Revising an Essay:

A Writer’s Checklist

 

            Revising an essay is the point that makes or breaks most papers. You must be willing to re-write or re-see a paper to really improve it. You must not simply change some wording or correct spelling errors; you must tear the thing apart and build it up again. Revision polishes your paper into a finished product. The following checklist provides a good structure for re-seeing a paper:

 

1.  What is my primary motivation for writing this essay? What do I want to prove?  There should be a cause/effect relationship asserted in your introduction. This is your main point, or thesis, and EVERY paragraph in your paper should help prove this point.  It should be focused, and all loose ends should be tied up. Your paper should show what you saw or imagined before you started to write.

 

2.  What would draw a reader to this essay? The question you are trying to answer should be intriguing and have a valid counter-point. You must assert that your response is the most correct, and you should pose a question that challenges the reader’s beliefs.

 

3.  What audience am I writing for? While writing, you must be aware of who will be reading your essay: professors, students, academics, etc. If you are writing for your professor, they will probably know the background information. Therefore, you only need to give the information that is pertinent to your argument.

 

4.  Do the sources support my view? Is there evidence for my arguments? Give specific details from the text that directly correspond with your argument. Then, you must explain or interpret the evidence. A good rule to follow is to have two sentences explaining every quotation. The reader should not have to think about and interpret your evidence; that is your job.

 

5.  Do I provide enough context to allow less-informed readers to understand the essay? You must give a certain amount of background information, but there is a big difference between giving a brief background and a summary of the text. Background information gives the reader a feel for your thought process and helps them objectively compare their interpretation with yours.

 

6.  Have I cited my evidence? You must tell the reader where you are getting your information to establish credibility. Some sources are more trustworthy than others, and the reader wants to know which sources you used.

 

7.  Do I take into account counter-arguments? Is my presentation of the evidence fair? You cannot completely disregard contrary evidence if it directly applies to your main point. Your point should be strong enough that you can give contrary evidence and then show that your point is more reliable, accurate and persuasive than its critique. It is your job to disprove counter-arguments through the paper.

 

8.  Are my transitions effective? The reader should be able to identify the natural progression of your ideas, culminating in your conclusion. The ideas should progress in a natural order, and the structure should stand up to a critical reader.

 

9.  Is my opening interesting enough to draw readers into it even if they are not specialists in my subject? The reader will not want to read your essay unless the introduction grabs their attention. They must also see that reading the paper will give them new or greater knowledge of the subject. Also, the reader must be attracted by a clear introduction and a thesis statement that creates a dialogue.

 

10.  Does my conclusion mirror my opening in some way? You should make some larger connection in your conclusion, whether with the title or the introduction. By referring to your attention-getter, the curiosity established at the beginning is satisfied.

 

11.  Are my sentences clear enough to be understood at first reading?  If your reader has to make their own connections, your sentences are not clear enough. For quotations, it is good to include two sentences explaining each quotation. You must relate your point-of view of the expert’s words before you relate the quotation to other information.

 

12.  Can I eliminate words, phrases, sentences, or whole paragraphs to make my writing more direct? Everything in the paper should be relevant to the main point. Each sentence should carry the subject forward and add to the structure of the paragraph. Furthermore, any type of summaries should be eliminated because they only dilute the main point. Also check for repetition in the paper. Do not repeat words or phrases too often; use a wide variety of words.

 

13.  Can I make sentences more vivid by using the active rather than the passive voice? A passive sentence does not have the subject actively participating in the sentence.  For example, “The house was destroyed by a hurricane.” The house did not destroy anything, so it is passive. A better sentence would be, “A hurricane destroyed my house.”  The hurricane is the executor of the destruction; it performs the action of the sentence.

 

14.  Am I being honest? You must write the paper for yourself. You cannot simply tell the teacher what you think he or she wants to hear. The paper must be what you really think if it is to be really good.

 

 

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A Writer’s Checklist

 

I. CONTENT

 

   1.  What is the main or central idea of your paper? Try to express this idea in one sentence.

 

   2.  Each body paragraph should develop only one supporting point. Which subtopic does each paragraph develop?

 

            1.

            2.

            3.

 

   3.  Does the paper offer evidence, examples or details for support? Are there enough details and examples? List four assertions (i.e. thesis statement, topic sentences...) and their supporting details or examples.

 

            1.

            2.

            3.

            4.

 

4.  Is the explanation clear and carefully presented?

 

5.  After re-reading, does the paper say anything significant or worthwhile? Is the main point important, definite and informative? Will readers learn anything new and useful?

 

II. ORGANIZATION

 

   1.  Does each paragraph have a purpose? Does everything in each paragraph stick to the point? There should be no irrelevant or extraneous information. Explain why your paragraphs stick together.

 

   2.  Does the introduction clearly state the paper’s purpose? How does it make readers want to read on?

 

   3.  Does the conclusion summarize, emphasize or complete a chain of reasoning?  Explain how it provides a real sense of ending and how it is interesting to the reader.

 

III. COHERENCE

 

   1.  Do the sentences in each paragraph follow a natural and logical order?

 

   2.  Do the paragraphs follow a logical line of thought? How does their order emphasize what is most important?

   3.  Have you used any transitional words? Give two examples.

 

            1.

            2.

 

   4.  Compare the introduction and the conclusion. Does the subject remain the same?  Are there any connections made?

 

   5.  Is your point of view consistent or do you shift from 1st to 2nd person or 3rd to first, etc.?

 

   6.  Are the verb tenses consistent?

 

IV. MECHANICS AND STYLE

 

   1.  Is the sentence structure effective, or are there examples of wordiness, passive voice, clichés, etc.?

 

   2.  Is the spelling correct?

 

   3.  Is the paper free of basic grammar errors such as sentence fragments and comma splices?

 

V. OVERALL EVALUATION

 

   Have you carried out a specific purpose and expressed it successfully?