Explanatory Essay Topics: 220+ Best Ideas for Your Writing

What Are Explanatory Essay Topics?

Explanatory topics refer to research titles that enlighten or explain any confusing situation or information. In other words, topics for an explanatory essay mainly focus on investigating and expounding ideas, evaluating all evidence provided, and forming and defining clear thesis statements. Unlike descriptive writing style, explanatory essays are fact-based. In this respect, they are very similar to exploratory essay topics, where you aklso need to dicuss different facts on the subject.

Explanatory essay topics are essential in helping your target readers increase their knowledge of a subject, comprehend a process or procedure, or understand a particular concept. As a student, you must know how and always be ready to write expository essays because they are among the most widely proposed academic papers. Some common examples of explanation papers include cause and effect, definition, and how-to essays.

Characteristics of Good Explanatory Essay Topics

Before you feel excited and rush into selecting a unique title for your paper, you should keep in mind the key characteristics that are integral to valid explanatory writing topics. Having a clear idea of the qualities of good topics for an explanatory essay will get you closer to your goal. Some of those vital features include the following:

• Simple It should be easy for your readers to understand.
• Clear and precise The language used ought to be unambiguous.
• Meaningful The title should add value or have a purpose it seeks to fulfill.
• Attractive The topic should capture your reader’s attention.
• Expressive It must convey your thoughts and intentions.

How to Choose an Explanatory Essay Topic?

Before writing your essay, you should first come up with an explanatory topic that will interest you and your audience. The title is the first thing that will attract readers to your paper. Deciding on topics for an explanatory essay can be very challenging. Sometimes you may end up experiencing mental blocks, which may prevent you from coming up with creative ideas for your essay. When this happens, the following steps will guide you in choosing unique and exciting explanation writing topics:

1. Brainstorm ideas and list all topics that interest you and might engage your potential audience.
2. From your list, evaluate the most appropriate titles and eliminate irrelevant ones.
3. Narrow down your focus to include only topics that are interesting to you and meaningful to your audience.
4. Determine the title you can confidently call your favorite.
5. Ensure that your chosen title adheres to the guidelines set by your professor or school.

Best Topics for Explanatory Essays

Now that you are more familiar with selecting explanatory essay topics, your next job is to actually choose the most suitable one that can guarantee you the highest grade. For your inspiration, check the list of the best topics to write an explanatory essay on that we have provided below:

1. Public vs. private school: which one is better?
2. Impacts of higher education on students' future careers.
3. Significant consequences that will be witnessed if the internet crashes today.
4. Psychological impacts of teen pregnancies.
5. How does the brain forget simple things?
6. What is the meaning of life?
7. Processes involved in making electronic music.
8. Reasons why people should aim to prevent air pollution.
9. Effects of depression on high school students.
10. Short-term effects of global warming.

Interesting Explanatory Essay Ideas

Refrain from settling for common explanatory essay ideas. To excite your target readers, always seek interesting topics for your paper. Below are stimulating ideas for an explanatory essay. 

1. Negative impacts of America’s space exploration.
2. How has social media affected socialization?
3. How do dogs smell fear in humans?
4. How important is mental health in today’s society?
5. Impacts of the Cold War on America-Russia relationship.
6. Importance of having basic IT skills now and in the future.
7. Advantages that people get from expressing their emotions.
8. How does a person’s personality change in various stages of development?
9. Human brain: latest development and impacts in its study.
10. How teachers can manage school bullying in middle school.
11. Personal and societal problems brought by obesity.
12. Impacts of social media on enhancing education.
13. Why should people embrace gardening as a hobby?
14. Effective ways to reduce electricity consumption at home.
15. How America helped end World War II.

Simple Topics for Explanatory Essay

However, if complicated titles are not your everyday cup of tea, you should look at simple explanation writing topics. To get you started, here are examples of topics for an explanatory essay that you can use:

1. Negative impacts of smartphones on marriages.
2. Managing gender inequalities in the workplace.
3. How to write an informative essay.
4. Ways of preventing racism in America.
5. How can frequent internet usage negatively affect students?
6. Negative impacts brought by junk food on people’s health.
7. How COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted education.
8. How does music affect people’s moods?
9. Benefits that people get from being multilingual.
10. Efficient ways that can be used to maintain an active lifestyle.
11. Ways in which overpopulation and poverty are related.
12. How to remain optimistic in the midst of financial hardships.
13. Effective ways to treat soldiers suffering from PTSD.
14. How communication has changed in the past 10 years.
15. How would life be without computers?

