The academic writing process can be divided into 5 main stages. Breaking down large essays into stages can help them feel more manageable and allow you to see your progress as you work through the essay.
Traditional Method
- Brainstorming: In this stage you are just beginning to think about the topic and starting to develop an opinion and generate ideas.
- Outlining: In this stage, you are starting to arrange your ideas in an order that makes sense for the purpose of your essay. You will also start thinking about the thesis statement or the overall point you are trying to make. This is the stage in which all of those ideas begin to make more sense and take life.
- Drafting: In this stage, you can use your outline to start writing. It is normal if you need to revise your outline and essay structure as you write.
- Revising: In this stage, you will continue writing and revising as you need. This may require researching additional resources and modifying your thesis further.
- Editing: In this stage, you will read through your essay to edit spelling and grammar. You will also read through to assess if your writing is clear and formal enough.
You can use the Writing Process Checklist in the Template Section.
Resource: The Writing Process & Understanding your Assignment Checklist
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