The History of US Law Enforcement

MEAL Plan for Paragraph Construction

The basis of writing good essays is composing good paragraphs. Though there are many

ways in which you can organize a paragraph, one of the most useful is described by the

MEAL plan for paragraph construction. MEAL is an acronym that stands for the

following:

• Main Point

• Evidence

• Analysis

• Lead-in

For each paragraph, you will begin with the main point, followed by evidence for that

point, an analysis of the point, and finally, a sentence providing a lead-in to the point you

will address in the paragraph that follows.

The MEAL plan is useful for composing the first paragraph of an essay, as well as every

other paragraph in an essay. Typically, the introduction will have the main point of the

entire essay, along with supporting evidence. In turn, each paragraph of the essay will

have its own main point and supporting evidence for that point.

In the introductory paragraph, begin with your main point for writing the essay and use

explicit language so that your reader will not get confused about the purpose of your

essay. The next sentence after the main point provides some evidence that shows to the

reader that you have conducted research on your topic. The evidence could be in the form

of statistics, a direct quote, or paraphrasing another author’s peer-reviewed scholarship

for your reader. After the evidence, it pays to analyze the material for your reader in the

form of describing the importance of the statistic or introducing some counterargument.

The last sentence of your introduction should provide the reader with a smooth transition

into the issues that you will be describing in your essay.

The paragraphs that follow your introduction should also follow the MEAL plan. Each

paragraph in an essay should begin with a main point, followed by evidence, analysis,

and a lead-in to the next paragraph.