Creative Explanatory Essay Topics

Being creative in choosing explanatory topics can ensure you get the highest grades. Inspire yourself with the following innovative explanation essay topics: 

1. Efficient ways in which animals can relieve stress.
2. Tactics that can be employed to win in a chess match.
3. How is social media used for income generation?
4. Using music to boost productivity at work.
5. Reasons why building a house is more manageable than buying one.
6. Efficient measures for helping a drowning person.
7. Effective methods that can help manage gambling addictions.
8. Effects of social media on people’s subconscious.
9. What is the correlation between eating disorders and loneliness?
10. How virtual communication has replaced real one.
11. How does memory affect people’s personalities?
12. How technology has contributed to increasing number of divorce cases.
13. Using various forms of art therapy in managing people with Alzheimer’s disease.
14. How does the immediate environment affect a person’s perception of racism?
15. Rise of exam cheating due to the internet.

Good Explanatory Essay Topics

Conducting an online search of ideas for explanatory essay can leave you confused because of the vast number of potential titles. However, you should not be scared by this because we have narrowed down the list of good topics for explanatory essays below to make your work easier:

1. How did the Civil War impact America?
2. Key reasons why people should use renewable energy sources.
3. Factors that have contributed to rising cases of obesity.
4. Measures that can be taken for treating mental disorders.
5. Challenges faced by Queen Victoria during her reign.
6. Dangers brought by military activities in East Asia.
7. Why is it challenging to fight against the impacts of global warming?
8. Measures used in preventing early pregnancies among teenagers.
9. Advantages and disadvantages of eating organic food.
10. How to prevent the effects of cyberbullying.
11. Ways that can improve quality of public education.
12. Effective tactics that can be used in identifying lies.
13. Impacts of getting bad grades in education.
14. How does jazz music affect the brain?
15. Dangerous habits that affect a person’s memory.

Unique Topics for an Explanatory Essay

To stand out from the crowd of other students, you need unique ideas for an explanatory essay. Below is a list of exceptional explanatory writing topics:

1. Why is being influential better than richness?
2. Steps involved in learning basic magic tricks.
3. How do cats manage to land on their feet when falling?
4. Effective survival techniques that can be used when one is stranded in the forest.
5. Ways in which age changes people's needs.
6. Measures that ordinary people may take to help homeless people.
7. Future challenges that technological advancements may bring into communication.
8. Is space exploration a viable solution for overpopulation?
9. How will parental roles change in future?
10. Are emotions affecting people’s intelligence?
11. How a teacher’s personality influences students.
12. Influence of astronomy in Ancient Greece.
13. Positive impacts of the Great Depression on marriages.
14. How do antidepressants negatively affect the brain?
15. How movies have influenced violent tendencies among the youths.

Explanatory Essay Topics & Ideas for Students

Explanatory research essay topics are among the most popular in education. Their popularity means that, in one way or another, high school and college students must encounter such assignments. But you should be chill about it. The next time your professor asks you to write a paper on explanatory essay ideas, visit this article for inspiration. Below we have provided expository titles for high school and college students.

Explanatory Essay Topics for High School

If you are a high school student and are having trouble coming up with suitable explanatory essay topics for your paper, relax and let us help you out. Below we have compiled various examples of topics to write an explanatory essay on: 

1. Types of cognitive bias and how to overcome them.
2. How can people rebuild relationships with lost friends?
3. Political recognition of indigenous languages in America.
4. Ways in which students can use technology to enhance their education.
5. How Cold War influenced American culture.
6. Major benefits of art therapy in physical health.
7. Reasons for the increase in social media addiction among students.
8. Modern forms of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
9. How do pets increase the levels of happiness in people?
10. Impacts of imperialism and internal colonization in America.
11. How did Stone Age technology impact farming methods?
12. Why is it difficult to achieve perpetual motion?
13. Applications of colloids and suspension in everyday life.
14. How can people use food waste as a key source of clean energy?
15. Are high school students focusing more on science and forgetting art?

Explanatory Essay Topics for College Students

Sometimes, getting ideas for an explanatory essay becomes challenging for college students. You will need inspiration upon finding yourself in this situation. As a result, we have come up with a list of explanatory essay topics for college students that can trigger your imagination: 

1. Benefits of using social media as a source of income.
2. How has communication changed in the past decade?
3. Adverse effects that social media has on human interaction processes.
4. Reasons for the rising cases of suicide among college students.
5. Major achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. in his fight for justice and equality.
6. Reasons for rising number of divorce cases in America.
7. Christopher Columbus’ explorations and their impacts on today’s world.
8. How did Bill Gates' initiative in creating Microsoft change the world?
9. Effective ways to ensure future financial success.
10. How childhood experiences impact behavior during adulthood.
11. What are the major differences between living and existing?
12. How did Nikola Tesla’s invention of the coil change the world?
13. Is public speaking an essential tool for college students?
14. Should there be restrictions on social media usage among teenagers?
15. Measures that can be taken to prevent early pregnancies.

