For this paper, I’m asking you to reread your original paper carefully (taking into account my comments) and to fill out the revision checklist that I’ve provided.
- Type up an at least 1-pg double-spaced revision plan. Your revision plan should: first, summarize the substantial and minor revisions you need to make in order to strengthen the paper—everything from sentence-level corrections, organizational issues, necessary additions, revision of conclusion, etc.; second, provide a basic plan for making those revisions. How do you plan to fix them? Used the list to help guide your revision plan.
- Submit the revision plan to Canvas by April 23.
- Revise your paper based on your plan. As you revise your paper, use the “track changes” feature in MSWord, or the equivalent in whatever word-processing program you use. You can also use bold or any color font to highlight the changes you make as you make them.
- When you turn in the clean copy of your revised paper on April 26th, please submit it along with the original copy of the paper, so that I can see the changes you’ve made. The grade for the paper will be determined based on the thoroughness of your revisions and the degree to which you follow your revision plan.
Revision Checklist
DIRECTIONS: Reread the paper you’ve chosen to revise and complete the checklist. The list should help shape your revision plan and to guide the revisions you will make to the paper.
GENERAL CHECKLIST:
Summarization
___ Summary of other author’s main argument(s) is efficiently and clearly stated in the introduction or first 2 paragraphs of the paper
___ Summary is clear, but it could be further simplified.
___ There is a summary, but it is not very accurate, it’s too long, or its not in the introduction.
___ It’s difficult to find the summary.
Thesis
___ Thesis is sharply focused AND offers a compelling, thoughtful argument in response to the topic.
___ Thesis is clear and specific.
___ There is a thesis, but it is either too broad, or it says something obvious.
___ It’s difficult to find the thesis in the paper.
Development and Use of Evidence
___ The paper contains specific, compelling evidence for its claims (illustrative examples, connections to the ideas of others—e.g., readings or films from this class). All evidence presented is relevant to the paper’s thesis and supporting claims and is thoroughly discussed. Proper citation procedures are followed, as appropriate.
___ The paper contains enough evidence to support the paper’s claims, though the evidence may be rather general. Evidence presented is relevant to the paper’s thesis and appropriate connections/conclusions are drawn from it. Proper citation procedures are followed, as appropriate.
___ There is an attempt to incorporate evidence into the paper’s discussion of its topic and to discuss
its relevance to the paper’s thesis, but the paper lacks full development. OR the paper does not follow the mechanics for proper citation of debts to sources.
___ Evidence or examples included and discussion of these are minimal. OR there is little relationship between the evidence and the paper’s claims. OR the paper rambles or is incoherent. OR the writer does not acknowledge debts to the ideas of others, including written sources, or does so inappropriately.
Organization
___ The paper is well-structured and demonstrates the writer’s ability to anticipate the reader’s need for information or explanation. The paper contains clear transitions among ideas that provide “signposts” or “bridges” for the reader to follow the paper’s argument
___ The paper is, in general, effectively organized, though the links between paragraphs and ideas
might be implied, rather than specifically stated.
___ The paper has a serviceable structure, but there are digressions, or there are paragraphs/arguments
that could be moved to provide greater clarity or a better emphasis.
___ It is difficult to follow the line of reasoning in this paper.
Grammar, Mechanics, and Style
___ Paper conveys a distinctive voice that clearly belongs to the writer. Sentences contain well-
chosen words and phrases, are grammatically accurate, and are rhetorically sophisticated (they are flexible and varied in type and length).
___ The paper contains sentences that are clear, concise, and grammatically correct. The sentence
structures are reasonably varied.
___ The paper’s sentences are almost always grammatically correct. They tend to be simple in
structure and lack variety.
___ The paper contains significant or distracting errors in grammar or mechanics, or word choice
and/or tone is inappropriate for the paper’s subject.
