Editing Day in the Computer Lab

Checklist:

1.) Click here to review yesterday's information on theses, authors, quotations, transitions, and sentences.

2.) Revise and finish your thesis statement -- we started these yesterday.

3.) Compare your revised thesis statement to your essay. Does the thesis statement "cover" all of your main ideas? Does your thesis statement also reflect what you are "saying" about these main ideas? If not, continue to revise your thesis statement.

4.) Double check to be sure all other author names in your essay are spelled correctly.

5.) Double check to be sure that the first time you mention each writer you use his/her full name.

6.) Double check all QUOTATIONS for ACCURACY.

7.) Be sure all quotations are introduced using the writer's name.

8.) Be sure all quotations conclude with a parenthetical citation -- (56).

9.) Check your TRANSITIONS from paragraph to paragraph. Make sure there is enough variety and that the paper "flows" smoothly from one main idea to the next. See yesterday's information sheet for lists of transitions.

10.) Be sure your paper is correctly formatted to look like those in our handbook. Click here for a page of formatting guidelines.

11.) Read your paper from the BOTTOM up. Look for any possible FRAGMENTS.

12.) Read your paper from the BOTTOM up. Look for any possible RUN-ONS or COMMA SPLICES.

13.) Read your paper from the BOTTOM up. Look for words that are commonly confused. Check RFW, pages 531-544, for a more complete list.

• Accept / except
• Affect / effect
• Defiantly / definitely
• Its / it’s
• Than / then
• There / their / they’re
• To / too / two
• Weather / whether
• Your / you’re

14.) Click here for another editing checklist.

15.) Bring a copy of your "almost-final draft" to class TOMORROW!