Checklist for revision

Purpose
What is the essay’s purpose? Does it conform to the assignment? Is it consistent throughout the paper? (See pp. 6–8.)

Thesis
What is the thesis of the essay? Where does it become clear? How well do thesis and paper match: Does the paper stray from the thesis? Does it fulfill the commitment of the thesis? (See pp. 14–16.)

Structure
What are the main points of the paper? (List them.) How well does each support the thesis? How effective is their arrangement for the paper’s purpose? (See pp. 17–21.)

Development
How well do details, examples, and other evidence support each main point? Where, if at all, might readers find support skimpy or have trouble understanding the content? (See pp. 6–7, 45–49.)

Tone
What is the tone of the paper? How do particular words and sentence structures create the tone? How appropriate is it for the purpose, topic, and intended readers? Where is it most and least successful?

Unity
What does each sentence and paragraph contribute to the thesis?
Where, if at all, do digressions occur? Should these be cut, or can they be rewritten to support the thesis? (See pp. 20–21, 39–40.)

Coherence
How clearly and smoothly does the paper flow? Where does it seem rough or awkward? Can any transitions be improved? (See pp. 20–21, 40–44.)

Title, introduction, conclusion
How accurately and interestingly does the title reflect the essay’s content? (See below.) How well does the introduction engage and focus readers’ attention? (See pp. 50–51.) How effective is the conclusion in providing a sense of completion? (See pp. 51–53.)

Checklist for editing

Clarity
How well do words and sentences convey their intended meanings?
Which if any words and sentences are confusing? Check especially for these:
Exact language (3 pp. 167–75)
Parallelism (3 pp. 152–55)
Clear modifiers (4 pp. 271–77)
Clear reference of pronouns (4 pp. 256–59)
Complete sentences (4 pp. 278–82)
Sentences separated correctly (4 pp. 283–87)

Effectiveness
How well do words and sentences engage and focus readers? Where does the writing seem wordy, choppy, or dull? Check especially for these:
Emphasis of main ideas (3 pp. 141–50)
Smooth and informative transitions (pp. 43–45)
Variety in sentence length and structure (3 pp. 156–59)
Appropriate language (3 pp. 160–66)
Concise sentences (3 pp. 177–82)

Correctness
How little or how much do surface errors interfere with clarity and effectiveness? Check especially for these:
Spelling (6 pp. 345–51)
Verb forms, especially -s and -ed endings and correct forms of irregular verbs (4 pp. 210–24)
Verb tenses, especially consistency (4 pp. 225–31)
Agreement between subjects and verbs, especially when words come between them or the subject is each, everyone, or a similar word (4 pp. 237–42)
Pronoun forms (4 pp. 244–50)
Agreement between pronouns and antecedents, especially when the antecedent contains or or it is everyone, person, or a similar word (4 pp. 251–54)
Sentence fragments (4 pp. 278–82)
Commas, especially with comma splices (4 pp. 283–87) and with and or but, with introductory elements, with nonessential elements, and with series (5 pp. 298–308)
Apostrophes in possessives but not plural nouns (Dave’s/witches) and in contractions but not possessive personal pronouns (it’s/its) (5 p. 327)