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Begin to view your paper
objectively using the following questions as a guide to both local and global
revisions.
Assignment
Does your draft carry out the assignment?
Does your draft meet every requirement of the assignment? Here it is,
again
Write a personal
argument responding to some aspect of one or more stories in the first unit
dealing with racial or cultural dislocation/conflict/connection. Your writing
will reflect on the factors (cultural, economic, religious, education) that
inform your response to various parts of the chosen texts.
Introduction
Do your introduction catch your reader's attention? How?
What does the opening of your paper accomplish? (exs. sets the stage, piques
curiosity, establishes importance of the topic?)
Thesis & Argument
Is your thesis unified, arguable(not obvious), and specific (your point
of view, detailed story examples) ?
Paraphrase your thesis such that it reads, "In this paper, I will . . ." (but do
not write it that way in the paper!)
Does your draft fulfill what you say it will? Why or why not?
Does your paper stick to the argument made in the thesis throughout?
Organization of Main Points
List your main points, in order of presentation. Review each one.
Do any need to be expanded or condensed? Should any be eliminated?
Do any seem confusing or boring? Do they make you want to know more?
How well are your main points supported? What type of evidence do you use?
Style
Paragraph-level:
| Which paragraphs seem to be the clearest? Most developed? Most interesting? |
| Which paragraphs need to be developed further? What's missing? |
| Is each paragraph focused and relevant to your thesis, or overall argument? |
Sentence-level:
| Are your sentences varied in length, structure, and openings? |
| Does your sentence structure help you effectively transition between paragraphs and ideas? |
| Do your topic sentences clearly introduce the subject(s) addressed in each paragraph? (It may be helpful to limit yourself to one point per paragraph) |
| Identify sentences you identify as weak-they may be confusing, awkward, or uninspired. |
Word-level:
| Mark words that are particularly effective as well as words that appear weak. |
| Do any words need to be replaced or defined? |
| Are your verbs active and vivid? |
| Do you vary your word choice throughout your paper? |
| Are any of your words potentially offensive, either to your intended audience or anyone else? |
Format:
| Does your draft meet the assignment's format guidelines, as outlined by your instructor? |
Audience
Define your audience. To whom are you writing?
What assumptions have you made about your audience? Have you considered them in
your arguments?
How does your draft capture the interest of and appeal to your intended
audience?
Make sure your language, tone, and argument are appropriate to the paper's
context.
Conclusion
Is the conclusion more than just a restatement of the introduction?
Does your draft conclude in a memorable way, or does it seem to stop short or
trail off?
Does the conclusion provide a sense of closure to the paper?
Final Thoughts
What are the main strengths and weaknesses of your draft?
What was the single most important thing said?
What do you want to know more about?
As a final check, look for typing or printing errors in your paper.