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Writing Center Revise: Revise

Revise

This checklist covers three types of revision: global, paragraph-level, and sentence-level revision.

Global Revision

Assignment Guidelines
  •   Does your paper meet all the assignment guidelines?
  •   Does your paper follow the assignment rubric?
  •   Do you use enough outside sources in your paper?
  •   Is your paper the appropriate length?
Introduction
  •   Does your essay have an introduction?
  •   Does your introduction have a hook to capture the reader’s interest?
  •   Does the introduction provide the reader with important context or background information on your topic?
Argument
  •   Does your essay have a thesis statement?
  •   Does it take a clear position?
  •   Is your position debatable?
  •   Is it specific and narrow enough for the scope of the assignment?
  •   Is it positioned at the end of your introduction?
  •   Does it forecast the content of your essay?
Organization
  •   Are any paragraphs off topic or unrelated to your argument?
  •   Do any paragraphs stand out as being too short?
  •   Can any of these paragraphs be deleted or combined with other paragraphs?
  •   Do any paragraphs stand out as being too long?
  •   Can any of these paragraphs be broken up into multiple paragraphs?
  •   Is there redundancy in any of these paragraphs? Can redundant content be deleted?
Conclusion
  •   Does your essay have a conclusion?
  •   Does it summarize your argument and main supporting points?
  •   Does it consider the implications and significance of your argument?
  •   Does it consider how future research should build off of or respond to your argument?

Paragraph-Level Revision

Topic Sentences
  •   Does each paragraph contain a topic sentence?
  •   Does each topic sentence state the paragraph’s main idea or claim?
  •   Does each topic sentence tie back to your thesis statement in some way?
  •   Does each topic sentence match up with the content of the paragraph?
Evidence and Source Usage
Analysis
  •   Is each piece of evidence followed by analysis?
  •   Does the analysis refer back to the evidence?
  •   When relevant, does your analysis perform a close reading of your evidence?
  •   Does your analysis demonstrate how your evidence supports the paragraph’s claim?
  •   Does your analysis demonstrate how the evidence fits into your larger argument?
Transitions
  •   Does each paragraph contain a concluding sentence?
  •   Does this concluding sentence link back to the main idea of the paragraph OR
  •   To the next paragraph OR
  •   Back to the thesis statement?

Sentence-Level and Lower-Order Concerns

Sentence-Level
  •   Are there any sentences that can be combined?
  •   Do you use a variety of sentence structures?
  •   Does your sentence length vary throughout your paper?
  •   Have you omitted unnecessary or redundant words?
  •   Do you use the appropriate point of view?
  •   Do you stick to one point of view throughout the paper?

Common Grammatical and Mechanical Mistakes:

  •   Have you reviewed your draft for issues with parallel structure?
  •   Have you corrected any instances of comma splices?
  •   Does every sentence have a subject and a verb?
  •   Does each subject and verb agree?
  •   Are proper nouns and the beginnings of sentences capitalized?
  •   Do you correctly use they’re, there, and their?
  •   Do you correctly use it’s and its?
  •   Are apostrophes used correctly?

APA Formatting

Editing and Proofreading Strategies