Breaking Down the MEAL Plan: A Four-Part Series on Writing Strong Paragraphs

No matter what stage of your process you're in, we'd love to help you develop skills to write strong paragraphs. One way we've done that is by publishing this four-part series dedicated to giving you on-demand instruction on writing paragraphs that incorporate evidence using APA Style . Join us as we start Breaking Down the MEAL Plan!

We spend a lot of time thinking about how to best instruct our students to help them become proficient academic writers. Over the years here in the Walden Writing Center, we've discovered that students often have a difficult time composing effective academic paragraphs. When we are working with students who need a bit more instruction in this area, we love to use a tool called the MEAL Plan.

No, the MEAL Plan is not what you do when you're deciding what to eat for dinner this week. Instead, it's a heuristic that can help you write developed, organized, information-filled paragraphs that allow your reader to focus on your ideas.

So, to help you write effective, clear, and coherent paragraphs in your academic writing, check out this blog series that will guide you through each part of the MEAL Plan:

Main Point - Writing Instructor Beth begins the discussion by helping you define the Main Point of your paragraph and set up your reader to successfully encounter your paragraph's information

Evidence - Dissertation Editor Jen describes strategies for incorporating Evidence skillfully into your paragraph, such as effective citation practices and guiding your reader with transitions.

Analysis - Instructor Sarah offers insight and practice for bringing your own authorial voice to the forefront by providing Analysis of the evidence for your reader. Analysis is the element of academic paragraphs writers often omit. Learn how and why this is such an integral part of scholarly writing.

Lead Out - Instructor Brittany demonstrates the importance of the Lead Out portion of your academic paragraph and how it allows your reader to rest, focus on the point you've made, and prepare to move on to your next topic.

We hope you enjoy these resources. If you have any comments or questions about writing paragraphs or any other scholarly writing-related topic, let us know in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!



The Walden University Writing Center produces a variety of on-demand, self-paced instructional resources for the students of Walden University and the greater academic community. One of our most common requests is for instruction on writing paragraphs effectively, and it's so fun to be helpful. Enjoy!


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