Ron Levy > Permanent Class Postings > Short Checklist for Revision >
Short Checklist for Revision
If this checklist is not helpful, be sure to work with a Writing Consultant. Honestly, you cannot produce college-level work if you are not facile with this style of revision (so take advantage of the free help). And if this checklist IS helpful, you might take a look at this link--to download a checklist that is a bit more comprehensive.
ANALYZE YOUR INTRODUCTION
Is the main point of your essay (i.e., your thesis) clear? Is the introduction too vague, relying on general terms without development? Is the introduction too detailed, including material that really belongs in the body paragraphs of the essay?
CONSIDER YOUR INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION SIDE-BY-SIDE
Does anything in your introduction contradict anything in your conclusion (not good!)? Does the conclusion merely repeat or reiterate what was said in the introduction (not good!)? Does the conclusion address something that is not addressed at all in the introduction (this might be OK, but not if it happens by accident!)?
TRACE YOUR ARGUMENT
Can you clearly follow
the path of your argument? Is there a sensible structure or
design to the paper? Do you provide your reader with “signposts”
which alert the reader to how your essay works, i.e., where the
argument is headed and/or what has already been established?
CHECK YOUR PARAGRAPHS
Could any paragraph in
your essay swap place with another, or is each locked into place?
Does each paragraph work as a coherent unit? Is each paragraph
sufficiently developed, or is it vague and unclear? Do any
of your paragraphs have too much for a single paragraph unit? Are
the sentences within your paragraphs locked into place, or could they
swap position with one another?
CONSIDER YOUR TRANSITIONS
Are the transitions between paragraphs (and between the different sections of your essay) clear? Are there transitional words, transitional sentences, or transitional paragraphs that have been deliberately crafted into the essay?
