Examine your paper and check the following areas to make informed decisions about what to change to improve your paper:
1. Is the introductory paragraph effectively written? Does it define the issue and state an arguable thesis statement?
2. Are the main points in support of the thesis statement organized logically in the essay?
3. Does the supporting reasoning that you provide relate logically to the main point that is stated in each paragraph? Are there any ideas that are unrelated and need to be modified or deleted?
4. Are paragraphs developed effectively with relevant and current evidence from credible sources? Which paragraphs need more support?
5. Are opposing viewpoints addressed and counter-argued logically? Are there any opposing viewpoints that you have not considered but that you should include in your essay?
6. Are there paragraphs where you need to add transition words to improve coherence?
7. Is the concluding paragraph effectively written? Does it summarize the key points and restate the thesis?
8. Have you used sources appropriately? Check your essay for the use of sources, appropriate paraphrasing, and the formatting of direct quotations.
9. Have you used APA style correctly? Check for errors in APA in-text citations. Check to make sure in-text citations and reference citations correspond. Check for errors in formatting of reference citations.
10. Have you written effective sentences? Examine your sentences for clarity and effectiveness. Rewrite sentences where the meaning is not clear or the sentence structure is wordy or awkward.
11. Proofread your paper. Is it free of grammatical and mechanical errors? Correct any errors that you find.