Great Cause and Effect Essay Topics and Writing Format

Students in history, English, or writing classes have probably come across an assignment that requires them to write a cause and effect essay. This type of essay explores the causes and effects of a particular event, action, or phenomenon. It is concerned with the reason why something happened and the result that came of it.

The assignment is usually given to assess and help students develop the ability to assess situations, determine the cause, and gain a deeper understanding of an event. Aside from being a complete assignment on its own, cause and effect writing can also be part of a larger assignment. Despite the name and definition, students are sometimes required to write about the causes or the effects alone in one assignment. Nevertheless, cause and effect essays are of three different types:

• Many causes – one effect
• One cause – many effects
• Chain of causes and effects

Don’t worry. We’ll look at these types in more detail later as we discuss the structure of cause and effect essays.  First, let’s begin with the important steps of writing a cause and effect essay.

Selecting Cause and Effect Essay Topics

This is a crucial step in writing a good cause and effect essay. It is also a tricky step for many students if the instructor does not specify a particular event, action, or phenomenon. There are many areas to explore while searching for suitable cause and effect essay topics. You can consider topics in relationships, technology, media, health and medicine, culture, societal problems, school, food, education, sport, history and world events, and many more. Below are some cause and effect essay topics you could consider:

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Our Sample Cause and Effect Essays

Before you place your order, you may want to sample some of the example cause and effect essays written by our experienced cause and effect essay writers to gauge the quality of our writing.

What Led to The Demand for Brexit, And What Are Its Effects on The Global Economy? (Format: APA 7)
The Causes and Effects of Global Warming on Biodiversity (Format: MLA)

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Cause and Effect Essay Topics on Societal Problems

• What is the effect of domestic violence on children?

There are views that children growing up witnessing domestic violence incidences suffer negatively. This topic, which focuses on the effect aspect of a cause and effect essay, explores how domestic violence affects children.

• What is the cause of xenophobia?

There have been reports of people in various states turning against people they consider foreigners. For this topic, you would talk about the reasons behind this dislike of foreigners despite most of them having acquired citizenship.

• What is the effect of poverty on children?

This topic focuses on effects only. It explores the impact that poverty has on the lives of children. For this topic, you could look at how poverty impacts children’s social, psychological, physical, and mental well-being.

• What are the causes of violence against women?

For this topic, you look at the factors that drive perpetrators of violence against women to carry out such actions.

• What is the cause of joblessness among the youth, and what effect does this problem have?

This topic evaluates both the causes and effects. If you choose to write it, you could consider factors that are likely to render the youth jobless. Factors such as recession, outsourcing, and lack of education have been fronted to explain the phenomenon. Joblessness has also been linked to many evils. Do your research and develop factors that promote joblessness and the effects on various aspects of the youths’ lives or society. You could explore the argument that joblessness promotes youth engagement in crime and raises their vulnerability to radicalization.

• What are the causes and effects of rampant mass shootings in the US?

The US has witnessed increased mass shootings in recent years. Some people attribute this rise to poor gun control policies. The shootings have instilled fear among parents, school-going children, and the public. For this cause and effect essay, please explore the main causes of the rising mass shootings and their effects on Americans.

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Cause and Effect Essay Topics on Environment

• What is the effect of environmental pollution on human health?

Pollution, especially air and water pollution, has been linked to several health problems whose prevalence is rising. In this topic, your task would be to discuss the impact of environmental pollution on humans’ health.

• What are the causes of global warming and the effect on marine life?

Global temperatures are reported to be rising with worrying consequences, such as rising water levels in the oceans. Your essay could analyze the reasons behind the rising temperatures and their impact on marine life.

• What are the causes and effects of deforestation?

Large-scale destruction of forests has been thought to be a significant reason behind land degradation, natural disasters such as floods, and global warming. A cause-effect essay on deforestation could focus on the reasons behind the destruction and their impacts. You could focus on a single effect or discuss several effects in your essay.

• What are the causes and effects of soil pollution?

Increased industrial activities, improper pesticide use, and poor waste disposal are some causes of soil pollution. The effects of soil pollution include human and plant diseases, reduced soil fertility, and soil structure change. Your essay’s body paragraphs can be organized into the many causes – one effect, the one cause – many effects, or the chain of causes and effects structure.

