8.6.3: Revising and Editing Checklist

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Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Revising Checklist

Your professor may have a project checklist or scoring sheet for you to use when writing your final draft, or you can use the following list. One final time, review your assignment's requirements for topic, research sources, and length of paper to make sure you haven't overlooked anything. If you have any questions, check with your professor.

Grammar

• Are some sentences actually sentence fragments?
• Are some sentences run-on sentences? How can I correct them?
• Do some sentences need conjunctions between independent clauses?
• Does every verb agree with its subject?
• Is every verb in the correct tense?
• Are tense forms, especially for irregular verbs, written correctly?
• Have I used subject, object, and possessive personal pronouns correctly?
• Have I used who and whom correctly?
• Is the antecedent of every pronoun clear?
• Do all personal pronouns agree with their antecedents?
• Have I used the correct comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs?
• Is it clear which word a participial phrase modifies, or is it a dangling modifier?

Sentence Structure

• Are all my sentences simple sentences, or do I vary my sentence structure?
• Have I chosen the best coordinating or subordinating conjunctions to join clauses?
• Have I created long, overpacked sentences that should be shortened for clarity?
• Do I see any mistakes in parallel structure?

Punctuation

• Does every sentence end with the correct end punctuation?
• Can I justify the use of every exclamation point?
• Have I used apostrophes correctly to write all singular and plural possessive forms?
• Have I used quotation marks correctly?

Mechanics and Usage

• Can I find any spelling errors? How can I correct them?
• Have I used capital letters where they are needed?
• Have I written abbreviations, where allowed, correctly?
• Can I find any errors in the use of commonly confused words, such as to/too/two?

Organization

Overall

• Does my introduction proceed clearly from the opening to the thesis?
• Does each body paragraph have a clear main idea that relates to the thesis?
• Do the main ideas in the body paragraphs flow in a logical order? Is each paragraph connected to the one before it?
• Do I need to add or revise topic sentences or transitions to make the overall flow of ideas clearer?
• Does my conclusion summarize my main ideas and revisit my thesis?

At the paragraph level

• Does the topic sentence clearly state the main idea?
• Do the details in the paragraph relate to the thesis idea?
• Do I need to recast any sentences or add transitions to improve the flow of sentences?

Cohesion

• Does the opening of the paper clearly connect to the broader topic and thesis?
• Do entertaining quotations or anecdotes serve a purpose?
• Have I included support from research for each main point in the body of my paper?
• Have I included introductory material before any quotations so quotations do not stand alone in paragraphs?
• Does paraphrased and quoted material clearly serve to develop my own points?
• Do I need to add to or revise parts of the paper to help the reader understand how certain information from a source is relevant?
• Are there any places where I have overused material from sources?
• Does my conclusion make sense based on the rest of the paper?
• Are any new questions or suggestions in the conclusion clearly linked to earlier material?

Style and Tone

• Does my paper avoid excessive wordiness?
• Are my sentences varied in length and structure?
• Have I used points of view (pronouns) effectively and appropriately for the assignment?
• Have I used active voice whenever possible?
• Have I defined specialized terms that might be unfamiliar to readers?
• Have I used clear, straightforward language whenever possible and avoided unnecessary jargon?
• Does my paper support my argument using a balanced tone—neither too indecisive nor too forceful?
• Does my paper avoid vague or imprecise terms? Slang? Repetition of the same phrases (“Smith states…, Jones states…”) to introduce quoted and paraphrased material? Exclusive use of masculine pronouns or awkward use of he or she? Use of language with negative connotations? Use of outdated or offensive terms?

Citations

• Within the body of my paper, is each fact or idea taken from a source credited to the correct source?
• Does each in-text citation include the source author’s name (or, if no author is given, the organization name or source title)?
• Have I used the correct MLA format for in-text and parenthetical citations? If my source gives page numbers, have I included page numbers in parentheses directly after the quote or paraphrase taken from that page or pages?
• Does each source cited in the body of my paper have a corresponding entry in the Works Cited at the end of my paper?

Formatting

• Are all entries in my Works Cited in alphabetical order by author’s last name (or by title or organization if no author is listed)?
• Is my Works Cited is consistently double spaced (both within and between entries), and each entry uses proper indentation (“hanging indent”: indented on the second and all subsequent lines)?
• Does each entry in my Works Cited includes all the necessary information for that source type, in the correct sequence and format?
• Does my paper include a heading (with my name, course information, and date) in the upper left-hand corner of the first page? If no heading is used or your instructor requests it, substitute a title page for the heading.
• Does my paper includes a title that reflects the topic of my paper?
• Does my paper include a running head (page numbers, or a header in the upper right-hand corner of each page of the paper)?
• Are the margins of my paper are set at one inch? Is the text is double spaced and set in a standard 12-point font?

LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS

CC LICENSED CONTENT

Information on this page from Revising Your Draft (Part 2) (opens in new window) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kathryn Crowther et al. (GALILEO Open Learning Materials (opens in new window))