes, .

Adding content controls to your form

In the document, click or tap where you want to add a content control.

On Developer , select Text Box , Check Box , or Combo Box .

Developer tab with content controls

To set specific properties for the control, select Options , and set .

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each control that you want to add.

Set options

Options let you set common settings, as well as control specific settings. Select a control and then select Options to set up or make changes.

Set common properties.

Select Macro to Run on lets you choose a recorded or custom macro to run on Entry or Exit from the field.

Bookmark Set a unique name or bookmark for each control.

Calculate on exit This forces Word to run or refresh any calculations, such as total price when the user exits the field.

Add Help Text Give hints or instructions for each field.

OK Saves settings and exits the panel.

Cancel Forgets changes and exits the panel.

Set specific properties for a Text box

Type Select form Regular text, Number, Date, Current Date, Current Time, or Calculation.

Default text sets optional instructional text that's displayed in the text box before the user types in the field. Set Text box enabled to allow the user to enter text into the field.

Maximum length sets the length of text that a user can enter. The default is Unlimited .

Text format can set whether text automatically formats to Uppercase , Lowercase , First capital, or Title case .

Text box enabled Lets the user enter text into a field. If there is default text, user text replaces it.

Set specific properties for a Check box .

Default Value Choose between Not checked or checked as default.

Checkbox size Set a size Exactly or Auto to change size as needed.

Check box enabled Lets the user check or clear the text box.

Set specific properties for a Combo box

Drop-down item Type in strings for the list box items. Press + or Enter to add an item to the list.

Items in drop-down list Shows your current list. Select an item and use the up or down arrows to change the order, Press - to remove a selected item.

Drop-down enabled Lets the user open the combo box and make selections.

Protect the form

Go to Developer > Protect Form .

Protect form button on the Developer tab

Note:  To unprotect the form and continue editing, select Protect Form again.

Save and close the form.

Test the form (optional)

If you want, you can test the form before you distribute it.

Protect the form.

Reopen the form, fill it out as the user would, and then save a copy.

Creating fillable forms isn’t available in Word for the web.

You can create the form with the desktop version of Word with the instructions in Create a fillable form .

When you save the document and reopen it in Word for the web, you’ll see the changes you made.

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Author Interviews

Police raided george pelecanos' home. 15 years later, he's ready to write about it.

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Writer George Pelecanos reads The Washington Post every morning in his home. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

Writer George Pelecanos reads The Washington Post every morning in his home.

It was August 2009 when the police raided writer George Pelecanos' home in Silver Spring, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C., with a no-knock warrant.

He was performing his daily ritual of sitting on the couch reading The Washington Post when he saw cars enter the driveway. "I saw these guys wearing black and holding automatic rifles and battering rams," he said in an interview at his home. The police broke down the door overlooking the driveway, and the basement door, too. Pelecanos said they put him on the floor and zip tied his hands.

The police were looking for his then 18-year-old son, Nick. The younger Pelecanos was a part of the robbery of a weed dealer, with a gun involved. So, the cops executed the no-knock warrant looking for evidence of guns or drugs.

After not finding anything, George Pelecanos said the officers started needling him about his liquor cabinet, his watch, his home. "One of the SWAT guys was looking at my books, and he goes 'maybe you'll write about this someday.' And he laughed," Pelecanos said. "And right then I knew that I would write about it. He challenged me."

No knock warrants have been banned in multiple states

Pelecanos is known for his gritty, realistic crime stories. For television, he co-created The Deuce , about the burgeoning porn industry in 1970s New York City, and We Own This City , the mini-series detailing a real-life corrupt police ring in Baltimore. As an author, he's known for his deep catalog of stories set in the streets of Washington, D.C.

His new short story collection is titled Owning Up . And it features characters grappling with events from the past that, with time, fester into something else entirely. There's a story about two guys who knew each other in jail, crossing paths years later. Another has a woman digging into her own family history and learning about the 1919 Washington, D.C. race riots.

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Many of Pelecanos' crime fiction book are set in Washington, D.C. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

Many of Pelecanos' crime fiction book are set in Washington, D.C.

But Pelecanos said he wanted to write about the August 2009 incident because he wanted to further show the effects of no-knock raids. The Montgomery County police department confirmed they executed the warrant but they didn't immediately provide any additional details. Pelecanos did share a copy of the warrant, which states: "You may serve this warrant as an exception to the knock and announce requirement."

The practice of issuing no-knock warrants has been under increased scrutiny since the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville in 2020, and Amir Locke in Minneapolis in 2022. They're banned in Oregon, Virginia, Florida and Tennessee.

"They don't accomplish anything except mayhem and violence," Pelecanos said.

The story "The No-Knock" starts with a journalist named Joe Caruso drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper when the vehicles pull up. The same beats follow — the guns, the zip ties, the pinning down on the floor. Pelecanos writes like he remembers every sensation from that night, because, he said, he does.

It deviates further into fiction from there. Caruso wants to write about it, but he can't. He's too close. He starts drinking heavily, instead. Pelecanos, on the other hand, knew he could write about it, easily. But he waited for over a decade on purpose. He wanted his son's permission, first.

"I wanted my son to grow up," he said. "And so that I could say to you today – he's fine."

