Proofreading and Editing Your Essay

Essay

Do the body paragraphs have a logical order as shown in the essay  thesis / preview?

Is the reason for writing clear in both the thesis statement and throughout the essay?

Do the Topic Sentences of Body Paragraphs have a clear relationship to the Thesis?

At any point in the essay, will your reader require more information for a better understanding?

Is the essay unified? Do the paragraphs' sentences support the thesis statement? (see Paragraphs)

Is each middle paragraph unified, coherent, and fully developed?

Does the introduction contain relevant background information? Contrast? Lead in to the thesis? (see introductions)

Is the thesis statement clear? Does it clearly reflect the Title of the Essay?

Is there a sense of completion in the conclusion: restate thesis, sum up main arguments, suggestion?

Does the title reflect the essay's topic and purpose?

Paragraphs Does your topic sentence clearly identify your paragraph topic? Does your topic sentence make a point about your topic? Does it directly support the thesis? Does each sentence support the topic sentence? (Is the paragraph unified, or does it contain unrelated ideas?) Are the sentences arranged in a natural, effective manner? (Is the paragraph coherent or well organized?) Is the topic of the sentence clearly linked to the idea in previous sentence? How? (repetition key words, pronoun,) Is the connection between sentences easy and natural? Are there clear transitions where necessary? Does the paragraph contain sufficient details, examples or explanations. cause/effect, contrast/comparison, facts /statistics? (Is it developed adequately?)

I. Sentences Is each sentence a complete sentence? Does each clause have a subject and a verb?  Does each Dependent clause have an Independent Clause or are there sentence fragments?         Are there any run on sentences?  Do  all relative clauses have correct structure?  Did you test it?    Is each sentence expressed in a straightforward manner? Is there any wordiness or repetition?         Does it give new specific information or say nothing? Is each sentence grammatical? Do all present tense verbs agree with their subjects? Are  verb tenses and verb forms correct? Is the passive correct? Did you test it? Are pronoun references clear and accurate? i.e. can the reader clearly see the noun reference? (eg. it this these they etc) Is each sentence effective? states something new and specific? Are they varied in length and type? are ideas in a list  parallel? II. Mechanics, Spelling, and Punctuation         IAre all the words spelled correctly? Is the word the appropriate word for your meaning? Is the Verb form correct (tense? active? passive?) Is the correct form of word used (noun verb adjective etc.) Should nouns be singular or plural? eg is it a generalization? Is it countable? uncountable? Does the noun need an article (a an the) Are there excess commas? commas omitted? Citations and Evidence Is the Citation sentence grammatically correct? Does the Citation include Author's last name, date, page. Does the citation effectively and clearly support your idea in previous sentence? Is it clear where the citation begins and ends? Have you indicated how your citation supports your idea? (analysis)

(Adapted from     http://www.sifc.edu/english/WritersGuide/02WGTable%20of%20Contents.htm)