Formal Academic Writing Resources

Full Length Essay Revision Checklist

Introduction

☐ Look at your hook. Is it a question? If yes, delete and find a different one.

☐ After your hook, you should have some relevant connection information. Is the information background or common knowledge that would help get the reader from the hook to the thesis statement?

☐ Highlight the thesis statement and topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Read them together. Do they make sense if they were a paragraph? If not, you have a problem.

Body

☐ Highlight the thesis statement and topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Read them together. Do they make sense if they were a paragraph? If not, you have a problem.

☐Check your paragraphs for the MEAL structure. Do you have all of the MEAL components?

☐Highlight in a different color or put a box around all transitional words. Do they make sense? Are there any places where you go abruptly from one idea or evidence to another? Add a transition.

Conclusion