Owning Up to the past

"He allowed time for me to grow as a man, and develop myself as a responsible person," said Nick Pelecanos in an interview. He now works in the film industry as a director and assistant director. He got his start working on jobs his dad helped him get. So he's attuned to his father's storytelling style — how he favors details and facts over sepia-toned nostalgia.

"When he writes something, you know that it's technically correct," he said. "And has come to his objective, as non-biased as possible opinion."

write up article

In Owning Up , Pelecanos writes about a non-knock incident inspired by real events. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

In Owning Up , Pelecanos writes about a non-knock incident inspired by real events.

As personal as "The No-Knock" is, Pelecanos calls the title story in the collection his most autobiographical. It's about a kid in the 70s named Nikos who works a job where he gets in with a bad crowd, and eventually gets talked into breaking into a guy's house.

"It's just the way my life was in that era and on this side of Montgomery County," Pelecanos said. "It was about muscle cars, playing pickup basketball, drinking beer, getting high."

Listening to Pelecanos talk about this story, it sounds familiar. You get the sense that history does repeat itself. That the same lessons get taught again and again. But that's O.K., because some lessons bear repeating.

"I got in trouble occasionally," he said. "But I always came home to the warmth of my family, you know? That's all you need."

Meghan Collins Sullivan edited this story for radio and the web.

As Biden’s memory issues draw attention, neurologists weigh in

Since a report released on Thursday by special counsel Robert Hur described President Joe Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” there have been significant misperceptions about the cognitive changes associated with aging, neurologists say.

The report on Biden’s handling of classified documents noted that the president hadn’t remembered the exact time frame that he served as vice president and was struggling to recall the period when his late son, Beau Biden, had passed away. Biden defiantly rejected the changes in a press conference late Thursday , saying “my memory’s fine.”

There’s also been scrutiny of other recent events when the 81-year-old president mixed up names of foreign leaders .

However, neurologists say blanking on the names of acquaintances or having difficulty remembering dates from the past, especially when under stress, can simply be part of normal aging.

“If you asked me when my mother passed away, I couldn’t necessarily tell you the exact year because it was many years ago,” Dr. Paul Newhouse, clinical core leader for the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, said.

Almost every older patient has trouble remembering people’s names, Newhouse said. 

“I think it’s by far the most universal complaint of every person as they age,” Newhouse said.

In Newhouse's experience, this type of forgetfulness doesn’t actually predict who ends up having memory disorders. Only a person’s doctor or neurologist can make that diagnosis, not outside observers, brain experts say.

Dr. Dennis Selkoe, co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, agreed that forgetting names doesn’t actually provide much insight into potential memory problems. In fact, stress and a lack of sleep, can interfere with memory, no matter how old someone is.

“Naming proper nouns is not an adequate basis to make a conclusion about whether an individual has a more consistent and more concerning substantive progressive memory disorder,” Selkoe said.

What are normal memory changes?

It’s normal for older brains to have more difficulty retaining new information and then retrieving the information, but mental processes like decision-making and judgment can actually improve with age, said Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, director of NYU Langone Health’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and its Center for Cognitive Neurology.

“Although the raw power of memory has some degree of decline, perhaps wisdom can increase because the individual has a greater backlog of experiences and different situations as to what is the best thing to do,” Wisniewski said.

The problem isn’t having trouble remembering names or calling someone by the wrong name, but when someone’s memory is fuzzy about recent or past experiences, said Newhouse. Issues with episodic memory — memory for events in time or if a person doesn’t remember going shopping, for example — can be a sign of a progressive disorder, but not always.

Wisniewski said he becomes concerned when people don’t even recognize that they are forgetting things.

“They forgot that they went shopping and they’re unaware that they’ve forgotten,” he said.

Overall, neurologists tend to worry less about a patient’s ability to remember remote memories from many years ago and more troubled by an inability to recall more recent events. That’s because dementia first affects the part of the brain that’s responsible for short-term memories, as opposed to long-term memories, said Newhouse.

“What I’m more concerned about is, can you remember what happened yesterday? Or an hour ago?” Newhouse said.

While the conversation surrounding aging is often framed around a person’s diminishing memory or executive functioning, there are cognitive benefits that come with growing older, Selkoe said.

“There is a type of emotional intelligence and ability to handle many different kinds of experiences in life that come with greater longevity,” he said. “People can make decisions more carefully and more rationally.”

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Akshay Syal, M.D., is a medical fellow with the NBC News Health and Medical Unit. 

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Ghael Fobes is an Associate White House Producer with the NBC News White House Unit in Washington, D.C.

Biden, senators urge House Republicans to take up $95 billion Ukraine bill

A view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington.

ALTERNATE PATHS

Reporting by David Morgan; Additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk, Poland; and Richard Cowan, Patricia Zengerle, Makini Brice and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis, Ros Russell and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

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Thomson Reuters

Patricia Zengerle has reported from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China. An award-winning Washington-based national security and foreign policy reporter who also has worked as an editor, Patricia has appeared on NPR, C-Span and other programs, spoken at the National Press Club and attended the Hoover Institution Media Roundtable. She is a recipient of the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence.

U.S. President Biden speaks about reported death of Alexei Navalny during remarks from the White House in Washington

Manchin announces he won't run for president

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, announced on Friday that he will not run for president after months of flirting with a campaign that threatened to complicate the 2024 presidential race.

Republican presidential candidate Haley campaigns in Rochester

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