Cause and Effect Essay Topics on Food, Health, and Medicine

• Why is junk food popular, and what is its effect on health?

A substantial number of people frequent fast-food establishments. Why is this so, and how does this trend affect the health of those people?

• What are the causes and effects of obesity in children?

This topic tackles both the causes and effects. It explores what leads to childhood obesity and its effect on children, whether health-wise, socially, psychologically, or in all of these aspects.

• What is the effect of not completing antibiotic doses on the future treatment of bacterial infections?

There have been different schools of thought regarding the importance of completing prescribed antibiotic dosages. It has been suggested that failure to complete antibiotic dosages has dire effects, such as a patient being unable to respond to antibiotic treatments in the future.

• Effects of lack of quality sleep

Lack of sleep is thought to impact people’s health and performance. For this topic, discuss the effects it has on overall health, weight, and performance.

Topics on Technology

• Effects of smartphones on sleep quality

This topic focuses on how the smartphone has impacted people’s sleep quality. It can focus on the positive aspects. For instance, you could discuss the smartphone apps that monitor sleep quality and how they influence sleep. Focus can also be on the negative effects of smartphones on sleep quality, such as the blue light that affects vision.

• Effects of mobile phone technology on the quality of human communication

There are arguments regarding the impact of mobile phones on human communication. Some think its use has degraded the quality of communication and human interaction despite making it easier to keep in touch.

• Causes and effects of spending too much time on social media sites

Write about the reasons that drive social media users to spend so much time on social apps. Also, discuss the consequences of such actions.

Topics on History and World Events

• What gave rise to the great recession, and what was its impact?

The 21st-Century Great Recession affected the economies of countries worldwide, some more than others. One can choose to discuss the factors that might have led to it and their impacts.

• The cause and effects of the Rwandan genocide

In 1994, a mass slaughter of people, mainly from Rwanda’s Tutsi community, occurred. The genocide, which is said to have been the brainchild of the political elite, resulted in approximately 1 million deaths. Your essay will explore the factors that led to the genocide and their impacts.

• An analysis of the causes and effects of Arab Spring uprisings

The anti-government protests that took place in various countries, including Egypt and Libya, have brought down regimes. The essay will discuss the most notable factors that led to these uprisings. In addition to bringing down regimes, what other impacts have the uprisings had? For the impacts, you could explore implications on the economy, women, children, and living standards.

• What were the effects of the cold war?

After World War II, tension existed between the Soviet Union and its war-time ally against the Nazis, the USA. This cold war was characterized by various crises, such as weapons of mass destruction. This topic could focus on the effects that the war had on either or both of the powers.

• What led to the demand and support for Brexit?

Britain started the process of withdrawing from the European Union (EU) in early 2017. This was after an earlier referendum in which over 51% of the British supported the withdrawal. Your essay could explore the various reasons behind the call for Britain’s exit from the EU.

• The causes and effects of the USSR collapse

Explore the factors that led to USSR’s collapse and the resultant effects. You could focus on its effects on international relations or the economies of any of the USSR members.

When choosing a topic on history and world events, you need to ensure that there is enough information on it. Otherwise, if little research has been performed on the topic, and there’s little information on the effects or causes, you will have a problem writing a cause and effect essay of the required length. Remember that the essay can also focus on a single effect or multiple effects.

These are some of the possible cause and effect essay topics you could base your paper on.  They are general ideas, and you could reword, expand, or narrow them down to suit your assignment’s requirements. There are so many more that you could pick. You may look at the various areas mentioned at the beginning of this section on cause and effect essay topics selection to find more topic ideas for your cause and effect essay. The web also contains many more topic ideas, so make use of it. However, you should remember about picking a topic. One important thing has already been mentioned above- the availability of information. Other things to keep in mind as you select a topic include:

• Be careful with overdone topics. Many students commonly pick certain cause and effect essay topics. Choosing such a topic would be cliché. Without great writing, it could also be boring. If you select such a topic, think about what else you can add, for example, if new research has been done on the topic and new information has been uncovered.
• Does the topic interest you? Of course, this would not be up for discussion if your instructor specified a topic for you to write about. If you have the leeway to decide on a topic, think about a particular one you would enjoy writing about. If you are interested in environmental issues, a topic about the environment, such as pollution, could be a better pick for you so that your enthusiasm can be evident in the essay. This will also simplify your essay writing process.