Explanatory Essay Topics by Subjects

Explanation writing topics can be used to write different papers that cover various issues. However, due to the vast number of subjects to choose from, students may find it challenging to pick a suitable title for their papers. For that reason, we have decided to narrow down and classify these topics for explanatory essays into definite groups: literature, history, social issues, science, technology, business, and health. Go through the list below and select the one you will be able to easily and comprehensively discuss. 

Explanatory Essay Topics in Literature

There are many explanatory topics that you can write on different aspects of literature. But to narrow your search, below we have presented the best literature explanatory essay ideas: 

1. How is the theme of change depicted in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart?
2. Mood expressions in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita.
3. Societal roles of women in the 18th century as portrayed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
4. How the sacrificial gender roles are depicted in A Doll’s House.
5. In what ways did classic writers' style enhance their credibility?
6. Effectiveness of literature in managing stress.
7. Romeo and Juliet: major symbols and their importance.
8. How does Shakespeare tackle the issue of witchcraft in Macbeth?
9. The theme of ‘sexuality’ as depicted in The History Boys.
10. What is the central theme of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People?
11. Which character deserves a happy ending in Oedipus Rex?
12. Implications of Bella Swan turning into a vampire.
13. Did Harry Potter’s life in an abusive home impact his behavior?
14. How compelling are secondary characters developed in A Song of Ice and Fire?
15. Feminist movement of the 18th century and its impact on male authors.

History Explanatory Essay Topics

History topics for an explanatory essay are common subjects that students love writing about. To set you off, here are historical topics for explanatory writing:

1. How did colonialism negatively affect countries in Africa?
2. What key factors led to Hitler starting World War II?
3. Significant contributions that Abraham Lincoln made in the war against slavery.
4. Causes and impacts of Cuban Revolution.
5. In what ways have political developments in Western countries impacted other countries?
6. What factors led to the French Revolution, and what was its impact?
7. The Soviet Union: causes and consequences of its collapse on the rest of Europe.
8. Means of transport that took enslaved people to America.
9. Origin and impacts of Salem Witch trials.
10. How the invention of gunpowder became significant.
11. Impacts of major changes during the Middle Ages on the modern world.
12. Impacts of Japanese Samurai honor on industrial development
13. How was the first newspaper launched?
14. Impacts of the Cold War on the relationship between America and Russia.
15. How Ming Dynasty rule impacted trade in China.

Read more: Historical Research Topics & Ideas for Students 

Explanatory Essay Topics on Social Issues

Many studies have been conducted on social issues. For your paper to stand out, you need compelling explanatory essay ideas that can shed some new light on societal matters. Below we have provided some explanation essay topics that can make this task easy for you: 

1. Why is it important for people to learn social values?
2. How COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the high cost of living in developing nations.
3. Impacts of gun control laws on how people live.
4. What impacts have mental illnesses had on society?
5. Consequences brought by obesity on how people interact with each other.
6. How have parental roles changed over time?
7. Causes and prevention of homelessness in the US.
8. Urbanization: negative consequences for Americans.
9. Social stratification and its impacts on society.
10. How to curb rising unemployment cases among American youths.
11. Effective measures for preventing cases of racism in high school.
12. Mental health problems brought by social media addiction.
13. How do online social relationships differ from face-to-face interactions?
14. Challenges faced in teaching the older generation modern technology.
15. How poverty contributes to the increased spread of HIV/AIDS.

View more: Sociology Research Topics

Science Topics for Explanatory Essays

Science is a subject that cuts across many areas, including mathematical, social, physical, and biological. As a result, science topics for an explanatory essay are fairly widespread among students. To get you going, here are great science ideas for an explanatory essay: 

1. How do fats and calories relate to one another?
2. Which part of the brain is responsible for enhancing creativity?
3. How does the white blood cell fight disease-causing organisms in the body?
4. Periodic table: its history and development.
5. Albert Einstein: his biography and scientific contributions.
6. Biological changes that occur in the body when one is living a sedentary lifestyle.
7. Human nervous system: its makeup and primary functions.
8. Processes involved in the synthesis of protein.
9. How do weather and climate differ?
10. Mechanisms involved in pumping blood throughout the body.
11. Similarities and differences between plant and animal cells.
12. How do animals dream?
13. Physical and chemical properties of mercury as an element of the periodic table.
14. Roles played by bacteria in human bodies.
15. How does the law of inertia affect motion?

