Revising
Final Editing
You have drafted, gotten feedback, revised, redrafted, gotten more feedback, revised, redrafted….and now you are ready to polish the paper up and hand it in.
This is a general checklist for editing a paper. Any assignment will have additional specific requirements; what follows is a general checklist for ensuring submission readiness.
Final Editing
- Document Format: Paper is laid out in proper formatting (MLA, APA, CMS, etc). If you are not sure of the formatting guidelines, google image searches can give you a visual example.
- Works Cited is included if you have used any sources. Yes, if you cite just one source in your paper, you must include a Works Cited page. Be sure that it is formatted in the assignment’s required style (MLA, APA, CMS, etc)
- Spacing (double spaced throughout)
- Indentations at the beginning of each new paragraph (hit tab at the beginning of each paragraph to indent)
- Thesis is at the end of the Intro section and directly responds to the assignment question
- Transition phrasing is used that the beginning of new body paragraphs (except for the very first paragraph to follow the intro)
- Signal phrases are used to indicate quoted, paraphrased, or summarized material
- Parenthetical citations are used at the end of sentences where you have quoted, paraphrased, or summarized material
