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.

Articles:

An article is 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.

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.

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 topic.

• 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 proper way so as to draw the attention of the reader. The basic outline for an article writing format is:

• Heading / Title

• A line having the writer's name

• Body (the main part if the article, 2 - 3 paragraphs)

• Conclusion (Ending paragraph of the article with the opinion or recommendation, anticipation or an appeal)

Steps for Articles 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.

Common Mistakes in the Articles Writing Format:

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

• Not using facts or quotes for 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

• Not 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't in article writing.

• Write very lengthy articles

• And 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 concerning readers

• There must be only three paragraphs in an article- introduction, middle one, and conclusion

• Use proper punctuations

• Use any these, person, voice, as many abbreviations, and self-made words while writing an article

"Thank you so much for reading"