Read more: Science Topics to Write About

Technology Explanatory Essay Topics

Due to the ever-changing nature of technology and innovation, it is tough to exhaust all explanatory topics that may be written about them. Since technology covers an exceedingly broad scope, simplify your search and consider the ideas for explanatory essay that we have narrowed down for you: 

1. Roles played by robotics in the health industry.
2. How has virtual reality impacted the world?
3. Nanotechnology: its impacts on dentistry.
4. How is it possible for people on Earth to migrate to another planet?
5. Most efficient alternative sources of energy that can be used instead of electricity.
6. How has surrogacy affected the concepts of marriage?
7. Disadvantages associated with artificial intelligence in education.
8. Advantages and disadvantages of using 3D printers.
9. How has development of atomic technology impacted world security?
10. Advantages of having self-parking cars.
11. How genetic engineering projects changed human life.
12. Role of quantum physics in comprehending the laws of nature.
13. Impacts of using drones on modern warfare.
14. Consequences of cellular technology on electrical engineering.
15. How technology has contributed to positive growth of the music industry.

>> View more: Technology Topics

Business Explanatory Essay Topics

Business is a broad subject that can provide you with an array of ideas for your explanatory writing topics. However, remember that you must maintain uniqueness in order to stand out. Below are exclusive business explanation essay topics that will keep you at the top: 

1. Methods used by employers to ensure their employees remain physically and mentally healthy.
2. Negative impacts brought by office politics on staff performance.
3. Environmental responsibilities performed by an organization.
4. How can employees report harassment cases by the Human Resources department?
5. How can a business use social media for advertising its products and services?
6. Business culture: advantages and disadvantages of having one.
7. Why do many businesses choose to employ people with experience over recent graduates?
8. Significant challenges facing the world economy.
9. How did Brexit affect foreign business relations in Europe?
10. Negative impacts of poor service on an organization.
11. How can companies ensure fairness in the allocation of duty?
12. Steps taken by companies to solve internal conflicts.
13. How do companies deal with sexual harassment cases in the workplace?
14. Long-term benefits of non-disclosure agreements to a company.
15. How can businesses participate in raising awareness of global warming?

Read more: Business Research Topics 

Explanatory Essay Topics About Health

One of the contemporary issues that people have taken a keen interest in is their well-being. As a result, explanatory topics about health have risen in popularity among readers. The following are perfect examples of explanatory essay ideas for you to choose from:

1. Reasons why protecting your health should begin from a young age.
2. Methods employed to manage flat feet in children.
3. What are the health risks associated with participation in sports?
4. Negative impacts of a sedentary lifestyle on a student's health.
5. Does heavy school workload impact high school students' health?
6. Natural ways used in joint pains among the elderly.
7. How metformin is used in the prevention of diabetes.
8. Best methods that can protect your heart from cardiovascular complications.
9. Existing methods used in treating Duchene muscular dystrophy.
10. Steps involved in maintaining a healthy body weight.
11. Types and causes of eating disorders that affect a person’s health.
12. Effective ways that can be employed in managing symptoms of depression.
13. What is the relationship between obesity and fast foods?
14. Clinical trials: what are the advantages of participating in them?
15. Natural ways of managing Huntington's diseases.

Explanatory Writing Prompts

Explanatory writing prompts refer to 1-3 topic sentences that ask a question or raise an issue that can be informatively answered in an essay. Explanatory prompts aim at guiding or centering the contents of your writing on informing your target readers or professors. If you wish to write explanatory essay prompts, you should look at the list below for inspiration:

1. What is the definition of a family? Who is considered part of the family?
2. Events that led to the Cold War starting.
3. What steps are involved in caring for a vegetable garden during the summer?
4. Are TV advertisements effective in influencing purchasing habits? Why or why not?
5. Rise of plastic use in the world. Has it had a positive or negative effect on the environment?
6. Famous inventions that have changed people’s lives in the past five years, and who invented them?
7. Step-by-step guide on how to play baseball.
8. Best community to live in between rural, suburban, and urban.
9. How would the world survive without electricity?
10. Best book that every person should read in their lifetime.
11. Easy ways in which people can reduce their carbon footprint.
12. Best method for dealing with bullies.
13. What qualities should a good friend possess?
14. How connecting with people digitally will change in the future.
15. How sports are important in managing delinquents.

Bottom Line on Explanatory Essay Topics

Now that you know more about topics for explanatory essays, their characteristics, and how to select them, we hope you will never be scared to tackle your expository assignments. We have also provided you with a list of topics for explanatory writing that you can choose from. A catalog of explanatory essay ideas can inspire you to develop a suitable topic for your paper. It is our opinion that selecting a right title for your essay should be able to make the experience of writing your paper enjoyable.

In case you need more suggestions, don't hesitate to look for titles in our blog. From satire essay topics to expository essay topics, you will find ideas for any taste.