Students: Essay Tips

Problem or Concern

Revision Questions

Comments or Suggestions

Focus

Is there a strong thesis or main idea? Does the writer consistently address the question or topic with a clear sense of audience and purpose?  Are there any parts of the paper that seem to be irrelevant or unconnected to the topic?  If so, what should the writer do? 

Organization

Does the opening paragraph engage the reader and clearly indicate what the paper is about?  Are there effective paragraph divisions and a good conclusion?

Development

Are all points supported with examples, facts, or logical arguments?  Is anything mentioned that causes a reader to ask questions that the text doesn’t answer?  Are there contradictory arguments or points? 

Citation

Does the writer effectively and purposefully quote and paraphrase materials from other texts without extensive and unnecessary summarizing?  Are sources  accurately documented when necessary?  Does the documentation conform to the appropriate system, i.e. MLA or APA or some other?

Sentence Structure

Are sentences fluent, varied and effective?  Are there run-on sentences or ineffective fragments?  Are sentences constructed so that it is easy for a reader to tell who is doing what to whom?

Word Choice

Are word choices correct and appropriate for academic writing?  Is there any informal or oral language?  Do any words have inappropriate connotations?  Is there ineffective repetition of the same words?

Grammar/

Mechanics

Do errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage distract from the meaning or cause confusion?  What are the major problems? (See “Proofreading Checklist.”)