Tips to understand an essay question and to respond directly to an instructor’s writing prompt can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/special-kinds-of-writing/answering-essay-questions.pdf

More tips to understand an essay question and to respond directly to an instructor’s writing prompt can be found at the Harvard College Writing Center: https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/how-read-assignment

Tips and steps to plan a draft and to prewrite can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/the-writing-proccess/writing-the-essay.pdf

More tips to plan a draft and to prewrite can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/the-writing-proccess/writing-an-essay.pdf

Guides on developing an argument and thesis statement can be found at the Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

• https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/argument
• https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/

Harvard faculty express their viewpoints on writing an argument: https://www.harvardwrites.com/writing-an-argument

Harvard faculty express their viewpoints on using evidence and analysis: https://www.harvardwrites.com/evidence-analysis

Strategies to read a text and to draft the essay can be found at The Harvard College Writing Center:

• “How to Do a Close Reading” https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/how-do-close-reading
• “Developing a Thesis” https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/developing-thesis

Purdue OWL clarifies the distinctions in using summary, paraphrase, and direct quotations to present evidence: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/quoting_paraphrasing_and_summarizing/index.html

Tips on drafting conclusions can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/the-writing-proccess/writing-conclusions.pdf

More tips on drafting conclusions can be found at the Harvard College Writing Center:  https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions

A video and a guide to eliminate wordiness can be found at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgdvQYXQCk
• https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/conciseness-handout/

Steps to revise a draft:

• Examine the clarity and relevance of supporting details and evidence within the paragraphs
• Emphasize and explain how direct or indirect quotes support the main ideas of the body paragraphs
• Re-state topic sentences in alignment with supporting details and evidence within the paragraphs
• Re-state the thesis in alignment with topic sentences
• Add, delete, or clarify ideas and sentences in the introduction and conclusion
• Substitute weak words with more precise words.
• A guide on word-choice can be found on the Online Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/word-choice/
• A practice exercise to eliminate wordiness can be found at Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl_exercises/sentence_style/eliminating_wordiness_test/eliminating_wordiness_exercise_1.html

An overview of revision strategies can be found at the University of North Carolina at ChapelHill: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/

Another overview of revision strategies can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/the-writing-proccess/proofread-and-revise.pdf

An overview of proofreading and editing strategies can be found at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/

Another overview of proofreading and editing strategies can be found at Troy University’s Online Writing Center: https://www.troy.edu/_assets/center-student-success/_documents/learning-center/the-writing-proccess/proofread-and-edit.pdf

MLA, APA, and Chicago Formatting and Style Guides can be found at owl.purdue.edu   Click on “Purdue OWL” and “Search the OWL” for “MLA, “APA,” or “Chicago Style.”