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 | Does the first paragraph clearly and gracefully introduce the topic and present the thesis? |
| Does the thesis statement set forth an argument or a statement of fact? Could someone potentially disagree with your thesis? If not, you have probably set forth a statement of fact. |
| Is your argument specific, or general? |
| Does your thesis matter to you? Would it matter to other members of the class? |
| Does the thesis give the reader a sense of what the structure of the paper will be? |
BODY:
| Look at each paragraph. What is its main idea or point? Is that point clearly stated at the beginning? Does the topic sentence serve as a "mini-thesis"? |
| Is the topic sentence a statement of fact? If so, revise! |
| Does the topic sentence support and work with the thesis statement of the paper? |
| Does each paragraph flow logically from the preceding paragraph and into the succeeding paragraph? Does the topic sentence provide a transition that clearly and explicitly connects the point of the preceding paragraph to the point of the present paragraph? |
| Are the quotations introduced clearly and integrated smoothly into the paper? Are there any free-standing quotations? |
| Do you perform close readings of every passage you quote, and do your close readings clearly and explicitly support your larger argument, both within the paragraph and in the paper as a whole? |
| How does the draft hold together? Are there places where the argument feels rushed or unclear? Does the essay lose its focus or shift its focus at any point? |
| Does the essay contain any unnecessary summary? |
| Are there instances of vague language? (Look out for buzzwords: "certain," "specific," "different," "various," "many," "true," etc.) Whenever possible, be specific. |
| Does it pull ideas together, restate a key idea in a new way, and/or suggest how your reading relates to larger issues of interest to you and your readers? |
| Or is it merely repetitive? |
OVERALL:
| Does the essay successfully address the specific subject it sets out to analyze? |
| Does the essay interpret the text, or merely paraphrase and/or summarize? Have you merely translated what the text says, or have you analyzed how the text says what you think it says? |
| Does the essay fully develop the thesis it sets forth in the beginning? |
| Are there alternative ways the paper could be structured in order more effectively to argue the thesis? |
| Does the thesis need to be changed to reflect the actual argument of the paper? |