How Browser Extensions Can Help With Essay Writing

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Writing essays has never been more enjoyable than it is today. Firstly, modern gadgets and tools make the writing process easy. Then, endless sources of information on the internet aid writing research and help essayists write top-notch papers.

In addition, there are several browser plugins to help writers enjoy a seamless writing experience. These plugins (a.k.a. add-ons and extensions) improve workflow and help writers stay on track. So if you are an essay writer or student, this article will highlight what you stand to gain by using browser extensions to supplement your writing skills and polish your essay.

How plugins can help with essay writing

Before diving in, note that some essay writing plugins in this article are not entirely free to use but instead have subscription packages for users needing their most powerful features. However, they are worth the investment because they will help you write better essays. In particular, they help to:

1. Write grammatically correct essays

Making mistakes in essay writing is almost inevitable no matter how impeccable your grammar skills are. After writing an essay, we often gloss over it, thinking of fine-tuning our ideas instead of checking for grammatical flaws. But with browser extensions, it’s possible to write essays that follow all or at least most grammar rules.

Grammarly is one tool that handles typographical and other grammatical errors like a champ. This extension syncs perfectly with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and other online word processors, highlighting incorrect grammar and suggesting better ways to reword them. And while you can use Grammarly’s free version, you will be better off with the extra features that come with a subscription.

2. Improve your writing skills

Whether you are a professional or a student, it’s essential to track your progress as you write. Doing so will help you detect areas of improvement. And as far as Chrome extensions go, Grammarly is the most popular tool for improving your writing skills.

The tool suggests better ways to write sentences, explains why your sentence structures are wrong, and checks for plagiarism. Besides its dedicated features, the Grammarly team also have ways to help you improve your writing skills. For example, if you subscribe to their newsletter, you will get notifications for blog posts aimed at helping their users write better. As if that isn’t enough, the software gives you occasional progress reports on the quality of your essays.

3. Guide you as you edit and proofread your essays

Proofreading and editing your essay when you finish writing is a mark of a diligent essayist. But when you edit an article you have written, you may struggle to look at it without bias, and therefore, you are likely to miss specific errors and details. Fortunately, browser extensions like Ginger can help objectively proofread and criticize your work.

As you write, Ginger will highlight mistakes that basic autocorrect technology will most likely miss. It will detect typographical errors and suggest suitable changes. Furthermore, the tool will base its suggestions on the context of your essay so that you never have to submit a paper with errors.

Another helpful tool for editing is the Hemingway App. This browser extension detects the following errors in your writing:

The use of passive voice
Excessive use of adverbs that water down your article
Hard-to-read sentences
Very hard-to-read sentences that will put people off reading your paper

After following the prompts on the Hemingway App, the readability grade of your essay decreases. And, the lower your readability grade, the better your article. Therefore, it’s one of the ideal add-ons for essay writers looking to produce error-free content.

4. Create a seamless workflow

Before you write an essay, research is essential. But it can be overwhelming if you don’t know how to start your research. Worse still, you may know where to begin your research but not how to organize your thoughts. Luckily, some browser extensions exist to streamline your workflow and teach you to become a more efficient writer.

If you struggle with managing your content outline before starting your essay, Mind Meister is the browser extension for you. The tool creates mind maps to help you organize your ideas. With its ability to simplify the writing process, you will gradually become a more organized writer.

5. Properly format your essay

Essay formatting deals with the appearance or layout of your essay. Essays have at least four types of texts: headings, paragraphs, quotations, and bibliographic references. But without proper formatting, you will submit papers with confusing sequences, which will stress your reader.

With add-ons like WordQ, you will learn to write essays in updated, professional essay writing formats. And though lecturers don’t give extra credit for the structure of your paper, proper formatting will endear them to your essay, increasing your chances of getting good grades.

6. Take away the stressful aspects of essay writing

When you write for an extended period, you will most likely experience finger cramps, which can slow you down. Plus, sitting in front of a screen and typing for a long time can affect your posture and overall health. But even if you have never considered it, using a speech-to-text tool can eliminate these problems in one fell swoop.

These tools transcribe your words in real-time, freeing your hands to do other things. Speechsurf and DictationBox are browser extensions that listen to your words and convert them to text. You just sit back, dictate your ideas, and watch your digital stenographers do their trick. And when combined with the other browser extensions in this guide, speech-to-text tools can significantly ease your writing.

Conclusion

Browser extension technology takes a lot of weight off the shoulders of students and writers by making essay writing easier than ever. Thanks to the tech, you can research, plan, write, and proofread essays without leaving your desk. Fortunately, several browser extensions exist to make essay writing more enjoyable for you. So use the ones suggested in this article to improve your essay writing skills and submit error-free papers.