Writing the essay

Once you have decided on the Cause and Effect Essay Topics for your essay, it’s now time to get into the actual writing.

Cause and effect outline: You need to develop a cause and effect essay outline that will guide your thoughts and ideas when you start drafting it.

Thesis statement: You also need to develop your thesis statement, which will clearly tell the reader your main idea and whether you will discuss the causes, effects, or both. You will need to brainstorm on the various points that you will include in the essay.

Research: Proper research is indispensable when it comes to writing a good cause and effect essay.  You will need to carry out research so that your points and ideas will have the necessary supporting details. These details can be organized chronologically, by order of importance, or according to the category.

Important Cause and Effect Essay Writing Tips

When you are writing the essay, keep the ideas and details flowing with transitional phrases and words.  As you write, remember your purpose for writing and focus on causes and effects that are closely related in time. If the relationship hasn’t been explicitly determined, qualify your statements with phrases like “it seems,” “it appears,” “it is likely,” “may indicate,” and “evidence suggests,” among others. Organize your writing into the recommended cause and effect essay format. Pay attention to your language too, and express your own opinions logically.

The Format of a Cause and Effect Essay

A cause-effect essay should have:

An Introduction

You shouldn’t dive into discussing the causes without first giving your reader an idea of what the essay will discuss. That is the purpose of the introduction section. Remember to provide a brief background of the topic and then write your thesis statement.

The Body

Many causes – one effect essay

If you are writing a many causes – one effect essay, you should present all the causes first before getting into the effect. Discuss each cause in its own paragraph, presenting the details and supporting evidence. Include examples and numbers too.  For each of the cause paragraphs:

• State the cause, for example, “one of the major causes of joblessness among the youth is the lack of alignment between the education provided and the skill set needed by the organizations expected to employ them.”
• Next, provide the supporting evidence and explain it with a few facts, such as accurate statistics. For example, “60% of the organizations interviewed in the research study said that they had trouble finding qualified youth to employ. They said that 90% of the youth they hired had to be trained before being trusted with the responsibilities of the job. This indicates that the youth are not adequately skilled for the roles in organizations.”

Once you’ve exhausted the causes, discuss the effect these causes have in a separate paragraph. This will be the effect paragraph. For this paragraph, clearly state the effect. Explain the effect in detail.

The outline for this section would be

• Cause #1
• Cause #2
• Cause #3 (and so forth)
• The effect of the causes

One cause – many effects

For this type of essay, the body section would begin by presenting the cause. The cause will be written following the structure described above for the causes paragraphs, i.e., state the cause and support it with evidence and examples. This will then be followed by the effect paragraphs as follows:

Body

• The Cause
• Effect #1
• Effect #2
• Effect #3 (and so on)

For each effect paragraph, begin by stating the effect you are discussing. Next, provide a detailed explanation using appropriate transitional words.

Chain of causes and effects

Perhaps this is the most challenging type to write since a chain of logic has to be maintained. Each paragraph will discuss the cause and the effect. The paragraphs begin by stating the cause and effect, followed by a detailed explanation of the link. Keep the chain in mind. For instance, the rising atmospheric temperature causes a change in ocean water level and density, which alters the chemical balance in the ocean, which affects the growth of algae and plants, which in turn causes insufficient food supply for the fish and other marine animals. The structure typically follows the outline below.

Body

• Cause #1
• Effect #1 = Cause #2
• Effect #2 = Cause #3
• Effect #3 = Cause #4 (and so on)

Once you are done with the body, the next section is the conclusion.

A Conclusion

For the conclusion, restate the thesis statement, present the practicality of your conclusion, your hopes, and finally, a call to action.

Redraft, Proofread, and Edit

After you are done writing, go through your essay while looking for problems with the organization, the omission of important details, spelling and grammar mistakes, compliance with formatting requirements, proper citation, and adherence to title page requirements. Edit the essay as necessary to produce a flawless final draft.

If you are still having trouble writing your paper or choosing your cause and effect essay topics, ask for expert help at writingelites.net.